The Best Beauty Basics Out There

It's all too easy to get caught up in the world of beauty with all the new releases and exciting and innovative products that kick the beauty basics to the imaginary curb. And I'm not sure about you but those beauty basics are the foundation of my entire routine and I'd be pretty lost without them so I thought that I'd share some of my all time favourites with you today.

FLANNELS

Some people don't bother with flannels [if you're elsewhere in the world you might call them a washcloth] when they cleanse but I cannot even begin to explain how much of a difference I saw in my skin when I switched from a muslin cloth to a flannel. I love that even when I'm just doing my usual cleansing routine that I get a little of exfoliation too and no matter how much makeup I've been wearing my skin is always thoroughly cleansed [in combination with some awesome products]. And there is something so oddly satisfying about seeing everything come off onto a flannel as then you know there is nothing hanging around. Anyway, enough talk about why I'm so fanatical about flannels and more about where I get them from. I know Primark is pretty popular for their bundles but I don't find them quite tough enough so I always bulk buy mine from IKEA. And I always get the grey ones as I'm not sure I could be ok with getting a white one completely filthy on a daily basis.

COTTON WOOL

I'm currently trying to cut back on how often I use cotton wool as it's pretty horrifying how much I get through. So if you have any tips to how to minimise your cotton wool usage I'd love to know. The only good thing about my rather large consumption of cotton rounds is that the only ones I like are the super cheap ones. I've had expensive ones in the past and then I tried the exfoliating variety and weirdly they've always given me spots, I have no idea how or why but every time without fail I end up with a breakout. So the Tesco value ones are what I use, they aren't so cheap that they just fall apart or can't withstand a proper use as there is nothing more frustrating than a cotton pad that does that.

SHOWER GEL

We all have to get clean and the spectrum of shower gels is absolutely huge and you can either spend as little as a pound or go really high end. I'm not too fussed about what I use if I'm completely honest although there are products that I will definitely pick over others. I love super nourishing body products as there is nothing worse than lathering up, rinsing only for your skin to feel parched. I'm currently trying out a new line called Bilou which is one of the sweetest body care ranges I've ever seen. They've got everything from foam shower gels and body lotions to sweet spritz's and my particular favourite is the Tasty Donut Shower Foam*. If you share the same dream as I do which is to smell like a delicious baked good then I would highly recommend this vegan range.

BODY MOISTURISER

Slathering your entire body in moisturiser is something you do or you don't. I don't believe there is an in-between and I'm someone who loves to douse myself in whatever I have around as it makes me feel awesome. When my limbs feel silky smooth and hydrated my confidence is instantly boosted. I don't tend to go super cheap when it comes to my body moisturiser as I don't find really bargain options sink in and tend to sit on top of the skin which is something that irritates me as if I've stood dithering naked in the bathroom I want something to sink in instantly not just sit around taking its time. Anyway, a brand that I love that sits at the lower end of the price scale is Garnier, they have some really beautiful body moisturisers that always make my skin happy. Then climbing the price ladder I love Soap & Glory, of course, an absolute fail safe body brand. And finally this year I've discovered the likes of L'Occitane, Kiehl's and Jo Malone which if you've got the budget for a little bit of luxury body care then they're totally worth it.

DEODORANT

Sweat is never a nice topic to discuss but we all do it and something I'm pretty sure we all use is deodrant. The world of natural deodrants is something that kind of confuses me and even more than that cream deodorants in a pot, how do they work? How do they keep the sweat at bay? Also isn't it gross to keep on reaching into that tub? Anyway back to the topic of what I use to keep the sweat at bay, I've gone through many phases over the years and for a long time I only used Mitchum but I found that after a while it clogged up my under arm pores which isn't ideal. So I went back to aerosols which I know aren't the best but they work well for me and they also don't leave my under arms at all irritated. I've been thoroughly enjoying Sure at the moment as not only do they keep the balminess at bay but they also don't leave white marks all over black clothes or sports bras.