Drugstore Diamonds

As you all know, I don’t discriminate when it comes to the drugstore. Some products are, of course, duds but sometimes you find some diamonds in the rough. Here are the ones I reach for;

Covergirl Lashblast Volume Mascara. Someone once told me that it isn’t necessarily the formula of the mascara that’s important, but the wand. I have been using this mascara for over four years and I’m yet to find something else from the drugstore that I prefer over it. The wand is a rubber/silicone sort of deal, rather than a spoolie/brush style, and for me that makes a huge difference. I’ve included a picture of a brand new, never opened package so you can see the wand perfectly. It’s easy to use, doesn’t clump and because the brush has the flex that rubber offers, it’s easy to remove some product from the wand in order to ensure no clumps. I find that you can tell when a mascara is coming to the end of its life because it seems to clump more and more on the brush as it starts to dry out.

Maybelline Define & Fill Duo. This is my current go to brow product. I’ve yet to find something that works as well as this one does, is as inexpensive and a perfect shade match. It’s easy to use, pigmented and lasts all day. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially a beginner brow-er (yes I just made up that word), because it is such a great product.

Physicians Formula MuruMuru Butter Bronzer. If you’ve read my bronzer post you’ll know this is one of my faves already. It’s buttery soft, the perfect shade for my skin tone and blends effortlessly. It’s subtle enough for beginners but can be built up for a really healthy glow. It’s a little pricey for the drugstore but for the amount of product you get and the quality it’s a definite winner!

Rimmel Provocalips 16HR Lip Colour. This lipstick is the absolute bomb diggity. It lasts the proclaimed sixteen hours, it’s the epitome of matte lipsticks and has a great shade range for my tastes. It doesn’t feel drying on the lips either, quite the opposite in fact. When I did a wear test with this lipstick I was so impressed I went and bought 4 more shades. I ate greasy food, drank from glasses and of course kissed and it didn’t transfer AT ALL!

Sukin Paw Paw Ointment. This is a handbag staple. I keep it on hand at all times and often wear it in lieu of lipstick with my everyday makeup. Because of my love for matte lipsticks my lips sometimes need some nourishment and this is my go to. It comes in a tube, another thing I love about it, so no dipping in and getting it under your fingernails or having to always carry tissues to clean off your finger after application.

Chi Chi Cosmetics Ombré Blush. This one is another staple, for a few reasons. Most obvious (to me anyway) is the number of blushes you get for the price point. 9 in total, with 6 individual and 3 with an ombré effect. A must have for anyone but especially for someone new to blush. The shades are all beautiful and most importantly for beginners, subtle. Easily blended and buildable.

BYS Contour Stick and BYS Contour On the Go Palette. As most of you probably remember, I’m not a contour everyday person but if I was, this would be my go to product. It’s ridiculously inexpensive for the quality and amount of product you get and what I love about it is that it has cool undertones. I’m quite fair and find most contour products run to warm for me, but not this one. It’s a cream formula so those with dry skin will love it and easily blended without looking obvious.

Australis Translucent Powder. I love this powder to have in my little makeup kit in my handbag. It’s great for touch ups on the go and is available in loose or pressed powder. I prefer the pressed option for my handbag and also love it for setting the under eyes. It’s a white powder (hence the name translucent) so my only warning could be that it possibly causes flashback. I use a foundation that contains SPF so I’m unsure if it’s the foundation or the powder that causes the flashback.

E.L.F Baked Highlighter. I love these highlighters. Beautiful finish, buildable and pigmented. My only criticism, as I said in my highlighter post, is the top layer that needs to be scraped off in order to get that gorgeous glow. For the price point and quality once you get past that layer, it’s totally worth it.

BYS Eyeshadow Palettes. I’ve got 4 of these palettes and I have to say, when I first got them I was new to the game and still dubious. Pictured below are (top row, left to right) the Matte Palette and the Peach Palette and (bottom row, left to right) the Berries Palette and the Nude 3 Palette. Each palette contained 12 shades, a mix of shimmer and matte (except obviously for the all matte palette) and I have to say, for the RRP they’re not bad! Sure, they could be slightly more pigmented, but they blend really well and are buildable. If you’re just starting out, I would definitely recommend these palettes.

