Real Techniques Stippling Brush – £11.99 Now a veritable classic, the Stippling Brush has taken make-up application to the next level. The Real Techniques range designed by beauty bloggers PixiWoo, has taken a good, long look at the mechanics of make-up application. One of the most popular brushes in the range, the Stippling Brush’s flat-top head makes foundation application the work of seconds – you also need far less product as this blends out product niceand evenly. This brush can also be used to create a soft-focus blush effect by ‘stippling’ the blusher gently on. It’s quick to clean (a wash with baby shampoo and warm water is sufficient), and does exactly what a beauty tool should do: make life easier.
http://www.boots.com/en/Real-Techniques-Stippling-Brush_1253416/
(spot the interloper: REN’s Rosa Centifolia Purity Cleansing Balm at £24)
Burts ‘s Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream: £10.99 One of my personal favourites, this cleanser definitely punches above its weight. Applied straight onto dry skin, the cream texture of this cleanser glides on like a dream. But the best is yet to come, as you add warm water to rinse it off, the aroma (Soap Bark and Chamomile) really kicks in. The calming, fresh-clean scent is a gorgeous bonus and is a gentle pick-me-up during your morning cleanse. Its no-nonsense approach to deep cleaning makes this ideal for skin teetering into combination / normal territory – you don’t have to stick with cleansing gels – Burts Bees offers you a delightful alternative!
Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter – £12 I do like experimenting with cleansers, and sometimes a little bit of experimentation can be a very good thing – because it introduces you to products like this.
The idea of using a cleanser with a ‘butter’ texture may seem counterintuitive, but the malleability and lightness of the Body Shop Cleansing Butter is what makes it so effective.
A great choice for dry or stressed skin as a single cleanse, this is also a lovely gentle choice for removing make-up. As someone with more combination skin, I use this as the second part of a double cleanse, to get that refreshed, deep-down-clean feeling. It’s a great winter staple, but if you do have dry skin all year round – this has to be on your ‘to-try’ list….
http://www.weleda.co.uk/almond-products/almond-soothing-facial-oil-50ml/invt/102205
Weleda Almond Soothing Facial Oil – £15.95 (price increase at time of posting! I hope you’ll forgive the extra 95p) Over the past year, I really have been converted: facial oils have to be one of the most useful items in the skincare family. Whereas a few of my favourites could not be classed as budget buys (Sisley Black Rose Precious Oil, I’m looking at you, you little temptress!), there are a few choice options available including Weleda.
I could go on about their body oils – fabulous, easy application and they sink easily into the skin, leaving it feeling gloriously nourished – but their facial oils also deserve some love too.
I picked the Almond Soothing Facial Oil as it is simply a great buy for any skin type. For sensitive souls, it really lives up to its name, but for other skin types, it tackles occasional irritation and redness like nobody’s business.
During the winter, I’ve used it primarily as a layering piece, putting a small amount on under my moisturiser to give my skin a bit of extra help in braving the elements. I think this is a great stand-by product as it quietly gets on with the job of soothing and nourishing without interfering with any other products you’re using. There’s a lot to be said about the strong, silent type – and you can certainly rely on this product to be there for you when you need it the most.
Superfacialist Rose Hydrate Radiance Day Cream – £12.99 I must admit to loving this range, created by facialist Una Brennan. Virtually every product I’ve tried has exceeded expectations, and the Rose Day Cream is my absolute favourite. When it comes to this moisturiser, I am totally won over – and have put my money where my mouth is, having repurchased it several times.
What’s so great about this moisturiser? It just delivers long-lasting, high-quality hydration every single time. it can be relied on to soothe dryness, smooth and treat without clogging the pores or sitting on top of the skin in a superfluous greasy layer. The mid-weight texture is perfectly judged and soaks in beautifully, leaving nothing behind but happy, moisturised skin.
One of the reasons I love this moisturiser so much is that it stayed true to me when I was experiencing bouts of sensitivity (even with products I had used for years). I could apply the Rose Day Cream with absolute confidence – it never caused any irritation and hydrated and calmed my skin where nothing else worked.
Best of all, this moisturiser really earns its bargain buy status: you get 75ml of product for £12.99 – the standard size for most moisturisers is around the 50ml mark. I can’t guarantee, of course, that the Rose Day Cream will work for every skin type – but if you just want a moisturiser that gets on with it, this is definitely worth your time.
http://www.renskincare.com/p/3393/Clarimatte%E2%84%A2+Clarifying+Toner
REN Clarimatte Clarifying Toner – £13 – or this should be re-named ‘Not Your Average Toner’. This is in a different league to the alcohol-filled flowery toners of old – this is a smart toner, which delivers real skincare benefits.
