These are my Top 5 beauty essentials...
Every girl has their own set of beauty essentials... You know those things that you can't live without!!! I'm talking if you were stranded on a dessert island & a date with a hunky island guy was fast approaching... In other words, THE must haves. Well these are mine...
1. BB cream
I'm not a massive fan of foundation, I just can't get on with the feeling of having an extra layer on my face. A great alternative is a good BB cream. For me a BB cream is perfect as it gives me a little glow and a perfect base to apply my blusher or bronzer, without feeling any different to a normal moisturiser. BB creams will feel very light on the face, and can vary in texture depending on what kind you need. If you have good skin and very rarely get spots I would highly recommend using a BB cream instead of foundation, however it will not give you much coverage, so if you need something with a high coverage I would suggest using a BB cream under your foundation for a perfect & flawless look.
My favourite BB cream at the moment is
prep + prime BB beauty balm compact - Mac £23
Mac provides you with a handy little face sponge, which allows for light or heavy application (light for daytime and dab on a bit more for a night out) & also provides a range of 9 shades, so you are bound to find one that suits you (I use medium plus). This is my favourite as it goes on so easy, leaves a smooth natural finish, and is a perfect base for my bronzer (which makes your makeup really hold) well worth the price, however if you were looking for a cheaper alternative I would recommend
Nude Magique BB cream- L'oreal Paris- £12 ( comes out as a white cream & then adjusts to your skin tone as you rub in)
2. Gradual tan body moisturiser
After a long cold winter the paleness has finally taken over... But it doesn't have to be that way! We are all scared of the awful effects of fake tan gone wrong! But rest assured there's a safer option- gradual tan body moisturiser! It builds up slowly after daily use, & gives you that subtle glow all year round. You can usually buy them in a light or medium (start off with light if you are unsure)
My favourite is
Garnier summer body £3.99
This never goes streaky or patchy for me, and has quite a nice smell too. It leaves a very natural glow, and has no instant colour so you can just rub it in as you normally would when using your body moisturiser. As an alternative you could use
L'oreal Paris- Sublime Bronze which has glitter in it too!
3. Bronzer
I love a bit of bronzer... Okay a lot of bronzer! Lol! I can't be without my bronzer, it just gives me a nice golden glowy finish, I even mix a bit in with my blusher for a more subtle natural look. Remember to not go crazy with your bronzing brush though... Apply to the cheek bones, then blend gently out, apply to the tip of your nose, blend out, & then lightly blend on your forehead, start at the top. If you are mad on the new contouring trend, you can use a smaller brush & just contour with your bronzer for a everyday quick contoured look.
My favourite is
Mineralize skin finish natural - Give Me Sun! - Mac £22
I use this as a bronzer for a more natural matte finish, & again well worth the price as it lasts soooo long (which is always a bonus), it comes in a range of colours, so get the Mac girls & guys to match you up! Give me sun is pretty dark, which suits me as I've got very warm tones (so if your like me, I highly recommend), but if you want something a bit more glitzy or for a night out on the town, try one of Mac's bronzing powders or go for the mineralize skin finish (without natural), these ranges hold even more of a variety of shades so I'm sure you will be pushed for choice.
4. Mascara
Where would we be without a good mascara? We would be without the "bat your eyelashes" factor, that's where! I'm a sucker for trying every single new mascara on the market (you know when they entice you with the special offers) and I can safely say I've tried them all! From the lowest to the highest prices, THIS mascara is the ULTIMATE...
Volume million lashes- L'oreal Paris £10.99
I find that this mascara is perfect at increasing length, but also doesn't clump easily, so you can really layer up to get thickness aswell! Its quite long lasting- & still applies the same pretty much till the last drop (I hate when half way through your fantastic new mascara suddenly becomes pathetic!) this is not the case with this mascara & it's a good price! Just be careful not to pick up the dreaded brown- we've all been there!
5. Eyebrow brush
I think it's safe to say eyebrows are the new accessories! But it could all go terribly wrong without a good eyebrow brush at hand. After applying your makeup always brush your eyebrows, this gets rid of any excess makeup, & gets them nice, neat & back into shape. Whether your using eyebrow pencil, or powder always brush them before and after so you can still see the natural lines of hair (total block eyebrows are not a good look). You can get a multi eyelash/eyebrow brush or if you use pencil, most pencils will have a double ended brush.
