The Makeup Products That Never Fail Me

We all have products we would use ’til the end of time. Here are mine.

I used to be a makeup hoarder, but since being more reasonable with my money, I have been creating a small makeup collection and using only products that I love. Out of all my products though, there are a few, that I incessantly go back to and that you’ll see me use all the time. I’ve decided to gather these little gems in one post, to hopefully give you inspiration as to what you should try out.

I have mentioned this product time and time again these past few months, as it has been the only concealer I’ve used! NYX is such a good brand – both quality and price are amazing. The HD concealer is a medium coverage concealer, but you can built up the coverage really nicely. It looks very natural on the skin, and stays put quite well throughout the day. It hides most of my blemishes and scars, apart from the really red blemishes maybe. But add powder on top and gives you a lovely finish. I’ve compared it to the Naked Skin Concealer, I think they are quite similar – but the price makes all the difference!

Again the Stay Matte Powder is a product I’ve been using for years, and I’m still perfectly happy with it. At £3.99, it’s the best drugstore powder I’ve ever had – I am yet to reach for high end powders, but now is not the time for it. I’m not very familiar with Rimmel in general, however I would definitely recommend this powder. It is a pressed powder, which you can get either translucent or in your shade. Unfortunately, the shade range is not great (I don’t remember there being any shades for black skins…) however because it’s so thin, you can get away with not having a perfect match. It doesn’t look cakey at all and is really light, even though it is labelled as a powder foundation – it doesn’t have the coverage of an actual foundation. I usually use it with liquid foundation underneath, or just my NYX HD concealer for quick, everyday makeup looks.

I apply the powder with the Real Techniques Powder Brush 1401. It’s big, fluffy and soft, and although I’ve used it for years and washed it lots, it doesn’t lose any of its bristles and still looks brands new. I would say Real Techniques is a great brand for all makeup brushes, and still more affordable than brands like MAC or Make Up For Ever.

These two shades are my go-to lip colours, I wear either of them every single day when I want a simple, neutral lip for work and I could not see myself without them in my collection!

Fast Play is a mauvy pink shade, in the Amplified finish – my favourite finish in MAC lipsticks. I’ve had it for a couple years now and I love it just as much as I did before. It stays on the lips for hours too, although you do have to reapply a thin layer after you eat – overall it stays put for a good amount of time! I have steered away from MAC now and will probably not purchase from them again since they are not cruelty-free. I’ve been more sensitive to the cause these past few months, and although I do have a lot of non-cruelty-free products in my collection (I was not informed back then) and I still use and love these products, I am trying to make smarter purchases and turn to cruelty-free brands only.

The Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks had been quite hyped up the past few years, and for good reason – they are amazing! This is my favourite liquid lipstick, it’s super easy to apply, the texture is not too liquid nor too thick, and it stays on all. day. long. Even after you eat. This product is a blessing, especially since I work in a school – so I’ve got no time for frivolities like touching-up my makeup during the lunch break! Lolita is a nude, beige shade leaning on brown. It’s a beautiful every day shade throughout the year – especially in the autumn and the summer I would say! It really makes me want to try other Kat Von D products – although, and I have to say, I am not a fan of the packaging, a bit to Avril Lavigne-esque for me..!

Do I even need to write anything about the Naked palette? Probably not. But I still want to share my love of it, because this is a product that will never get old! To be honest, I should probably throw this palette away – I’ve had it since I was in high school, and it’s about seven years old. Oops. However I haven’t had any bad reactions to it, so I’ll keep using it until I die. And probably be buried with it too.

I’m really happy about the quality of the eye shadows still, although you do have some fallouts on the cheeks, especially with the more sparkly shades, the pigmentation is beautiful, and the palette is very versatile, I use it for all sorts of looks. The shades I use the most as those swatched below, in order: Sin, Sidecar, Half-Baked, Smog, Toasted and Hustle. I love to use Sidecar and Half-Baked in little touches in the inner corners or on top of other shades, to add that touch of glitter that I love. 

In short, you probably have this palette too, or have already used it in your life, and don’t need another post about it – but it really is a product that never fails me, even though it probably is past its expiry date. Gotta love your classics!