Cosmetics on a budget - Pros & Cons!!

Cosmetics on a budget! All products featured in this post came to £4 or under, and were bought in person. Enjoy!

FACE - Essence now sell what appears to be a Maybelline Dream Matt Mousse dupe, but for £3.80 it (unexpectedly) delivers some awesome results! It's a full coverage foundation; however a generous is needed to achieve this! I would also advise that a large amount of moisturiser is required before and after use (if you don't already). I found that, although it is a smooth & mousse like texture, the product really dried my skin out.

LIPS - Spring/Summer 2015 is all about nudes and pastels, so i bought this lipstick from Essence and I love love love everything about it! I paid just £2.30, which is a great buy because this product can be ued both day & night! The texture feel great; A lipstick that doesn't dry out your lips, manages to add moisture and lasts more than 10 minutes!! If you're looking for something that's fairly pastel, but want to add a little bit of shine, then this Lip Butter Pencil from Collection 2000 is for you! Currently available in 4 different colours, and retailing at £2.99, which makes it an awesome buy!

EYES - I love this dupe of Benefit's 'Gimme Brow' Eyebrow Mascara from Essence, and at a RRP price of £2.49 what's not to love! I've not actually used Benefit's eyebrow mascara before, because it's such an expensive buy! But that doesn't mean I didn't spot some obvious differences. For one, the price in comparison to the real thing, the size of the bristles, and lastly the amount of liquid in one tube! After conducting a little bit of research, and testing this item from Essence, I don't think I'll need to buy Benefit's version! See the results below for yourself :) 

I managed to nab this eye shadow pallet in the sale for just £1 (originally £2), which means I paid just under 13p for 8 different colours!! Can you guess where from?...Primark! To make a smokey eye effect I used 3 different colours, and the back of my hand. By using a brush and applying the colours in a small circular motion, I was easily able to create this effect. If you don't want to break the bank trialling what brushes work best for you, then have a look online at different product providers & read reviews 

before actually hitting the shops.             










My favourite purchase from this budget post is a mascara from Primark (see below). I bought this black tube (top left) for just £1, which made my eyelashes very flat and clump together! BUT my trip wasn't a total disappointment; I bought this 'Lash Defining' Mascara from Primark for £2, which I would recommend to everybody! My eyes looked really bright and open, my eyelashes looked amazing & extra-long, and lastly, they didn't clump together. The perfect consistency. 

•               Unfortunately, cosmetics from Essence aren't available online, but click the link below to check your local stockist http://www.essence.eu/uk/store-finder/ 


• Click here to find out where you can purchase Collection 2000 http://www.essence.eu/uk/store-finder/
• MUA products can be purchased at your local Superdrug store, or online here http://www.muastore.co.uk/

•  P.S Love Make-up (Primark) items can only be purchased in-store, click here to find your closest store - http://www.primark.com/en/our-stores
  

  

  
  

 Please feel free to comment if you found this review helpful, or if you have any suggestions for future blog posts!

Thanks for reading,

Yvette Marie xo

 

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Review: Benefit Roller Lash Macara

OK there has been a lot of hype about this product, so I just had to get my hands on the latest edition of ELLE magazine, which comes with an exclusive and FREE 30g sample of Benefit's latest mascara - not currently available anywhere else.

Without further ado, let’s get on to talking about this latest release from Benefit cosmetics, the Roller Lash mascara which you may have guessed from the packaging (and just about every beauty lover mentioning it these last couple of weeks!) 

I would like to start off this review by saying how much I LOVE the packaging. 

      Both the mascara and box itself. The box is a pretty pink, with curly black writing, and the mascara carries a similar theme with a metallic pink lid and black tube.

When I first opened the mascara and saw the shape of the bristles I was instantly looking forward to giving this item a test. The bristles are very curly and not as extreme in comparison to a lot of other mascara's out there, potentially this could be a good thing (the whole 'less is more' rule). So as products go, I was pretty excited about trying it out.

The first coat I applied appeared to have a small effect but as the packaging promises, my eyelashes did have a small curl. I found that after applying a second coat (once the first coat had COMPLETELY dried) my eyelashes looked a lot darker and curled. Whilst this mascara does lift your lashes, I actually found that it's quite a sticky mascara which felt a little heavy, and made my lashes clump together.

If i had to rate this product, I'd give it a 7/10. I love the packaging!! I think this mascara works a lot better if either two coats are applied, or if it was to maybe dry out a little bit and used again in a couple of week’s time. I will still use this mascara, as I do like the effect it gives my eyelashes regardless of the clumping, however I would probably be a little bit disappointed if I was to purchase the full size version at full price. I reckon there are a lot more products out there, which can give better results for a lower cost.

I definitely think it is worth buying mini sized products, especially as this was only £4 (which is pretty good going for a Benefit cosmetic) plus that £4 also buys you a 500 page fashion magazine which is always a easy read. This product has received a lot of hype, and I think that can have an effect on people and make them feel like they have to have something (regardless of the price tag).

More Benefit products are available from https://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/

Please feel free to comment if you found this review helpful or if you have any suggestions for future blog posts!

Thanks for reading,

Yvette Marie xo

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