I am often in Boots and Superdrug picking up the odd product that I actually use regularly and never speak about on my blog but today they are no longer going to be the unsung heroes of my beauty draw. When I made a list of all the items I buy and then use up regularly, I didn't realise how long the list of essential products was. I started to pick some of these items at the start of drugstore month and some of them were so essential I had to start using them right away but most of them I picked up in a haul about a week ago. I assume a lot of these products will be the same as the ones you buy repeatedly but after years of using them, I have found the particular brands I like and I am going to share that with you today.
Tanning - St Tropez
Tanning products are not as much of an essential during Winter as to be honest I am too lazy to be concerned with how pale I am when no one really gets to see it anyway. However as we are currently moving into Spring and warmer times, I do start to tan more regularly and my tan of choice has always been St Tropez. I did used to use the Classic Tan but as soon as they launched the Purity Bronzing Water Mousse, I swapped to using it.
The Purity Bronzing Water is a warm golden tan rather than having terracotta undertones like the older classic mousse. It works in exactly the same way as the classic tan as I also used to buy the mousse version. This means I have always needed a mitt to apply either tan. I typically buy one bottle of tan a year and hope that it will last me the year whereas I end up buying tanning mitts every time I do a shop in Boots or Superdrug. I never wash my tanning mitts because I didn't realise you could but they don't seem the same once you've washed them anyway. My favourite mitts are the St Tropez Velvet Tanning Mitts and when I went into Boots last week, they were 1/3 off which makes them cheaper than the standard Boots mitts, which do not apply tan quite as well. If you can get these mitts cheaper, it is well worth it and I highly recommend using the velvet mitts because they do make a difference.
Garnier - Under Eye Masks
I am a big fan of sheet masks in general but my absolute favourite type of sheet mask is the under eye ones; as that way I can hydrate my under eyes and use a charcoal mask on the rest of the face. My current favourites are the Garnier Under Eye Masks. Whenever I see these at a slightly cheaper price, I always pick these up and they were on offer in Boots at the start of the month. They have changed the offer now but between Boots and Superdrug they are normally on offer in one store. The offer takes them down to £1.99 from £2.99 which makes it a good time to pick a whole bunch of them up.
Personally I prefer the Coconut Water version as I actually find the superhero-esque shape of the mask means it stay put a little bit better whereas the individual patches can slide a little bit which is no good if you are wearing a charcoal mask. These are great for a quick pamper so I like to keep some in my beauty draw for when I am feeling run down.
Eye Makeup Removal
One thing I buy practically every month is the Garnier 2-in-1 Eye Makeup Remover. Instead of relying on my cleanser to remove the thick layers of mascara I apply, I have to use a separate product which is this eye makeup remover. I end up using around a bottle a month but it is something I always forget to mention in my skincare routines. I've never really used a eye makeup remover before but it is so much easier than just using a cleanser and takes less time.
You shake the bottle to bring the duo-phase together and it just removes make up really quickly and easily without having to rub your eyes too much. All you need to do is put some on a cotton pad and you are away. I do not buy the cotton pads as regularly as Boots always have an offer on them which is either, buy one get one free or 3 for 2 so I end up buying more than one pack at a time. My favourites are the Boots Double Faced Oval Pads as they are slightly thicker which means they do not break up as you try to remove your eye makeup. I also use them to remove nail polish and unless it is a glitter, they do not fall apart. These are more expensive than normal pads but it is definitely worth it.
Razor
I do not buy razors that often because I am lazy but I buy them regularly enough to include them in this post. I have tried other razors but Venus razors are definitely the best. Once again these are something I like to buy when they are on offer. I cannot believe how expensive these are for only one blade, you used to get two so that's why it is worth getting them when they are cheap. When I was walking through Boots the other week, the Venus Snap was on offer so it was only £4.99. Luckily these smaller ones use the same blades as the normal razor so if you want, you can ditch the tiny handle and use a regular one but I actually really like the smaller razor, it is easier to keep in my shower.
One of the things I like about this Venus Snap is that it has a Spa Breeze blade which is the razor I normally buy. Previously the Venus Snap razors have always a basic blade but they have now given it a upgrade and I am all for it. I recommend these highly, especially if you are travelling. It comes in it's own little case which keeps it safe and helps to dry your razor.
Mascara
One product I always end up picking up regularly in the drugstore is mascara. After doing the Mascara Trials last year, I learnt a valuable lesson, drugstore mascaras are better than high end. As I use so much mascara on a daily basis, I get through them quickly. Also I make sure that I swap them more regularly than every 3 months because that is their shelf life and you really don't want to be using them much longer than that or you risk an eye infection.
