1. No7 Beautifully Matte Mousse Foundation
I have really oily (and still quite red/ blemished) skin, so I need a fairly full coverage foundation that's mattifying. In my teens I just used concealer and pressed powder, but ever since Bourjois seemed to discontinue/ meddle with their "d'un coup de pinceau" concealer, I decided to look for a foundation instead. As you can imagine, I tried a lot (it's a good job I had a part time job really!) of high street brands, but just didn't get on with liquid foundations as I found them too messy and my face would be melting within 2 hours of applying. So then, Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse appeared on the scene. I never did quite decide which colour suited me most, but it was cheap and readily available, and it became my staple for several years!
It still didn't "fix" my oily skin, however, and I still had to "change my face" every couple of hours. Earlier this year, I decided that now I was properly earning, I could afford to move to a *slightly* more expensive foundation- but I loved the feel of a mousse on my skin, and the coverage that came with it, and particularly the convenience of having a little pot of mousse in my make-up bag, versus a messy/ chunky bottle of liquid foundation. After trawling the internet looking at reviews (and being sucked in by a "free gift" offer), I plumped for No7 Beautifully Matte Mousse Foundation (£12.50). In spite of only coming in three colours, "cool ivory" seems just right for me, and this stuff blends like a dream and feels so silky on the skin. It also stays put for a heck of a lot longer than any other foundation I've tried, plus it lasts absolutely ages.
I do often find it difficult to get hold of in smaller Boots stores, so last time I ran out I actually purchased the Beautifully Matte Foundation (the liquid version) instead. Strangely, this comes in a million colours, not just three! It's still early days with this and I'm not sure which of the two I prefer... but I can definitely give a thumbs up to the range!
2. Collection 2000 Pressed Powder
Like most girls I know, I've been using Collection 2000 Pressed Powder in "translucent" since the dawn of time...or, since the day my Mum picked it up for me when she pointed out to 13-year-old tomboy Jess that she really should be trying to cover her spots, with this and a "hide the blemish" concealer. Now and then I've tried some more expensive powders, but even having oily skin, I can't tell much difference (I'm of the belief that oiliness is more down to skincare and foundation), and I definitely can't deal with how messy loose powder is. Crucially, the colour of this stuff is just right, whereas all other powders seem to be way too orange. The biggest selling point, though, is the price of £1.99... you just can't go wrong.
3. MAC cremeshene lipstick in "fanfare"
Despite wishing I could be glamorous enough to wear a lipstick, I actually never bought one until I was in my second year at university, preferring glosses and tinted balms instead. However, being rubbish at applying my make-up, I always ended up with half concealer-lips, and suddenly started to notice lipsticks. I went for the cheap brands in safe colours first, and still layered glosses and balms over them.
But, the more blogs I read (handy to get the blame in somewhere!), the more intrigued I was about trying out a MAC lipstick. One payday I decided to treat myself... and based on online swatches alone I pipped for "MAC Fanfare". My lips tend to get quite dry, so the extra moisturising cremesheen range was a must... it glides on and is much better than other lipsticks when it comes to highlighting dry patches.
The colour is, in my opinion, the perfect versatile shade. MAC call it a "yellow-pink", which to me just means "rose". I can wear this for work, at weekend, and for evenings out...and even to play sport! It adds a lovely girly (but not as girly as, say Creme Cup) pink tint that really compliments pale skin like mine, without being over the top. Okay, I'm unlikely to be asked "ooh, what's that lipstick?!", but I guarantee people would notice the difference that wearing it makes to my overall skintone.
I am in "the process" of repurchasing at the moment, which basically means I'm umming and ahhing about whether I should spend another £15 on a lipstick. I've got other favourite lipsticks (surprise surprise, fairly similar shades, but hey, they don't smell of vanilla), that all come in at less than a fifth of the price, so it's a big decision, one that payday will probably make for me!
4. John Frieda Frizz-Ease Secret Agent Perfecting Creme
Not only is my skin oily, but my hair is pretty oily too. I used to joke to my friends that my pillow was actually made of lard. What's worse than oily, though, is the incredibly curly hair my mother has, and the incredibly straight hair my dad had back when he had hair... leaving me with this wretched inbetween "thing" that doesn't look good left alone, is too thick to curl, too thick to straighten, and is VERY FRIZZY.
