Beauty Haul: Glowy skin and natural brows

Recently, I've been thinking about which kind of makeup look I'd like to make my go-to in 2020. I've experimented quite a bit with make-up, the most daring being grey lipstick and orange peachy eyeshadows (looks I'm definitely not going back to!). Something that I realised whilst working on a beauty counter 2 years ago was how important skincare really is to your makeup. Without the perfect layer underneath, makeup will never reach its real potential.

But I think I've finally decided on what I'd like to make my standard, trusty makeup look this year. There's something about glowy, plumped, hydrated skin and natural brows that screams natural yet classy. And I think that is exactly what I'd like to achieve this year, the natural and classy look.

Now don't get me wrong, it definitely takes some skill to get that no-makeup makeup look and it really isn't the easiest to master. But after some research, I've bought a few beauty products that will help me along the way to perfect that glowy and natural look.

bareMinerals Pure Plush Gentle Deep Cleansing Foam - £19 at bareMinerals.co.uk

Starting off with the first product you should use before anything - cleanser! After realising that bareMinerals is entirely cruelty-free and many of their products being vegan, I was dying to try this popular brand.

The Pure Plush cleanser is a gentle foaming cleanser that foams up the more you add water. What most appealed me to this cleanser was its purpose of leaving your skin feeling revitalised and fresh, hopefully helping me reach that plumped skin I'm after! It is formulated with rich and super minerals including sea salts, elderflower and rosemary extracts. I've so far used this twice and I'm loving it, but I'll update you all further down the line.

Boots Ingredients Vitamin C Serum - £6 at Boots.com

I have been searching high and low for a simple, affordable Vitamin C serum. I've been looking for Vitamin C in particular because of its anti-oxidant properties and ability to rejuvenate your skin, leaving you with a bright and fresh complexion.

Serum should be in everyone's skincare routine! You'll often think 'what's the point? It's just another thing to add and I don't have time'. You'd be oh so wrong if you pass up on a serum. It goes on after toner and before moisturiser and works at the deepest levels of your skin. Serums are very targeting and enriching products and you can get serums for whatever your skin goals are - from blemish remedies, to hydration, to anti-ageing and collagen boosting. I really do feel the difference when I don't use a serum and so far, this little star is bringing a glow to my skin.

bareMinerals Bare Pro 24hr Foundation - £31 at bareMinerals.co.uk

Another bareMinerals product I've been waiting to try. I bought this foundation in the shade Cool Beige and of all the foundations I've bought (which are too many to count), this is the most skin-true shade I've tried. It blends perfectly, smooths my skin, blurs imperfections and brings a natural no-makeup look to my face. I'm not quite sure of the 24hr promise yet, as I haven't yet used it for an entire day.

Achieving the no-makeup makeup look is super hard when the foundation you're using may cake easily, sit on your stubborn dry or spotty areas or dry a totally different shade to your natural skin colour (the most annoying foundation feature). But truthfully, this foundation is far from any of these things. It's easily buildable, smooth and glides across my skin. I'm super super happy I bought this and excited for the next time I wear it.

No7 Extended Length Mascara £13 at Boots.com

I've recently bought the normal version of this mascara, as I find waterproof a little stubborn to remove and results in me being very rough with my eye area when I take my makeup off (something I'm trying to avoid).

This isn't really something that'll help me get that glowy skin and natural brows look, but it's a recent purchase that I thought I'd share anyway.

I actually used to work on No7 so I've tried most of their mascaras before, but this one in particular is a hidden gem. The bristles of the brush are thin, even and make the mascara extremely buildable. It's not just its buildable feature that I love, this mascara doesn't clump and it actually separates my lashes and makes them look far longer and neat than they usually are - guess that's why it's called extreme length.

Glossier Boy Brow and Brow Flick as a duo £25 (usually £29) at Glossier.com

Like bareMinerals, Glossier is a brand I've been wanting to try for a while. The packaging is super cute and let's be honest, it's super gram worthy.

But the biggest reason why I bought these two particular products are their abilities to make fluffier, natural brows. Boy Brow (the smaller of the two) is a brow mascara which tints your eyebrows with the gel. It's not super good for holding them in place (so I set a brow gel setter on top, the Collection clear mascara is good and really cheap!) but it does get the most of your natural brows.

I think the Brow Flick is something I'm going to learn to love. It's a little watery and you need to use very very very veeery light pressure when you're filling in brow hairs.

My routine with this pair is to use the Boy Brow first, brush my eyebrows upwards to give a thicker, fluffier look and then go back with Brow Flick to fill in the end of your brows (or anywhere you see they're a little sparse).

Glossier Balmdotcom in Original £10

This lip balm is already a little loved, as the tube can show you. You can buy more flavours that are also tinted (I was tempted by the Cherry flavour to get the natural rosy lips look - maybe next time) but first off I wanted to get the Original balm as I wanted to use it for all dry skin areas, not just my lips.

Like many of us, my lips get super chapped and rough during the winter months and they desperately needed some TLC. So far, I do really like this product and I love the glossy and moisturising feel on my lips. I read on the reviews that a little goes a long way but so far, I am getting a little concerned about how deflated the tube is getting. It's good and I really like it, but for £10 I'm undecided whether I'd buy it again or try and find a good alternative at a cheaper price.

So these products are my recent buys on my journey to the glowy skin and natural, fluffy brows look. Some I've already tried and others I'm just starting to use, so I'll update you all on my thoughts sometime soon.

Thanks for reading,

Lauren xo