five beauty products that really are worth the hype

I like to think that I don’t follow convention but, in these five cases, I'm really glad that I did. I don’t really wear a lot of make up and I definitely don’t consider myself to be a beauty guru – I've never bought that Benefit They’re Real mascara, and I don’t own that YSL concealer - but these products are so good I feel like its my social responsibility to spread the word about them to my fellow low-key make up wearers. And even if you love make up and can’t get enough mascara on your lashes, these are the essentials you need in your bag.

1)         MaybellineDay Fresh BB Cream (mine is in Light) - £7.99

First up is this life changing BB cream. I never really understood what the hell a BB cream was or what the difference between this and a foundation was, but on a whim (a.k.a. the 3 for 2 offer in Boots) I bought this. So after using it for a week or so I have come to realise that its kind of like a tinted moisturiser, but it has the half the coverage of a full foundation. My skin is pretty good (probably because I never leave the house without a water bottle – I have to balance those crisps with something) so I don’t like to cake on foundation because it makes my skin feel sticky, heavy, and generally not very nice. So for something with light, everyday coverage and that only really requires a quick brush of powder afterwards, this product is ideal.

Rating: 8/10

2)         TheTangle Teezer - £10.99

One day, out shopping with friends, we ended up in Boots (Colchester is a small town) and I was pretty much bullied into picking up this hairbrush – but boy am I glad I did. The Tangle Teezer is well known for being the pain-free hairbrush and it can be used on all hair types, not only that but it comes in a zillion cute colours and there's even a version you can use in the shower on wet hair, and it really is that versatile. I have no idea how, but this hairbrush has revolutionised my mornings. Its an excellent product for thick, wavy hair like mine is naturally and one stroke of this through your tresses guarantees no tangles. My old hairbrush has fallen behind the bottles of cleaning products at the bottom of the rack in my bathroom (for some reason its illogical to throw out things like hairbrushes even if you replace them) and, as long as I have a Tangle Teezer, that’s where it’ll stay.

Rating: 10/10

3)         NYX,Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick (mine is in LSCL07, Sandstorm) - £6.50

A few weeks ago I read an article on The Debrief about the best Kylie Lip Kit dupes [knockoffs] and this little product was on there. Being the broke student I am, I saw it in Boots and had to buy it to see if it was really that good. Granted it probably doesn’t have the longevity as a real Kylie Lip Kit thing (is a liner and a liquid lipstick technically a kit?) but this is so smooth and the actual doe’s foot - that’s actually what they're called, I looked it up – is rounded and makes application a dream. Whatever the head/doe’s foot is made of needs to be applied to every single lip product ever because it doesn’t pick up half the tube of product when you dip it in, and there's hardly any need to dab it on the top of the tube and let it go crusty and waste valuable lipstick. I am an official matte lipstick convert and, if I wore lipstick more often, I’d have all the colours in the range.

Rating: 7/10

4)         MaybellineThe Nudes Eyeshadow Palette - £9.99

When I was in London, my friend asked me about this palette when I whipped it out of my make up bag for a night out, and I couldn't think of enough adjectives to praise this collection of eyeshadows. There are six matte and six glitter shades in this palette which extends its versatility. I’ve used it in the past for an everyday sculpt and I've used it in conjunction with my Dior palette (that I nicked from my mum, don’t get excited) to make a red-carpet ready smoky eye. Lou Teasdale did a series of tutorials on how to use the twelve shades together (which you can read/watch here) to create different looks and they're super useful and have literally never failed me. It had a follow up palette with pink shades, but this palette is the One Direction of the eyeshadow world and TheBlushed Nudes one is the Zayn version; it has a few good shades and isn’t bad – but its not the original.

Rating: 8/10

5)         Bleach London Swap Spritz - £6

I never normally used to embrace my natural wavy hair because, to be frank, it’s a fucking nightmare - everyone’s seen the why don’t you brush your hair? vine by now – and frizz is not something I want to deal with, even on a day where you’ve got a bit of time to deal with your hair. But this “lightweight sea spray to add texture to all types of hair” changed the game - especially for the price, its lasted me almost about 9 months! Not only does it tame my waves and, after a scrunch or two, leaves my hair more manageable and just generally feeling more presentable, it smells  a m a z i n g. You’ll spend all day inhaling your hair like a psycho in the street but at least you're not chewing it like you used to do when you were five years old.

Rating: 7/10

If I had to answer that “what 5 things would you take to a deserted island” question, I would take these things for sure. I might swap the lipstick and the eyeshadow for, you know, food and water, but the Tangle Teezer, the BB Cream, and the Bleach London spray are well and truly in my backpack – true travel essentials.