“I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and... I believe in miracles.”  Audrey Hepburn

I agree with Audrey, I also believe in in lipstick, which is why I'm showing you my beauty essentials. Beauty may only be skin deep but every girl has something that she goes back to over and again and these are mine.

SKIN

L-R: Centrum Advanced, Clinique all about eyes, Clinique dramatically different moisturising lotion, Nivea lip balm, Clinique make-up remover, Clinique clarifying lotion, Biore pore strips, bareMinerals skin rev-er upper and Clinique pore minimizer.

I have a bit of a Clinique obsession as you can see, but the reason behind this is that I have very sensitive skin and the dramatically different moisturising lotion is the only moisturiser that does not irritate my skin and moisturises effectively, I seriously suffer without this yellow magic. My routine at night night involves taking off all my make-up with the Clinique make up remover, which takes off every last scrap, followed by the clarifying lotion to ex-foliate and cleanse and then the moisturiser. I have also started wearing eye cream at night (the joy of getting older) and this eye cream sinks wonderfully into the skin.

I have very very sensitive skin on my nose and as a result I can't touch it with anything, not even moisturiser. These pore strips are the only product that touches it and does what it says on the box.

I can't be without a lip balm - its an absolute essential for me and this Nivea lip balm moisturises my lips without being sticky.

The bareMinerals skin rev-er upper is a multi vitamin complex with boosts my skin, I use it as a base on top of moisturiser or sometimes on its own to perk up my skin when I'm not wearing foundation.
I wear the Clinique pore minimiser on my cheeks occasionally to help reduce the look of pores and of course the Centrum Advanced keeps me and and my skin healthy. The only thing missing from this picture is drinking water, lots and lots of water.

 FACE - BASE

L-R: YSL Touche Eclat concealer, MAC Sheertone Blush - Breath of Plum, Maybelline Fit Me concealer, Garnier BB Cream, Shu Uemura face powder, bareMinerals All over face powder - Warmth, bareMinerals Mineral veil.

The YSL Touche Eclat (number 2) has been a beauty staple of mine for a while, it brightens and conceals in one swift swoop, however it is quite expensive so I don't wear it everyday and so I swap it with Maybelline Fit Me concealer in Light 10, which is a great match for my skin.

The MAC blush has been my favourite blush for a while, as you can see. A lot of blushes have glitter in them and I dont want to look sparkly on a daily basis, this blush adds colour without the shimmer. I am however looking for a peach blush for spring so that will be my replacement.
The BB cream was a quick buy when I ran out of my foundation as I wanted a tinted moisturiser, this BB cream maybe low price but it adds a great base and a touch of warmth without being oily.



L-R - MAC blusher, Shu Uemura face powder, bareMinerals face bronzer and bareMinerals mineral veil.

The Shu Uemura face powder is pure magic, it sets my make up off perfectly by taking away shine and leaving a velvety texture to my skin and its so light like it is not even there.

The bareMinerals powders are my beauty heroes, I use the bareMinerals foundation but have currently run out, but it is the only foundation that I will use. As my skin is sensitive liquid foundation leaves my face dry and gives me a rash so I was so grateful when I discovered bareMinerals. The foundation give the best coverage but doesn't feel like you are wearing a mask, its so light and your skin can breath. Its made without chemical dyes and parabens and has mineral elements so it actually improves your skin as you wear it.
Above is the face bronzer which you only need a tiny amount to give a wondrous glow and the mineral veil which leaves the skin with a matt healthy finish.

 MAKE-UP

Back L-R: Clinique mascara, Lancome Hypnose Star waterproof mascara ,Clinique Chubby Stick,  Benefit Smokin' Eyes, Barry M lipstick, MAC Matte Ruby Woo, Benefit Browzings.
Front L-R: MAC eye-shadows in  Concrete and Chorme Yellow, Calvin Klein eye-shadow in pink slip, Calvin Klein white eyeliner and Rimmel waterproof eyeliner.

I received the mini Clinique mascara as a gift when buying my moisturiser and I actually like that its so tiny as it fits in my bag easily and it really defines my lashes however for extra volume I use the Lancome Hypnose Star waterproof mascara.

The Clinique chubby stick is my favourite lip colour product because its not sticky like a lipstick and I can build up the intensity of the colour, I've had this one a little while and the labelling has all worn off so its clearly time to get a new one (yay!)



I love the little Benefit Smoking Eyes palette, it includes a great black and grey shadow for creating smoky eyes and even eyebrow wax and I also have the Benefit Browzings product which is great for setting and finishing my eyebrows.

The MAC lipstick is great for consistent powerful colour, I have a red one for when I'm feeling sophisticated and the Barry M lipstick is a great low price lip colour for instant colour pop.

I love the MAC eye-shadows as the colour you see is exactly what you get on the skin and this little Calvin Klein shadow is a cute shimmery pink which is easy to wear during the day.

And finally I can not be without my eyeliners. A lined eye has been my signature look since I was 15 and my eyes just don't look the same without a slick of eyeliner. I use black waterproof eyeliner by Rimmel to line my eyes and white to line the rims and brighten my eyes.

So those are my beauty essentials - let me know what yours are.

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