February favourites

It's been long old time since I've done one of these, but after reading some favourites posts this weekend, I realised I had a few favourites of my own I wanted to share. So I thought I'd start with make up and beauty.

Now I'm not a lover of foundation. More often than not I'll only wear CC cream, eyeshadow and mascara and that's it. The one CC cream I always go back to is the 123Perfect CC Cream by Bourjois. It's a light coverage cream that doesn't feel heavy and sticky but still helps balance out uneven skin tone without looking like a mask.

I was recently given a tester of Benefit Porefessional. So far, so good. Enough for me to be tempted to look at buying the full size when I'm passing through Duty Free later this year. It's not something I'm using everyday, but on special days, it just helps minimise those pesky pores and make me feel a bit more put together.

I love to have hand creams scattered throughout the house, car, handbags etc. This hand cream from a Christmas gift set from Marks & Spencer is lavender scented and is as pretty to look at as it smells - perfect to keep on my bedside table to use last thing at night.

Revolution makeup and skincare always have a place on my favourites. Their eyeshadow primer just helps eyeshadows last that little bit longer (and helps stop you looking like the living dead in the morning...)

The One Concealer, I'm honestly heartbroken that this seems to have been discontinued. So often concealers are too drying for me. This one comes with an almost waxy/silicone surround that helps it blend and smooth. I'm not sure how good this would be for very sensitive skin but for my older, dryer skin it works just fine. The hunt for an alternative is on!

The Essence Super Curl from Wilkos is such a bargain at only £3. I wanted a cheap dupe for my absolute favourite mascara - Benefit Roller Lash and this doesn't do a bad job. It has the small plastic wand that I like and even though it can sometimes transfer as the day goes on, at that price, I can live with it. I also like being able to take something cheap and cheerful on holiday without worrying about losing it somewhere.

My next favourite is my absolute favourite, holy grail eyeshadow product - Two Faced Chocolate Bon Bon eyeshadow palette.

This was a birthday splurge in a French Sephora a couple of years ago and it's still going strong. I remember thinking that I'll never use all of the shades, esp Totally Fetch, the gorgeous deep pink/cerise but I have and I love them all. They have so little fall out and last all day. Plus they smell so good. Everytime I use it, I'm reminded of summer and holidays - and that's no bad thing.

And finally, Daisy by Marc Jacobs. I honestly haven't tried a Marc Jacobs perfume yet that I didn't like and this is my current favourite. I'm finding as I get older, my taste in perfume is moving away from citrus scents towards more floral scents.

So that's my February Favourites - I think I'll try to alternate with books and films for March (guess I better start reading!)

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

Superdrug vitamin E moisture mask

Hello there,

Now I have to admit that at the grand old age of 45 (arghh) I'm still very confused by all the beauty products out there. I tend to stick with what I know works for me and is within my teeny tiny budget.

So I thought I'd share some of the products which have really worked for me recently. First up is the Superdrug vitamin E moisture mask.

I love face masks, but always find there's just far too much in an ordinary sachet. I saw this while browsing and thought that for less than £3 it had to be worth a try. My biggest issue at this time of year and as I get older is dry skin so anything moisturising is ideal.

Wow! What a find. It's not like the normal face mask. It's a lovely light cream almost that you apply onto clean dry skin then allow to absorb for 10-15 mins (or longer if like me you forget all about it while soaking in the bath!). You then remove the excess with a tissue (I use a cotton wool pad).

I found that it left my skin feeling almost plumped up, soft and a lot brighter. I was dubious at first as I have been prone to break outs in the past, but so far - so good. I can certainly see me buying another tube when this runs out.

Any other tips for budget beauty products?

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx