Best of the Decade: Beauty and Skincare

…and all the products I’m taking into the next

Tell you what, I couldn’t quite get my head around how long a decade is or what that the passage of that chunk of time actually feels like until I sat down to write this post. Just looking at the contents of my makeup bag now compared to what they looked like ten years ago really drummed home just how much time has passed, and how much my habits have changed during it. How much I’ve changed! Or haven’t, in some case. You know me, I rarely dish out blog posts about beauty and skincare for the very simple reason that I don’t really shake up my stash all that often; I’d make for a very boring beauty blogger because I stick with the same tried and true products year in, year out – which may be the case now, but it definitely wasn’t ten years ago.

At the start of the decade I was 24 and had just moved to London with my then boyfriend, now husband. I was still clinging desperately on to my long (very split-ended) hair, had finally surfaced out of those horrendous teen acne years, and – seeing as I was finally in a steady job – found that I had a little bit more money to finally dip my toes into high end beauty rather than just cheap out down the Number 17 aisle (sorry Boots!). The problem was, I had absolutely no clue what was right for my skin or my hair – and as for makeup? Well, let’s just say that my forays into that were experimental at best. When I think about how much I spent on poorly-thought out beauty purchases during those ten years, I honestly want to weep. I crammed the tiny bathroom cupboard in my tiny London flat full of products that I very rarely repurchased or even finished. Yeesh.

So, heading into the next decade the biggest lesson I’m taking with me is that I really don’t need a lot of products. I have my favourites that work, and I’ll stick with them until they don’t work. Some of those favourites are high end, and some are drug store and that’s absolutely fine with me – the truth is that there are some products I feel that I need to or am willing to spend a little bit more on, and then there are some that I can totally cheap out on and then enjoy more takeaways as a result. 🙂

…Oh, and I need to drink more water. Lots of water.

Makeup

The biggest change when it comes to slap over the past ten years is that I’ve gone from a massive tub of makeup, to one tiny makeup bag. It’s brilliant! Streamlining my kit means no more rummaging first thing in the morning, and less waste. It does also mean that I’m incredibly selective now about which products make it into that kit – and I’m willing to spend a little bit more on the ones I can’t live without like foundation, eyeliner, lipstick and eye shadow. I don’t tend to do a lot with my face these days – I go with pretty much the same look every day (dewy base and contour, eye shadow, winged liner, mascara, eyebrows, done!) and so I’ve managed to really streamline my makeup bag – especially over the past couple of years.

IT Cosmetics CC Cream

I could never seem to make up my mind when it came to foundations. In 2010 I’d just stepped into my twenties and out of my late teen acne phase and was very nervous about picking the right foundation for my skin. I tried so many – Benefit’s You Rebel (sadly, no longer with us – RIP) was my go-to for a while (I LOVED the scent of it, but its coverage was weak sauce), as was Bobbi Brown’s BB Cream – until Bourjois introduced their Healthy Mix Foundation. It was cheap, it smelled great and worked like magic on my sensitive, slightly red skin. I still love it, and still tend to use it on days where I don’t feel like I need a full face of makeup. But there’s a tragic end to this tale because in case you haven’t heard, Bourjois are actually pulling out of the UK market which seems absolutely crazy; it’s been my and many others’ favourite drugstore brand for a long, long time (I remember saving up to buy one their mascaras when I was 13!). Luckily for me, earlier this year I finally got my hands on the IT Cosmetics CC Cream and it’s a winner; the fair shade is a brilliant colour match to my skin, it evens out any redness, and the included Factor 50 SPF is definitely not to be sniffed at. Good shiz.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner

If there’s one thing that hasn’t changed about my face in the past ten years (other than the hairline wrinkles) it’s my winged liner – but it’s absolutely mad to think that I started the decade in a totally monogamous relationship with Bourjois’ Ultra Black Clubbing Liner. I’m amazed, they actually still make it! It was cheap, it survived a day of work with only minor fading (and plenty a night out) and even though you needed a very steady hand to apply it using that ultra fine, tiny brush, as far as I was concerned, there was no other liner in my life.

