Mascara: So you will probably know by now that I LOVE mascara, so this is the hardest choice for me to make, but one really stands out and that is Maybelline’s Lash Stiletto.  I am in love with this product, it doesn’t totally give me the thickness that I want and it smells a bit funky, but the amount of length that it gives is amazing! That coupled with the fact that it doesn’t clump or give you spider eyes makes this my favourite mascara of all time! (Too see full review please go to the mascara section of prettyhead).

Foundation: I didn’t know how to choose between No 7 Stay Perfect foundation and Maybelline’s Dream Satin Liquid, but after a long hard think I am going to go with the Dream Satin. This provides amazing coverage and the reason that it is my favourite is because of the price, £7.00 in the shops (and a lot cheaper on eBay), means that you are getting a great quality product for an affordable price, which in this economic climate is very important! It provides great coverage, is quite moisturising and lasts for a long time, everything that a foundation should be!

Eyeliner:  Ok so my winner in this category hasn’t been reviewed yet on prettyhead but it will be soon, I think Elizabeth Arden’s eyeliner pot (half blue half black), is amazing. It comes in a little tub, rather like lip balm, and you use the eyeliner brush provided in the set to apply. I paid £6.50 for it on eBay and it costs about £14 new, but I believe that it is worth every penny!

Lips: I would not be without Rimmel’s Shock Gloss, it hasn’t yet been reviewed on here, but it is awesome! It comes in 5 shades but clear is the best and it is super shiny, makes your lips look amazing! I love the applicator as well, instead of a little sponge on the end of the stick, it is a brush, which feels really nice against your lips as you apply. At only £3.99 in Superdrug Rimmel’s shock gloss is a bargin!

Skin: As far a skin care goes there is a clear winner, No 7 protect and perfect beauty serum! It is quite pricey but hey if it works (and scientists say it does!) then I would pay anything!

Hair care: Now this is where I have to cheat and pick 2, anyone that has read my hair care reviews will know that I swear by Pantene conditioner for dry and damaged hair, however a few months ago I discovered a little miracle. Dove’s heat defence therapy spray, designed to protect hair during heat styling, however it made my normally curly/wavy hair rather straight with just hair drying alone! This meant that I had to spend less time straightening and therefore managed to save my hair a little from the damaging effects of straightners. Also my hair held its style all day and all night and then the next day too! I am a huge fan now and have been converted from TRESemme!

So there you have it, those are the products that I love and couldn’t live without, there are loads more, including Barry M dazzle dust, but with so many colours I wouldn’t be able to pick just one! If you have a list of fav products you would like to share, feel free to email me at Faye@prettyhead.co.uk and I will do my best to put yours up here asap!

The cream comes in a cute, handbag sized tube (as seen in picture) which has a nozzle that allows for easy application to the under eye area. The tube isn’t highly decorated and Superdrug doesn’t make a big deal out of this cream so it might be hard to find in store, there are limited instructions on the back, but really it isn’t hard to apply a cream under your eyes twice a day. The tube doesn’t come attached to any cardboard, normally only used to make the product look attractive, like some other brands do, so this is quite a positive step from Superdrug for the environment. Having just checked online, the price of this cream has gone up to £2.44.

So back to the cream, the magazine I was reading hailed it as a mini miracle for a barging price, however I think my £1.63 would be better spent else where! The cream is very thick and white and yeah you do see a reduction in dark circles with just one application, but this is only because the white cream paints them white! As soon as you wash it off they are back again! Also I used this for 2 months, which I know isn’t that long, but still I saw no reduction in the fine lines I had under my eyes. One good thing I will say about this cream is that it didn’t sting when I applied it, something that normally happens as I have quite sensitive skin. Also I suppose it is a good thing that it includes sun screen, but hey it is Autumn so not really needed at the moment. Personally I see this cream as a waste of money and I think that the article in the magazine only liked the cream because it was cheap and because of what it claimed to do, I doubt anyone bothered to try it for a long period of time. I would not recommend this cream for people wanting a permanent reduction in dark circles and fine lines/wrinkles on the under eye area, however if you have sensitive skin and are looking for a sun screen that doesn’t sting, this might be suitable for you.

Pros: Cheap and offers some protection from the harmful UV rays of the sun.

Cons: Does not live up to its claims, there was no reduction in fine lines and dark circles were basically painted white.

I am only 22 but have started to notice fine lines around my eyes and on my forehead, which both scared and upset me! I decided that now was the time to start tackling the little wrinkles head on, although I do wish that I had started earlier! So I went to Superdrug and spent about an hour looking at all their anti-wrinkle products and finally I settled on Garnier Stop. Garnier claims that the “SPF 15 protects against the sun’s damaging effects, the moisturiser reduces the first signs of ageing, and visible pores and it leaves skin hydrated and smooth”.  I was initially attracted by the fact that this cream was designed to combat the first signs of aging, which I have and I thought that seen as it was summer the SPF 15 would be beneficial. I paid £6.99 for a 50ml pot, which seems to be the average price for this product in shops; of course you could try and get it cheaper on ebay (see links on page).

The pot of cream comes in a square, cardboard box, covered in information about the cream as well as pictures and diagrams. The pot itself is made from orange glass with a white, plastic, screw on lid. Garnier advise you to apply the cream twice a day onto a cleansed face and neck, in circular, massaging motions. The first thing I noticed when I opened the pot was the amazing smell; it smelt mouth wateringly of oranges and it is definitely the nicest smelling moisturiser I have ever come across. After cleansing, I applied the moisturiser as directed to my face and neck, after a few seconds it really started to sting, especially around my eyes! I have quite sensitive skin so I sort of expected this to happen, however I tried it on my dad – a big strong man, and he said that it stung too! Despite this I persevered every day until the cream ran out, as it is said you have to give face creams 6 weeks to see an effect. The stinging did start to subside a little after the first few applications, however I did have to use a different cream around my eye area (one of the places that I hoped this cream would fix) as the pain was so bad.

After 2 and a bit months(when I ran out) there wasn’t any effect on the fine lines and wrinkles on my forehead. Obviously there wasn’t an effect on the ones by my eyes as I had stopped applying the cream there after a few days. Maybe if I had carried on putting it there it would have had an effect, but I am not convinced. My skin did feel a bit more moisturised, but I still suffered from patches of dry skin. Another thing I noticed was that despite how little or how much cream I applied before going to bed, the next morning in the bath or shower as soon as my face got wet it would feel like I was covered in slime! This ‘slime’ was obviously cream that hadn’t been absorbed into my skin and instead just dried onto the surface, but it didn’t matter if I put a tiny bit or a lot on, it still happened! The ‘slime’ then started to peel off when wet, which was really quite disgusting, no wonder it didn’t have an effect on my fine lines if it wasn’t even being absorbed! Needless to say I wouldn’t buy this product again or recommend it to anyone.

Pros: It smells really nice and lasts for over 2 months with regular use.

Cons: It stings even on people who don’t have sensitive skin, it doesn’t work on fine lines and it doesn’t seem to be absorbed into the skin.

I would recommend this product for anyone wanting to get rid of their fine lines and wrinkles. I don’t have ‘proper’ wrinkles at the moment and so I can’t really say what effect this serum will have on them, however if you buy a 5ml tube from ebay for a few pounds you haven’t really lost much if it doesn’t work.

Pros: Supported by scientific evidence and it seems to have a slight effect on fine lines. It also lasts for quite a while when only used on specific areas instead of the whole face and is very moisturising.

Cons: Expensive, it’s hard to prove whether or not it lives up to its claim to help prevent damage from sun exposure and pollution.