On my face this week #1

As a busy Primary School teacher who has little time during the week to spend on applying make up, i find that using good quality and reliable products is the only answer. In order to get a fresh faced look every day without spending a long time applying make up i believe a good primer and mascara are essential. I spend a great chunk of my time testing and changing my beauty products (in fact this is where i spend most of my wages!) and in the last two weeks I've discovered a primer and mascara that i absolutely love.

Clarins Instant smooth perfecting touch make up base has been an essential in my make up routine for the last month or so and since discovering it i have not been able to stop using it. It's definitely going to become a permanent fixture in my make up bag. I find some primers to be quite greasy and heavy, but this is absolutely fantastic. It has a very smooth texture which feels very light when applied to the skin. A little bit goes a long way and the small spatula that comes with this product gives you the perfect amount to use on your skin. I use a small amount of this underneath my foundation, and i find it really brightens my skin. It helps my make up to glide on without clogging up my pores. I have also found on days where i'm in a real rush (after snoozing the alarm several times) or i'm feeling lazy i can wear this product without any other make up and my skin looks instantly fresher. I'm a big fan of Clarins products but this is one i would definitely say is an essential to any girl with little time on her hands.

Chanel Inimitable Mascara is my next beauty love, and this was definitely my big purchase of last week! At £23 for this product i was expecting big things and i was not disappointed. With most mascaras i find that it takes me a little while to get used to them and i spend the first few days pining for my old mascara. However as soon as this product touched my eyelashes i forgot all about my other mascaras. Rather than concentrating on one aspect as most mascaras do, this product promises 'Volume, length, curl and separation' and it delivers all four. I only need to apply one layer of this mascara for it to do it's job and the effect is dramatic. I prefer a slightly thicker lash as i don't wear any other eye make up but this often means i end up with clumpy lashes. However the very thin bristles on the brush means there's no chance of that happening. This product stays on all day without flaking or fading away, and it doesn't give me panda eyes!

Clarins smooth perfecting touch - £26 

  Chanel Inimitable Mascara - £23