Beauty Products That Actually Work

With so many different products on the market, it’s often difficult to distinguish between the ones which are actually good and the ones which really don’t work well at all. Today I’ve decided to write about a few key beauty products, the ones that actually work, the products that actually do the job that they’re supposed to do. I have reviewed and used thousands of products throughout my life and these really are the hero products which you should be spending your money on...

 Cidal Antibacterial Soap – You must be bored of reading my constant rave reviews of this product by now, but at only £1.99 for 2 (you can buy them from supermarkets, Boots etc) this antibacterial soap really does say goodbye to bacteria and hello to good skin. My skin has never been as good as it has since I’ve started using this as my daily cleanser, you can read a review of this product here.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate – I can't go to sleep without applying this oil. I’ve noticed such a change in my skin since applying a drop of this every night, I go to bed with redness/a few blemishes and wake up looking like I’ve got a new face when I apply this. It’s £36.00 for a bottle which is quite reasonable to say that it's made up of natural ingredients plus you only need a drop a day so it will take years to run out. I reviewed Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate here if you'd like to find out more about this hero product.

Jordanna Lash Extreme Mascara – This isn't on the photographs as I've actually run out of this product but trust me when I say it's incredible. I’m a mascara junkie and have tried nearly every mascara possible, when LaurenBeauty recommended this on YouTube, I just had to buy some from Amazon. Her lashes are always perfectly long and thick and this is her secret. This is an Australian product and it costs about £3.00 on Amazon, it successfully lengthens, darkens and thickens my lashes after only one coat. It's just as good, if not better than any expensive mascaras that I have used. I'd say this is similar to Clarin's Wonderperfect mascara, it gives dramatically thick, black lashes. 

Palmers Firming Cocoa Butter – I am obsessed with Palmers at the moment. I’ve noticed such a change in my skin since moisturising with this on a daily basis. This really does feel like it’s toning and firming the skin on my legs which is what I want from a moisturiser, also, it's not too sticky and it dries quickly so you can jump straight into your pyjamas on cold evenings after applying this.

Duwop Lip Venom – My Mum bought me the miniature versions of these for Christmas and I’m going to have to get my hands on the full sized version as soon as possible. This really does plump your lips and make them look a lot bigger than most other lip glosses do. I’d highly recommend this or Sally Hansen’s lip plumping gloss for that tingly sensation and plumped lip look. I wrote a review of Duwop's Lip Venom which you can read here.

Shu Uemura UV Under Base Primer – This is quite an expensive product but ever since I discovered the Shu Uemura lash bar in Harvey Nichols I have been hooked. The sales assistant recommended it to me as the best primer on the market, of course she was going to, but I fell for her marketing and boy I’m so glad that I did. This is one of the only primers that I keep going back to. It comes out as a mousse and you only need to apply a little bit of it to cover your whole face (be careful because a lot does tend to come out with one pump). It feels surprisingly wet and moisturising, instead of drying your skin out. As soon as you apply this, it makes your skin tone look more even and really makes your base look smoother. Once make up is applied over the top, you are left with a seriously flawless finish. A lot of people have complimented my make up on days when I am wearing this. My make up seems to stay on a lot longer when wearing this too, I never touch my makeup my make up anymore.

Skinetica – I absolutely adore this product. I was gifted it at my North Meet up bloggers event and just like Kiehl’s midnight recovery concentrate, it’s a product that I need to apply every night. I tend to apply the Kiehls’s one every night all over the face and then dab a tiny bit of this just over any blemishes/spots that I have. My only issue with this product and forgive me for sounding so snobby, is the packaging. I find it so ugly, I really wish it was in more of a plain/aesthetically pleasing bottle so that it looked prettier in my bathroom.

Clarins Hydraquench Mask – I discussed this in a blog post quite some time ago after I was lucky enough to review this for Clarins and I really do love it (read my little review of it here). Instead of putting it on my whole face, I tend to put this product on any dry patches of skin, leave it for ten minutes and then the dry patches have gone. It is super moisturising. When I do apply it to the whole face, my skin looks noticeably more radiant and smooth. I’d also recommend the Una Brennan Superfacialist Rose Intense Moisture Mask  from Boots which is very similar just a little bit cheaper.

