(UPDATED 2020)

(contains AD-affiliate links)

 

I’ve been regularly updating this post on the best beauty products I’ve tried and repurchased (last update March 2020). It includes some of my favourite skincare, the best makeup I always have in my collection plus the best hair care. I always love to know people’s ’empties’ because you know they haven’t used it the once or twice at a push. All these products have been used to the very last squeeze then swiftly bought again. I hope you find a new beauty favourite! Let’s go, it’s a long one…

 

Best Foundation/BB Cream

 

 

I still adore Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation. I wear the shade 1C0 Shell, which is the lightest cool toned colour you can buy. I wear it a bit differently than I did then. I find it too matte for my taste lately so I either blend it out with a Beauty Blender using a hydrating mist like Mario Badescu (which are one of my most repurchased items-currently using the gorgeous Sage Orange Blossom version). Or I mix it with a more glowy foundation like Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation or a liquid highlighter. This means the foundation looks more alive on the skin but the longevity is still there.

I haven’t been wearing Estee Lauder Double Wear as much as previously as it’s been replaced by a couple of foundations. Firstly the amazing CYO Lifeproof Foundation. OMG, this is an incredible drugstore foundation. It gives a beautiful natural finish with medium buidable coverage. And secondly this cruelty-free dupe for Double Wear from Primark. I have bottles of this just in case they stop making it. A beautiful natural finish that I actually think looks better than ELWD.

More recently (March 2020) I have been LOVING Skin79 Angry Cat BB Cream which I talk about in this post about layering skincare. This is the best BB cream I’ve tried. It applies quickly with good light/medium coverage and wears well all day but still looks natural. This is an absolute keeper in my makeup bag.

 

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE PINTEREST GUIDE-LEARN HOW TO USE PINTEREST FOR YOUR BUSINESS & BLOG!

 

Best Concealer

 

 

 

I have a couple of concealers I’ve recently been repurchasing over and over again. The first is a rather unexpected favourite from Primark, it’s their My Perfect Colour Liquid Concealer Medium Coverage. This does an amazing job at disguising dark circles and brightening up the under eye area. There’s a couple of reasons why I love it so much first is that it doesn’t crease under eyes. I’ve been having a terrible time with concealer lately creasing and caking due to changes in my skin and age. Primark’s concealer makes my eye area look refreshed thanks to the aloe vera and vitamin e. Secondly it’s only £2! (And cruelty-free).

If you like a natural finish that brightens the eye area and won’t crease this is a brilliant budget option. Another amazing under eye concealer that will brighten and hide dark circles is the seriously under rated Bourjois Radiance Reveal Concealer. A rich, creamy concealer that doesn’t crease and hides all that tiredness. A long standing favourite!

More recently I have been loving Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. This is an incredible medium-full concealer that blends into my skin seemlessly and stays there all day. Nars concealer doesn’t always get on with my under-eye area but for the rest of my face this is unbeatable. It’s just so easy to work with and when it sets it just stays in place all day. I can see why this is so popular with everyone from makeup artists to beginners.

I still love the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (which I think is a pretty good budget dupe for Tarte Shape Tape Concealer) too!

 

Best Lipsticks/Lip Products

 

Another recent favourite from NYX is their Suede Matte Lipsticks. I bought several shades of this formula, it’s pigmented, creamy and long wearing. I haven’t blogged about them yet but another lipstick that I have been wearing lots of is GOSH lipsticks. These are incredible; amazing colour selection, long wearing and comfortable. I don’t understand why more people don’t speak about GOSH, I think they’re one of the best ethical drugstore brands there is!

A more recent favourite and the lipsticks that trump my previous most bought lipsticks and they are the amazing Zara lipsticks. I wrote about how brilliant the Zara lipsticks are in this post. They’re matte yet creamy, great colour selection and last for ages on the lips. Easily one of my top makeup products.

 

 

Best Blushers/Bronzers

 

 

I still love the amazing Max Factor Puff Blushers. One of the best blushers you can buy from the drugstore. I picked up Flower Beauty Lift & Sculpt Duo after lots of good reviews and I’m very impressed so much that I’ve finished one and bought another. This is the perfect blush for fair skins. I use the contour shade more for a bronze, it is the most perfect shade for very pale skin and the highlight is creamy while adding definition. All three shades feel high quality, blend easily and last all day.

 

 

 

Best Facial Cleansers

 

 

 

I still love the wonderful Evolve Beauty Gentle Cleansing Melt. This has quickly become my absolute favourite cleanser and is a joy to use. I’ve also blogged about a few of my favourite ethical cleansers here. But I like to change it up a bit, live a little so I have a staple of cleansers that I use when I feel like it.

