Hi! So I thought since I've mentioned high end brands in my other posts so far that it was about time I balanced it out a bit and talked about really good affordable products (I'm sticking to makeup, because it would be hard to talk about skincare as well and fit into a list of ten products!) They're all available at your local Boots or Superdrug unless stated otherwise, and they're all in no particular order. For each product I'll mention if there's a high end product it compares to and if I have any minor gripes with it. Enjoy!
1. Collection Ultimate Wear Lasting Perfection Concealer, £4.19
I'm starting with an obvious one! I mentioned this in my last post as I'm currently trying out the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and I'm curious to see how it compares with this. This concealer is really, really good - there's a reason it gets so much hype in the beauty community (blogs and YouTube.) It gives you a high coverage and doesn't look cakey. It can sometimes be drying and settle into fine lines under my eyes, but other than that this concealer is amazing. I've repurchased it many times.
Here is a swatch along with the NARS one. The NARS concealer is making the Collection concealer look kind of orange but it's not! The fairest shade is a good match for my skin tone.
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| Top: Collection. Below: NARS. |
2. Seventeen Falsifye HD Mascara, £6.99
I think Seventeen are a bit underrated - I don't tend to hear much hype about their products in the beauty community, which is a shame as they do some really great products, especially mascaras. This one is definitely one of the best mascaras I've tried from the high street (it's also only available from Boots) it just applies beautifully - the brush and formula are both ideal for layering this mascara for as much impact as you want, and it never clumps or smudges. This mascara is brilliant at making your eyelashes look really long, and the brush actually reminds me a bit of Max Factor's Masterpiece Max Mascara which is also a great mascara - so I definitely know what kind of brush works for me! I had the shade Brown/Black here but I've now repurchased it in 'Blackest Black'.
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3. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 910 Shocking Coral, £6.99
This lipstick is beautiful and really good quality - it reminds me of MAC lipsticks. In fact when these first came out I heard that one of the shades in this range was a great dupe for MAC's Candy Yum Yum, a super bright and quite unique colour that used to be limited edition but is now permanent. It was LE when the Maybelline one came out and swatching it in Superdrug I was very tempted to buy it but I didn't because I already had a perfectly nice bright lippie (see here) I also wasn't sure if such a daring colour would suit me! So I picked this up instead, and it is gorgeous. Coral lipsticks sometimes don't suit pale skin that well but this one is very pretty and would suit a lot of different skin tones I think. It's quite bright but still a wearable shade, especially when we get to Spring/Summer!
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| Nice packaging - and see below for a swatch! |
This is my go-to red lipstick. It is a very sophisticated, darkish red which I like to wear for any slightly posh events I might go to (along with a little black dress!) This lipstick is really impressive in its staying power. I have lots of other lipsticks that claim to stay on for a long time but just don't, whereas this one can stay put quite well even when I'm having a meal. Of course I do still top up when I'm having a meal, but I don't need to apply much because the pigmentation is really good. It smells quite strongly (I'm not sure of what - maybe fruit?!) but that doesn't put me off.
This lipstick is also currently available in limited edition Red Nose Day packaging with £1.67 going to Comic Relief with every purchase of this, so now is a great time to pick one up!
5. L'Oreal Paris GlamShine Stain Splash in Romy, £7.99
It's another lip product - I couldn't help myself! I was torn between choosing this or Seventeen's Mirror Shine Lipstick in Belle (another product that I've had so long that they've changed the packaging) Because both are lip products that stay in my handbag for me to top up and/or randomly select if I didn't get time to apply anything on my lips before heading out! They are both such beautiful pinks that go with any makeup look. I chose the L'oreal one in the end because I think it generally stays on longer than the Seventeen one, although I don't think it stains unfortunately. I still wouldn't mind owning other colours from this range though because it's a lovely product.
Both Romy and Belle are slightly unusual - Belle is technically a lipstick but looks kind of like a gloss on the lips. Romy is also more of a lipgloss but is more watery than Belle, hence the 'splash' in the name. As a side note I think there used to be a lot of hype around Beehive from the Mirror Shine Lipstick range and it was always sold out, but I own Beehive, and while it's a nice nude shade, I prefer Belle as it's a more flattering shade on me.
