Five fail-safe beauty products that work every time

There are some products that I will use down to the dregs every time – the ones that I’ll smash against the bathroom sink to get the last drops from. The ones I will all but weep for if they run out suddenly. The ones that make me feel better when I don’t feel great. The ones that make me feel myself.

In my job of testing and trying “the new thing”, so many products come and go without being finished. The ones that I use until they’re empty are serious business – they are rare, and they always lie at the intersection between beautiful and practical. Here are the products I have bought and rebought because they are better than their competitors.

I have worn winged eyeliner almost every day for 12 years. At this point, it feels like an extension of who I am. Having tried every eyeliner there is, I have settled on Signature de Chanel Intense Longwear Eyeliner Pen (€40 at Brown Thomas) as the GOAT (greatest of all time). Yes, it is so expensive, but it lasts longer than any other liner I have ever tried (I buy about two or three a year and wear it pretty much daily). It is deepest black, intensely reliable, and creates the cleanest line your heart can envisage.

Such a liner deserves only the most illustrious company, so I have taken to topping it off with the recent NARS Climax Mascara (€25 at Arnotts), which gives the fullest, fluffiest, blackest lashes I've had in a long time. It has none of your piffling rubber brushes, but a hefty, bristling traditional brush which gives me great comfort. I raced my way through a sample with purchase, vigorously wrestling the last of it out of the little tube, and then promptly bought the full size. I know that we will be very happy together.

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Another relative new addition but hearty favourite is Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer (€29 at Debenhams). The shade range is good, the texture is blendable, the size is enormous relative to other liquid concealers. Best of all, the contents of this tube could cover insurance fraud. When I wake up with much to conceal, this does the job inconspicuously. It can also be used as a foundation, alone (for very heavy coverage), or mixed with moisturiser.

Nothing, however, can steal the top spot from my all-time favourite foundation, Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation (€50 at Debenhams). It comes in a shade for everyone, and I recommend this to people who ask more than any other foundation. For coverage with a glowing finish that will result in compliments on your skin and not your makeup, there is nothing like it.

I love all of these products, but I equally love taking them off at the end of the day. Trilogy Rosehip Cleansing Oil (€23.95 at pharmacies nationwide) is a beautiful cleansing oil which emulsifies on contact with water, leaves skin entirely clean and comfortable, and is great for removing eye make-up. You could ask for nothing more.