Just to be clear, this really isn't in any particular order - that would be like naming your favourite child! This list is more about essentials in my kit than necessarily the products and colours I would use every day. In terms of LOUD eyeshadow and lipstick, I will probably have to do another top 10 post - pigment and colour are my watchwords.
6) Illamasqua Sealing Gel
A bit of a weird choice, not one of Illamasqua's most publicised products nor one that is sold by many companies. About as cheap and cheerful as Illamasqua gets, £11 gets you a packet with two teeny little bottles. As you only use a drop at a time, this is actually LOADS of product for your penny - my favourite. But Sealing Gel is my favourite for a couple of reasons. Long wear is something I push all of my make-up products and looks to achieve. I really hate going to have my make up done and to have it halfway down my neck before I've left the shop. Eye products should stay roughly in the eye region, my eyebrows should be as Scouse at night as they are when I leave the house in the morning, and my personal bugbear is lipstick that disappears as soon as you eat or drink. Sealing Gel basically means that these dreams are a little closer to coming true. Let's face it, sweating, crying and eating (especially oily foods) are basically Public Enemy no1 when it comes to keeping your make-up looking wonderful. I placed a very thin coat of Sealing Gel over my lipstick last Christmas Day (Illamasqua Salacious, a gorgeous berry red) and it lasted TWELVE. HOURS. I kid you not. Through Christmas Dinner, which in my family is a serious f'ing affair, through Christmas tea, which is similarly quite the big deal. It lasted. It was drying as all hell though, which is why it's a special occasion thing to do - and will probably be less effective over glossier textures. Illamasqua lipsticks tend to be very matte with very little 'slip' and gloss anyways so they respond well to the sealant. It's also amazing paired with another product...
7) Illamasqua Pure Pigment (particularly Ore)
I had a major hatred for loose pigments and powders when I first started playing with make-up, but I think this was mostly because I had literally no idea how to use them! I would slap them on as eyeshadow, think they looked alright, but have no idea how to elevate them above that status. The first time I realised how much I adored them was trying Illamasqua's beautiful pure pigments, which have incredible amounts of shimmer and need just a tiny amount to create an incredible effect. Pairing any loose powder pigment with Illamasqua's Sealing Gel creates a beautiful liquid that is incredibly intense, which works really well as eyeliner, eyeshadow or even lip colour! My next trick will be using loose pigments to create nail looks, which I've seen pictures of online and is pretty! In my video I will discuss why Ore is the greatest product ever. Almost.
8) NARS Orgasm & Laguna Duo
Whilst I was determined not to go for specific shades in my Top 10 - because obviously what looks good and is comfortable for me is not necessarily going to be the same for everyone else - I couldn't NOT include Orgasm & Laguna. Holy Grail for me and so many other people, this duo is great value (compared with many other NARS products) and simply beautiful to use. Orgasm is the ultimate blush: totally neutral in tone to my eye, with a perfect mix of orange and pink and a smattering of gold shimmer, it's meant to recreate the flush of...an orgasm. I'm not sure I turn glittery when I come, but it's definitely got that 'natural glow' thing going for it. My favourite thing about both these powders, and I never thought I'd say this, is that they are sheer and therefore buildable. It's really really difficult to overdo these shades on the skin, which in blusher and bronzer I think is so important. Laguna is brown enough in tone that it does not turn orange on the skin, and Orgasm has enough of that orange-coral to keep you away from a clowny look. They're just really excellent quality products that do what they need to do, really really really well.
9) Blink&Go Hi-Definition Mascara
I didn't want to include this, for the sole reason that I've nearly run out and can't afford a new tube and it breaks my f'ing heart. However, this is an incredible mascara. A tubing mascara, which means that it will not shift until it gets really wet and then it peels off in literal tubes. I mean it. IT WILL NOT SHIFT. It's beautiful. It coats each lash individually and makes them thicker, longer and more voluminous. I will use the last scraps of my tube in the video tomorrow to show how amazing it really is. It's just perfect. Perfect. Can't say anything else.
10) Seche Vite
Ahhhhh. Seche Vite. It is full of chemicals that will give me cancer. It stinks to high heaven. You can only use like three quarters of the bottle until it becomes unusably thick and sticky. What I'm saying is - there are lots of problems with it. And yet. AND YET. It is wonderful. It flows onto the nail and provides a rock hard, glass-shiny finish that will essentially double your wear time. It doubles my wear time because I can only usually get chip-free wear for about 24 hours without it. I get a whole two days with Seche. So yeah. This makes it worth it. And it's only a tenner. Which very soon will be a fifth of my weekly income. But never mind.
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