What ONE beauty product would you never be without?

[fromthevault]

I'm going to try and do a no-buy / low-buy 2025 and really pare down the products I buy / use in the future. I think I'm pretty low-maintenance anyway, but even I seem to have accumulated a ton of (probably mostly unnecessary) stuff.

Looking at my stash today I was trying to work out what my 'desert island' product would be and tbh I think it might just have to be a big old tub of Vaseline! Cheap, versatile, but not exactly exciting. So just out of interest, what's your 'if I can only buy one thing this year' product?

My tub of Cetaphil cream with the green top. About as boring as Vaseline!

Prescription Tret.

Foundation

I think it would need to be Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream. I use it on my feet and face about every five days or so, I dint use another moisturiser now, and the difference in my facial skin is astonishing, it looks lovely. I have a mild glow,and no dry skin, and no hard skin on my feet either . I also use it as a lip balm and the skin on my lips is so much better. You also only need a tiny amount.

Also coconut oil.

Mascara

Yes, another vote for big tub of Vaseline

@Shrinkingrose I used to use 8-hour cream a lot too but DH moaned about the smell too much, especially if I used it as lip balm 😄

Yes it does stink, but it wears off very quickly I find. Not sure if they’ve alerted the formulation, but my last tube, the one I’m currently using the smell isn’t as strong,

I would probably also choose the green cetaphil, use it for face and body. Sunscreen would be a very close second.

I love my elemis pro-collagen cleansing balm. Also for everything else, sudocrem

Obaji oil drops, it's the only moisturiser that allows me to use acne creams without my skin looking dry.

I would say tretinoin but it’s a bit pointless with sunscreen as well.

NARS tinted moisturiser.

Same! It had taken a few years off my face

Black eyeliner pencil and decent sharpener Barry M, Kiko and Kylie Cosmetics are good.

Where can I get this?😊

sunscreen

Elizabeth Arden Advanced night repair serum

Pestle & mortar double system cleanser - Erase first, then Renew followed by Hydrate moisturiser. It has utterly transformed my v problematic skin & i would never use anything else

I got some Elizabeth Arden advanced night repair eye gel in a set at Christmas so I'm trying that out for the first time & hoping it works

The sensible me says Revolution Miracle Cream which, aptly, is a miracle!
The vain me says mascara.

@fromthevault Elizabeth Arden now make an unfragranced 8 hour, same size and price as regular. I think it's called light fragrance rather than none. But it doesn't have the perfume, so the chemically smell is much reduced.

I second this. Tretinoin without a doubt. You get a glow/glassy skin and it reduces fine lines and pigmentation. It's the equivalent of 4 or 5 over-the-counter products listed above in one. My friends and I order from Monderma and Skin+me. Lets hope tazarotene becomes available in the UK soon as well.

Mascara too. I hate Vaseline. It’s horrible and greasy and doesn’t do anything for me.

Collection pen eyeliner, Maybelline foundation to powder cream and Maybelline 24 hour lip colour that you paint on like ink and then add the lip balm.

Am I doing something wrong with this. I use it and 2 days later my skin peels. Really badly! When it clears up I try again. I’ve tried layering it, oils, everything. It’s been months and I’m only on the first tub from dermatica (I’ve got three delivered now as haven’t been able to use it often). How can I get the glowy skin?!!!