beauty

CULT BUY: Holly Wainwright's favourite face serum is... a supermarket oil.

This wonderful nugget of beauty wisdom comes courtesy of Mamamia’s beauty podcast, You Beauty

For this week’s In Her Bag, Leigh Campbell rummaged through Holly Wainwright’s beauty bag to find out what products she loves.

Holly Wainwright is Mamamia’s Head of Content and the wonderful host of podcasts Mamamia Out Loud and This Glorious Mess. She’s also an author of two very good books, The Mummy Bloggers and How To Be Perfect.

Listen to Holly’s full interview on You Beauty below. To ensure you never miss an episode, listen to You Beauty here for free. It’s a blast.

A few months ago, Mamamia’s Head of Content Holly Wainwright was minding her own business wandering the shelves in a pharmacy in Singapore when a woman came up to her and demanded she touch her face.

You need this,” the pharmacy assistant told the journalist and author, holding a bottle of oil in Holly’s face. When Holly hesitated, she insisted she feel her face, at which point Holly realised this stranger had the most beautiful, soft skin she’d ever felt. The woman then said she was 62 years old, and that 100 per cent Grapeseed oil was her skin saviour.

Naturally, Holly bought it immediately and has been using it ever since instead of a fancy face serum.

This was just one of the interesting stories Holly shared when she sat down with Mamamia’s executive editor and beauty journalist Leigh Campbell on the You Beauty podcast. Rummaging through her beauty bag, Leigh also discovered Holly is a bit of an undercover boujee beauty addict.

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From the $100 cleanser that makes her feel like she’s in heaven, to concealer she relies on to make it look like she wasn’t wrangling two small children all night long, here’s what we found among Holly’s favourite beauty products.

Holly Wainwright’s go-to beauty products.

Gentle Foaming Cleanser, $40.

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Image: Clarins.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold, $59.95.

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Image: Sephora.
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Sky Organics 100 per cent Grapeseed Oil, $19.

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Image: iHerb.
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Why she loves them:

"I'm a self-confessed cleanser slut. I love using fancy cleansers - I'm using a Clarins cleanser that I got with a gift with purchase right now, but to be honest, I'll grab whatever is closest. I'd never thought about chemical exfoliation before and I used to be quite lazy with it, but the Alpha-H Liquid Gold is great. I've always had milia, the white bumps under my eyes, I thought I'd have to learn to live with those for the rest of my life, but I've been using this twice a week and they have gone. It's changed my face."

"My face oil/serum has a story... we were in a pharmacy in Singapore and this lady came up to me and said 'you need this', and it was a Grapeseed oil. She said 'feel my face' and I did, she had beautiful skin. She was 62, and said I should buy the grapeseed oil. I bought it. I've been using it every night instead of a serum."

Side note - Holly uses Evans Grapeseed Oil, however it isn't available in Australia.

Olay Total Effects 7 in One Day Cream Normal Moisturiser with SPF 15, $32.99.

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Image: Olay.
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VOTARY Intense Eye Oil-Tuberose and Retinoid, $230.

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Image: Votary.
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Amorepacific MOISTURE BOUND Skin Energy Hydration Delivery System, $39.

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Image: Mecca.
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Why she loves them:

"When it comes to day creams, I slut around a bit too. I'll use something expensive or affordable, but I really, really like Olay. I also use a spritz from a Korean brand, it's heaven. I spritz it on before moisturiser as Leigh said you should put your skincare on slightly damp skin. The eye area is very important for me as I'm getting older, but since I've been using this very expensive eye oil that you roll and dab on at night, I feel like the area looks better. I've now got dewy wrinkles."

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, $99.

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Image: Giorgio Armani.
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IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Concealer, $40.

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Image: Sephora.

Benefit Roller Liner in Brown, $38.

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Image: Sephora.
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NARS Climax Mascara, $37.

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Image: MECCA.
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NARS Lipstick, $43.

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Image: Mecca.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Lips, $49.

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Image: Charlotte Tilbury.
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Why she loves them:

"I've been using the Giorgio Armani foundation for years. It's a grown up foundation and I've never found another one I've liked as much. It's boujee, but it's the best. (Holly also likes the Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation.) I really struggle with concealer and finding the right one, a makeup artist recommended the IT Cosmetics one and so far, so good. I'm fair naturally, so mascara is my must-have and I don't leave the house without it. I've tried a million and I used to love Too Faced Better Than Sex but it suddenly reformulated. I use NARS Climax and it's great, and I do a fine line on my upper lash line with Benefit Roller Liner in Chocolate Brown to give my upper lash line some definition. I'm also still searching for the perfect lipstick. I want something a little bit bold, but not too much. I love NARS lipsticks, I'm currently using the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Lips and it stays on well."

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Dove Summer Glow Body Lotion Fair to Medium, $10.99.

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Image: Woolworths.

EcoTan Winter Skin Gradual Tan, $29.95.

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Image: EcoTan.
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Why she loves them:

"I'm quite fair, so I prefer a gradual tanner. I like Dove Summer Glow, I've used it for years, so much so, I've become so accustomed to the fake tan smell. I've recently moved to Eco Tan."

Keratin hair straightening, done in-salon.

Why she loves it:

"My hair is really thick and wavy, and at the back, it's kinky and frizzy. I discovered keratin a few years ago, it can cost me around $400-500 and it takes a long time, four hours in the salon, but it buys me time in the long run."

Holly's Spendy: Eve Lom Cleanser, $109.

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Image: Mecca.
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Why she loves it:

"It's an iconic cleanser, you use it with a muslin cloth and it is heaven. If I ever feel like I need a treat, I'm buying this. I love it so much."

Holly's Savey: Vaseline Jelly Lip Balm Tin Rosy Lips, $4.99.

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Image: Chemist Warehouse.
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Why she loves it:

"I'm addicted to lip balm, if I'm separated from my lip balm, I begin to obsess about it and how dry my lips are. I love the Vaseline tinted ones in the metal tins, they give you just the right amount of colour and shine."

Do you use any of Holly's favourite beauty products? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

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