On this particular shop I decided to go for the L'Oreal Paradise Extatic Mascara which I have used and loved before. A large factor in me buying this L'Oreal mascara was that it was on offer. If you couldn't tell, a lot of my basics are purchased on the basis of being on offer. Why wouldn't you want to save a bit of money on something that you actually need? There are products I look for and will buy if they are a bit cheaper and this is one of them.
Haircare
There aren't many hair care products that I regularly buy as hair care hasn't always been my biggest concern but I always need dry shampoo. Dry Shampoo is a massive staple for me because I am too lazy to wash my hair. Plus I try not to wash my hair too often because it is better for your hair. Even though my hair doesn't get too greasy anymore, there are days when it can look a mess and that is when dry shampoo is a must. I have tried a few and my favourite will always be the Batiste Cherry Dry Shampoo, it smells amazing and it works, what more could you want?
Most of the items I have spoken about, I picked up in a recent haul and I feel like during a Boots or Superdrug haul you've always got to pick up something to try and that is exactly why I picked up one of the iKoo Infusions Thermal Treatment Wraps for damaged and coloured hair. I have bleached hair and I use heat to style it so I haven't really given my hair the best chance in life. This year I am trying to change that by taking better care of my hair which you will have seen in my Beauty Goal post earlier in the year. As part of the Beauty Goal series I thought I would try this wrap as it seemed really inventive and I've never seen anything quite like it before. I haven't tried this yet so I can't tell you if it is any good but I included this more to show you that you definitely need to pick up a treat when buying your essentials.
Deodorant
Hardly anyone talks about their deodorant but it is definitely something we all use or should be using. I have to say I am quite lucky, I am not really a sweaty person, I don't even really sweat when I run. The only time I do sweat is during the summer heatwaves when you literally have no choice and also I do around my period because it sends my body all over the place. There are a couple of deodorants I rotate between as I think if you use one for too long your skin sort of gets used to it.
My personal favourite is the Mitchum Ultimate Stick in Pure Fresh. I just find it works and it works well. However I also like the Dove Maximum Strength Cucumber deodorant. Depending on which is on offer, I will buy the cheaper one. Normally both of these deodorants are £5 which is far too much. I used to use aerosols but I am not a fan of how pungent they are in your room when you apply them so I have been getting on with these stick ones so much more.
Hand Gel
I cannot live without anti-bac hand gel, I use it all the time. I am a receptionist so I encounter a lot of people daily and some people are gross. Having a bottle of anti-bac on my desk makes me feel a bit happier about encountering people and eases my mind. Not only that but people always come into work ill because of stupid sickness rules which means I have to deal with people bringing in all sorts of germs, anti-bac helps me not be ill all of the time.
My personal favourite is the one from Soap and Glory, when I use it people always ask about my perfume but it is usually just this, it smells so good! It has the original Soap and Glory scent which I love and this feels more gentle on your hands so I always buy this one. It is super expensive at £3 but I would say it is worth it! If you've used this, you will completely understand.
Sanitary Products
Once again a product that people shy away from is sanitary products. I don't care as realistically most women have to deal with them so why not talk about them. There is literally no shame in a sanitary product! I think we should feel like we can talk about sanitary products and also alternatives so that we are all as knowledgeable about it as possible. For me, I still use tampons and pads, I know they are not the most environmentally friendly but I like to think of my vagina and the Tampax Pearl are so easy to use and do not feel harsh or tug. I use tampons for the first couple of days of my period and then my period gets quite light so I swap to pads.
I buy Always pads because I do like to treat my vagina during a difficult time and also I find they are the best. Always change their pad range so often that basically every time I go in to buy more they have different pads so I never know which ones to get but my favourites at the moment are the Platinum range. These were on offer so they were £1.50 and that is also something I look for when I am shopping for Sanitary products, discounts. If I can't get these Platinum pads cheaper then I will find a cheaper alternative and my vagina will just have to deal with it for the month.
That concludes my drugstore essentials, as I said I picked most of these items up in a haul the other day because I have actually been running low on a lot of my essentials and I do tend to do a big shop rather than picking up odd pieces and spending half of my time in Boots. A lot of these have already been opened because I really needed them. I hope this has shed some light on the items that I purchase all of time and enlightened you on some of the hidden gems that you might not have seen on my blog before that keep me looking together on a daily basis. This might not be the most glamourous blog post I've written but it is certainly realistically!
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