The Beauty Ideal's Beauty Ideals.

We all have those products that are our true loves right? 

The ones that no matter what, you'll be going out to repurchase as soon as it's finished (or if you're super-organised, you've already got a back up for such occasions - congrats! you're one step ahead of me). The ones that if anyone asks for your opinion, that'll be what you recommend for brows/base/shadow etc...

In other words, your all time favourite beauty products. Like EVER.

Well, welcome to my holy grail round up and surprisingly, they're all drugstore.

Real Techniques buffing brush - A truly fabulous addition to my brush collection - honestly, I'm amazed I'd gone this long without it. It works your base onto your skin so well that it's next to impossible to tell that you're even wearing any foundation at all. It's synthetic so not only is it supersoft but it washes like a dream. I have one word to describe this brush - MAGIC. 

The buffing brush comes in the Real Techniques Core Collection pack which retails at £21.99. 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - The best concealer for coverage in my opinion. I use the shade 01 Fair in winter and 03 Dark in summer (if I can get my hands on it). It's notoriously popular amongst youtubers and bloggers alike. The consistency is thick, yes, but it covers a multitude of sins - seriously, I've yet to find something that this baby couldn't cover. 

Retail Price: £4.09.

NYX Blush in Taupe - Now this, THIS, is the most foolproof contour colour I've ever used. It's the perfect colour for pale skin as it just creates a really good, believable shadow underneath the cheekbones which doesn't look too warm or too cool toned. It's just...flawless. It can also be used in the brows or to blend out eyeshadows, but I pretty much use it just as my contour shade. 

This retails at £6.00 on the NYX UK website but you can usually find it for cheaper on Amazon or Ebay.

Carmex lip balm - This stuff is the bomb diggity! I've been using this lip balm since high school, so that would mean I've been repurchasing this for the past...7 years. Wow. It's the best lip balm I've used, and it does the job every time. I just pop it on before bed and I can still feel it on my lips in the morning! I also carry one around in my handbag in case I need any moisturisation on the go. I will say that I prefer the original Carmex in a tub like the one shown in the above picture. It does come in a tube form and a cherry flavour...I don't rate them as much as the originial. Original is best.

Retail price: £2.69.

Max Factor False Lash Effect waterproof mascara - This is a more recent purchase of mine and I'll be honest, I didn't like it much at first. The formula is extremely wet and I don't really get along with those types of mascaras usually because I tend to get mascara everywhere - EVERYWHERE - I've even had it in my eyebrows before now, but I persevered and now I love it so much I use it every day! It adds volume and length because the wand is so big and to be fair, it really doesn't take much effort to grab a cotton bud and just wipe away any mess ups. For any of you American readers, I'm pretty sure it's the same formula as the Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara.

Retail Price: £10.99.

Sleek Eyebrow Stylist - I haven't got a bad word to say about this product. Truly. It is my favourite eyebrow product of all time. The colour match is great for me (I use 716 Light) and it's waxy enough that you don't have to worry about your brows coming off in water (or on the log flume at a theme park: guilty) but you can actually get a good colour pay off from it. Not to mention it comes with a pretty amazing spoolie on the other end. 

Retail Price: £5.99.

Bourjois Healthy Balance powder - Again, this is another recent purchase of mine but I love it so much I now have two shades. My shade for summer is 53 Light Beige and my winter shade is 51 Ivory. This stuff smells BEAUTIFUL! it smells exactly like the foundations if you've happened to use those and not this, it smells delicious - I just want to keep putting it on my face because I can smell it every time I waft it past my nose. It provides a nice coverage and lasts for a decent amount of time before you have to think about topping up. The only niggle I have with it, and with all Bourjois base products for that matter, is the colour range isn't exactly great. If you're very pale or very dark, then Bourjois probably isn't the best brand for you. 

Retail Price: £8.99

H&M Eyebrow Fix - I know what y'all are thinking, H&M? not exactly the first store you think of for make-up? and I agree! but this stuff is pretty darn good. It keeps my brows in place all day and it can also be used as clear mascara if you're pushed for time! It's cheap, it's cheerful and it does the job. Winner. I've also heard MUA do a clear mascara for £1 that works just as well, but I've yet to try it so for now, this is holy grail status. Also H&M do small, fluffy brushes for something like £1.99 each and I find them perfect for blending brushes.

Retail price: £2.99

Lauren

xo