‘The best color in the whole world, is the one that looks good, on you’ – Coco Chanel

I couldn’t agree more with Coco, whether it’s lipstick, blusher, concealer or eyeshadow the colour has to be just right for you. People are always asking me about my favourite beauty picks and what I just simply cannot live without. It comes as no surprise that I love make up and my dressing table drawers are full of eyeshadows, lipglosses and blushers in almost every shade BUT if I had to choose just my top five make up must haves what would they be?

…No, I can’t do it, not five, but I can narrow it down to six ♥

My six make up must haves….

Dior Blackout – whenever I wear this I am always asked what mascara I am wearing, people don’t always believe that I’m not wearing false eyelashes. This is the ultimate mascara and my eyelash secret, one coat is all you need.

Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturising Balm – this actually makes your skin looking amazing! It’s perfect for everyday wear as it’s a sheer balm and feels light on the skin. Perfect for those ‘oh I don’t wear make up to the gym‘ moments…it works! Bobbi believes that ‘makeup is a way for a woman to look and feel like herself, only prettier and more confident.’ Make up is about enhancing your own features rather than trying to look like someone else and this is what the Bobbi Brown range does.

MAC Studio Fix – works great on top of Bobbi Brown’s tinted balm. This is a popular product for MAC, acting as a light foundation but it’s a compact powder…genius! It comes in every shade to suit any skin tone and it’s perfect for touching up when you’re out and about. Honestly though, I only touch up if I am going out as studio fix along with the tinted balm as a base lasts all day. The great benefit of going to a MAC store is that all the store staff are trained make up artists so they really know their stuff. They will advise you on your best shade, colour and show you application techniques.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat – this is the ultimate make up rave! Now I’m not one to do ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots of myself so you’ll just have to take my word for it. Touche Éclat has been a bestseller for YSL for years now and in every make up artist’s case, recently though they added new shades to the range which means there is the perfect shade for everyone. The great thing about this product is that it really does blend into your skin tone leaving you with a radiant look. I have to admit, when I first tried Touche Éclat I wasn’t too impressed and it just lived in my make up bag for a couple of months. Then I kept noticing ladies using it everywhere, on the tube, friends at work, my bridal make up artist and basically ladies re-touching their make up everywhere even in New York, Barcelona and Dubai! I then gave it another chance, fell in ♥ and have not looked back since. This magical gold pen should not be underestimated!

MAC Lipstick – my shade in Brave, I love this nude shade with a hint of pink. For a night out Girl about Town is a bright fuschia shade which really makes a stand. MAC lipsticks stand out from the vast offering in lipcolour due to their huge range of shades but also the texture and long-lasting affect. The best bit is that if you recycle six of your empty MAC containers you get a free lipstick!

Benefit Dallas – it can take years to find the perfect blush for your cheeks, they can be too bright, too pink, too orange, doesn’t show up on your skin, too much sparkle and the list goes on. Benefit do have a great range of blushers which come compact in a small case with the perfect shaped brush. This fan shaped brush is perfect for blusher application, even if you are never quite sure how to apply blusher, it allows you to follow the natural contour of your cheekbones for a natural finish. This colour is great as it also has a bronzing effect so works amazingly well with olive and darker skin tones ♥

So there you have it, MAC with a bit of Bobbi Brown and Benefit finished and perfected with YSL and Dior ♥

Related articles

• Beauty: New Year’s Eve kit (guardian.co.uk)
• Best in Beauty 2012 – A look at the year’s must-try cosmetics (theinsider.retailmenot.com)
• Made In Chelsea’s Make Up Artist Reveals The Girls’ Favourite Looks (graziadaily.co.uk)
• Femme Boulevard: Ushering 2013 With Style (joeychong.com)