A Trip Down Beauty Memory Lane
I've been buying beauty products for a long time, but I've not always bought high-end. That wasn't something that I became interested in until I was in my twenties, but still, that's a good eight years perusing the beauty halls and wandering into Space NK. I've been clearing out a lot of things lately which led to me to the idea of this post, it made me think about what all my first high-end items were, whether I'd go back to them and what I prefer now. So here's a little trip down beauty product memory lane...
FIRST HIGH-END FOUNDATION...LAURA MERCIER SILK CRÈME FOUNDATION
If you've been a really long time reader of this blog then you will know how much I loved this foundation. I bought it for my graduation in 2012 and it was such a big purchase for me, I think at the time I bought this it was nearly £40. And at the time that I bought this, my skin was absolutely horrific, I was still using the implant which gave me cystic acne so I needed something full coverage to give the confidence boost I needed. This was a very thick cream foundation that gave almost a satin finish from what I remember and I adored it. Since buying this they have discontinued it and have bought it back out in two different formulations which I've not tried as it got such mixed reviews from original SC users so it didn't seem worth it. Although my skin certainly doesn't need such intense coverage I'd be interested to see how it would perform now or even if I would like it. This was such a cult foundation amongst beauty lovers and even people who didn't like typical full coverage bases loved this which is saying something. It's such a nostalgic product for me and I can still remember the scent of it, it never bothered me but I can see why it did irritate so many.
FIRST HIGH-END SKINCARE BRAND...LIZ EARLE
Getting into the world of high-end skincare was a great thing for me and a terrible thing for my bank account. For a long time, I've preferred to spend my money on my skin rather than makeup, it just makes good sense to me to invest in my actual canvas first rather than one I'm going to wash off at the end of the day. Again, when I first started blogging a product that was spoken about time and time was the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish as well as LE as a brand in general. At the time, I'm not sure if it's still a thing now they did a starter skincare kit that contained their cleanser, toner, and moisturiser [to suit your skin type]. And this was such a great way to get my skin not only used to a solid routine but the brand in general. The standouts for me have always been the cleanse & polish and tonic, they don't do anything crazy but they do exactly what they say on the bottle. I think many us, myself included can get a little carried away with what we expect from our skincare products. They're not miracle workers and you need to work with them. I've not used the skin tonic in a while, although I would definitely go out and buy it again and I've just finished a tube of cleanser, even after all the cleansers I've used it's still one of the best out there for me.
FIRST HIGH-END MAKE UP TOOLS...ZOEVA
For some, they might say Zoeva is a more budget brand but the sets are quite pricey so for me it's high-end. When I received the original rose gold set I was in a committed love affair with my Real Techniques brushes, a brand that I still love and recommend. But the Zoeva brushes took over my entire routine, everything from the design to the performance is incredible and they are well worth the money. I've had my original set for over 4 years now and once washed they are as good as they were new. I'm a big believer that if you invest and look after your beauty tools then they can last you years. I've got a good amount of Zoeva brushes now and my favourites are;
- Silk Finish Brush
- Buffer Brush
- Face Shape Brush
- Luxe Soft Definer
- Concealer Buffer Brush.
FIRST HIGH END BLUSHER...STILA CONVERTIBLE COLOUR
Are we sensing a trend here? I was obviously, very inspired by the beauty posts I was reading when I first started investing in my products and one item that I coveted for a long time was the Stila Convertible Colours. They're a dual multi-use product but I never use them on lips, just the cheeks and they are the perfect cream blush to me. They're the product that I recommend to anyone who is scared of cream products as they're so forgiving. And they're something that you can use at any time of year, even in summer I can get away with these as they settle into the skin beautifully. For a more high-end option I find them reasonable at £16, they're not budget by any means but they're a lot more affordable than some other options out there. I've had two shades at my disposal over the years and the first one I bought was Lilium. Which is the most perfect pink I think I've ever used, it's not got a strong yellow or blue undertone which I like as too much of either is overwhelming. And the second is Peony, which I still have and that's a more dusky pink which means it can sculpt the skin as well as adding some colour.
first high end haircare brand...bumble and bumble
Haircare is not something I ever thought I would spend a lot of money on. After all, there are so many cheaper alternatives that have worked beautifully for me and I'm not someone who struggles with SLS in the slightest so that's not a worry for me. One brand I absolutely adore and have tried a lot from in the past is Bumble and Bumble. They're known for their cult Surf Spray, which I'm still not entirely sure if I love or not but there are so many items that I absolutely adore. My number one love being the Seaweed shampoo and conditioner, nothing has ever made my hair feel so soft and shiny. Then there is the Hairdresser's line and this has to be some of the best smelling haircare I've ever used, the primer, in particular, was my favourite. Now my hair is coloured I'd be interested in trying something from them that is dedicated towards colour but I have so much haircare to get through that I won't need to pick anything up for a while. If you have the budget for B&B, I really rate their products but in general, I don't find the need to invest loads in my haircare. Mid-range items are completely fine for me and somewhat low maintenance my tresses.
