Where to Save: Makeup Edition

I love a bargain. It's the best feeling when you can find a product where the quality vastly outshines the price. I own a mixture of luxury and affordable makeup and I have tried and tested all different categories of makeup to give you my picks on what makeup items are worth heading to your local high street for.

Mascara

I have tried my hardest to find a high-end mascara that curls my eyelashes, makes them thicker and fuller without weighing them down and I have not found one yet. Thing is, you can't trial a mascara out properly before purchasing it and so whenever I have purchased one from a luxury brand that claims to be the holy grail of mascaras, I'm always disappointed with the end result.
With mascara that is more affordable, I find that I can trial more out without spending a fortune, and so I do have a few go-to favourites that give me the results that I want - I will list and link them below!
-  Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara (£8.99/9ml)
- Kiko Unforgettable WP Mascara (£7.20/9ml)
- L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof Mascara (£10.99/9ml)

Eyeliner
I think it's so easy to find a brilliant eyeliner without spending too much. Eyeliner only lasts a few months, so I think if you can find something you like for under a tenner then you are definitely winning. From liquids to pencils - the high street has so much variety that I don't feel the need to look elsewhere! I've now found my holy grail liquid eyeliner for under £3, which I can create a thin and defined line, to a more bolder statement look:

- Collection Fast Stroke Eye Liner (£2.99/3.8g) 
- L'Oreal Paris Super Slim Eyeliner (£6.99)
- Rimmel London Scandal'Eyes WP Eyeliner  (£4.49)

Nails

If you are like me, and like to chop and change your nail colour weekly, then the high street can provide a variety of colours, textures and formulas to please anyone. I love finding the needle in the haystack when it comes to shopping for nail polishes, because I think every brand can vary so much (luxury polishes included!). Just because you might pay over £15 for a nail polish, doesn't mean that it's less likely to chip - nails are one thing that is affected by general wear and tear of your daily living. I've found some formulas in the high street that I would wholly recommend to anyone looking for nail polishes that can last for up to week without chipping. 

- Maybelline Forever Strong Gel Nail Polish (£4.49/10ml)

- Kiko Perfect Gel Duo (£7.99/2 polishes)

Lips

Similar to nail polishes, I think you can find a really nice selection of lip products on the high street, again with different textures, formulas and colours. I think because lip products are something that you will tend to reapply throughout the day, regardless of the price, you don't need to spend too much cash, whether you want to is a different story! I'm a massive fan of nude lip colours, and I'll list a few of my favourites below: 

- Nip and Fab Makeup Matte Liquid Lipstick (£7.95/2.6ml)

- Revlon Ultra HD Gel Lipcolour (£7.99)

Brushes 
No matter what makeup you purchase, it's so important to ensure that your tools are just as good as the products. In the last decade, we can see a massive increase of affordable but high quality makeup tools. I believe makeup tools are worth investing in, and finding the right ones for the right price can be difficult, but not impossible. Anything by Real Techniques is an automatic win - I've never been disappointed  in their products and they are so multi-purpose, sometimes I use them for what works for me, rather than what they are meant to be used for!
- Real Techniques Blush Brush (£9.99)
- Real Techniques Sculpting Set (£19.99)

- Kiko Blending Brush 200 (discontinued)
- The Body Shop Eyeshadow Brush (£9.00)

So that is my round up on all the makeup products that I think is worth getting for an affordable price tag. I would love to know if this is something you agree with, or whether there is something else you think is worth sticking on this list.
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5 make-up pieces I struggle to let go of.

When rooting through my mini makeup collection to swap out items, I noticed that I had a few products which probably should be in the bin by now but I can't seem to let go of it. I wondered if anyone else did the same, and the idea for this post came about! It's just a bit of fun, but here are the products that I can't seem to let go of!

I have about a few mascaras that have product still in them, however the Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof (£7.99/9.5ml) ran out a while ago, but I just keep holding on to it. I don't know what I think is going to happen- a national crisis where I will absolutely need this mascara. It's ridiculous. I did really enjoy this mascara though, it held up my lashes and just was reliable, so that's probably why it's hard to let go of! Also it looks an absolute wreck, so that's another reason to let it go!

