Make my skin gorgeous please!

[RockChick1984]

since having DS a year ago, my skin is like a teenagers, greasy t zone and dry cheeks. Only difference is I've also got a few wrinkles starting (I'm 28) so have them to worry about as well!

Pre baby, I never had any problems with my skin, never really had more than the occasional spot, if anything it was more dry. All I ever did was a quick wash, slap on some moisturiser and it was fine. I have also never really worn much make up so don't know where to start with that.

I'm blonde, pale, round face with no discernible cheekbones despite being a size 10 ish and also on a budget so can't afford really expensive products. Please can anyone help?!?

You need a good cleanser for oily skin and a good light moisturiser. I'd recommend toning too for good measure. You can find anti-ageing moisturisers by Olay but I swear by No7's Protect and Perfect range, especially their moisturiser. Invest in a good night cream but you can pick up decent cleansers and toners by Simple in Superdrug for less than £3, most of the time on 3 for 2 offers. Exfoliate once a week and apply a mask once a week or as desired.

If you were going to wear make-up, apply it around 5-10 minutes after moisturiser and use a primer or BB cream first. It'll even out your skin, make the dryness less apparent, make foundation last longer and make pores less visible. Barbara Daly at Tesco have a good primer for under £10 and 17 BB cream for £7 is the best I've found for my pale skin in 'light'. The Garnier one is much too orange for my liking. Find a good foundation (nothing matte on your dry cheeks) and apply a pressed or loose powder over your oily t-zone to set it (avoid your dry cheeks, it might set into the dryness and cause it to look worse). Use a cream based bronzer or blusher to contour your cheeks and use your fingers to blend. MAC have a lovely Skinfinish but it's quite expensive (lasts forever) which is pressed powder and should be applied with a good brush but most cream based products look better applied with fingers.

For a truly flawless finish invest in a good foundation brush. It looks so much more natural blended with a brush rather than fingers or a sponge.

Im beginning to sound like a one woman promotion but you cant go wrong with Liz Earle.
The cleanse and polish suits all skin types, and the toner is lovely doesnt make your skin feel like its been stripped.
Try some oil to balance your skin (sounds odd i know but it doesnt make your skin greasy). Also its good for early lines
Second vote for the Barbara Daly primer at Tesco, its fab, feels lovely onbyour skin and makes a great base for your make up and hides lines.

I always pay lots for foundation because its your base and needs to be good. YSL brush foundation is my fave.
Powder, eyeshadow, blusher and lippy can be as cheap as you like.
Again splash on mascara and invest in some cheap eyelash curlers, had never used them until a couple of months ago but it makes a huge difference

Oooh, I'll have to give some of these a try! What sort of face mask would you suggest?

Daft question, where abouts do you apply blusher? I've tried putting it on, and end up looking like a doll with perfect circles, or like an 80's reject with stripes along the top of my cheekbones! If I put less on, I can't tell it's there at all if that makes sense! What colours/brand would you suggest for me please?

Any face mask will do. A 99p sachet to a £25 tube. Preferably one that moisturises.

Blush should go from the fat part of your cheeks up in a line to near your temples. Blend it outwards with a big fluffy round top brush. You're best with a rose pink or a peach as a bronzer, with or without shimmer (any will do, they often do Rimmel in the Poundshop). If you can afford it I'd go with NARS but it does the same job as a £3 one by Collection 2000. You can build up colour so don't go too nuts at first and if you overdo it, tone it down with powder.

What is BB cream? My skin is awful just now so I'm watching this thread with interest!

BB cream stands for Blemish Balm. The ones out in the UK aren't great at the moment (too light in coverage, too dark in colour and can make you look greasy instead of dewy). It's supposed to prime, mousturise and even out your skin tone with an added SPF. Similar to tinted moisturiser but with more coverage but not as heavy as foundation. Personally, it has nowhere near enough coverage for my liking so I use it as a primer for the added SPF benefit and use foundation over the top. I don't think I'd buy more when this tube runs out.

I agree with Moss, you really cannot go wrong with Liz Earle. You can buy trail size products and you can get skincare advice in store or over the telephone.

I love Liz Earle and Clinique do some great products too but by my standards they're expensive.

They are well outside my budget as well, I'm more of a tesco / boots own sort of budget!

A liz earle cleanser will only cost you £13 and will last over a month