What's in my make-up bag? Revisited!

Not long after I started this little corner of the internet I wrote a 'What is in my make-up' post. Almost two years later everything inside my make-up bag excluding my beloved Cath Kidston make-up bag itself is different so I thought it time to write another post. My make-up bag definitely seems to be a bit of a tardis as all of these manage to fit in there!

The Face:

 Left to right: Sleek Face Contour Kit in 'Light', Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in 'Ecru' and Nars Blusher in 'Orgasm'

I like a simple make-up routine especially Monday -Friday and these products teamed together work really well. Starting off with my Estee Lauder foundation which I apply all over my face I then brush on the darker powder in the Sleek contouring kit to define my cheekbones a little (using my Real Techniques Stippling Brush). The bronzer is followed by the highlighter and a dusting of the newest addition to my make-up bag - my Nars Blusher. What I like about these products is that they are long lasting and subtle enough to wear for work but you can also layer up the intensity of the colours by simply applying a little more.

The Eyes:

 Left to right: Benefit's 'They're Real!' Mascara, Soap and Glory's 'Supercat' Liquid Eyeliner and Stila's 'Into the Light' Eye-shadow Palette.

Having tried all three of these eye products in the past and then trying newer additions to the make-up world there is something about these three that keeps me coming back to the high quality results they deliver time and time again. With recent mascara purchases leading to panda eyes and smudging (never a good look) I welcomed the return of 'They're Real' to my make-up bag. Even if I'm in a rush and mascara application time is pretty tight just a quick swoosh of the mascara wand and instantly my eyelashes look better. My favourite shadows in Stila's palette are 'kitten' (top row, second from the left) and 'champagne' (bottom row, far left). Once I've put on my eye-shadow and mascara I finish my eyes with my 'supercat' eyeliner on my top lid and I'm ready to go!

The rest:

From left to right: Real Techniques Stippling Brush, Real Techniques Power Brush, Rimmel London 'Stay Matte Powder' in 'Silky Beige' and Maybelline New York's 'Baby Lips' in 'Pink Punch'

As you can probably tell by this stage I don't use a million and one different products, I've tried so many different foundations, powders, brushes etc over the past couple of years that I've got to the stage now where I've reverted back to old favourites and find that simpler make-up routines actually work better (and save me time in the morning when I'm rushing off to work). 

The powder and lip balm are what I call the finishing touches as I use a dusting of my 'Stay Matte' powder when I've finished my foundation and a dab of 'Baby Lips' to my lips which are both really quick to apply.

So there you have it! An insight into my make-up bag - I'd love to know if you've done a similar post recently. 

Battle of the Hot Cloth Cleansers: Liz Earle vs. Soap & Glory

After hearing so much praise for hot cloth cleansers at the end of last year I decided to give them a whirl myself. I started off with Soap & Glory's offering: 'The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser' which promises to "cleanse, smooth and melt away make-up" and boasts having panthenol (no, I don't know what that is either...), sweet almond and orange and lavender oils in it's ingredients. It came with a muslin cloth too. 

However, after using it for about three or four days I started to notice how dry my cheeks were looking and found that I was still having to remove my eye make-up separately after using the cleanser as it was too strong on my eyes. NOT things I was looking for in a supposed 'holy grail' of beauty. I do have quite sensitive skin BUT not to the extent that I expect products to literally remove that top layer of skin!

So the next weekend when I found myself in John Lewis I bought Liz Earle's 'Cleanse and Polish: Hot Cloth Cleanser' which like Soap & Glory's one contained natural ingredients such as: rosemary, chamomile, cocoa butter and eucalyptus oil. I was overwhelmed by how much more gentle the scent of the Liz Earle one was compared to the very perfumed Soap & Glory product. I know Soap & Glory are famous for their great smelling products but the one for the hot cloth cleanser just seemed a little too over-powering.

Here is both products swatched on my hand:

Don't they look really similar in appearance! Soap & Glory's has somewhat more of a 'sheen' than Liz Earle's. So then I trialed Liz Earle's for a week and I was overwhelmed by the fact that: 1) ALL of my make-up including mascara came off, 2) It wasn't too harsh on my eyes, 3) My skin didn't go too dry and 4) Just how smooth my skin felt after use.

So this is my final opinion of the products before revealing the winner (in my opinion!)

Soap & Glory

1) Scent: 7

2) Make-up removing ability: 6

3) Gentleness on skin: 4

4) Packaging: 7

5) Price: 8

6) Overall score: 6

Liz Earle

1) Scent: 9

2) Make-up removing ability: 10

3) Gentleness on skin: 9

4) Packaging: 9

5) Price: 7

6) Overall score: 9

Liz Earle is the overall winner for me due to the product being more gentle yet arguably more effective on my skin which is what I was looking for in a hot cloth cleanser. But if you have more resilient skin than me and like your products really perfumed then Soap & Glory's might be perfect for you!

Do you use either of these products? Or do you have another favourite hot cloth cleanser?

xxx