In My Bathroom Cupboard

I was always secretly glad that Sephora didn’t ship to the UK. Imagine if all that out-of-reach beauty goodness – from Tarte blushers to the Hourglass palettes – could be delivered straight to your door, rather than just being the fruit of a trip to Paris or the US? I’d never have any money. My bathroom cupboards would be bursting with product, my makeup bag overflowing with lipsticks. No, it was much safer at a distance. It was good for us.

Of course, then Sephora introduced UK shipping and I lost my mind.

I managed to abstain for a good few weeks, actually. UK stores like Space NK and sites like FeelUnique.com are usually enough to satisfy my skincare habit, so it wasn’t until I started searching for a particular sold-out product that I turned to Sephora. After Caroline’s glowing review of this Dr Dennis Gross eye cream, I had to have it and finally hunted it down on the site. To ‘justify’ the £6 shipping charge, I started adding more bits and pieces until I finally checked out, flushed and exhilarated with a rather large dent in my bank account.

My goodies arrived last week, so I’ve had a bit of time to work them into my skincare routine and try them out. After suffering with really awful skin at the start of the year, I’ve been doing lots of research into the products that are right for me, and slowly but surely I’m building my Holy Grail routine. Here are my current favourite products…

Cleanse

REN Evercalm Gentle Cleansing Gel, £15
REN is a long-time favourite of mine and I’ve used a fair few of their products, but when my skin started reacting to anything and everything, I went gentle. This is my morning and second evening cleanse – it’s non-foaming, smells delicious and is just really lovely to use.

Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser, £35
Lawd, it was hard to spend this much money on a cleanser. I bought this as part of my Sephora order even though it is available at Space NK – it worked out slightly cheaper. I used this as my first evening cleanse, applying to dry skin then removing with a warm flannel. My skin has really cleared with this and might be – dare I say it – glowing?

Avène Micellar Lotion Cleanser, £13
When my skin was really flaring up and my Dr would only prescribe Hydrocortizone cream (side eye), I asked for help on Twitter and many of you suggested Avène products. As the inflamed skin in question was around my eye, I bought this to remove my mascara and I just love it. Gentle but effective.

Tone

Pixi Glow Tonic, £18
I remember buying this when it was first released, in the old pump-style bottle. I had to order it over the phone and got two at once because the lady at Pixi said they were flying out! It’s a brilliant acid toner, gentler than many but still effective.

Moisturise

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cream, £44
Oh, how I love this moisturiser. I bought this direct from KateSomerville.com a few months ago but with $25 for shipping (eek) it is cheaper to buy from Sephora. It’s totally worth the hefty price tag, though – it’s rich and light at the same time, making it perfect for my oily-yet-dehydrated skin.

Treatment

 sk:n Blemish Control Lotion, £22 (c/o)
I was sent a care package of sk:n treats a few months ago and I’ve been using everything pretty regularly, but this is my favourite. It’s great for treating spots before they appear – dab a bit on when you feel that telltale tingle and the blemish is gone without ever making an appearance. Witchcraft, but the good kind.

Dr Dennis Gross Ferulic + Retinol Eye Cream, £62
When Caroline Hirons said this product ‘did a little’ for dark circles, I went to buy it immediately. I have terrible dark circles (hereditary, before anyone tells me to sleep and drink more water rather than spend £62 on an eye cream…) and have tried everything to lessen them, with no joy. After the first use of this cream I saw an improvement. Better than anything I’ve used before, hands down.

Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Oil, ~£85
This baby isn’t yet available in the UK, so it seemed like simple common sense to add it to my Sephora basket before checking out. It is honestly beautiful. It smells like a dream, sinks in effortlessly and instantly perks up my skin. I’ve noticed fine lines softening and pigmentation lightening, but the biggest difference is my pores – I have large, open pores across my cheeks which are now starting to shrink and become less noticeable. Amazing. Ms Hirons has the full lowdown if you’re interested.

And that’s it – my current favourites from the bathroom cupboard. What are yours? Have you tried any of mine? Share in the comments, please!