polish & prime: five products i currently can’t live without

Lanolips 101 Ointment. This product consists of two ingredients: lanolin and lanolin oil.  As the pretty sheep on the packaging suggests, lanolin is a natural product derived from fleece (the website stresses the practice is cruelty free and it’s suitable for vegetarians, but perhaps don’t gift the product to your vegan friend).   As suggested by the fact there’s only two ingredients, the ointment is 100% natural and is free from additives that can cause irritant. And what do you use it for? EVERYTHING. Well, okay, it won’t help you change a tire.   But you can use the ointment as a lip-treatment, cuticle cream, to soothe your nose when you have sandpapered it off with tissues during a cold, and it can help assist with healing wounds and calming itchy skin.  It applies like a dream, and you can feel the lanolin working its magic instantly.  It’s a multi-use saviour wrapped up in adorable packaging.

Organic Rosehip Oil.  I’m in awe of Trilogy’s organic rosehip oil, and based on the amount of awards it has won,  many beauty editors and consumers seem to agree with me.  I started using the oil after I was scalpeled and wanted to minimise the resulting scar. I wasn’t expecting it to work, but it actually did, the scar is more faded than one I’ve had for longer.  It’s also been recommended for reducing stretch marks and wrinkles.  And if that wasn’t enough, it can be used to add moisture and radiance to your face – I’m prone to using it when I run out of my serums and/or creams. And what exactly is it? Rosehip oil is derived from –funnily enough – rosehips (seed pots that are remain on a rose bush when the petals fall away), and contains essential fatty acids, nutrients and anti-oxidants. It’s n unexpectedly sophisticated product, particularly if going organic is important to you.

Brows a-go-go.  As strange/lame/beauty-band-wagon this sounds, in the last couple years, perhaps thanks to Bambi Northwood-Blyth, I’ve been paying attention to my eyebrows.  As well as getting them professionally shaped, I get them tinted. Brows frame the face and really bring attention to your eyes, but they are something that (plucking aside) usually don’t get attention in your day-to-day routine. If you want to experiment having darker and more groomed brows, you really can’t go past the amazing Benefit kit  ‘brows a-go-go’.  It contains a tinted gel and two shades of powder (that double as eye-shadow) so you have control over the shade. It also comes with brow-highlighting powder and eye-brightening gel, as well as travel sized eyeliner and tweezers. Phew. Luckily, Benefit are clever enough to include ‘lessons’ with all their products, so you can really get a strong handle on how to work it.

Ere Perez Organic Beetroot Tint. One of my best-friends is obsessed with this product and promptly turned me onto it. And by ‘turning me onto it’ I mean offering to buy me one because I borrowed hers so much.  You can use it as a blush (roll a small amount on the apples of your cheeks and then blend with your fingers) or as a lipstick. It gives a really rich, bright, warm red and lasts for hours.  What I love about tints is they tend to they sink into your lips a little more than lipsticks do, aren’t as messy, and give off  more of a natural look. Since it’s multipurpose, it’s such a convenient product.

Almay Makeup Eraser Sticks. I have a tendency to be heavy-handed and clumsy with my liquid eyeliner. Before I heard of these precious little sticks, I used to try to fix my eyeliner with make-up remover and cotton balls, which never worked as precisely as I wished, and always lead me to vow to never wear liner ever again. Luckily for my eyes, Almay have released special cotton-buds that contain make-up remover. So why not just dip cotton-buds into make-up remover? I can’t see any reason why that won’t work. But the beauty with the Almay ones is that they only work after you snap them at the bottom, so they are easy to travel with, whether long distance or just on a night out.

Are you currently using anything that has revolutionised your beauty practices?