Then one day the romance just dried up, for no other reason than I had little bit more money in my pocket and fancied a change. I think it may have ultimately been something to do with the brush; I realised that it was taking too long to layer up in the morning before work, which meant that it could take a bit longer to dry (if I had a quid for all the mornings that poorly-timed sneeze ruined the whole job…). So I decided to give felt liners a go and – after hearing good things about Stila’s Stay All Day Liner– I haven’t used anything else since. It’s the one (for now, at least) – the formula’s great; it’s ultra black, sticks all day (it can even hold up through a Marley and Me tear test finale) and dries quickly. The fine felt tip not only minimizes the amount of product being used (every pen I’ve had seems to last forever), but it also holds its shape for months (no limp tips here 😉 ) – which is so important when it comes to getting a good, clean flick.

Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base

No surprises here; I started off the decade utterly clueless when it came to primers. I was also very skeptical of layering up products under my makeup having spent most of the previous decade suffering from severe acne. But, I did dabble and try a few when my skin stopped being a nightmare. I was a big fan of Benefit’s Dr Feelgood for a while (and it’s still bashing around, blimey!) – but I really didn’t enjoy the pad applicator. Then – tipped off by a friend with beautiful skin – I moved on to Clarins’ Beauty Flash Balm for a few years… until I decided – sadly – that it was far too small a tube, for far too much hard-earned cash.

I quit primers for a while after that, and then earlier this year I went to a Beauty Masterclass with Bobbi Brown and tried their Vitamin Enriched Face Base. Oh boy, this stuff’s good. A very pricey pot of perfection, but perfection none the less – and a small pea sized blob goes a very long way. It’s got a light, grapefruit scent and a moose-like texture that smooths onto the skin like a dream. Packed with Vitamin C and Shea Butter, it’s moisturizing but soaks in quickly and creates the perfect, smooth and healthy base. I absolutely love it, and my skin seems to love it too – it always seems to be better behaved when I treat it to a splodge of the stuff.

Skincare

My current skincare list is a total mash-up of the best of both high-end and drug-store beauty – a mash-up of my former and current self. As I’ve already mentioned I suffered terribly with acne during my teens (so much so that I was put on the pill to sort it), and even though I started off the last decade with clear skin, I was definitely still stuck in a “I’m scared to put too much on my face and clog my pores!” mindset. Now firmly into my thirties, I think I’ve got a pretty good arsenal of products that my skin seems to love – some old favourites, some new discoveries – and the next challenge going forward for the new decade for me is to get my head around anti-aging products and successfully slip a few hard-hitters into my routine (I wrote a whole post about My Anti-Aging Starter Kit if you’re interested).

Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate

Oh, my beloved. I can’t imagine the day that this miracle bottle doesn’t hold pride of place on my nightstand. I don’t feel the need to use it every night, but on bad skin days and late nights it’s my go to for a little bit of midnight magic – and I wake up with practically a new face!

Nivea Daily Rich Moisturising Cream

I’ve tried plenty of expensive moisturizers – I was a huge fan of the Kiehls Ultra Facial Cream for a while, as well as the Clarins Hydra Essential (until it caused a cataclysmic breakout) but, d’you what? None of them do the job that my cheap as chips Nivea Daily Essentials Rich Moisturising Cream does. I can slap the stuff on like butter without worrying about breaking the bank and my thrifty skin drinks it up like a Friday night G&T.

Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator

What a shift on this one. I started the decade using the Simple Exfoliating Scrub, then moved on to the Kiehls Epidermal Re-Texturising Micro-Dermabrasion Cream – but recently moved away from it because I was worried it was a little too harsh on my skin for weekly use during winter. These days I’m reaching for the Elemis Gentle Rose Exfoliator – it’s kinder to my skin, still does the job I need it to do (even in winter) and it smells divine. I’ve only dipped my toes into Elemis’ products over the past year or so, but so far everything I’ve tried, I’ve absolutely loved (particularly their Peptide4 Thousand Flower Mask).

