After illness - Cheap but nice simple basic skin and make up - what should I have? I feel a bit lost!

[Happysea]

Hello, after a recent operation, weight gain and glandular fever I am feeling a little lost! Please help! I have been in quite a bit of pain and find that whilst I can't fit into my nicer clothes at the moment I would like to perfect my skin care and make up - preferably with lovely smelling but affordable luxuries!

So.... I don't want to be too adventurous as I would never keep it up but if you had a to have a list of nice but affordable skin care (late 30's - would love to look a little more Dewey rather than 'ill') what would you choose and which brands would you use?

Same for make up - I'm ok with eyes and lips but want to try and get my skin looking fresher and healthier not deathly! Which products would you choose?

Thanks for your help :-)

Oh and preferably to be bought online!

I have tried all sorts over the years and the best results for me now are with these. I am 40.

Superdrug pure gentle face wash used morning and night
Nip fab glycolic pads morning used and night
Superdrug 2 in 1 serum moisturiser, once a day

Make up is Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser. I don't use foundation anymore. It's expensive but the only ££ thing I buy. And it lasts me ages. There are some other good tinted moisturisers out there that are much cheaper but nothing else i tried was the right shade on me. Or looked as nice.
Maybelline great lash mascara
Maybelline / Rimmel /Boots neutral eye shadow for the day and a few darker sparklier ones for nights out
A cheapish blusher or bronzer
I do have a few lipsticks for nights out but I don't wear them in the day, I use a tinted lip balm thing
Sometimes eye liner for a night out
And that's about it.

Oh thank you so much! Amazon prime will Ben delivering the nip and tuck pads tomorrow! With the Laura mercier tinted foundation - is there one shade fits all or will I need to go into a shop and try them out? I have a Superdrug near me so will be heading there tomorrow :-) thank you xx

Nip and fab is also sold in Superdrug, Boots and some of the big supermarkets including Tesco. I buy it when it's 1/3 off, which is often.

I used the Nude shade for the Laura Mercier. I think there are a range of shades. If you can get to a stockist then get them to match you up, they will do a mini makeover aswell usually. The only stockist here is Space NK but they are in big department stores in cities etc. I just checked and I bought my last tube of it in August last year, and I'm just about to run out. So it lasts ages.

The most improvement I've seen is with the nip fab pads. They really hydrate my skin and smooth it out, which means I can get away with no foundation. Foundations and heavy make up give me spots which is annoying when my skin is actually quite dry and sensitive. All this has been resolved with using the glycolic pads.

Forgot to add, if you go to a Laura Mercier stockist they will give you a little sample bottle to take before you commit. They gave me one of the tinted moisturiser and two oyjee different foundations of theirs to try. Their foundations are great but for me they are full coverage and not something I would want to wear every day.

Bourjois CC cream is a lovely light base, it's a lot cheaper than LM and the shades are very limited but I love it.

I mention it because it makes me look fresher and healthier. It also lasts a long time imo.

Thank you old Joseph I shall look at that. Laura mercier does have fab reviews but is a little out of my price range at the moment, thanks!

I'd like to try it one day too but I can never justify the cost. Having said that I read (on here) someone saying that she found it oxidizes near the end of the tube. I think this means that it changes colour so is more orange and so is not going to match your skin colour, perhaps not necessarily the investment item. I only need one bad review to put me off.

If you go to Boots or Superdrug they'll have a Bourjois area with testers to try the different colours. Not a great range of colours but you might be lucky.

Origins drink it up mask is great for dewy skin - slap it on before you go to bed.