The Repurchasables #2

Having such a vast beauty collection, it's really quite rare for me to repurchase an item. I'm usually too busy trying out new products to buy something again! So when I do repurchase an item, that's a BIG thing, I have to really love a product for that to happen.

The first product over the last few months that made the repurchase list was the L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara. I've written about this mascara so many times here so I'll keep this brief and just say this is the single best drugstore mascara I've ever tried, and I basically refuse to be without  this now!

Two other eye products that both have been repurchased are both eye primers. First of all the Urban Decay Primer Potion which I picked up with my Naked 3 palette, it was reduced to £4 with any other purchase! This is a fab eye primer, you can't see it when it's applied, it just creates a smooth base for eyeshadow. The other is a more recent repurchase, I was recently in a Cosmetic Company Outlet and found the Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer, my favourite eyeshadow primer ever, reduced from £18, to £10. Well I couldn't resist that could I! If you haven't tried this already, you should.

Another product that I've spoken about a lot is the Max Factor Face Finity Foundation. This again is probably my favourite foundation ever, it just gets the job done in every way possible. 

One skincare product that made the cut is the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser, which I repurchased two days after I ran out of the last bottle, when my skin went haywire without it. It's just the best cleanser I've tried, it really makes my face feel incredibly clean, soft and smooth.

And lastly, a haircare item, the Dove Refresh and Care Dry Shampoo. The best dry shampoo on the market as far as I'm concerned, leaves your hair looking and feeling clean, with no grey cast!

What products make your repurchase list?

The Reliable Base

A reliable base combo is like an old friend, your favourite pair of jeans, a hot drink on a cold day - you get the picture, it's good. Having a combination of products that you can rely on no matter how your skin is behaving is so important. It takes the stress away from oily days, spotty days, or days when you just don't have time to think about what to use.

The Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer is, without a doubt, the best primer I've ever used. It's not for everyone, people seem to either love it or hate it, but for me, this just works. Today for example, It's now 14 hours since I applied my makeup, and it still looks freshly done. This not only creates a perfect barrier between my skin and makeup, stopping oily or dry patches affecting the finish of my makeup, but it also creates a perfect silky surface for the makeup to adhere to, keeping it intact. I keep buying the small size because it's so damn pricey, but I wouldn't be without this. 

As far as foundation goes, I've found nothing as good as the Max Factor Face Finity Foundation. Flawless high coverage that still looks natural on the skin, it doesn't get better than that, does it? You can also really sheer this foundation out if need be, just use a little and really work it into the skin with the brush. A good all rounder.

Concealer-wise, it's gotta be the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. This thing is dual purpose, great for under eyes and blemishes, it covers everything really well without looking cakey at all, and you can use it to top up throughout the day if need be, and it won't look weird.

I've spoken about my love for taking the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Lightscapade under my eyes as a highlighter, but it also works wonders when you take a little on a fluffy powder brush all over the face. It just really adds a bit of glow, and makes you look so much healthier!

What are your go-to reliable base products?

Post-Workout Beauty

I like to workout in the morning, it makes me feel pumped for the day ahead. However, I'm generally running late in the morning, which means I need to be able to get ready as quick as possible, and out of the door. I've got it down now so that I can go from sweaty mess to sort of presentable in under ten minutes. Impressive, no?

I start off with a quick shower, I won't wash my hair, cause who has time to dry it? I'll just wash my body and get out as quick as possible. In the shower I'll also wash my face with the Nivea Gentle Cleansing Mousse, this cleanses my skin and stops me feeling all shiny and gross. I've mentioned before that my favourite deodorant is the Dove Go Fresh Cucumber and Green Tea Roll On, but for these situations I usually go for the spray, and just get it everywhere, is anyone else super self conscious about being sweaty after working out? If I really don't have time to shower I will literally use half a can of this. 

Body sorted, I'll move onto face. I always keep some blotting sheets to hand, to get rid of any excess shine, the ones I'm using right now are the Kleenex Shine Absorbing Sheets, which I like because they're super thick and soft! I usually then skip foundation and just go with concealer under my eyes and on any blemishes or red areas (read: all over my face). Right now I love the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer, because it works equally well for under-eyes and blemishes, and offers really good coverage.

For eyes I keep it simple, a swipe of MAC's Painterly Paint Pot across my lids with my finger, to even out the skin colour. Then I apply lashings of the Max Factor Lash Extension Mascara, I feel like this really opens up my eyes, lengthens my lashes, and make me look more awake and alive! 

I then grab a multipurpose cheek and lip product, that I can apply with my fingers. Less to carry and easy to use. This is the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Fresh Melon, a gorgeous peach shade. I just blend a little of this onto my cheeks with my fingers, and then tap a bit onto my lips to give them some colour. 

And Voila I'm done! All in under 10 minutes!

How do you get ready fast after a workout?

The Lazy Cleanse

Sometimes, when you finally get home after a long day, the last thing you want to do is spend twenty minutes on skincare. Sometimes, you just want to crawl into bed fully dressed, fully made up, and worry about it tomorrow. Now I try never to do that (although, I'll admit, it has happened on occasion), so I have a quick, two-step, fail-safe routine that I go to for those days when time, and ease, is of the essence.

The key element of this routine is a good quality cleansing balm. I've flirted with many a balm but right now The Body Shop's Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter has my heart. It's got a gorgeous fresh scent, which is much nicer than I ever thought it could smell! It's a really light formula and feels incredibly soft and smooth on the skin. What's great about this as it sort of does two jobs at once, it really gets your makeup off and cleanses deep into your skin, so your skin feels really clean after! You only need the tiniest amount to really get all your makeup off, and it even makes short work of waterproof mascara, no mean feat. I like to spend a good two minutes really massaging this into the skin, before taking a warm flannel and taking it all off.

After that I just dry my skin and liberally spritz the Caudalie Beauty Elixir onto my face, another hardworking product. This acts as my toner, it adds moisture, and it fights spots too! If I have the energy I'll also slap a little moisturiser on after, but 9 times out of 10 I don't! I can get away with using just these two products and waking up with skin that's happy.

What do you use when you're feeling lazy?

This Week's Most Loved #14

Happy Sunday! I plan on spending my Sunday doing as little as possible, since I'm coming down with a cold I think I need a day to just rest! I think I deserve it anyway, I feel like I haven't stopped working this week!

First for my most loved of the week, my necklace from Accessorize. I think I've worn this every single day this week, I just love it. Since most (read: all) of my outfits are completely monochrome, this adds just a touch (a tiny one) of colour. I'm obsessed. This week I also pulled my Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess scent out of the back drawer. This is definitely a 'Summer in a bottle' fragrance, and it definitely makes me feel like warmer weather is coming! If you haven't checked out this fragrance yet, you should.

I've been reaching for my Weleda Skin Food a lot this week, my hands have been inexplicably dry this week and this just really sucks moisture back into the skin. Similarly, my lips have been really chapped so I've been using The Body Shop's Honey Lip Balm, which not only smells amazing, but also is super hydrating.

And lastly, two eye products I've been loving. The Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in R.S.V.P, for days when I can't be bothered. It's a pretty pinky champagne shade that just looks great on it's own. I don't really like this as a base for eyeshadow because it's got quite an uneven shimmer which makes eyeshadow look lumpy, but on it's own it's lovely. I've also been loving the Smashbox Always Sharp Liner in Penny Lane, which adds a little smokey definition to the lashes, and stays put really well throughout the day.

What have you been loving this week?