I feel as though at every change of the season, I’m back writing about how my skin is going through the worst time.  It’s either breaking out, looks dull and lack lustre or is just making my life a living hell.  We all know how it is.  The products that we’ve loved so dearly for a month that leave us feeling like we’ve found “the one” suddenly stop working their magic and we’re forced to reshuffle our makeup bags, shop our stash or head to the shops and replacement them for some new in beauty pieces.

Two products from the base collection at Charlotte Tilbury have made their way into my makeup bag lately in the form of the much talked about Magic Away Concealer and similarly named Magic Powder.  I have a few CT bits in my collection including my most worn red lipstick (Matte Revolution in 1975 – it was limited edition unfortch), the Hollywood Flawless Filter which adds a beautiful glow to the skin without or under makeup and Magic Cream that is so expensive it makes you weep a little but then you see your face after application and you wonder how much money you actually NEED to survive the month when your skin can look that good.  You know that kinda product.

The Magic Away Concealer is really lightweight formula but gives a decent amount of coverage to lighten and brighten the under eye area without being too heavy and leaving you committing the concealer cardinal sin of looking cakey as hell.  Very similar to the Maybelline Eraser Concealer that I would be ALL ABOUT if the shades were actually pale enough for me, the Magic Away concealer has a sponge applicator designed to hug and glide over the contour of your under eye.  Some have said its not particularly the most hygienic of designs but again, like the Eraser, I prefer the application over your generic doe foot or brush on concealer.

One of the finest milled setting powders I have ever used, the Magic Powder is beautiful to set make up and under eye concealer in place without looking cakey or too matte.  The peachy tone to the powder gives the skin a beautiful glow and gives a blurring/air brushed finish to the skin.  For me personally, the peach shade of the powder can sometimes give me too much of colour cast on my extremely pale skin if I apply too much so I’m extremely light handed with it.  A little goes a long way!

Whilst we’re talking pale skin, it would be a travesty not to mention Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in the shade Siberia.  This isn’t a full day at work or out for 12 hours foundation for me, my oily skin just doesn’t allow for it no matter how well I set it.  I love the finish, coverage and shade match regardless and if I don’t need my base to work so hard, this is the product that I’ve been reaching for.

When it comes to makeup setting sprays, I’m a bit of a dabbler.  I haven’t particularly been brand loyal and I’ll happily pick one up dependent on on whether they’re on offer or not.  I can’t say I really notice a massive difference in my makeups staying powder with drugstore settings because I tend to set it to last the distance but I still reach for them as a final step in my makeup routine is to rid the skin of a powdery finish.  The only one I’ve found to keep my makeup locked in place after a few spritz is the Urban Decay All Nighter Spray and it fully deserves its kudos.

“Right, that’s it, I’m definitely getting older because my skin isn’t as soft and supple as it once was and so I gotta pull out the big guns and start looking after it and investing in skincare” is a conversation I have with myself at least 6 times a year.

Each time I start out with good intentions and each time I slip into bad habits of skipping my serum or not moisturising before bed and then wonder why my skin isn’t feeling as radiant as I’d like it to.  My fellow 30 something friend Khila had been talking up the Kiehls Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate* (a mouthful, I know) and how amazing it had been making her skin feel.  At almost £50 full price for 50ml, it felt like a lot to part with when I had a month of travel but I (very luckily) was able to pick up a bottle from the Kiehls concession at Biza in Manchester Airport for £42 courtesy of the World Duty Free team.

I’ve been using a couple of pumps after cleansing morning and night before my day/night moisturiser and the difference in my skin was noticeable after the first use. I kid you not.  It claims to smooth skin texture, reduce fine lines and plump the skin due to the introduction of Hyaluronic Acid into the reformulation and after a months usage, I feel like its completely changed the texture of my skin. I’ll go into more detail about this product and why Vitamin C is your new skincare BFF in another post but long story short, I love it and will definitely be repurchasing once I’ve used this bottle up.

As an oily skinned gal, whenever I see the word “moisture” or “hydration” in relation to a skincare product, I tend to steer clear because just the thought of adding moisture to my skin breaks me out in beads of oil and a shiny T Zone.  No thank you very much.  Moisture Surge 72 Hour Auto Replenishing Hydrator* was recommended to me whilst I was chatting to the guys on the Clinique counter at Biza about my skin woes (I was mid PMS breakout so I had a few of them).

A common misconception is that oily skin can’t possibly be dehydrated.  Wrong.  When skin is dehydrated it means its lacking water and can feel tight or dry and the skin will then produce more oil to compensate and you’re in a battle of trying to balance out the skin.  Throwing on extra moisturiser doesn’t work, believe me, I’ve been throwing on peach sized blobs instead of a pea and the only way to give your skin the hydration it needs is to perhaps add in a product to target dehydration.  There’s a lot of hydration packed into the lightweight gel formula of Moisture Surge and this combined with the Kiehls Concentrate has really saved my skin.  As well as the extra water I’ve been drinking (not a fan of constantly needing to pee though).