The Actual Day To Day Essentials
The word 'essentials' gets thrown around a lot in the blogging world. I think we can all agree as much as we love beauty products they really cannot be considered a serious daily essential as life does go on without them. And unless you're eating your lipsticks then they won't sustain you. That being said, I obviously love those items otherwise I wouldn't spend my time writing about them. So today I wanted to share the things that I really do use on a daily basis from beauty to just general items.
BEAUTY
CLEANSER: Even though I don't wear makeup on a daily basis I still like to make sure that I give my skin a proper cleanse in the morning. It not only does my complexion the world of good but it makes me feel fresh and ready for the day. On the days that I go to the gym, I will do a quick once over with a micellar water just to remove some of the grime that has built up overnight and then wait till I return to do a proper cleanse with a flannel.
Favourites include; Nivea Micellar Water, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish and Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel*
TONER: This is the marmite of the skincare world, you either love it or you hate it. I absolutely love toner, the combination of something exfoliating and hydrating. My skin can't get enough of those AHA's or BHA's, I cannot recommend them enough if you're spot prone and struggle with scarring.
Favourites include; Pixi Glow Tonic, Clarins Exfoliating Toner and Liz Earle Skin Tonic
LA ROCHE POSAY EFFACLAR DUO +*: A product that deserves a category all of its own. When the hype first erupted about Effaclar Duo I held off for a little while. The reviews were very divided, it either worked absolute wonders on your skin or it was a nightmare. Luckily for me it's worked wonders, it's completely changed the condition and the texture of my skin. My skin is so much clearer and ever since they reformulated it with the addition of scar fighting ingredients it's even better than before. I've repurchased this easily over 10 times and will continue to do so until it stops working for me.
MOISTURISER: What I'm about to say might sound a little bizarre but when my skin isn't nourished it makes me feel really uncomfortable in my self. That tight, stiff feeling isn't desirable and obviously when you're applying makeup over the top you want your complexion to be as well prepared as it possibly can be. Especially in the A/W I'm very liberal with my moisturiser application to make sure my skin is properly nourished for the day.
Favourites include; Origins Make A Difference, Clinique Turnaround and Jurlique Calendula Redness Rescue
FOUNDATION: My beauty comfort blanket is foundation. Although I like more lightweight bases and totally see the appeal of them, I will always normally go for something that is medium coverage as it normally means that I'm able to skip the concealer step, who doesn't love saving time? There is just something about applying one of my favourite bases that makes me feel like myself, even though I know I don't need to apply it I just love the ritual.
Favourites include; YSL Youth Liberator, Rimmel Match Perfection and Clinique Even Better
POWDER: I recently wrote an entire post titled 'an ode to powder' so you might already know about the deep love affair that I have with the product. My makeup routine just doesn't feel complete without setting everything down and I'm so happy that they've come a long way in terms of formulation.
Favourites include; MAC MSF Natural, Rimmel Match Perfection Powder and MAC MSF Lightscapade
BLUSH: There is just something so magical about blush. It's by far one of the prettiest makeup items that you can buy and it can do so much for your complexion. I struggle with my skin looking drab and dull but by adding a little bit of blush I instantly look so much more awake and not so deadpan.
Favourites include; Stila Convertible Colour, Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush and Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic
MASCARA: For some people the product that makes them look awake is concealer, for meit's mascara. Considering how dark my hair is I have fairly light lashes so a few coats of mascara really helps to open up my eyes. Even if I'm foregoing any base makeup I will still apply mascara just to make my eyes look a little less strange with my light lashes and dark hair.
Favourites include; YSL Babydoll, Too Faced Better Than Sex and Rimmel Lash Accelerator
LIP BALM: Wherever I go or whatever I'm doing I've always got a lip balm on hand. I feel like this item is pretty self-explanatory why it's a day to day essential, no one strives for dry chapped lips. I've always preferred a balm over a lipstick as well because let's be real I'm sort of lazy and cannot be bothered to upkeep a colour all day.
Favourites include; Lanolips Lip Ointment*, Nuxe Reve De Miel and Fresh Sugar Lipbalm
LIFE
IPHONE 6: As much as it pains me I rely on my iPhone far too much. I would love to be able to leave it at home for the day and see how I would go without it. Although I've got into the good habit of leaving it on the other side of the room when I'm in work mode and don't want to get distracted by the lure of Instagram or Hay Day.
GLASSES: I recently had my eyes retested and now I need to wear glasses all the time as the world is pretty fuzzy without them. It's scary how bad my vision has become in the past two years, but now the world is so much clearer and let me tell you it's pretty darn beautiful.
MACBOOK AIR: Even if I'm not working I still have my MacBook by my side. Just you know, for the important things like watching Netflix and browsing sausage dog videos on YouTube.
NOTEPAD & CALENDAR: As I'm a serial list maker I'm never without a notepad or notebook and my favourites are of course from Rifle Paper Co. My iCal and physical calendar keep me on track for the week so I know what is coming up and I also have an editorial calendar for my blog too which is a big help with keeping it organised.
SLIPPERS: Sometimes I wonder if my feet are actually attached to me as they are so cold, even in the summer months. So slippers are a key part of any outfit that I might be wearing. Also, if you've never tried wearing slippers as well as tights you're missing out on a whole new level of comfort.
What are your daily essentials?
R x
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