The Body Shop’s Chamomile Balm

I’ve come along way in terms of makeup removal solutions – especially considering I started the decade using just soap and water. Oh the shame! My poor skin! And my poor towels! Nowadays I don’t have quite as much to scrub away, but taking off my makeup has gone from a chore to – let’s face it – one of my favourite bits of the day… along with removing my bra. The turning point came a few years ago when I tried the Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm. I loved how it just seemed to melt the makeup off my skin without any major scrubbing or faffing around with makeup pads. Along with the hot muslin cloths I had with the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Pack that really open up my pores, I felt like I found a routine I could really get on board with. However, these days I much prefer the Body Shop Chamomile Balm – it’s much cheaper and does exactly the same job as the Clinique one.

Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask

Another one for my breakout kit. I went through an Origins phase about five years ago, and this is the only product that’s stuck around. It’s the only face mask I use to really get in and clean out my pores. Dries up existing spots and prevents future ones. Banging.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi Purpose Oil

Back in the day I was all about the Body Shop Body Butter range, but now I’ve moved on to oils. I’m down to the last couple of drops of my Nuxe Body Oil and I will absolutely be picking up another. I know the scent isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I love the ease of this stuff – you just spritz, swipe and go, and it leave the skin with a fine gloss. You can also pour a little into your both water, spritz it onto your hair brush… it’s a swiss army oil. (?!) Decadent stuff.

Chloe Eau d’Roses

I’m not a big perfume wearer – as you’ll see, because I started the decade out wearing a combination of JLo’s Glow (…ah, the smell of that stuff takes me back to some places, man!) and SJP’s Lovely. Oh wow. But then, I caught a whiff of Chloe Eau de Roses and never went back. It’s shriekingly expensive stuff, but if I had to pick just one scent to wear for the rest of my life, this would be it.

Hair

Just as with skincare, I’ve learned that when it comes to my hair – it’s best to keep things as simple as possible and not to keep trying new (and expensive) products in the hope of some miracle cure. At the start of the last decade my hair was in terrible shape. Years of heat styling, over washing and a move to London (and it’s horrendous hard water) really took its toll, and it took a long, hard slog to get it back into shape. Now, it’s as good as it’s ever going to get – and I mean that in the best possible way. I’ve learned that my thin and fragile hair and scalp just can’t take an overload of product (it just makes it look flat, and makes it break) – so I keep things simple. If you’re interested in reading about my hair journey then I wrote a post all about How I Got My Hair Back.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Oat Shampoo and Conditioner

So, I started the decade out a loud and proud Herbal Essences fan… and then my hair had a meltdown. Hoping for a quick fix, I threw a lot of cash at expensive hair care products and shampoos (I was using the Rahua Range at one point – pricey stuff – and it was bloody useless!). Nowadays, I know what my hair can and can’t handle, and that less is definitely more. I’ve been using the Garnier Ultimate Blends Oat Combo for sensitive scalp for a few years now and my hair seems to be happy with it. It’s gentle and… yup, cheap. (…It’s so gentle that my husband sometimes steals the conditioner for his beard.)

Toni & Guy Heat Protection Mist

After my hair meltdown days, I never go without a heat protector before using my curlers, and this Tony & Guy one is my favourite. It smells gorgeous (as does the whole Tony & Guy range of products) and works a treat. It also comes in a travel sized version – helpful!

L’Oriel Conditioning Mousse

My hair is limp, it needs lift – but it’s a bit of a Catch 22 because if I use too much mousse, then it falls flat under the weight and can also dry out my hair. Luckily, L’Oreal brought out a conditioning mousse that isn’t too heavy, and it works really well for me – especially given the added moisture boost.

So, what beauty products stuck with you through past decade? Which ones are you happy to leave behind? Let me know your favourites in the comments – especially your mascara recommendations! I’m still on the hunt!

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