Top Ten Make Up Products

I thought I would tell you guys about my favourite and most used make up products. These are the things I use on pretty much a daily basis.

Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base. I have a blotchy/uneven skin tone and this stuff is really great for making my skin all look the same colour. I find that if I put this on first, I don’t need to wear as much concealer or foundation.

Monistat Anti-Chafing Gel. This stuff is meant for preventing chub rub but it is actually a really awesome primer. It looks, feels and works almost the exact same as a Smashbox primer I’ve got that cost more than double this stuff. Similar to the Clinique base, if I wear this I notice that I need to use less concealer because of the way it smooths out my skin and makes everything look more even and last longer.

MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer. This is a full-coverage concealer that I find really easy to blend which is exactly what I want.

Chanel Pro Lumiere Liquid Foundation. This is, for me, the absolute holy grail of liquid foundation. To the point where sometimes I wish I’d never used it because then I could be perfectly happy with >$40 foundation but seriously once you go Chanel you can’t go back and this stuff is so great that the price doesn’t even seem outrageous to me. It’s full coverage but it goes on thin so you can kind of layer it or just wear a little depending on the look you want. It sets nicely so you can wear it without powder if you like and basically I am in love with this foundation. I’ve been using it for two or three years now and nothing else I’ve tried has even come close to being this good.

Smashbox Halo Perfecting Powder. I had read really great reviews of this powder online so when a friend of mine went to the USA I asked her to get me one (since Smashbox, and most other make up, is about twice the price in Australia as it is elsewhere). It is really great at smoothing out wrinkles! I am a bit obsessive about the fact that I’m getting wrinkles but this stuff hides them all and makes me look like a fresh faced girl of 18 again! Also it comes it this cool compact with the powder in a kind of block thing underneath this metal bit that shaves off bits as you want them, sort of like a cheese grater!

Benefit Brows A-Go-Go. I’ve written about this product on here before, it changed my (eyebrow) life. I fell victim to the early 00′s trend of overplucking my brows and they have never really recovered which sucks because I love the current trend of big/bushy/more natural brows. I started using this sometime last year and I’m at the point where I won’t leave the house without filling in my eyebrows. I can happily go shopping or to lunch or wherever without a full face a make up but without my brows done, I feel naked. This little kit is awesome because you get brow wax, powder, highlighter powder, a little eyeliner and a little brush – everything you need for great brows. It even comes with a little instruction manual teaching you how to use everything – and if you lose that you can always view it on the Benefit website.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash. This is a long wearing, thick mascara with a big brush. Sometimes I’ll wear another mascara underneath it, something a bit thinner with one of those comb brushes that separate the lashes because this can get a big clumpy on it’s own. I don’t really mind a bit of clumpy mascara though, it makes my fairly unimpressive lashes look thicker and longer.

MAC Fluidline Gel Eyeliner. I love the gel formula of this stuff. It’s so, so easy to use. I’ve been using liquid eyeliner for a long time so I’m pretty comfortable with it but I think that even if you’ve only used pencils you could easily switch this and find it simple to use. It lasts all day and still looks really crisp and fresh at the end of the day/night.

Hamilton’s Lipz Lip Balm. No other chapstick or lip balm or lip gloss can beat this stuff. If you have dry lips this is the stuff to use. You only need to apply it about once a day, it lasts so well and rehydrates your lips almost instantly. The only downside is that it’s a bit difficult to find – my boyfriend has actually special ordered it into pharmacies a few times.

MAC Lipsticks. The matte finish ones are usually my favourite since they last for hours even with eating and drinking or smoking (which I guess won’t matter to me anymore now that I’m a non-smoker) but the satin finish ones are good too. I find that MAC lipsticks are a good combination of affordable, long wearing and available in colours I like so I don’t really look at other brands too often except for occasionally Chanel or YSL.