10 Tools You Need

Beauty tools surround me in practically every room of my postage-stamp sized flat. A quick tour and you’ll find brushes in my wardrobe, an array of metal utensils in my bathroom and a pair of nail scissors in my kitchen ‘lets put paperwork in here in forget about it drawer’ – everyone has one of those, right? But it got me thinking – what do I actually need. Could I narrow it down to a handful perhaps? After an afternoon of chin scratching I think I got there. Of course they’d still be a few implements that would weasel their way in, but for the purpose of this post I present you to 10 tools you NEED‘ sprinkled with a few recommendations along the way…

1. Flannels – this might seem like a bit of a ‘dur’ choice, but a good stack of flannels will see you through cleansing, face mask removal and a good douche. I pick mine up cheap and cheerfully from Primark and on the last count I think I own more flannels than I do pants. 
2. Foot File – scrubs are good, yeah sure – when it comes to the odd dry patch or snakeskin-like limbs, but when it gets down to feet you need something heavy duty. And nothing saws those paws into shape quite like a hardy foot file. My favourite is the Tweezerman version and I’d quite happily put that into the chart of my top 10 beauty-related finds this year. It’s that good.
3. Exfoliating Mitt – on the subject of exfoliation, I’ve recently made the shift from potted scrubs to an abrasive mitt. Not the most exciting of moves, but no more slopping salty dollops all over the wall and shower curtain and just frothing up your mitt with your shower gel of choice and getting down to a good scrub is a much more penny saving option. The mitt in choice? St Tropez’s Tan Build-Up Remover Mitt.
4. Cotton Buds – a bit of an obvious one but when my cotton bud reserves start to get a little low I do tend to get a little panicky. I use at least four buds on a daily basis. Whether it’s for wiping away my morning eyes, smudging out some shadow or tidying up an overzealous mascara application – they come in so handy. An essential that’s not to be overlooked.
5. Eyelash Curlers – lash curlers were a bit of a revelation for me. As a possessor of elephant-esque poker straight lashes I never fully knew what a flutter was till I clamped them down with a torture device curler. A technique that looks painful, wrong and just a bit bizarre but one that makes all the difference. Shu Uemura’s ones are the best, I’ve tried a bunch and these just rule the roost. And it has nothing to do with the fact they’re available in gold. Nothing.
6. Tweezers – I’ll spare you the whole ‘I used to be a Teen Wolf’ tale, but lets just say that tweezers for me are a gamechanger. But even if you don’t need a bit of plucking they come in v.handy for a plethora of activities from sticking on false lashes to riding the odd bit of cuticle. The original Tweezermans may be a pricey initial payment but they are far superior to any others on the market and you can send them back anytime for a resharpen.
7. Spoolie – if I had a penny for every time I’ve combed through my caterpillar brows will these, well… Eyebrow combing aside, I find them to come in handy for toning down an overzealous mascara application and for making harsh powdered-on brows look less Pete Burns.
8. Blending Brush – it goes without saying that this would be in the top 10, right? A good blending brush can turn a sponge applicator applied eyeshadow job into a top-notch look. For an eyeshadow noob, like myself, the MAC 217 Brush works wonders – helpfully finding the crease for you and depositing and/or blending a haze of shade exactly where you need it. Fluffier ones can also help out with contour, highlight and blush.
9. Buffing Brush – I do love a nice fingertip massaged-on base, but there’s a time and a place for a good ol’ blending brush (by Real Techniques of course). A decent one will perfect that ‘Who me? No I’m not wearing a scrap of makeup’ base, while ramping up the coverage.
10. Tiny, Tiny Brush – paired with a dot of concealer, a pinpoint-headed brush will become your new best friend. Hello photoshop! But they can also be roped in to applying inner corner highlight, liner and lip colour. Real Techniques’ Detailer Brush is my weapon of choice.

10 tools that have got your back beauty-wise from crusty feet to cleansing aids and botched-up liner to bushy brows. Shove them in your toolbox and you’re good to go.