I will be the first to admit I can be a bit of a make up snob, prefering MAC and Urban Decay over cheaper brands, but there are some budget brands and products out there that do a ten times better job than their high end counterparts. I have mainly found these products through reading the numerous beauty blogs I regularly visit.
The first of my cant live without products is Collection(2000) Lasting Finish Concealer. This is probably the most raved about concealer on the internet and for good reason. It comes packaged in a slim tube with a spongey doe foot applicator, like a lipgloss tube really. It is very similar to the Estee Lauder Double Wear concealer in terms of packaging and formulation. The product is a liquid that has serious lasting power. I have it in two shades, Light and Medium. I use the Light for under and around my eyes as it is slightly pink in tone and covers any dark circles and I use Medium, which is more yellow toned, on any blemishes and around my nose. I use the Real Techniques Setting brush to blend it in, as it is a lovely sized, soft fluffy brush which ensures it applies perfectly every time. I get a full days wear out of this product, which says a lot as my skin is quite oily and most products just slide off after a few hours. I have compared this to the Estee Lauder concealer and I have to be honest, I have never even noticed a difference between the two products. Apart from the price tag that is, the Collection Lasting Finish Concealer retails for around €6ish, while the Estee Lauder Double Wear is around €24. Needless to say I wont be buying the Estee Lauder one again!
Next up is a recent purchase, Boots 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive. This is another apparent blogger favourite, and is almost identical to my favourite MAC lipstick of all time, Hue.
This to me, is the perfect nude lipstick. Perfect for daytime, night-time with a strong smokey eye and everything in between. It is a slightly peachy pinky toned nude which works for my colouring but I know some girls find lip colours like these make them look a bit lifeless so it is not for everyone. Beehive is a very glossy lipstick with medium pigmentation, it needs frequent reapplication but I don't mind that too much. I feel it actually wears better than Hue, as it doesn't dry out my lips as much. I think Beehive retails for around the €7 mark (i shall be keeping receipts from now on!) which is a great price compared to €17.50 for Hue.
Finally, probably my most used and repurchased beauty item of all time, is Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Eyeliner. This has been a staple in my make up bag for years and I still love it as much as I did at the beginning. This is one of those products that I would never even bother trying to replace, because what is it they say, "if it aint broke don't fix it"! This to me is the perfect liquid eyeliner for creating a sleek cat-eye look, which is one of my signature looks. You can create as thin or as thick a line as you want, and once this liner is dry you don't need to worry about it smudging or flaking. A great thing about this liner is, if you make a mistake or mess up your flick, it is so easily fixed with a swipe of a cotton bud soaked in eye makeup remover, unlike some eyeliners I have used (I'm looking at you, Inglot matte gel liner!!). This is the perfect example of a great budget buy, as it will only set you back approx €7/8, and lasts for absolutely ages, I'd say I get at least a year out of mine, and I use this every day!
So all in all, some great cheap make up products are out there just waiting to be found, that give the high end brands a serious run for their money!
