I'm Alice and I'm a shopaholic, especially when it comes to beauty products. One of my favourite things to do is to hit the aisles of Boots and peruse the premium counters in department stores, searching for new additions to my collection. But, as much as I can't wait to get my hands on the waves of never-ending new releases, I have a selection of trusty ol' favourites that I'd be lost without. If I've repurchased a product, that speaks volumes about how much I rate it, so here's five makeup must-haves that I need to have in my stocks at all times.

My face sits at the dry end of the skin-type spectrum, so I'm always hoarding an abundance of products that ramp up those radiance levels. Sometimes though, all that glow can be cranked up a bit too much and starts to teeter on the edge of greasy-looking. To keep any unflattering shine in check, a light dusting of powder across my T-zone is necessary. For an everyday blotting powder, Soap & Glory's One Heck Of A Blot Pressed Powder is my number one and I can't even tell you how many compacts I've gone through. Although the powder is pressed, it has such a soft, finely-milled texture and tones down any excess oils in an instant, continuing to effectively control shine for hours. Giving the skin a velvety quality, instead of a dry, chalky one, it never leaves the complexion looking too flat and dull. As it's totally translucent, the powder suits everyone and never alters the tone of your makeup, no matter how many times you touch-up throughout the day. Out of all the products I've tried, including pricey, high-end options, this is my favourite for a simple, blotting powder.

We all have that one, holy-grail lipstick that we always go back to and mine is Dior's Rouge Dior Nude Lip Blush in Grege. This peachy-beige shade is the ultimate nude for my skin-tone and complements my signature, golden, makeup looks perfectly. Although described as a lip blush, which has connotations of being sheer, the pigmentation is actually great. What makes this lipstick different to any others I own, is that it has this mystical ability to look so soft and glowing, with a luminous sheen. Not only does this shade have an ethereal quality, but the colour instantly brightens the complexion and pulls any look together perfectly. Creamy and hydrating, the formula feels like a nourishing treat for the lips, yet isn't overly heavy or at all sticky. With the moisturising texture gently plumping any fine lines, it's one of those lipsticks that easily gives you the look of a fuller pout, without needing to apply a liner or gloss, as well.

Very rarely do I splurge on premium mascaras, as I find drugstore options often deliver impressive results for a fraction of the price. Whenever a new version of the L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara hits the shelves, I jump on it straight away. So many people seem to hate plastic, mascara wands, but I find the applicators from this range deliver the most amazing volume, length and definition. My current favourite, the L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes So Couture Mascara, boosts length and separates each, individual lash like no other. The tapered wand has both shorter and longer bristles which allow you to coat every lash from root to tip, for maximize volume and length. All of the Volume Million Lashes mascaras have an excess wiper built into the tube, which removes the majority of product from the wand each time you re-dip, to prevent clumps. The more coats you apply, the more drama you get, but the lashes don't end up sticking together and looking spidery. There's no need to wear falsies for a night out, when you've got this mascara in your makeup bag, that's for sure!


My skin-tone fluctuates so much from A/W to S/S, making it hard to find that ideal, bronzer shade. Preferably, I'd like to be able to both contour and warm up the skin with just one product and the bronze hue it gives the skin can in no way be muddy or orange. Fortunately, I found the Guerlain Terracotta 4 Seasons Bronzer in 02 Brunette to satisfy my prima-donna demands. Honestly, this quad knocks any other bronzer out of the park, for me. The beautiful, weighted compact consists of four, varying shades of bronzer, each of which are shimmer-free. Graduating from a soft, honey tone, through to a rich, warm chestnut, there's a shade to suit your complexion all year round. There's even a cooler tone to sculpt and contour with. Although the darker shades can appear daunting, the powders are fairly sheer, so you can layer the colour to your taste without accidentally going overboard. Buttery-soft in texture, the bronzers blend so easily, without leaving a streaky, patchy finish. Available in a range of colours for different skin-tones, Guerlain has a palette for everyone and, although the quads are expensive, the idea is just so unique and the quality is unbeatable.


I'm sure you'll agree that finishing off an entire, powder blush is a very rare occurrence. It's not often that I even hit pan on my blushes as I switch them up so often. But, there is one that I've repurchased multiple times. MAC's Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul. If I had to choose only one blush to use for the rest of my life, this would be it. On the cheek, it gives a subtle wash of rosy, bronzed colour that is so easy to wear. Infused with a strong, golden, pearlized shimmer, it can appear like it could have too much of a metallic effect. Instead, that shimmer illuminates the face to create a lit-from-within glow that always gets me compliments. Having a baked formula, the powder has a soft, silky texture and, unusually, it doesn't kick up a cloud of dust when you use it, like similar products can. Although the pigmentation is sheerer than other formulas, that does mean it never looks too severe. But, if you want a stronger finish, then it doesn't take long to build up an opaque colour.


Which makeup products are you always loyal to?

AGB X