Pretty packaging, hero products, must-have purchases…make-up is a subject we could spend hours chatting about. Everyone has their tried and tested buys and in a bid to find out more about the best way to get bang for your buck, we decided it was time to call in a little expertise. Beauty bloggers make it their business to trial run products and are up to date with the latest releases before they even hit the shelves. In a new weekly feature, we’re going to quiz beauty bloggers on their make-up essentials and why these are the products they return to time and time again. This week we're chatting to Ciara Andrews of Piccolo Lovely

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Choosing my favourite beauty products is always tough as I’m always trying something new and my makeup seems to be constantly on rotation. I’ve chosen the products that have established themselves in my everyday routine, the bits I find myself reaching for every morning and that I know are gonna work for me. These are my beauty bag essentials and ‘couldn’t live without’ products. Ace of Base Max Factor’s Facefinity primer is one of the best I’ve ever used. I love the lightweight consistency and it leaves my skin shine free all day, my foundation lasts longer and pores look teeny; all that and it’s got SPF 20. God knows I love a good multi-tasker. I find MAC’s Matchmaster foundation a bit like a less full coverage version of Studio Fix Fluid and I’m loving it for day-to-day wear. It’s got a demi-matte finish and uses very fancy sounding shade intelligence technology to match with your natural skin tone. Even if that all sounds a bit gimmicky, I wear shade 1 and it’s a perfect match for my fair skin and stays put all day. I’ve been in love with Collection’s Lasting Perfection concealer for a long time now. Any blogger worth their salt knows this stuff is the business. It provides high coverage and lasts ages and ages, hiding a multitude of sins and it only costs a fiver. Win! MAC Mineralize Skinfinish is my ultimate powder. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve repurchased this over the years and I’m delighted they’ve recently changed up the packaging and included a mirror. It leaves a lovely weightless finish that never looks chalky or too matte. Powder is the one product I always touch up throughout the day so I always have a powder brush knocking around my handbag. The Real Techniques retractable Kabuki brush is so handy as it doesn’t pick up any dirt in your bag and is great for dabbing on powder. Cheeks and Lips The Body Shop’s Honey Bronze has made me a total bronzer convert. When you’re as fair as I am it can be difficult to find bronzer/contour shades that suit your skin tone. I use the lightest shade in this and its perfect for my pale skin, it adds warmth and definition to my face without looking too orange. Another cheeky product I’ve been using every day is Sleek’s Blush by Three palette. It’s a combination of two powders and one cream blush. They provide a lovely, natural finish and blend really well. I love Pink Lemonade and the peachy shade looks great with the Body Shop bronzer. You can’t beat MAC when it comes to lipstick. Modesty is my favourite neutral lip colour, it’s a dusty pink shade in a creamsheen formula and I wear it with MAC’s Subculture liner for the perfect nude lip. I also love No7’s High Shine crayon in Delicate Pink for hydrating day-to-day colour. One sure way of taking any makeup look from day to night is to add a red lip. Charlotte Tilbury’s lipsticks are so gorgeous and the packaging is so glamorous; every girl needs to have one in her stash. So Marilyn is my favourite red lipstick, it’s a deep, blue based red that has a satin finish and looks so, so elegant. Charlotte Tilbury’s Lip Cheat liners are indispensible and create a lovely, defined lip shape. The Eyes Have It I like to keep it simple for my day-to-day eye makeup. Revlon’s Colorstay quads are brilliant; they are budget friendly but still great performers. I love Addictive which has some great neutral shades and boasts some serious staying power. Maybelline’s Colour Tattoo and Rimmel’s Scandaleyes Shadow Sticks are both long lasting too. These are great for makeup in a hurry or done on the go as they can be applied and blended with fingers for a nice wash of colour across the lids, no brushes necessary. No7’s Stay Perfect Amazing Eyes pencil in brown is a recent addition but one I’ve been using almost every day. My brows are in the awkward growing out stage as I try not to go at them with a tweezers. Sleek’s brow kit is perfect for taming my brows and adding definition; it’s not unlike Benefit’s Browzings but is half the price. My all time favourite mascara is Lancôme Hypnôse. I’ve repurchased it over and over and even though I’ve tried plenty of other mascaras that were great, this one has my heart. It adds length and volume to lashes without ever clumping or flaking.   If you're a beauty blogger and want to tell us all about your beauty dos and dont's, drop a line to our girl Cathy at cathy.donohue@her.ie