Beauty Favourites: Long-Term Best Buys and New Discoveries

Some beauty favourites, old and new. There are a few things here that I’ve only discovered in the past year or so but that have already shouldered their way into prime position on my bathroom shelf. Others have been firm favourites for ages - over a decade, in some instances. Let’s take a look at why they’re so good and how I use them.

I should admit, rather sheepishly, that this post was supposed to be something quite different: all of these products were included in a brilliant beauty box that I compiled with Latest In Beauty, but the boxes (there were thousands of them!) sold out in a matter of days and I didn’t get a chance to post anything other than my Instagram announcement.

I am sorry. Next time we’ll know to make more. Everything I’m about to talk about was carefully handpicked to go into my special beauty box and so I feel as though I need to show them some love: they are absolute best buys whether you get them as part of a box or invest in the standalone products.

Also, some of the brands included have very kindly created discount codes to use on their sites, so if you did miss out on the Latest in Beauty box, you can still bag yourself a beauty favourite at less than the usual price.

Let’s go!

[AD info: this post contains a paid partnership with Latest in Beauty.]

Super Facialist Vitamin C Cleansing Oil

Shall we do these favourites in vague, skincare-routine-ish order? Starting with an amazing cleanser, then.

Take an ultra-luxurious, thick, effective facial cleansing oil, give it the smell of freshly-squeezed satsumas and that’s what you have with the Super Facialist Vitamin C Cleansing Oil. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it’s PRICED FOR THE HIGH STREET! It feels loads more expensive than it actually is. Removes all makeup, including eye, massages into the skin beautifully and when you take it off with a washcloth it leaves no greasy residue. Top marks.

Find it here online.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold

And then straight in with the exfoliants. Liquid exfoliants - specifically Liquid Gold - completely blew my mind when I started blogging. There weren’t many products out there that could have such a good, visible effect on the skin so quickly and I was wowed by the overnight transformative effects.

You can read my post about Liquid Gold here - I wrote it in 2011! - it was an incredible product then and it’s still a cult favourite now. It’s an exfoliator that uses glycolic acid to slough away dead skin cells, leaving skin glowing and smooth. It’s sort of like a swipe-over-and-leave facial - absolutely no fuss, but the brightest skin when you wake up in the morning!

I like to use it a couple of times a week, you can use it more regularly if you like - I just think it’s such an easy thing to incorporate into a skincare routine to ensure maximum glow.

You can find it at Alpha-H online - get 15% off sidewide with code RUTH15 here.

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads

If you feel sold on the powers of the aforementioned Liquid Gold exfoliant but have more sensitive skin and want a slightly gentler approach then take a look at the Facial Radiance Pads from First Aid Beauty. These are pre-soaked pads (ultra-convenient) and use a blend of acids that work in a slightly milder way on the skin. I have used these daily without issue and they give a magnificent glow!

Find them online here.

Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Mask

If, however, you’re reading about the glow-giving and smoothing effects of these exfoliants and thinking, I want all of this but multiplied by ten times, then you might want to try the Pumpkin Mask from Peter Thomas Roth. It’s absolute dynamite! In the best possible way! Leave it on for five minutes - be careful with any longer than that - and behold the instant glow.

Find it online here.

Right, in with some exemplary hydrators.

Hada Labo Super Hydrating Lotion

An ultra-hydrating liquid that feels like water on the skin, Hada Labo’s hyaluronic serum slips on beneath any other serum or moisturiser or sunscreen to give a big moisturising boost. Easy to apply, plays well with just about anything and everything and you get a HUGE amount in the very well-priced bottle.

Find online here.

Weleda Skin Food Light

The original Weleda Skin Food is possibly one of the richest moisturisers I’ve used: if you’ve ever had that tight, drawn skin that feels as though it might split like a piece of rice paper then this is the sort of stuff you need to massage into it. Its only drawback is that it tends to sit slightly greasily beneath makeup and leave a bit too much of a residue on the skin for practical daytime use: but there’s a solution.

The light version. This is not “light” in the usual way that beauty brands mean it, as in watery, oil-free, gel-texture: this is “light” as in, just not quite as heavy as the original one. It’s still an absolute powerhouse and you can sit and massage this face cream in until the cows come home, working it into the skin so that it’s all plump and juicy, but it’s infinitely more convenient for daytime use. Love it.

Find it here online.

Curel Intensive Moisture Care Facial Cream

I don’t know how this moisturiser manages to be so light and soothing yet so intensely hydrating at the same time, but it does. It works on every skin type, at any time, in any sort of situation: a reliable, hard-working moisturiser that does the job of deeply, deeply hydrating the skin remarkably well.

