What’s In My Beauty Bag – Blogger Jessica Lyons Shares Her Secrets

Pretty packaging, hero products, must-have purchases…make-up is a subject we could spend hours chatting about. Everyone has their tried and tested buys and in a bid to find out more about the best way to get bang for your buck, we decided it was time to call in a little expertise. Beauty bloggers make it their business to trial run products and are up to date with the latest releases before they even hit the shelves. In a new weekly feature, we’re going to quiz beauty bloggers on their make-up essentials and why these are the products they return to time and time again. This week we're chatting to blogger Jessica Lyons and you can check out her blog here.

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My make up bag changes from time to time but I have some reliable products that never change. I love testing new products so I am delighted to share with you what I'm currently crushing on. First things first, I am a skin care fanatic. I always apply a B5 serum from Medik 8 to hydrate and finish with my ASAP moisturiser and SPF. I use a loose mineral based foundation from ASAP (an Ozzie brand but can be purchased online). The beauty of mineral foundation is that it does not clog pores. This needs to be applied with a kabuki brush. It's staying power is unbelievable and lasts all day. I will wear MAC StudioFix for a night time look and love it. My pet peeve is my dark circles. I'm currently using MAC Pro long wear concealer and it is the best I have used to date. I have tried and tested these from the least, to the most expensive, and this is by far the most superior, if this is an area of concern for you. I finish with Inglot loose powder and then apply blusher in the form of Bourjois in Rose for a fresh look to the cheeks to give a natural glow. At weekends, I like to try and contour and use the Crown contouring kit along with Benefit High Beam or MAC Soft and Gentle. I'm slightly obsessed with highlighters because they add another dimension to your look. For my eyes, I couldn't be without my Naked palette. Be sure to ask for help and get the right colours to suit your skin type. If I am being very lazy I use my Benefit creaseless cream shadow in the shade Birthday Suit or No17 eye solos from Boots. These are so cheap and cheerful and literally don't budge. I finish with L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara. This is by far, the saving grace in my make up bag and the one item I will never be without. My final touch is quickly filling in my brows with the HD brow palette in Foxy. For night-time, it's often smokey eyes from my Naked palette or my Guerlin palette with soft shades in white, pink, silver and purple. I also love a purple eye, but clear up any excess to avoid looking tired. If I'm feeling bold, I will grab my Artdecco baked eyeshadow in Emerald and finish with some MAC Fluidline and They're Real mascara from Benefit. Have a strong eye make up remover ready after this mascara! I am lazy with my lips and so I have been using NYX Chunky Dunk sticks in Bikini Rose for a soft lip. If I want to jazz it up and apply a red lippie, I use an Essence lip liner and apply Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Hot Pepper. This was my favourite product in 2014 and I haven't found a lippie that compares since. I also use Artdeco Lip Brilliance a lot as it is long-lasting. So there you have it, I use a mixture of everything and apply with my Crown brushes. These are my current favs and can be used day or night.