Makeup Memories

Ever since I was a little girl, makeup has been very special to me. Growing up with a mother who didn't own a single item of makeup, I always viewed it as this sacred and magical thing that transformed women and always envied my friends when they’d play with their mum’s beauty stash.

I think this early view on beauty may be why I now hoard makeup, even if I no longer use the product, because I get attached to certain products and find them quite sentimental. For this post, I thought it might be quite interesting to share some of my most memorable items of makeup I've kept from over the years, new and old.

My first EVER beauty product was this Avon Little Blossom Lip Tint in Strawberry from when I was about 5 years old. I honestly think I’ll keep this until I die because it holds so many memories for me. I remember feeling so grown up when I got this although my mother was not happy with whoever bought it for me as she had a strict no makeup policy in our house! It smells so artificial and it’s probably crawling in germs and bacteria but I love it anyway.

This first piece of makeup I ever owned was the Max FactorLipstick in Refined Rose. Won in a school raffle by my mother, she of course had no use for it and left it lying around on a shelf. Being a makeup deprived child, I clearly saw this as an opportunity to wear this wonderful bright pink lipstick all over my face. Needless to say, my mother was not impressed! Credit where it’s due, this lipstick had amazing staying power. It took a long time at scrubbing with a flannel to get it off, if only I’d had Garnier Micellar Water back in those days, eh?

So we've now jumped ahead in time to my early teens when I started to wear makeup on a daily basis, although the only product I wore was my trusty Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder due to my oily complexion. Picked solely for the fact it was one of the cheapest powders around, I used this in the hope it would keep my shine at bay and it did a pretty damn good job of it. So much so that I've bought countless replacements and still use this product currently. It can look a tad cakey but if applied as a light dusting, it’s basically the bee’s knees.

As you may have noticed in the photos, Benefit definitely dominates in my makeup memories and the first high end purchase I ever made was the Badgal Lash Mascara. After getting a freebie in a magazine, I was absolutely hooked on this stuff. No drug store mascara had ever made my eyelashes look so big so I decided to treat myself to the full size when I got my first ever wage. I honestly didn't think any mascara would ever match up but then They’re Real! came out and I was well and truly proven wrong.

Another Benefit item that brings back a lot of memories is the Dallas Bronzer & Blusher, which until very recently I’d forget existed. I ‘borrowed’ this from my eldest sister when I was about 16 and never gave it back. I’d just started going to house parties and would essentially cover all my face and décolletage in this beautiful plum toned powder. It made me feel like a bronzed goddess (whether I actually looked like one was a whole other story) and I actually went and repurchased this about three months ago and have fallen in love with it all over again.

The last of the Benefit goodies is my beloved Coralista Blusher which was my first ever beauty guru enabled purchase. This purchase was the start of two obsessions for me – Youtube & Benefit powders. I still watch Kalel Cullen (the Youtuber who inspired this buy) although back in those days she was known as QueenBeeuty and owned 11 of the face powders. I still whack this blush out every once in a while when I'm feeling nostalgic of my teenage years as it’s a very flattering shade on me.

I remember when the Topshop Beauty range first hit the stands and everyone went crazy for it but it wasn't until I saw the Lipstick in Infared on Zoella’s blog that I decided to take the plunge myself. Bit of a throwback to when her blog was still called ‘Schoee’, anyone else remember that? As well as bringing back old blogger memories, this was actually the lip colour I wore to my prom. I didn't have a particularly great night but I still love this shade regardless.

Now onto the most recent product in the line up which was gifted to me by my first ever love. Although we parted ways at the beginning of this year, the MAC Mythology Eye Shadow will always hold a place in my heart. We’d had the most magical weekend away and right before we went back to the real world he surprised me with this eye shadow I’d been lusting after for months. It sounds rather materialistic but knowing he must’ve taken note when I’d mentioned it in passing beforehand meant a great deal to me and whenever I wear it now, it takes me back to that amazing weekend with someone dear to my heart.

Do you have any products that make you feel a pang of nostalgia whenever you whip them out? 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR | Catherine is the writer of Percy & Prunella, a UK beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog. You can also find Catherine over at Instagram and Twitter @CatsandPugs.

Catherine is one of my lovely guest bloggers who has created this fab guest post to help me as I settle into life as a new mum. I hope you enjoyed reading all about Catherine's makeup memories, it's definitely made me think about the products which I first started out with, and which ones have stuck around over the years. Thanks so much for sharing your makeup memories with us Catherine!