S5 Illuminator – Again, as most of the products above have been, this has been heavily featured on my blog. I tend to heavily feature products which really are incredible and that’s the case with S5’s illuminate serum. It’s completely natural which is what I love about this and after a week of applying a dab of this down my nose and along my cheek bones before bed, I noticed just how radiant and glowing my skin was, I didn’t need to use any highlighter. I’d recommend this highly if you’re wanting a natural glow and to really wake up the skin. Working with S5 was great as they literally do have some incredible products which I’ve mentioned quite a lot so do check them out if you’re wanting to try out some great natural good skincare.

Clarins Lip Perfector – Another product which has been heavily featured on my blog is Clarins Lip Perfector. This gives me a beautiful (even if I do say so myself) 3-dimensional pout. This really does perfect my lips, there's no other way to put it. The colour is pretty and subtle but bright enough to make my lips look fuller, it isn’t sticky but it is highly moisturising, I'm forever licking my lips when I've applied this.

Macadamia Healing Oil – Another one which I rave about all the time is Macadamia's healing oil. If you read my blog regularly you’ll know that I’m trying to grow my hair back, I wrote a post about how to grow your hair and how I have been growing my own hair which you can read here if you wish.  This really is one of my hero products when it comes to hair growth. If you’re wanting luscious locks I’d strongly advise sleeping in this as a deep treatment, wash it off in the morning and I promise your hair will be silky smooth. Alternatively, you can do what I do most days and just before you blow dry your hair, comb some of this right through to the ends, this deep leave in repair mask really will leave your hair looking and feeling stronger. The great thing about Macadamia products is that they don’t just make your hair LOOK better, they actually fix your hair problems, which is what most products fail to do, they simply coat your hair with a layer of silicone which makes it look shiny, but the damage will still be there. Macadamia is my go to brand when it comes to fixing my hair and strengthening it from within.

Q Deodorants – Oh my gosh when I was introduced to these by Q I nearly screamed. Firstly I was like, wow, designer deodorant, then I got even more excited when I smelt these little cans of joy. I urge you to go to your latest Sainsburys, Tesco or Boots and smell these (they even do mens ones which smell just as good). Q came up with a fabulous idea to create nice smelling body sprays which appeal to not just teenagers. If you’re like me and you feel like you’ve outgrown impulse/So Kiss Me body sprays then Q is for you, it's a mature body spray which smells just as good as your favourite fragrance. I really urge you all to go and smell these please and report back to me, this is my new handbag staple item. The best bit? These big bottles are only around £2.00.

Colgate Max White One Toothpaste – I bet you’re wondering why on earth I have featured Colgate toothpaste on here but the truth is, everyone wants white teeth so why not. Basically when shopping in Boots the other day, this toothpaste was on offer and I bought it because I’m a sucker for offers, but it's probably one of the best things I did. After only two days of brushing my teeth with this I noticed just how much whiter they were. It says that it whitens teeth in a week and this product does not lie, I find that it really works for me and I hope that it will work for you too.

John Frieda Everlasting Blonde Shampoo – I have reviewed this product here if you would like to find out a lot more about it in depth but basically it’s the only blonde shampoo that I have come across which gives me the perfect blonde colour. I don’t like my hair being white blonde anymore, I want it to look more natural and this shampoo seems to just make it such a beautiful, sunny, highlighted colour. I love how silky and conditioned even just the shampoo makes my hair feel too. I'm a little bit obsessed with this product and have bought it over and over again (and will continue to do so).

Nude Perfect Cleansing Oil – Nude skincare is a brand which I was recently lucky enough to work with and I can't believe I haven't used them sooner. As you know, I'm big on just using my Cidal soap at the moment to maintain and get perfect skin, but after a night out when I'm sleepy and tempted to reach for those dangerous face wipes, I've found myself reaching for this instead. I highly recommend this cleanser for a quick and easy clean which actually (unlike facewipes) makes you feel 100% clean, like there isn't a trace of make up left on your face. It gets rid of waterproof mascara well too which is perfect after a night out if you've been wearing heavy eye make up. This is made using delicate oils (no nasty sulphates) which don't strip the skin (like some face wipes do). My skin feels super soft and clean after using this,  it was love at first sight.

Have you used any of these products? Would you like to use any? What products do you own that you believe actually do their job?

Love Em x

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