Find it here online.

Neals Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm

Not strictly a moisturiser, per se, but I’ve definitely used it as one, over the years! I can’t even remember how long I’ve been using this beautiful rose-scented balm for; since my modelling days? A couple of decades? In that time I’ve used it as a face mask, a rescue cream, a cuticle cream, a brow-tamer, a highlighter, an emergency cleanser…what haven’t I used it for?

It smells delightful - I find rose really calming and balancing, especially when I’m travelling. I included a smaller pot in my beauty box but highly recommend investing in a slightly larger one if you want to be slathering this about as much as I slather it!

Enjoy 15% OFF sitewide at Neal's Yard Remedies with code LATESTINBEAUTY

Ultra Violette Fave Fluid SPF 50+

Staying with the hydration theme: do you want a sunscreen that’s virtually undetectable but that doesn’t feel drying or have that weird, powdery kind of finish? Fave Fluid from Ultra Violette ticks all of the boxes for me - it is completely transparent, weightless, yet somehow also manages to feel really quenching on the skin. Who knew?

Enjoy 15% OFF any purchase at Ultra Violette UK with code ULTRA15

Heights Hydrate Electrolytes

I promise I won’t use the words hydrate or hydration again in this whole entire post. This section concludes my moisturisation frenzy!

I hadn’t really used electrolyte powders before these sachets from Heights landed on my desk but boy do they actually work wonders if you’re travelling (or, cough, slightly hungover) and feeling seriously husk-like.

These saved me when I was flying to Greece on holiday: I realise that’s not a long flight and I seem dramatic, but any kind of flight seems to really mess with my innards and I disembark feeling grotty and headachey. Not this time. It was as though someone had placed cucumber slices all over the surface of my brain!

Enjoy 15% OFF on your first month of any Heights product subscription at Heights - Science-Backed Supplements For Your Brain and Gut with code AMODELRECOMMENDS15

Vieve Skin Dew

Onto a makeup gem and the grown-up highlighter you didn’t know you needed. Oooph. This gives incredible gleam to the skin but without looking glittery or shimmery - it’s the ultimate sophisticated glow. And really very nicely priced for something that outperforms most of the luxury ones costing multiple times more!

I use on cheekbones, eyelids, cupid’s bow, just to give a touch of dewiness. It’s a fresh-faced glow rather than full-on Tiktok glamour but that is absolutely fine by me.

Find Skin Dew here online.

Gatineau Golden Glow Gradual Tan

Glow on the face and an all-over golden sunkissed look on the body: this is the gradual tan I use almost exclusively. It’s just foolproof, I find it so easy to use - I apply every few days just to maintain a low-key sense of bronzage and don’t have to go through the absolute drama of staining myself with stuff that looks and smells like shed paint.

Gatineau Golden Glow Gradual Tan - get 25% off the 400ml bottle using code LIBGG25 here

Rehab 1.0 Hair Oil

One for the hair and it’s a newish discovery: Rehab hair oils. I’m sure I’ve mentioned these little capsules before; Rehab make loads of different versions to suit lots of hair types and usage scenarios. What I love it that I can just have a single capsule in my makeup bag and crack it out for instant high-shine, taming of the hair ends, general cool-girl strand separation and a beautiful hit of scent.

Absolutely brilliant for regular travellers and those who like to do their hair and makeup on-the-go.

Find them here online.

Aromatherapy Associates Revive Morning Bath & Shower Oil

What a finisher. If you’ve never tried Aromatherapy Associates Bath & Shower Oils then I don’t really know how to prepare you for the experience: just know that once you get started with them, you’ll never want to be without.

You only need a teeny amount of their exquisite oil blends to scent an entire bathroom and transport your mind to far off places. Relaxing places. Sleepy places. Or, in this case, wide-awake-and-raring-to-go places. Because each of their oil blends has a specific purpose and really works and the Revive Morning is like a mental shot of espresso, making you feel invigorated and ready for what the day might throw at you. (I’ve never actually had a shot of espresso but that’s what I imagine.)

You can get the Bath & Shower Oils in various sizes, depending on whether you invest in a standalone bottle or the sets that have lots of blends in smaller bottles - I highly recommend the sets so that you can decide on which blends do it for you.

Find them online here.

Righty-ho, I’ve exhausted myself with this particular product marathon - let me know if you have any questions. There’s a whole video, below, with me saying basically what I’ve just said above. If you’re a glutton for punishment.