My favourite cosmetic products ever (that got discontinued :( )

Promesse by Cacharel

This was my favourite perfume when I was at school. Even now, I still keep the empty bottle (although the smell's gone off and it's really not the same anymore). It was very fruity, without being too sweet. Could work in winter or evenings just as well as for summer days. Youthful, but not too much. Great staying power, without being overpowering. Naturally, I didn't find out it got discontinued until I ran out and tried to buy a new bottle.

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M.A.C Studio Sculpt foundation

To be fair, this hasn't quite been discontinued. It's merely no longer distributed in the UK. Which, considering that the US shop doesn't ship internationally, adds up to just about the same thing for me. I'm trying to get a bottle off of another retailer as I type. It has really good coverage, I like the texture - it doesn't dry out my skin, nor does it melt off my face halfway through the day - and it smells delicious.

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Yves Rocher Gloss Fruité

This gloss... this gloss... Let me tell you. This gloss takes everything that's awful about gloss and makes it disappear. Then it takes everything that's great about gloss and multiplies it tenfold. Then you find out what it is to love, for no gloss could ever compare and you'll treasure it forever. Then you put it in your pencil case at school, along with all the other useless things you carry with you every day (your Tunisian Vanilla essence perfume that smells like vanilla and absolutely nothing else, your favourite Diddl ink pen that doesn't scratch the paper when you write....) .... Aaaand then your pencil case gets nicked. And you never see it again. The end.

...Seriously, though, that gloss was the bomb. Childhood nostalgia aside, it smelled so good it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It was so glossy your lips looked like vinyl. It didn't have glitter. It was roll-on. IT DIDN'T STICK TO YOUR HAIR. 

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What about you guys? Any products you wish they'd bring back?

Five Overlooked Beauty Buys that I can't live without...

Because sometimes mainstream just won't cut it.

1. Lipstick Lock, by Rimmel

This thing is absolutely amazing. One coat, applied like nail polish, and your lips will stay a fatal shade of whatever-colour-you-chose for the entire day, surviving torrential weather, sloppy meals and even sloppier kisses. As I am rather prone to all three, it is essential that I carry this miracle bottle everywhere, and I recommend anyone who wears lipstick does the same. Granted, the smell will make you feel like you've just done a shot of sambucca, but believe me, it's all for the best.

2. Blotting paper

Shiny nose? Need a quick mid-date re-powdering, but you don't carry a powder puff as this is no longer the 60s? Fear not, the fairies have heard you! 

After discovering these in Japan a few years back - they're all over convenience stores - I was disappointed and mildly horrified to find that nobody on this side of the planet manufactured these. Thankfully that gap in the market was promptly filled. Blotting paper not only absorbs any oil that may dare show its face on your skin, but it allows you to dab off excess foundation if you've overdone it - and this without ruining your makeup. I personally use DHC's, but Clean&Clear also make it.

3. Superdrug's B Prepared primer

I'll admit it, I didn't have much faith in Superdrug's Own brand B when it launched. But they had a deal on makeup kits, and I'm a sucker for those things. Verdict? It's restored my faith in humanity drugstore brands. This thing is as natural as they get, with no perfume or alcohol, and it will leave your skin feeling more silky smooth than Zohan's head. I don't normally use primer, as my skin is mixed and they tend to be either too oily or not enough so. I did lead a little inquiry and ask regular makeup primer users to test this one, however, and they were all just as impressed as I was. Conclusion: Best. 10 pounds. Ever. Spent.

4. Klorane Dry Shampoo

I've decided to include this one on the list after seeing Cosmo forum thread on which dry shampoo brand was the best. I was surprised to see most people voted Batiste as their favourite. I honestly don't get it - Batiste smells nice, sure, and its different colours mean you can be lazy about brushing the powder out of your hair. But results-wise? It isn't much of a shampoo, and your hair looks refreshed, at most.

This baby, on the other hand, is enough to replace a hair wash completely. Its talcum-powder-like texture absorbs the sebum completely, leaving you with voluminous, freshened up hair. Oh, and it's not an aerosol, yay!

5. Fragranced Body Lotion

This one's a bit less specific. I have a skin that absorbs products quicker than a sponge, and that means the strongest of fragrances barely lasts on me. So for heavy-duty occasions, I choose to wear perfumed body lotion instead. Too nauseatingly strong for casual day wear, sure, but it's actually perfect for parties, nights out - hell, even the gym (ha! as if I went).

Aaaaaand finally, because I couldn't resist - the one product that definitely deserves its hype... *drumroll*...

MAC studio sculpt foundation! You've all heard it, and it's all true. Solid coverage, matte but luminous, not cakey or too powdery... Paired with the B primer mentioned earlier, it works wonders.