Confessions of a Make Up Junkie

Since I gave up Mizz for Vogue and slogan-tees for jersey basics, I have believed that make up had to be expensive to be good. In fact, for recent years, I have bought make up loyally and exclusively from MAC. Why did I believe it was better? Well, I'm an average consumer. I'm a sucker for packaging. And mostly, I have ridiculously erratic skin, and thought that expensive products would be more sensitive skin-friendly. This turned out to be misguided.

A few days ago, Friday in fact, I left the PR company where I was an intern, and was given a very generous goody bag. One of their clients, MaxFactor contributed to it, among others. As soon as I started to explore them (as soon as I got home - naturally!) I realised that this was not junk. This stuff is fanTASTIC!

The Masterpiece Glide & Define Liquid Eyeliner (£6.99 at Boots) and the Lash Extension Effect Extreme Lengthening Mascara (£10.99 at Boots) are really something. The liquid liner, not for those looking for a subtle line, is the best of its kind. On two separate occasions I bought the MAC version, largely because the felt-tip nib appealed to me. They both dried up extremely quickly, whereas the MaxFactor - which appeared to be dead after two applications - needs to be shaken and then it glides beautifully as before. The mascara is fabulous too. What I look for in a mascara is as much drama as possible, and this delivers like nothing I've tried before. I've been using a Chanel until now, which, again, I assumed was better for its price tag, but which pales in comparison to its high street brethren.

Also, after blogging about Topshop's make up line on its arrival in stores in May, I finally bought a bunch of it to try it out. I don't recommend the Skin Tint (£10) which I was really excited about, but which is more greasy than dewy. I do, however, recommend the Brighten pen (£7.00, called, a little overdramatically, Moonlight). I never did buy the Touche Eclat that every body raved about, but this actually IS a great product. I also really like Brighton Rock, which I bought largely because Eminé Ali Rushton claimed it was the ideal "candy-pink-geranium-infused-coral-fuchsia". I’m not sure I would go that far, but it IS fun… If you’re looking for a pale pink (I mean a really pale, four-hour-old-corpse look) then check out Barry M’s 101 (£4.25).

Lastly, as slightly in contradiction to what I’ve just said about expensive make up, I bought my first Bobbi Brown product. The SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer (£26) is everything I was hoping for. The word ‘dewy’ appears in every summer beauty editorial and, it seems, is impossible to actually achieve. However, this tinted moisturizer business is a total revelation. What I don’t like about foundation is that it is too much coverage, but this, THIS is perfect, and perfectly dewy. It is beautifully soft on the skin and exactly the right amount of coverage to feel as if you’re not wearing ten tons of crap on your face. Hooray!