I have strange skin. It's fairly blemish free for the majority of the time (although as I type this article, about 10 spots have appeared. Typical, eh.), but it's very 'English rose' in tone - it's almost red in color & nothing can really change that. It's pretty dehydrated (despite me drinking cup after cup of water every day), so soaks up moisturizer like you wouldn't believe. But it's oily in certain sections and dry in others. It's a bit of a mind boggle to be honest. I've worked pretty hard over the last few years figuring out what I like to put on my face. I wouldn't say that I wear an extortionate amount of makeup, but I do like it. I have products that work in rotation (usually blushers or eyeliners) depending on the season. So here's a list of what I'm sticking on my face at the moment. Some of it's 'high-end', other bits are cheap as chips (is that a UK thing..?).

1. Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturizer. In my humble opinion, this is one of the best drugstore moisturizers that I've ever found. That is all.

2. Clarins Beauty Flash Balm. I got a travel size of this in a Christmas present, used it, and was absolutely hooked (I ended up purchasing a full-size at Heathrow Airport before flying back to Boston in January..). I kind of use this like a primer, and a teeny, pea-sized amount of this over my moisturizer gives me the best glow/base for my foundation and highlighter.

3. Clarins Skin Illusion Natural Radiance FoundationThis was something that my mum started to use, but she bought the wrong shade online, looked at me and said "here, you're pale, make use of this". It's been a staple in my makeup bag since. It's not cheap, but considering that I only replace it, what, once every six months (?), I can deal with it..

4. Revlon PhotoReady Powder. A bit of an unplanned purchase. I'd run out of my usual powder that I'd use in the UK (a brand that's not sold in the USA) and I didn't want a shiny face, so I walked into my local CVS and picked up the cheapest one I could find, which ended up being this one. It's been in there ever since. 

5. Collection Eyebrow Kit in Blonde. I. Love. This. Product. I've got such fine and blonde hair that my eyebrows are virtually non-existent, so I have to fill them in every morning. This trio of colors makes it a lot easier to create my own shade and make my eyebrows, I'm going to say, 'defined, yet natural'. Oh, this also doubles as a great contour product (at least for me, anyway), as the shades aren't orange-y (which I've found can make my already red skin look even more red). So it's sort of a 2-in-1 thing. Sort of.

6. Natural Collection Lash Length Mascara in Black. The cheapest item in my whole makeup bag (I think it retails for £1.99 in the UK), and probably one of my favorites. I'm yet to find a mascara that can top this one. I've tried a fair few, but I always come back to my trusty Natural Collection one..

7. Clarins 3-Dot Liner. I am a sucker for eyeliner (I have multiple different colors in my makeup stash), but at the moment, I'm really reaching for my black Clarins liner. The three dot nib thing actually really helps me to get an even and clean line and the black is super pigmented, which makes a change from some others.

8. Too Faced Beach Bunny Bronzer.  Probably my go-to item for this summer, this bronzer is made up of 4 color strips that blend to create a natural bronzer/slight blusher combination (with a little added highlight too. I mean, why not..?). This wasn't cheap (at least not by student standards), but I personally love it & saved for it after eyeing it up for months.

9. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop. I bought this bad boy fairly recently, after having lusted after it for about forever, while in Las Vegas and I'm completely enamored with it. It's a fairly multipurpose product. Yes, you're probably meant to use it to highlight (which I totally do), but I also like it as a subtle eyeshadow, or as a more intense highlight on the corners of my eyes. I've used it almost every day since I bought it and I've not even made a dent in the product - it's that pigmented. Worth every penny (cent? What country am I in right now..?), I think.

10. Vaseline. An absolute staple in most makeup bags, I think. I'm personally not a fan of the lipstick thing (I can't really work it very well to be honest: I think it might be my coloring..), so Vaseline or a lip balm is my go-to for my lips. Currently, I'm using the Aloe Vaseline tin.

So there they are, my favorite makeup 'things'. Be sure to check out my blog (kathrynfirth.wordpress.com) for more posts like these! 

Kathryn X

Published by Kathryn Firth