The next item I wanted to mention was my Kiko Milano Highlighting Effect Fluid Concealer (£7.90/2ml). For brightening the undereye, this is one of the best concealers I have used, it's light on the skin, easy to blend out, has a bit of coverage and just looks great too. This ran out a few months ago, and I really need to get a new one, but I am trying to use up some other concealers first before buying this again. I think I'm holding on to this because it was just really good, however I do think it's time to throw it out just because there is no product left!

I've been talking a lot about products, however I wanted to mention a make-up tool. I have had these brushes with the red handle for around 6-7 years. It was the first makeup brush set I bought from Amazon when I wanted to experiment with makeup. I still use some of the brushes from that set to this day, the blush brush and their eyebrow brush I use on a daily basis. However this eyeshadow brush is just terrible, it's one of those that will take half of your eyeshadow off when you try to apply more product. The bristles are slightly scratchy and I never reach for it. I think I'm holding onto to this brush just because in the past I never had an excess amount of brushes, and now that has changed so I don't need this anymore and I never really thought of throwing it out until now. It's terrible so I just really need to start decluttering my collection. 

Eyeliner -  am I the only one who keeps a few? Does this happen to anyone else when your eyeliner runs out and a week later it magically has some products left in it? I think this is the reason I hang onto eyeliner, just incase I can get some more product out, especially if I really liked using a particular one. The Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner (£14.50/0.55ml) was one of the eyeliners that was easy to apply and stayed put. I had both a full sized and a mini one, which has ran out however I just need to bite the bullet and throw it away since I have repurchased a new eyeliner recently! 

The last product I wanted to talk about was primers, I feel like I have a primer for every occasion, I have one for dehydrated skin, one to make my skin glowy, one to minimise pores, and the Sephora Collection Smoothing Primer (€12.00/15ml) to even out any texture on my skin which is more of a silicone primer. I'm a massive fan of primers, I think they are a barrier between skincare and makeup which is good to help stop things like pollution from reaching your skin. I like how different primers can change the finish of makeup or help with its longevity. Okay, I need to stop talking about the pro's of primer because this might end up in me buying more. I just need to finish this Sephora one, because it is actually really good but I got side tracked by my Two Faced Hangover Primer  (£27.00/38ml)...which probably isn't too surprising! 

I just think I am one of those people who buys and opens products for no reason, so I really should wait until I finish products properly. Does this post resonate with anyone else, because I hope I'm not alone in my hoarding ways. So please let me know through the comments whether there is anything you struggle to let go of - if you want to make this into a tag, feel free to have a go, I would love to have a read!
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Review: Kiko Milano Unforgettable Waterproof Mascara

If you asked me what my favourite high street beauty brand was, it would be a toss up between L'Oreal and Kiko Milano. Every item I buy something from Kiko it just beats my expectations and their promotional offers are just amazing.

Today I am going to share with you a product I have not stopped using from Kiko...

The product I wanted to share with you all today is the Kiko Milano Unforgettable Waterproof Mascara (£7.20/7ml). It claims to be a 'long-lasting curling mascara with an anatomical brush' which sounds like my perfect mascara.

I have straight lashes which are weak, if I have no mascara or eyelash curlers you won't be able to see that I have eyelashes at all. So eyelash curlers and mascara are my go-to. What I have discovered is that some mascaras are heavy on the lashes, and can cause them to drop, for me the Benefit mascaras are the worst for this. I've found that getting a waterproof mascara can help to hold a curl, so all I always wear a waterproof formula.

Aesthetically, this mascara is super chic, the packaging has a slight hammered metal vibe which makes it easy to locate in my makeup bag. It feels a bit weighty in the hand too, giving it more of a premium feel than the normal plastic packaging that you see in high-street mascaras. 

The brush, as you can see is slightly twisted, enabling all the lashes to be lifted and coated with the product. I actually really like it as it adds an even coat of product without it being too messy.

