Now before anyone gets all teen angst on me, yes I know it's not called the drugstore in the UK, but it's so much easier than saying "My top ten from Boots/Superdrug/Tesco/Sainsbury's etc." so I'm calling it the drugstore!
I really think that drugstore brands have stepped up their game recently, if I had the money, I wouldn't just buy high-end products, there are too many things I love that are under a tenner!
I'll start with the obvious, my Real Techniques brushes (they need a wash, sorry, it's on today's to do list!). I absolutely adore these, they don't shed, they're super soft, they wash really well, they're just amaaaayzing. I get asked a lot on Twitter which ones I use most and for what, since I don't really use them for what they're designed for, so here goes!
The massive powder brush I use for just that, it's great for loading up with powder and dusting across the face, some mornings if I don't want a particularly matte look, I'll just dust the brush over my face, since it tends to retain a little bit of powder and they give a great finish. Similarly, the blush brush, which I only got this month, I use for sweeping blusher across my cheeks, and also sometimes for adding powder highlighter, since I like to be quite liberal with that!
Before I got the powder brush, I used the bruffing brush to set my makeup, and whilst it does a good job, it's even better at foundation. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's the best one I've used. It gives a super flawless finish. I use the stippling brush for cream foundations (it was practically made for my Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge) and gel foundations, such as my YSL Teint Touche Eclat, since it handles that kind of formula perfectly. I use the contour brush for, you guessed it, contouring. This brush pretty much goes hand in hand with my NARS Laguna, and I also sometimes use it with powder highlighters, particularly ones with smaller pans, that the massive blush brush can't get into!
I use the detailer and angler brushes as lip brushes, since they are the perfect size, and then I use the deluxe crease brush for concealer, since I find it buffs it out better. And finally, the base shader brush, which is pretty similar to the MAC 217, I use to blend eyeshadow into the crease of my eye!
Phew, that took a while. But yeah, amazing brushes, I use these more than my MAC/Sigma/Japonesque/Crown alternatives!
I'm not a fan of tinted moisturisers or BB creams, I find they never are light enough for my pasty skin, and they end up looking patchy, or too orange, so my go-to foundation for lighter coverage is the Revlon Nearly Naked foundation. I wear the shade 120 Vanilla, which surprised me, since I'm normally the lightest shade, but the shade lighter than this, I think it's called Ivory was way too pink for me! But this shade matches me perfectly, and when applied with a Real Tech buffing brush, gives you a light, barely there finish, but evens out your skin colour. The more you work it, the higher the coverage is, so you can build it up, if you need a bit more coverage!
And of course, I couldn't do a top 10 without mentioning Rimmel's Stay Matte powder. I did a full post on this here so I'll keep it brief. Basically, go buy it, it's amazing. And it's £3.99. Amazing.
I've spoken loads before about the 1000 Kisses lip stains, and the Kate Moss for Rimmel lipsticks, I just think they are really really great products, they've got amazing colour pay off, they stay put all day, and they're just brilliant! I did a post quite recently on my favourite Rimmel products, and you can read more about these products in that, here.
You're going to hear me babble on a lot about Lipcote in the next few weeks, it's like the new love of my life. I had a bottle before, ran out, and it was one of those things I kept meaning to order, but just never got round to it. But now, they sell it in Primarni of all places! So when I saw this, I squealed with delight, and have been remembering all the reasons I love it, again! It just seals in your lipstick and makes it last all day long, leaving not a single mark on any cup/sandwich/utensil. Brilliant.
I feel like I don't need to say anything about Sleek blushes. Sleek makeup in general is just really great quality, theire blushes are incredibly well pigmented and buttery, and come in at under a fiver. I think I have three or four now, they might just be my favourite blushes. I reviewed this blush this week, you can read the post here.
Maybelline Colour Tattoos are a newish find of mine. I've never been big on cream eyeshadows, since I normally find they crease throughout the day, and just generally end up on the other side of your face within an hour, but I love these. I have two, On and On Bronze, which is my favourite, and Permanent Taupe. These are super creamy, but they stay put on the lid. They last really well and the colours are so pretty! Love!
Nivea Creams are one of those things that I think are really overlooked. This mini pot cost me 99p, and it lives in my handbag, for dry skin, cuticles, emergency face cream, anything like that. It's super simple, and crazy hydrating, and it works! It's definitely one of my makeup bag staples!
Last but not least, possibly my favourite mascara, other than YSL Shocking volume (which comes with a price tag ten times the size of this one) is NYC's Big and Bold mascara. I did a post on this here, but couldn't not mention it again! It really is a great mascara, and it's like three pounds in Superdrug!
What are your top high street picks?
