There’s nothing worse than facing a beauty dilemma and not having something to hand that can fix the problem. But it’s by actually being in that situation that has led me to products that I consider my beauty life-savers. They are the staples in my collection that might not be the most exciting of products, but probably serve a lot more purpose than all those different varieties of red nail varnishes and lipsticks that clutter my makeup draw!
I’ve stumbled upon a lot of these often by chance and now, more recently, as a result of the wonderful blogging world. It’s great to get first hand information from my fellow bloggers on products that either I’ve been looking to buy for ages, or I have not even heard of before. I can only hope that my blog also serves that purpose for all you bloggers and non-bloggers out there. So, in the interests of sharing, I’ve made a list of my most common beauty woes and the products which have helped me along the way.
Dry Skin
The skin on my body is pretty much dry all-year round and if there is one body lotion that I make sure I have to hand, it’s the Kiehl’s Creme de Corps. I’ve spoken about this before and in my opinion it really is one of the best body lotions out there.
For the face, I am a bit saved but can still suffer from dry patches around the mouth and forehead. But if I over-moisturise then my foundation piles, so I like to make sure I prep my skin before going to sleep. That way I don’t have to over-do the moisturiser in the morning. If it’s not night oils and serums, then the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask is a great one to have in my stash. Even though it’s night treatment, it ensures my skin remains plump and hydrated in the morning.
Of course I can’t forget the hands and for the really heavy-duty stuff I aways use the Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve. This is very rich without being greasy.
Spots
Yes we all hate them. In fact it’s the odd spot that really stands out and irritates me the most. That’s why I like to have the Origins Super Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Gel to hand. This little wonder is pretty much the only spot busting treatment I use. It’s not overly harsh and even though spots don’t disappear as quickly as I would like, this calms down the redness and if I use it at the first sign of a bump under the skin, this does a pretty good job at making sure the spot doesn’t develop any further. Even if I’m going through a good skin spell, I still make sure I have some of this lying around.
Linked to spots is the horrible marks and scarring in the aftermath but I’ve found that this La Roche-Posay Effaclar Anti-Imperfection Targeted Breakout Corrector is my saviour. Any marks fade away a lot quicker than normal and if I’ve been careful, I won’t get any marks at all.
Greasy Hair
We’ve all been there where you just haven’t had the time to wash your hair but it looking like a greaseball is just not an option. That’s where dry shampoo comes in and what a lifesaver it is. It really does get you out of a pickle and works as a great way to add volume too. My favourite has to be the Colab Dry Shampoo range as it doesn’t give that gritty feel, nor that powdery white cast either.
Lack of Volume in the Hair
Sometimes no matter what I use my hair just looks a bit bleh and I don’t want to keep overloading it with product. That’s why I think everyone should have a back-combing brush. Sure, you don’t want to be using it all the time, but for those emergency moments when you want to lift a section of hair, which for me is often near my parting, this is a real gem. Previously I used to just use a comb but using a specific brush is so much better and pretty in-expensive too.
Frizzy Hair
So clearly a lot of my beauty woes centre around hair! When I was younger, I think I battled with frizzy hair for a very long time until I was introduced to serums and hair oils. My favourite has to be L’Oreal Mythic Oil. I always come back to this post-styling hair oil as it leaves a beautiful shine without weighing the hair down.
Sweat
It may be perfectly natural but unless I’ve been working out, sweat isn’t something I like to contend with. Generally speaking, spray deodorants are by far my favourite but if I’m on a night out and want that extra coverage and protection, then the Mitcham Advanced Fresh 48hr Protection Anti-Perspirant Deodorants really do work.
Chipped Nail Varnish
I’m notorious for never letting my nail varnish dry completely and before I know it I’ve ruined all that hard work. Something that’s helped me along the way is a nail spray. Mavala do a great one and the one I have at the moment is this Elegant Touch Rapid Dry Spray which works just as well. It speeds up the drying process and although I can still be a bit haphazard, it saves me a lot of time and hassle.
Chapped Lips
Matte lip formulas, lip liners and the cold weather play havoc with the lips but to help I love the Lush Lip Scrubs. They are great little exfoliators and provide a smooth canvas for lipstick.
Unlike most people, lip balms are not something I turn to on a daily basis but I still make sure I have something hand for when I need it. Completely crazy name here, but the Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips helps keep my lips super hydrated. It’s quite heavy-duty and so one I prefer to use at night. And yes, it was originally devised for nursing mothers but now this cult product is better known for being a multi-tasker as you can also use it to target other dry areas around the skin.
So that’s it for now. But what about you? Can you relate to these issues and what products do you like to use to help? I’d love to know. x