          

This mascara can really hold a curl. I'm so impressed with this product, my lashes will stay in the same position after a coat of this mascara. The formula is wet on application, however dries down quickly, I find that one coat of this wriggled from root to tip is enough for my lashes. The result is a curled, long but defined lash which really can make the eyes the focal point of a makeup look. I'm so impressed with this product, it is everything I have been looking for in a mascara - a lash lift in a bottle. I've done some before and after pictures to demonstrate one coat of the mascara. You can really see the difference.

This mascara is currently on sale for £3.90 so if you like the sound of it, be sure to get one from your nearest Kiko Milano store! If you have hard to curl lashes, then this mascara will be a lifesaver for you! If you have similar lashes to myself, be sure to let me know what mascara you would recommend to me! Also be sure to follow me on Bloglovin  to stay up to date with my newest posts!

Curently Testing

I've been on a bit of a make-up ban recently. In the last few months, I haven't bought much, just using everything in my collection, just to finally finish some products, so I can justify new purchases in the future. I had finally finished a few items so I treated myself to a couple of new products that I am now currently testing. So I'll give you my first impressions!

Revlon Ultra HD Gel Lipcolour (£7.99/1.7g)

This product is a hybrid between a lip colour and a lip balm. Formulated with Hyaluronic Acid, this product merges skincare and makeup, which I love. I find products like this so easy to use and need less maintenance throughout the day. You don't need to constantly reapply if you don't want to and just let it fade naturally, or you can reapply without needing a mirror. I just love how the ball is in your court, I think this is how make-up is supposed to be, you calling the shots rather than the product. Hopefully that made sense! I love the shade ranges of these, they were all quite wearable, but I love my nudes. This colour is a nude for me, but is probably a nice browney pink for anyone with lighter skin. 

Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof (£7.99/9.5ml)

Lash Sensational is one of the most hyped mascaras of the past year and this is the first time I am trying it. I know! I'm the worst beauty blogger! But since my mascara ran out, the Lash Sensational was the next mascara on my radar. I have to get waterproof, since my lashes don't hold a curl without a waterproof formula. My thoughts: I think I need to wait for the formula to dry out a bit, since it's so wet at the moment, it's a super messy mascara to apply, and my lashes are quite thin, so my eyelids get the brunt of the product, which is not the look I was hoping to achieve! Apart from that, when I can concentrate most the product on my eyelashes,  I do like this product - I think it lengthens and adds blackness and thickness to my lashes. I think it's super nice to layer this up too. It does hold my lashes up too, but I think that'll get even more better when the formula is more dry.

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner (£16.00/0.55ml)

I've heard amazing things about this liner, and it did not disappoint. I love how precise the nib is, like out of all the eyeliners I think  I have ever tried, this is the most precise application I have ever gotten. Surprisingly, the nib is an actual brush, which I thought would make the eyeliner more messy and more prone to mistakes. However, this beats my Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner which had a felt tip applicator. I'm so quick at doing a winged liner look, which is a feat because I don't apply liquid liner on a daily basis, it's something I have fazes of, and currently this eyeliner is prolonging my liquid winged liner faze for now.
In terms of it's longevity, this liner has withheld the most brutal of English weather, which included a waterfall-like rain on one occasion, and my eyeliner was still exactly as it had been when it was first applied! I would recommend this to every liner lover out there!

NYX Profession Matte Makeup  Blotting Sheets (£5.50/50 sheets)

My Sephora Blotting Sheets were life, and unfortunately they ran out so I wanted to try a blotting sheet for around the same price point and I knew NYX produced some. They have a selection of different types of blotting sheets, but I'm a believer in simplicity and there was just one job I wanted to be done properly, and that was to get rid of the oil and shine on my face. After using these from NYX I think I prefer the Sephora ones. These NYX ones feels like grease proof paper, which feels a bit cheap for me. it's not that thick either. I feel like I have to use two sheets for my whole face, whereas with the Sephora ones I found that I could use both sides, because the oil wouldn't really secrete through to the other side. I'm going to still use these NYX ones up, but I think I'm either going to have to head to a Sephora or find another brand which supplies them next time. 