I've wanted my hair as straight as possible for as long as I can remember... I just don't feel confident when my hair doesn't look "managed". However, there's only so long I can spend in front of the mirror with my GHDs in a morning... there's a point where I have to give up and leave the house, and usually I haven't got all the way through my very thick hair. But I have to know that it won't just frizz up and kink out the second I step out the door! My hairdresser suggested I try serums to calm the frizz, but to me that was just like adding grease. I found Sunsilk Straighten-Up Creme, and it was my hero for several years; I'd apply a good coating (probably way too much, making me a hypocrite for dismissing serums), set it with hairspray, and barring a downpour my hair would stay straight all day.
But, like all "favourite" products, it was discontinued a few years ago, so I panickedly sought a replacement. Most so-called "straightening cremes" weren't what I wanted; I was looking for something to apply to dry hair after straightening, not to rub through towel dried hair as I just don't find those sort of products make any noticeable difference. Enter "John Frieda Frizz-Ease Secret Agent Perfecting Creme", originally chosen because Mum uses Frizz Ease shampoos and conditioners and these products are often on 3 for 2, but I've now been repurchasing for several years... it smells great and a little goes a long way (yep, I've learnt my lesson!). The key thing about this product, aside from it really working to straighten and remove flyaways, is that it feels lightweight and not at all greasy.
However...I'm suppposed to be trying to use up all of my existing beauty products before buying anymore, and I have both the Percy and Reed Finishing Polish, and The Body Shop Macadamia Straightening Balm ready to be trialled (both about twice the price of the John Frieda cream), so I'll keep you posted...
The colour is, in my opinion, the perfect versatile shade. MAC call it a "yellow-pink", which to me just means "rose". I can wear this for work, at weekend, and for evenings out...and even to play sport! It adds a lovely girly (but not as girly as, say Creme Cup) pink tint that really compliments pale skin like mine, without being over the top. Okay, I'm unlikely to be asked "ooh, what's that lipstick?!", but I guarantee people would notice the difference that wearing it makes to my overall skintone.
I am in "the process" of repurchasing at the moment, which basically means I'm umming and ahhing about whether I should spend another £15 on a lipstick. I've got other favourite lipsticks (surprise surprise, fairly similar shades, but hey, they don't smell of vanilla), that all come in at less than a fifth of the price, so it's a big decision, one that payday will probably make for me!
4. John Frieda Frizz-Ease Secret Agent Perfecting Creme
Not only is my skin oily, but my hair is pretty oily too. I used to joke to my friends that my pillow was actually made of lard. What's worse than oily, though, is the incredibly curly hair my mother has, and the incredibly straight hair my dad had back when he had hair... leaving me with this wretched inbetween "thing" that doesn't look good left alone, is too thick to curl, too thick to straighten, and is VERY FRIZZY.
I've wanted my hair as straight as possible for as long as I can remember... I just don't feel confident when my hair doesn't look "managed". However, there's only so long I can spend in front of the mirror with my GHDs in a morning... there's a point where I have to give up and leave the house, and usually I haven't got all the way through my very thick hair. But I have to know that it won't just frizz up and kink out the second I step out the door! My hairdresser suggested I try serums to calm the frizz, but to me that was just like adding grease. I found Sunsilk Straighten-Up Creme, and it was my hero for several years; I'd apply a good coating (probably way too much, making me a hypocrite for dismissing serums), set it with hairspray, and barring a downpour my hair would stay straight all day.
But, like all "favourite" products, it was discontinued a few years ago, so I panickedly sought a replacement. Most so-called "straightening cremes" weren't what I wanted; I was looking for something to apply to dry hair after straightening, not to rub through towel dried hair as I just don't find those sort of products make any noticeable difference. Enter "John Frieda Frizz-Ease Secret Agent Perfecting Creme", originally chosen because Mum uses Frizz Ease shampoos and conditioners and these products are often on 3 for 2, but I've now been repurchasing for several years... it smells great and a little goes a long way (yep, I've learnt my lesson!). The key thing about this product, aside from it really working to straighten and remove flyaways, is that it feels lightweight and not at all greasy.
However...I'm suppposed to be trying to use up all of my existing beauty products before buying anymore, and I have both the Percy and Reed Finishing Polish, and The Body Shop Macadamia Straightening Balm ready to be trialled (both about twice the price of the John Frieda cream), so I'll keep you posted...
