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.