My holy-grail beauty products

As you can probably tell by now through my blog content, I'm a bit of a beauty fanatic! I love experimenting with products and reading other people's opinions on different types of makeup and skincare to see which ones I'll be keeping as holy grail staples in my beauty bag. So I thought I'd give you a rundown of my all-time favourite products that I've found so far.

First up I'm going to start with an 'oldie but goldie', a product that has been around for years but I've just discovered a brand new love for - Vaseline. I've really suffered with dry skin recently, especially around my eyes which makes makeup application really difficult and not very pretty. I had tried countless moisturisers and eye creams and nothing seemed to quite quench the thirst of my skin, yet someone recommended Vaseline to me and at first I was really sceptical. I bought a tin for £1.50 and lathered it on all the dry areas of my face. Disclaimer - the look was not pretty, my family members asked if I had been crying due to the incredible shine and wet look this stuff gave me. I slept with this under my eyes and no word of a lie, when I woke up the next day the dryness had completely disappeared. I was so happy! The amount of money I had spent on expensive moisturisers and creams, yet all I needed was a tin of Vaseline! An absolute bargain for something that works so well, this will be staying in my beauty bag for a very long time. It also works wonders on chapped lips ready for lipstick application.

I bought a powder about 3-years ago and I've absolutely savoured it because it's so amazing yet so expensive. I think I speak for all makeup lovers when I say that the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder is an elite product that everyone needs to try. I think I paid around £40 for it, and I only use it for special occasions because I just trust and love it so much, and can't quite afford another one yet whilst being a broke student. It's a really finely-milled powder and makes your face look and feel so smooth, while mattifying the skin for a near-immaculate finish. It's great to bake with, and doesn't give any flashback on photos which is a huge benefit.

Removing your makeup after a long day is one of the best feelings, but this particular product has made it even better for me. I used to use face wipes to remove my makeup and they would really irritate my skin, but I found something last year called a Face Halo and it was a complete game-changer for me. It's a small, circular, reusable flannel made up on halo-tech fibres that get into the pores and clear your face of any beauty products. All you need to add to it is water, and it even removes waterproof makeup. I was sceptical too, but it honestly works and I will never go back to using a face wipe ever again.

Eyeshadow is something I truly love playing around with and something that I've got a lot more brave in using. I used to be one of those people who would stick to a classic yet tame brown smokey eye, but the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette came into my life and pushed me out of my comfort zone to play around with colours. While it does include some neutrals, it also comes with some really nice pinks and reds as well as shimmers to add a bit of bling to the eye. I have so many eyeshadow palettes, but I always find myself reaching for this one over any others.

While on the subject of eyes, I need to talk about the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara. This has been a staple item in my makeup bag for years and years and I don't think I'll ever find one that does my eyelashes as much justice as this does. When I'm not wearing mascara, my eyelashes literally conform to the rules of gravity and point straight to the ground, which is the absolute opposite of what I'd like. To achieve the perfect curl that every makeup lover wants, I need to use an eyelash curler for about 10 minutes and then apply the Maybelline mascara, which I always get in waterproof, to accomplish the curve. The bristles on the wand are shaped perfectly to ensure that every lash is covered in mascara, and it holds my lashes in place all day.

No makeup look is complete without a generous spritz of setting spray, and for me there's only one that does the best job. The Urban Decay All Nighter is the A-class celebrity of setting sprays and will keep your makeup looking fresh for hours. It claims to keep it on for 16-hours, and I genuinely believe this and have tested it for myself - as gross as it is, I slept in my makeup after Prom, woke up the next day and it genuinely looked like it had just been applied. I can't speak highly enough about this product and think that every makeup fanatic should try this for themselves.

So there you have a list of my all-time favourite beauty products that I have loved for a really long time. I'm sure that my list of products will grow along with my beauty and makeup obsession, so keep your eyes peeled for any updates in the future!