Being a beauty obsessive is expensive work, but there's no point splurging on pricey products, if you don't have a good quality team of tools to work with them. Without the right tools, the products are pointless. Over the last year or so, I've developed an army of tools and I'm pretty sure I'm covered on all bases. That's not to say you need all of these tools, but if you're considering a career in makeup, or if you're just a beauty junkie, this is a pretty extensive kit.
Good Brushes: In my humble opinion, you need a minimum of five. One good foundation brush, a brush for packing eyeshadow onto the lid, a eye crease brush, a blending brush, and a face brush, for powder, blush and bronzer. Personally, I'd recommend the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, a MAC 215, a Topshop domed shadow brush, the & Other Stories Artists Brush & the Space N.K. Contour brush. I'm not saying that's all you need, but those are the ones I reach for without fail on a daily basis. I've done a full post on my most used brushes, which you can find here.
Good Lash Curlers: I'm not one to advocate over the top spending, but lash curlers are one of a few things where the more you spend the better they are. Personally, I've never found a pair of drugstore curlers that work for me, my favourites are the Shu Umera Lash curlers. They're pricey, but they're excellent, and they last forever.
Deep Brush Cleaner: If you're going to be swirling brushes all over your skin on a daily basis, you want to make sure they're clean. I'd recommend giving all your brushes a good deep clean on a weekly basis (yes it's tedious, but it has to be done). There are two products I use for that, the Dr Bronners Magic Soap, and Johnsons Baby Shampoo, and to be honest, I probably prefer the latter, I just find it gives a deeper clean.
Brush Spot Cleaner: This is an essential if you're an eyeshadow lover, unless you want to buy enough eyeshadow brushes to keep swapping until your weekly deep cleanse. I use the MAC Brush Cleanser to spot clean eyeshadow brushes, removing the colour pigment so I can use them again and again, without getting yesterday's eyeshadow involved in today's look.
Cotton Buds: Seems like kind of an obvious one, but they are so handy. Can be used to clean up eyeshadow mistakes, smudge out liner, remove lipstick that smudged...the possibilities are endless. Mine are from & Other Stories, but any will do.
Kleenex Facial Cloths: Whilst I still use traditional cotton wool for a lot of things, these facial cloths are excellent for covering in product to remove a whole face of makeup, big and soft they are fantastic, I always stock up on them when they're on offer.
Baby Wipes: I don't condone using these for makeup removal, they are never going to give your skin the cleanse it needs, but if you're taking makeup off to reapply it they can come in handy. Also great for cleaning up your hands if you've used them to apply your product!
Flannels: For giving your skin a good deep cleanse. I just use the basic Primark ones, they're soft and fluffy, wash well, and they work out at 50p each.
Makeup Setting Spray: Whether it's boiling hot, or you've had a long day, there are some occasions where it doesn't matter how good your products are, your makeup isn't intact by the end of the day. This is where the Makeup Setting Spray comes in, I personally love the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray, which works kind of like a hairspray for your face.
Lipcote: A must have for bold lip lovers. Seals in lipstick making it last all day.
A Good Topcoat: A good topcoat should lock in your nail polish, extending the wear time, preventing chips, give a glossy finish, and if possible dry fast. I've found all of these qualities in the Sally Hansen Megashine Topcoat, which has booted Seche Vite from my makeup ranks once and for all.
Nail Files: Continuing the nail theme, a good nail file is an obvious one. For shaping my nails I love to use the Stylefile which is available in Boots, but I also keep a glass one in my handbag for nail emergencies, or smoothing rough edges. The one I have is from Tiger!
Tweezers: For eyebrow problems and lash applications, they're handy. Mine are from Tweezerman, I've had them for nearly four years now, and they're still the best tweezers I've ever used. You can also send them off to Tweezerman to sharpen them for free too!
Dark Lash Glue: I'm not a massive false lash lover, but when I do don the falsies for a night out, dark lash glue is a lifesaver. My favourite is the Revlon offering, dries black so it blends into the lash line beautifully.
Compact Mirror: For lipstick touch ups, removal of burger from teeth, and shine watch. Everyone needs a compact mirror.
Makeup Bag: Somewhere to store all your essentials. My favourite is this Paul and Joe one, which has removable sections and reminds me of a filofax.
What do you keep in your beauty tool kit?
