Makeup Talk: My Beauty Timeline

Age 12 - 14

Growing up my mom was a QVC junkie always obtaining the next new product, which was great fun for me as although I was never really allowed to 'play' with any of her luxury beauty products I still got to enjoy the occasional use of everything from holographic nail wraps (that looked like sellotape!) to the Blue Malva shampoo by Aveda that enhanced the red and blonde tones in my dark brown hair that I never even knew existed.
When my teenage years came around I decided that I wanted to start a makeup collection of my own which is where the Argos 'Vanity Set' came in.
My parents were quite strict about me not wearing makeup until I was older, but after many months of pleading and begging I finally got one for my birthday.
I couldn't find a photo of the exact one that I had anywhere online, but I remember it had an annoying 'swivel' packaging design which housed a plethora of muddy gray and blue chalks disguised as eyeshadow, and a selection of brown and red lipsticks.Unfortunately I acquired it just after starting secondary school, I had no idea what I was doing, and I distinctly remember experimenting with the awful selection of colours to make my own hybrid dark burgundy/brown creation. Shamefully I call this period of time my chav/goth look *shudders.*

Age 15 - 17

I somehow managed to get the Argos Vanity Set to last almost a year (ughh!) but once it was gone Superdug and Boots became my favorite shops. I was obsessed with Barry M Dazzle Dusts but was never brave enough to wear them, so I stuck to the nail polishes and still wear them to this day.
Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse was my first ever foundation after seeing it on Beyonce in the advert. I loved the results and am curious to try it out again for old times sake, as back then I had nothing to compare it to. 
Lou Lou perfume by Cacharel // Barry M Nail Paint // Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse // Tiger Balm // Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
The strangest product I remember everyone going mad for at school was Tiger Balm which was a vaseline like substance that's actual purpose was for muscle pain relief, but for some reason kids at school used to rub it under their eyes to create tears...? Oh yes, and lets not forget the double ended lengthening mascaras that made your lashes feel like hay. I still see those types of mascaras around and often wonder if the formula has been improved (let me know your thoughts?)
By the end of secondary school, I was very much into the whole emo/myspace thing so I wore black eyeliner every day which slowly diminished into a very minimal no makeup look. People used to compliment me on my skin a lot and say that I shouldn't wear makeup and despite feeling very insecure on the inside I taught myself to accept the good things that people say and completely stopped wearing makeup at all, all the way up until I was 18.

Age 18 - 22

Benefit was one of the first companies that lured me back into makeup, I loved the 50's and 60's theme of the brand, and at the time anything to do with vintage was right up my street. My favorite product had to be the Dr Feelgood balm which I would apply after foundation to give a flawless finish.
Later on I decided to apply for a job at Benefit, the interview process was nerve wracking but I got the job and spent time as a Benefit counter girl in Debenhams! (Let me know if you would like me to write a post on that experience)
And of course, I fell in love with MAC. During the collaboration with graffiti artist Fafi, I bought one of the limited edition figurines, a blush, and my first ever MAC foundation in NC42.
Photo from tumblr
The choice of eyeshadows always astounded me, but I was scared to step out of my 'natural look' comfort zone. To this day I have only ever owned three MAC eyeshadows. I'm hoping to try more in the future though as I've seen so many gorgeous swatches and makeup looks online over the years, so let me know your favourites.
It was the MAC brushes and lipsticks that won me over in the end, and and I trawled the internet in search of every piece of information I could find on them, which lead me to discovering beauty gurus like Fafinettex3 and Pixiwoo on Youtube.

23 - Present

Pretty much all of my makeup products sit neatly in this case. 'Don't buy what you don't need'  is a motto I like to abide by, but I often end up convincing myself that I need more!