My Favourite Make-Up and Body Products

I'm presently in that "wonderful" postpartum period... you know, that lovely stage when your body still looks and feels kinda pregnant... only you're not.

It took me months to get my beauty act together after my first baby. I mean, I barely showered and rarely ever got dressed, never mind blow-drying my hair or swiping on some mascara. At the time, I felt I couldn't indulge in any me-time with a howling, colicky baby in the background. But it was ridiculously unbalanced and unhealthy for me, and that complete self-sacrifice only left me feeling miserable both inside and out.

So this time, I promised myself I'd do things differently...

And I'm happy to report that I have been.
(mostly thanks to my second baby being the easiest baby ever, and my husband currently being on paternity leave.)
Every day I have been granting myself a fair amount of me-time... to take guilt-free showers and to pamper myself with some rather lovely & luxurious body products.

Seeing that it's Valentine's Day tomorrow, and we should all be loving and pampering ourselves.... I thought I'd take the time to share with you my absolute favourite make-up and beauty products (something I've never done before on this blog).

Here it goes....

Lady Grey's Favourite Make-Up:

1. MAC Blot Powder Pressed - a fantastic mattifying powder that I use over foundation to set it and control any unwanted shine. It makes my skin look flawless.
2. Laura Mercier Oil-Free Primer - This stuff is amazing. I don't use it every day, but I love to use it when I'm going out and want my skin to look extra good. I use it under foundation to smooth out any imperfections and "prime" my face for colour.
3. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua - the lightest, most wonderful foundation I've ever tried! You need only a tiny amount of this stuff and it gives your skin the most radiant, most natural glow. It's hard to even call this a "foundation" because of how lightweight it is. I love this stuff.
4. Lancome Hypnose Mascara - my go-to mascara for years. Point finale.
5. MAC eyeliners - I definitely don't wear eyeliner every day, but when I do, I love the ones from MAC (as well as the Le Crayon Khôl by Lancôme).
6. Touche Éclat by Yves Saint Laurent - this was a recent indulgence that I'm really enjoying - it's a complexion highlighter that brightens up your face and covers up dark circles, fine lines and other signs of fatigue. It adds a subtle but beautiful glow to wherever you swipe it. Addendum: after using this for a few weeks now I have to say that I'm not sure it's worth its price-tag. I still do really love this product, but its effects are rather subtle to warrant its high cost.

Lady Grey's Favourite Body Products:

1. L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil - I just love the way this stuff feels on my skin in the shower. When it comes in contact with water it feels like it almost heats up, and is amazingly comforting and soothing on the skin. And somehow the texture isn't actually oily at all.
2. L'Occitane Immortelle Precious Face Cream and Night Cream - I first got these as samples in the mail and instantly fell in love with their texture and mild scent. I'm really not a fan of overly perfumed face creams. But these I truly adore. I definitely want to buy them in full-size.
3. Lansinoh HPA Lanolin - ok please don't judge.... yes, this is, in fact, a Nipple Cream (I'm postpartum, remember!). But I discovered in the middle of the night one night that this stuff makes for the absolute BEST lip balm in the world! If it can fix a seriously cracked nipple, it can certainly heal a chapped lip! Now I suffer from some pretty serious chronically chapped lips (so much so that I can't even wear lipstick because it just looks cakey and gross on my chapped/cracked lips). And I have tried a lot of lip balms/treatments and I find them all very drying unless you reapply them constantly. I recently splurged and bought Dior's Crème de Rose after reading rave reviews and I was thoroughly disappointed. But this lanolin stuff does wonders for my lips. Just saying.
4. Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner - I have been using this stuff since I was 17 years old and working in a natural foods store. It's the best!
5. Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion - this basic drugstore cream is my go-to face, hands and body cream. I put it on my hands after every hand washing and I use it on my face every morning and night. It's not fancy but it might just be the best cream out there :)

Lady Grey's Favourite Hair Products:

1. Kérastase hair shampoos/conditioners - they're all amazing! I buy them once in a while when I'm feeling fancy (but most days I just use TRESemmé Naturals, 'cause it's cheap and works really well).
2. Klorane dry shampoo - this stuff changed my life! Ok minor exaggeration. I have fine hair and I play with it too much, so it gets greasy really fast. This stuff allows me to not wash it every day, and it's the only way I can get away with that. I spent my teenage years trying to "train my hair" to not need daily washings... nuh-uh, never worked for me! But this stuff works!
3. Lulu Organics Hair Powder - this stuff is essentially a powerful dry shampoo in powder form (and its talc-free). I use it before bed when I'm planning to not wash my hair the next morning, and I wake up with hair that looks perfectly clean and fresh.
4. L'Oréal Professionnel Wild Stylers Crépage de Chignon - This texturizing spray is half dry shampoo and half hairspray (with mild-moderate holding power). I love to use it when my hair is "too clean" and slippery to style.... it gives it great volume and texture without any stickiness or gunkiness. 

Well that just about wraps it up. I'd love to know if you have any favourite make-up or body products that have stood the test of time... you know, the stuff you buy over and over again because it's so good? Please share if you do!