Phew! There’s a lot I love from the drugstore; but I’m sure that isn’t a surprise to most of you. What are your favourite drugstore products? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time, Beauties xx

Make me Blush

Much like lipstick, blush scared the bejesus out of me. I certainly didn’t want to look like a fool and I was so worried that I’d think in my poor bathroom lighting I’d look fine and then realise when I walked outside that I looked like some sad 80’s throwback. I decided I’d try some blushes that, much like my collection of nude lippies, would be very forgiving and allow me to work up to some more bolder shades.

When I began looking into it, I realised it was a bit like the lipstick rabbit hole. There were all different types; cheek stains, powder, cream and cream to powder. There were holy grails for some bloggers and ultimate fails for others, often or not the same product. Which meant, like everything else, I had to figure out what worked best for me. I knew creams would be a win due to my drier skin but, for during the summer months, I wanted to look for some powders that would work for me too.

After many swatches, conversations and online research I decided I actually liked a variety of shades. I also knew I did NOT like pink shades. I stuck to the almost bronze, mauve, plum and coral shades. The mauve and plums worked well for cooler months and the coral and bronzer shades worked well for warmer months. Some were creams and some were powders but I loved them all.

The ones I ended up purchasing ranged from drugstore prices to high end. As you might have figured out by now, I don’t discriminate when it comes to brands. If something works well for me I’m more than happy to pay for the quality of a higher end brand but if something works just as well from the drugstore I’ll save my money and buy it. It all comes down to personal preference.

The first one we have is the BYS Creme Blush Palette. It’s a four pan palette, cream formula and applies best with the fingers then blended out with a beauty sponge. This one is great for all year round as it has some lighter shades and some darker shades. I often use it even when I’m not doing a full face of makeup, just to add a bit of colour. The coverage is buildable so it’s a great beginner product in my opinion.

Next up we have the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure. This shade is a beautiful plum and I originally bought it for a night time shade in the cooler months. However, because it’s an Ambient Lighting Powder, it has a gorgeous glowing finish and is perfect for day or night, summer or winter. Another thing to note with the Hourglass brand is that their bronze and blush shades are marbled, meaning you never get the same look twice. They’re buildable, so you can add a touch of colour or really intensify it.

While we’re speaking of Hourglass, another favourite is in a palette I mentioned in my last post. It’s a limited edition shade so I feel terrible recommending it when it may no longer be available but it’s so beautiful it can’t be left out. It’s the Mecca Birthday Glow, in the Hourglass x Mecca Ambient Lighting Palette. A beautiful coral shade, it’s perfect for the summer glow I’m always after. Hourglass powders are very versatile too, you can use them on the eyes as well as the face.

Lastly we have my most recent purchase and my current go to. Chi Chi Cosmetics The Immaculate Ombré Blush Collection. This palette has 9 pans in total, 6 individual shades and 3 ombré shades and they are all gorgeous. It’s a super affordable palette in regards to the quality and sheer quantity that you get. The coverage is buildable, so again a great option for a beginner or someone who doesn’t like a lot of blush. The finish is great and while it’s a bigger palette, the options available make it great for travel as you’ll be able to complete a huge variety of different looks with this blush palette. Their brushes are also amazing!

Speaking of brushes, there are a few I prefer to use for blush. When I purchased my Ombré Blush Collection, I also got the Side Angled Blush Brush 105 and believe me when I say this is one of the best brushes I’ve ever used for blush. It’s super soft, fluffy and a touch denser than my usual blush brushes, which I prefer. Another good one is the Real Techniques Multi Task Brush, it’s a really wonderful all over face brush but as I’m currently preferring it for bronzer I don’t use it for blush.

As I also mentioned in my last post, I purchased a brush set from Citra&Co a few weeks ago which may have some blush winners, I’ll be posting a review on the entire set very soon.

Let me know your favourite blushes in the comments below. I’m always keen to check out new makeup!

Until next time, Beauties xx