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| From top to bottom: L'oreal Romy, Maybelline Shocking Coral, and Rimmel Kate. |
6. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation, £9.99
This foundation is brilliant - and almost certainly my favourite high street foundation. It may be the most expensive product on my list, but it's worth every penny. It is such great quality that you can tell that it's made by the same people who make Chanel makeup (Chanel are also said to do great foundations, I've never tried any but I wonder how similar they are to the Bourjois ones?!) I've had this for a long time and checking on Boots.com I can see that they've made the packaging a bit nicer (but hopefully not changed the actual product!) The old packaging I have is a little cheap looking but there's nothing wrong with it - I like that it has a pump, and that you can see how much you've used up. I have used up a lot of it because it's awesome - medium coverage, smells fruity, and looks flawless. I've found that it works best when applied with my fingers. I have the lightest shade as per usual and it's a great match for my skin (the shades are a bit yellowy, though.) This foundation makes some unusual claims about the fruity stuff in it: "Apricot for radiance, Melon for hydration, Apple to protect your youth." I don't really know what they're on about, but it is definitely a nice radiant foundation.
The only negative thing I can say about this foundation is the staying power - Bourjois claim it stays on for up to 16 hours but I really doubt that it would stay on that long unless you maybe used both primer and powder - especially if you have oily skin like me. I think this worked better with my skin when it was normal and not so oily and blemish-prone like it is lately. Back in like 2012 it seemed to wear off mainly if I got a bit hot and sweaty on nights out (sorry if that's a bit TMI.) It also doesn't have an SPF which might be a downside for some people but personally I like that about it as it means it's been my foundation of choice for every single night out in which I might get my photo taken with flash photography.
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| Swatched and Blended |
7. Sleek Powder Blush in Rose Gold, £4.99
This is such a gorgeous strawberry pink and extremely good quality for the price! This is supposed to be a good dupe for the famous NARS Orgasm Blush - I don't own the NARS one to compare them but Elese Dowden compares them here and actually recommends the Sleek one! The NARS blush is £23 so that's an £18 price difference!
So as much as I'd love to own the Orgasm blush I don't think there's any need for me to get it considering the Sleek one is so similar and possibly better. Personally I prefer to wear this blush for night-time makeup rather than during the day as it is a bit glittery, but other than that this is such a lovely blush! I've seen gurus recommending the Sleek blush palettes but I haven't purchased any since they all seem to have this colour in already (or a very similar one with a different name!)
8. Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in Pink Gold, £4.99
I have no idea if this eyeshadow would really stay on for 24 hours (Who wears their makeup that long?!) but this is a really good product and I definitely want to try some more shades from this range sometime! This colour was a bit of risk for me as I wasn't sure if its pinkiness would make me look tired, but it leans more purple than pink on the eyelids and looks great with my blue eyes. Again I've heard about it being a dupe for a high end product - in this case I've heard these eyeshadows being compared to MAC Paint Pots. I don't own any MAC Paint Pots to compare them but this eyeshadow is really great quality - it's pigmented, creamy, and applies nicely.
9. Rimmel Scandal Eyes Eyeshadow Stick in Tempting Turquoise, £4.49
I own a brown shade from this range as well but I seem to have misplaced it! Anyway, admittedly I don't get that much use of this bright colour since it's a bit much for every day, but when I do wear it I love how it makes my eyes stand out. Turquoise is an unusual choice for me but somehow it works. I also love how these sticks can be used as an eyeliner or eyeshadow. The pigmentation and overall quality of these is amazing. It's also another one that claims to stay on for 24 hours (and Rimmel also say it's waterproof) but I'm afraid I can't tell you if either of those claims are true - that said, I have never experienced any problems with creasing, smudging or fading - it stays put really well and is just as intense at the end of the night as it was when it was first applied.
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| Me wearing the Rimmel eyeshadow stick. Ignore my sunburnt nose and streaks of face paint! |
10. Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Touch in Soft Pink, £6.99
I'm not going to lie, I've neglected this blush a bit - my skin becoming oilier has meant that I've generally favoured powder blushes to cream blushes. But a while ago I dug this out of my collection after a beauty vlogger mentioned it, and now (as long as my skin is behaving itself) I love using it. It is a beautiful pink and goes really well with my fair complexion. The only downside to this product is that to me it's overpriced - £7 for a blush would be fine normally, but this one is literally the size of a £2 coin! So I'd definitely recommend keeping an eye out for the £2 off or '3 for 2' on Max Factor offers that come around occasionally.
Hope you enjoyed this post, please let me know if you have any amazing makeup products under a tenner that you'd like to recommend, I love trying new things! x
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