I have three recent favourites that are now staples in my cleansing routine. The first is the brilliant The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser. This is a no-fuss cleanser that always leaves my skin looking amazing when I use it. I love using it as a first cleanse then use Cerave Hydrating Cleanser which I talk about in this skincare post here.

 

The Best Balm Cleansers

 

Another gentle cleanser that I’ve really been enjoying recently, especially in the winter months, is the new Lush Ultrabland. This is a thick, buttery cleanser than is lovely to use, dissolves all makeup and SPF while being super kind to the skin. This doesn’t emulsify though so I do use it as part of a double cleanse. But I love it.

And finally one of the best makeup removers I’ve used Banila Co Clean It Zero Balm. This is absolutely brilliant. It quickly removes everything easily and when removed with water or a cloth there’s no residue just clean, soft skin. I bought my authentic Banila Co cleansing balm from Melon and Starfish.

 

 

Best Night-Time Treatment & Moisturisers

 

 

 

Now that I’m older (43) I have a pretty good handle on what my skin loves and what it doesn’t and I am pleased to say I have several products that I love and happily repurchase. I talk about some of those products in my post about how to layer skincare. The first of my repurchases is the brilliant Avene Physiolift  Smoothing Regenerating Night Balm. This is the best night time treatment I’ve tried.

This is because one of the active ingredients is retinal not retinol. Retinal works quicker and better than retinol because of the quicker chain of reactions. I’m planning on doing a full blog post explaining how retinoids work but I’m still researching at the moment. What makes Avene Physiolift night balm so good as that I’ve experienced no reaction as all with it despite it being more powerful than other retinol products I’ve tried. My skin looks healthier, brighter and smoother. Just one of the best skincare products I’ve ever tried.

Another favourite which is a staple of my routine is the incredible The Ordinary Azelaic Suspension 10% is just so so good. This feels like a soothing balm and sinks in easily to leave skin brightened and more even, plus it acts as an anti-oxidant. I’ve repurchased this lots of times now. I just love it.

 

One of the Best Moisturisers for Sensitive Skin

 

I use reasonably strong actives on my sensitive skin so I just want an effective relatively simple moisturiser and I’ve found that in Cerave Facial Moisturiser. My skin seems to love ceramides and niacinamide and Cerave’s formula delivers them without any irritation. I’ve bought Cerave moisturiser countless times now. It’s never irrtated or cause spots on my slightly reactive skin so if you’re looking for a solid moisturiser with great ingredients Cerave facial moisturiser is the one for you.

If you’re looking for organic, sustainable moisturisers that are rich and packed-full of skin-loving ingredients then these products from Evolve and their sister brand S5.

 

 

Best Hair Care Products

 

One of my most repurchased hair care products is the AMAZING Davines OI All-in-One milk. I’ve bought this lots. As soon as it is nearing the end I always buy it again. Davines is just a great brand in general and I love several of their products. I always buy my Davines products from All Beauty  (aff link) because they’re generally a bit cheaper there!

One of the best drugstore hair ranges I’ve tried and bought lots from is Hask. They have a hair product called Hask Red Wine Repairing 10 in 1 Leave in Spray and it’s almost a dupe for Davines All-in-one-milk. It isn’t quite as good but it’s a more affordable alternative and lasts much longer. It protects the hair, hydrates it, smoothes it and more without ever feeling like you have product in the hair. I alos love Hask shampoo and conditioners, they’re all SLS-free and just amazing for the price. Highly recommended!

Another hair product I am never without is the iconic L’Oreal Elnett hairspray. Easily one of the best hairsprays there is. Holds hair without crunch or stickiness and brushes out with no problems.

 

Most Bought Eyeshadow & Mascara

 

I’m also a BIG FAN of Makeup Revolution’s eyeshadow palettes. I’ve bought quite a few so far! They’re high quality drugstore palettes that wear well, easy to blend and have great pigmentation. You can read my review of some of my favourite Revolution palettes here. For mascara I got hooked on Glossier Lash Stick for a while but I heard the new Maybelline mascara was a good dupe for it but gives more volume and definition. I haven’t been disappointed with Maybelline Snapscara Mascara.  Snapscara doesn’t smudge and is great for contact lens wearers. This is one of my favourite mascaras in a long time!

If you like this post you can see some more of my favourite beauty products here. I’ll be doing the best beauty and skincare products I’ve used for 2019 soon and there’s lots of crackers in there!

 

I am in the process of creating my minimalist makeup collection so look out for that post!

 

PIN FOR LATER SO YOU DON’T FORGET!

 

 

 

Do you have any recommendations for me?

 

 

 

PS. Did you find this post on Pinterest? Sign up to my Pin Pals Newsletter for my comprehensive Pinterest guide and monthly newsletter full of actionable Pinterest tips!

 

 

 

 

(Contains affiliated links)

Tags: beauty, best buys, budget beauty, lipsticks, most repurchased, skincare