The foolproof favourites

Over the last couple of weeks I have been dropping some hints on Twitter and Instagram about how I wanted to get back to blogging. I'm quite positive nobody noticed (or cared for that matter) but, here I am! It's been well over a year and life has been a whirlwind to say the least. I met my boyfriend towards the end of 2014, moved to a new city and have just generally been busy enjoying life. For those who know me, this is a first - I'm not planning on whining or complaining, but me actually loving life, that's new. Naturally, blogging had to take a step back in that process but, now that I've kind of settled into my new life, I'm eager to start blogging again, interact with you lovely lot and swoon over the latest beauty releases - as you do.

For my "first" post I thought I'd do a round up of the things I've been loving over the past year. Being very busy means I needed a foolproof routine, so these are the things that stood the test of time. I hope you enjoy this post and I'd love your feedback in the comments, on Twitter, or Instagram.

Foundation & Powder
I've lost count of how many bottles of Healthy Mix I've been through over the years. This has to be my favourite everyday foundation, it has medium coverage and blends so well. I also love the fruity scent! Although this leans more towards the dewy end of the foundation scale it doesn't make my skin look greasy or patchy. My skin gets really dry in autumn/winter so most days I don't even apply powder on top. However, if I do feel like I need to powder, I've been enjoying the matching powder. It's not as mattifying as the Rimmel Stay Matte powder but does last a good 6-8 hours (depending on your skin type obvs) and never looks cakey!

Concealer
Now this product holds holy grail status, which is rare for me. Of course, as a beauty blogger I love switching things up on a regular basis. I started using this about two years ago when it's been all Jaclyn Hill was raving about and she was so right - amazing coverage and staying power, and a little goes a long way. Even with daily use one little bottle usually lasts me a good 10 months.

Hands up - Who else is still saying collection 2000? Their Lasting Perfection concealer has been a firm favourite for years and I've gone through countless tubes of this. For just over 4 quid you get a concealer with equally amazing coverage and staying power as the mac concealer I just mentioned - although I found the Collection one to be a tad less drying. I use shade 2 on top of the MAC concealer to hide my hideous dark undereye circles, and although I'm trying other concealers here and there, nothing beats this combination.

Bronzer
There's a reason why so many bloggers and YouTubers are considering this their favourite budget bronzer. It has a matte and a shimmery side, the shimmer is hardly detectable once applied though. The matte shade also doubles up as a contour shade. It also doesn't go patchy during the day which is something I'm experiencing with a lot of bronzers. I've really been enjoying using this!

Eyes & Brows
Now I'm not into the bold Delevignesque kind of brows but, one thing I did realise last year is that a defined brow is essential. Due to overplucking my brows in my teenage years (sigh), they are pretty sparse to say the least. Cue this amazing little pencil by Soap&Glory. If you've been reading my blog before you'll know I'm slightly obsessed, and this product doesn't change this fact. It has a brush on one end and the tiniest little nib on the other, which makes faking fuller brows easy peasy. A convenient and foolproof brow product? Yes, please!

Another holy grail item are MAC's Paint Pots - forget what I was just saying about HG products, I do have a couple of them in my stash. Soft Ochre matches my skintone to a T and I've been using this daily to even out my dark eye lids an as a primer for over 2 and a half years now. I'm almost out but to say a little goes a long way would be an understatement. So please don't be fooled by the price - you do get the best bang for your buck here. If I'm particularly lazy I just put something like the shimmery champagne shade that is Bare Study on top and I'm good to go.

I only got the hang of liquid eyeliner last year. Can you believe it took me 25 years to manage a cat flick? I know. The Maybelline gel liner definitely helped, it's creamy, forgiving and stays put until you wash it off. I apply this with the Zoeva liner brush which makes it a breeze. I finish with lashings of my favourite, the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara (this stuff is THE BOMB! It doesn't say waterproof but boy, it does take some elbowgrease to get if off!) and there we have it, a full face of foolproof makeup.

Have you tried any of these products? What are your foolproof favourites?