Fur Coat, No Knickers

Whenever I’m hashtag blessed to go to Las Vegas with work, it’s Walgreens where all my money goes. Not for me the bright lights of the Fashion Show Mall and Premium Outlets. Nuh-uh. Send me to the drugstore with $100 and I’m all set. [Previous year, here.]

I was pretty slack this year because, actually, most of my money went on gym kit in Nike (I know, you’ve changed), but here’s what made it home with me.

1. Secret Antiperspirant – That’s right, roll-on deodorant. I needed new deo and Cindy Crawford recommended this one on Into The Gloss. Who are we to argue with what Cindy says? Does she look like someone who stinks? Nope, nope she does not. This smells like baby powder and now I think I’m right in saying that I’m 5% closer to looking like Cindy.

2. Pomada De La Campana – What’s this hipster pot ya got there, Gibbo? Nope, not some hipster hair wax but, in fact, some kinda Mexican equivalent of E45 that stinks. Much like my beloved E45 and Savlon, you can use this on anything and it seems to do the trick. Full disclaimer: I bought it for the packaging. Equal disclaimer: it’s a really good all-rounder that I’ve so far used as a hand cream, cuticle cream and lip balm with pretty decent results. It was like, two bucks.

3. Revlon Skinlights – Hands down the best drugstore illuminator. Don’t waste your money on anything more expensive. Shimmer-free, glowy skin and half the price of its high-end equivs – there’s also an impressive array of shades.

4. Maui Babe After Browning – Discovered this in Hawaii, but the ABC store in Las Vegas sells it too. [Side-note: love that ABC exists only in Hawaii and LV – it’s like Walgreens but with added amazing food, Hello Kitty souvenirs and sarongs.] I’m not great with fake tan these days, but if you have an actual tan, this is a great accelerator to make it deeper and help it last longer. I am obsessed with Lancaster Tan Maximiser, but this is equally good, and smells like a holiday.

5. Marula Oil – You can’t buy this yet. It’s one of the reasons I was out in LV and it’s brilliant – and you’ll find out more next year.

6. Paul Mitchell Ultimate Color Repair Triple Repair – Another reason I was in LV. This is the finishing step in a three-part new colour preserving range and is the perfect leave-in. Genuinely speeds up blow-drying time (yes please) and makes even the most knackered hair (hi!) shiny. Love it.

7. Marc Jacobs Twinkle Pop – I love the MJ Beauty line – really great products and colour pay-off and super-smart packaging. This is an eye colour stick and the kind of thing that you can just stick on in a second and be ready to go. I got Au Revoir which is a rose-gold shade and nicely shimmery. Just need a tiny smear and you’ve got the perfect sparkly eye. Magic stuff.

8. Tony Moly Panda’s Dream So Cool Eye Stick – Yeah, I had to buy this. Urban Outfitters is doing a smart job bringing Korean beauty brands in store. This is supposed to cool your eyes after a long day starting at your computer and do you know what? I think it does quite a nice job, and it does seem to make you look a bit perkier. LBR, the results are not why I bought this though, are they?

9. Benefit They’re Real Push Up Liner – I’m the latest sucker to try this thing. Hmm. It’s definitely easy to handle and the black is nice and black, but I don’t think it’s quite as foolproof as they claim. I’ve used every liner under the sun over the years and it took me about two minutes to figure out how to make this work. I mean, maybe I’m a dummy. But I’ve tried a lot! I eventually realised that the black gloop stuff was spiralling out like a snake indoor firework and I’d wasted a bunch, which was kind of annoying. I did a decent cat-eye pretty easily, but whether that’s down to the tool or my own steady hand, who knows? I think I’ll be sticking with a brush and gel pot, tbh. Stayed in place well, though. May have ruined a bathroom flannel or two attempting to remove it.