Current Beauty Favourites

Looking at these photos it could be the middle of May, with birds tweeting outside my window and a gentle breeze blowing through my open window. Alas, they were taken on a rare sunny January morning – but we can pretend, can’t we? Anyway, the Christmas stocking is a wonderful thing because it’s the perfect destination for beauty-sized presents that you don’t want to spend the money on yourself but need oh so badly, which is precisely where I got 3/4 of the products featured here from.

February beauty favourites

I’m no beauty expert, but being a 21 year old female who is still emerging from an acne-fuelled adolescence I have tried my hand at a fair few products, both skincare and make-up related. Like most people, I go through phases of loving certain things and using them in excess before they become ineffective, or the new make-up trend comes along. Even so, I thought I would share with you all my current favourites, and what has been getting me and my skin through this unrelenting winter!

La Roche-Posay toner

Safe to say I was slightly baffled when I visited Row in Paris recently (see my blog post here) only to learn her new habit of spraying herself in the face twice a day. I eventually found out it was with good cause, as the La Roche-Posay toning spray is raved about amongst beauty bloggers and critics. For me, it has dried my skin out enough to lower my spot count but not leaving it either looking or feeling dry, perfect! At 7 euros a bottle (or thereabouts) it’s worth the investment if you find yourself in France.

Clinique clay mask

It’s a crying shame how long I owned this cleansing mask before I realised its true potential. Intended as a full face mask to balance oil in the skin, it also doubles up as an extremely effective local treatment for spots. Pop it onto the inflamed area before bed, and in the morning it’ll be on its way out. It’s become a regular and ineliminable part of my nightly skincare regime!

Charlotte Tilbury lipstick

I’m not accustomed to wearing too much lippy, either in the daytime or for formal occasions. But my attitudes are shifting thanks to Very Victoria, a shade as sophisticated as the icon it was named after. It’s a shade or two darker than my natural lip colour so it’s the right shade to lure me into the colourful world of lip products, and it definitely is working for me.

Benefit eyebrow kit

Who knew how important eyebrows are for structuring your face? Very, apparently! I’ve never turned back since first trying this Benefit Brow Zings kit, ideal for make up novices like myself. Even with eyebrows as blonde as as mine, the wax and the powder combo is a light enough shade and also very easy to apply, both for shaping and filling in my brows. I’ve found myself using it more than my mascara recently, and that truly is saying something!

Have you used any of these products before? I’d love to know what you think of them!