It is an acidic exfoliating toner which sloughs off dead skin cells. I’m well aware that sentence sounds totally scary, but bear with me. There are acids that actually benefit the skin in terms of clarifying, smoothing and decongesting. The REN Clarimatte Toner contains glycolic acid. Only needed in very small quantities, this acid helps to exfoliate and refine the texture of your skin.
This toner (when swept across the skin) is a world away from the toners you may have been familiar with in the past. This product is a workhorse, transforming the look and feel of your skin. Glycolic acid encourages cell turnover, bringing young, fresh cells to the surface and removing the dead skin cells. Result- your skin looks brighter and better. There are other good acid exfoliants out there (one to be featured in my next Budget Buys blog post), but the REN Clarimatte is a great, easy-to-use introduction to the concept. I’ve found adding this step to my skincare routine has really improved the look of my skin as I do have patches of rough, uneven texture. Don’t be concerned about this having the same effect as a chemical peel – an acidic exfoliator contains very low doses of acid – enough to rejuvenate with minimal potential for irritation.
(nb: Embryolisse product pictured is Special Edition larger tube at £22)
Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentre Nourishing Moisturiser – £13 ‘Embryolisse’, literally translating as ‘baby’s bottom’ is proof that cult brands aren’t always the pricey option. This conditioner is especially good at dealing with dry patches of skin – and will make your skin as smooth as a proverbial baby’s rear. It’s been a make-up artist’s secret for years as it makes an excellent make-up base, smoothing and preparing the skin. I will be switching to this as a lighter hydrating option as we transition from Winter into Spring – it provides a great hit of moisture without any heaviness. I’ve always been a bit wary of cult products, as I have found many of them don’t live up to their hype, but Embryolisse definitely delivers on its promise. A tube of this in your skincare kit will prove itself worthy over and over again.
http://www.boots.com/en/Tangle-Teezer-Aqua-Splash_1274822/
Tangle Teezer Original – £10.99 / Tangle Teezer Aqua Splash £13.99 My hair, if left unchecked, will roam wild and free like nobody’s business. Regular cuts / taming products certainly play their part, but for day-to-day care, a good quality brush is a must-have. The Tangle Teezer is a modern beauty classic, and with very good reason. Its ergonomic design combined with the gentle but effective combing teeth make this a great product to tackle wayward barnets. But I’ve had mine for years and it still works as well as it did when I first bought it.
I’ve now also branched out and purchased the Tangle Teezer Aqua Splash – fabulous for combing out tangles that occur during shampooing, but also great for working through conditioning treatments or oils that need to coat the hair evenly but thoroughly. The Aqua Splash in particular I’m using almost on a daily basis as it’s just so effective at de-tangling wet hair without pulling or breakage. A hairbrush may not be redefining the beauty wheel, but it’s an essential, and the usefulness of a good quality essential should never be underestimated.
http://www.marksandspencer.com/philip-kingsley-elasticizer-75ml/p/p22171853
Philip Kingsley Elasticizer – £15 for 75ml (available at Marks & Spencer)
Regularly featured on Best Beauty Buy lists, world-renowned trichologist Philip Kingsley’s Elasticizer is the original pre-shampoo treatment – accept no imitations.
Originally created by Kingsley for Audrey Hepburn, this iconic product is designed to bring back the elasticity and movement to hair worn down by repeated colouring and heat damage. Containing glycerin and olive oil to lock in moisture, this clever little multi-tasker also contains a sunscreen to prevent future UV damage.
It helps to think of this as a hair mask in reverse – applied before shampooing and left for 15-20 minutes before being rinsed off, the Elasticizer has stood the test of time by simply being better than its competitors. This treatment really does bring the bounce back to your hair – you can certainly fake good hair with styling products, but if you want the real thing, you have to go back to basics.
MAC Technakohl Liner – £14 Let’s face it: eye liners are ten-a-penny. Every make-up range has them, but finding one that isn’t scratchy, difficult to blend, or worse still, non-committal when it comes to colour payout, is another task altogether.
While there are some great eye liners at lower price points (Soap and Glory and Rimmel are well worth checking out), sometimes you want a bit of luxury, an eye liner that gives you definable colour with a silky finish – and MAC’s Technakohl liners do just that.
In a twist-up tube, the kohl is delivered in a razor-sharp nib that gives you maximum control over the line you’re drawing. This is a perfect choice for the nervous or first-time user – the finish can be as defined, or blended out, as you want. There’s no brush or technique you have to master – if you can hold a pencil, you can work the Technakohl quite easily.
The other plus is the range of colours: MAC never short-changes you on its colour selection and the Technakohl has burnished bronzes, zingy aquamarines and gorgeous plummy hues galore. My favourite? It has to be Cool Jazz, a cool-toned midnight blue that perfectly accentuates brown eyes. I’m officially hooked.
Well, the next post in my Beauty Buys series will be items £20 and under. This will feature picks from First Aid Beauty, Clinique, REN and La Roche-Posay.
HELEN TOPE
designergirl77 