For anyone who knows me, the idea of me writing a blog post about beauty would be a source of great hilarity. I would be the first to admit that I know absolutely nothing about beauty products, partly because I've never had enough money to buy endless tubes of lipstick and mascara in the hopes of identifying my ultimate-favourite-of-all time-ever (seriously, how do you guys fund your make-up habits?!) and partly because I'm just too lazy to spend much time on my beauty regime and tend to spend most of my life barefaced.
However, I do somehow seem to have accumulated an enormous amount of beauty-based detritus that is languishing away in my Estee Lauder (freebie, obviously) make up bag. So, in an attempt to actually put some thought into why I use what I use, I'm going to attempt the impossible. Welcome to my first (and possibly only, ever) beauty blog. Don't laugh, please.
Foundation
Estee Lauder Double Wear All-Day Glow BB
I have to admit, foundation is possibly my least used item in my make up bag (I can almost hear the beauty buffs' collective intake of breath). Yes, this apparently essential piece of kit is something that, thanks to my track record of generally clear skin, I haven't really felt the need to use. I'm also a bit of a stickler for pore-clogging, and feel kinda grubby when I paint myself in a solid coat of colour. To be fair, and I apologise to anyone who actually likes it, Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse was the first and only foundation I've ever really used up until now. I bought my first pot of it when it was first released and I was around 14 years old, and it took me over a year to finish the pot- mostly because I found it almost unbearable to wear. However, this summer I spent the most money I have ever spent on make (£105, to be exact- I know, pathetic) and that haul included this product from Estee Lauder. Despite my almost non-existent knowledge of what makes a good foundation, I can at least say that I really like this product. I'm super pale and for the longest time found it really difficult to find a foundation that suited me, but this adapts to your skin tone for a pretty flawless finish. It's also SPF 30 which helps those of us that burn easily.
Powder
Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder in 003 Peach Glow
In the absence of foundation, pressed powder is my go-to product for giving my face a slightly less mirror-shiny finish. I have actually tried quite a wide range of drug store powders, but always come back to this little gem from Rimmel that claims '5 hours natural shine control'. It retails at around £3 (bargain) and does exactly what it says on the tin. Can't argue with that.
Blusher
Collection 2000 Blush in 02 Bashful
Okay, so blusher isn't exactly my strong suit when it comes to make up. As you can see, I've had this particular item for so long that you can barely even tell what brand it is anymore. I do use this pretty much every day, but somehow it just keeps going. I mean, I haven't even used anywhere close to half of it yet. How?! I did dabble in a similar shade from Rimmel, but I needed to use so much of it to make it visible that I gave up on it and reverted back to this £2-ish blush from Collection 2000. In fact, 2000 might even be the year that I bought it in. Oh well.
Eyeliner
The Body Shop Eye Definer in 01 Black
Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in 1 Black
I switch between pencil and liquid eyeliner depending on how strong a look I want to create, and the two that I swear by are these two drugstore staples. I was bought the Body Shop pencil for Christmas last year so don't ask me how much it retails at, but I absolutely love it. Usually I like to argue that there is pretty much no difference between make up in different price brackets (yes I know this is completely incorrect) but this is one product that has totally proven me wrong. It's awesome to apply, blends fabulously and stays put forever. Win.
As for the liquid liner, I tend to keep coming back to Collection 2000 and to this product in particular. It's super-fine but sturdy tip allows for total control of the application of the liner, and is really precise and easy to apply. This is really important for me as I have mad wonky eyes, so I personally swear by this product.
Mascara
Maybelline The Collossal Volum' Express Mascara 100% Black
Aside from being entirely confused as to why Maybelline has swapped the 'E' for an apostrophe, I really like this mascara. I first tried it when I was about 14, way before it was released in the UK (yeah, I am that cool) and my friend brought me back a CoverGirl tube from the US. I'm lucky enough to have really long eyelashes so generally look for something that will really make the most of them as well as giving them a bit of lift and volume. The big fat brush of this mascara does that perfectly, whilst also really effectively separating my lashes.
Lipstick
No7 High Shine Lip Crayon (no idea of the shade, sorry)#
Estee Lauder Pure Colour Creme in 17 Rose Tea
The Body Shop Colour Crush in 355
Ah, lipstick. I could never choose just one, so have three instead. The No7 High Shine Lip Crayon in unknown shade was bestowed upon me by my No7 advent calendar a few days ago and is the exact same colour as my lips. Usually I would be extremely confused as to why anyone would want to wear a lipstick the same colour as their lips when they could just.. wear their lips.. but this lip crayon gives my natural lip colour just a tiny bit of oomph to finish off my make up, making it my new (joint) favourite for every day wear.
The other half of my everyday wear pair is from Estee Lauder. Just a little darker than my natural lip colour, it gives a really simple and classy finish that I absolutely love. It's really creamy and stays on well too.
My absolute favourite ever lipstick, however, has to be the Body Shop number. A deep pink shade, it's just bold enough to make me feel sexy and slightly vampy without being intimidating or difficult to perfect. This shade compliments my skin perfectly (or so I think) and I always feel totally fabulous when I've got it on. It cost me about a tenner, which is more than I'd usually spend on one item (yes, I am that much of a cheapskate) but it was so, so worth it.
So there you have it! A surprisingly comprehensive guide to some of the items that are currently inhabiting my way over-packed make up bag. Hope I wasn't too useless on the beauty front!
Laura xo
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