So that's the few beauty bits I've been testing for the past few weeks! Some products I have had longer than others, so that's why I can give more of a full review of it! I would love to know what products you guys are trying out!
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Nip + Fab Makeup

Nip + Fab recently released makeup, I'm sure most of you have either gotten your hands on it already or have at least heard about it! But when I found out a few months ago, I was so excited. It's been a few months since I was truly excited to try new makeup. This range looks so well thought out, and I had to grab a few things for myself...

There was this super cool deal in Superdrug, where if you buy Nip+Fab products that total £12 and over, you get a cool freebies, which includes a makeup bag with a lip-liner, a liquid lipstick and a mascara. So I really didn't have to spend a lot of money to try out a nice portion of the range. 

When I got to the Nip+Fab counter in Superdrug, this Nip+Fab Make up Travel Palette (£9.99/12g) was the product which instantly drew me in, I hadn't seen anyone purchase this, and so I was so intrigued because the colours are just so flattering. I have a similar set from Sleek however I much prefer this one as I love how the contour shade is actually cool toned,  and it's super pigmented so a little really does go a long way. They do this Travel Palette in two shades, either Light/Medium or Medium/Dark, I purchased the Medium/Dark. The blush shade is a deep pink shade, which is not too light, and adds dimension and life to the face. The standout piece in this Travel Palette is the highlight. I think this highlighter is super subtle and is more reflective than most highlights I have tried. I would compare it more to the Becca highlighters and my Cover FX highlighter, as it leaves this sheen of reflective-ness rather than a super noticeable strobe of colour.  I like how you can build it up too. It really is a Travel Palette that I would actually use, and I have constantly been using. 

Spice. Need I say more. I think the Nip+Fab Liquid Lipstick  (£7.95/2.6ml) in the shade Spice is the most talked about product from the whole range, and it took three trips to Superdrug to get this product. The colour of this liquid lipstick is stunning, it's that mix of brown and pink that suits most skin-tones. In terms of application, I have no issues with the wand, and it's super easy to apply. Once applied, it does take a while to dry in, which I'm not fussed about because it's not too drying on the lips, and acts more like a cream lipstick during this stage of application. Other than that, it's your standard liquid lipstick!

The free kit was an exceptional promotion, I got another liquid lipstick in the shade Marshmellow (£7.95/2.6ml), which is a tad too light for me, but I have passed it to my sister who is enjoying it. Although the shade doesn't suit my skin-tone, I think the range of colours they do too are very flattering, in that most people would deviate to this range for their good selection of wearable colours. 

The Nip+Fab Makeup Lip-Liner (£5.95/0.3g) in the shade 02 Fudge is slightly dry in formula, but has a good colour payoff. This colour is slightly too light for me, but I like how it neutralises the colour of my natural lip line, so that when I apply a lip colour on top, my lips look slightly bigger. It also has a matte finish, so making sure your lips are hydrated beforehand is key!

The Nip+Fab Make up Mascara (£9.95/9.5ml) is a mascara that I think most people will like too. It doesn't hold up my lashes, nor was I expecting it to since my eyelashes don't respond to most mascaras. It does however separate my lashes and adds more length to them on top of my normal mascara. I love the traditional wand, and I think that the formula was not too wet nor too dry. If you have short, stubborn lashes like mine, then you can give this mascara a miss, however for anyone with normal lashes, I think this would be such a lovely go-to mascara!

From left to right: Lipliner in shade Fudge, Liquid Lipstick in Marshmellow and Liquid Lipstick in Spice. 

I think you can see how excited I was to purchase and try out this range. I love the small selection of products as I think it's been so well thought out to bring out a range which caters to everyone's needs, however doesn't contain unnecessary products.

I would love to know if you have tried this range? Is there anything I ought to try out? Let me know in the comments below! Be sure to follow me on Bloglovin to stay up to date with my posts!

To buy or Not to buy: Lancôme Grandiôse

The other week Lancôme had an amazing offer, buy any two items and get 8 samples for free (side note: The samples are amazing - head over to my Instagram to check out what I got!). I purchased the Lancôme Grandiôse Mascara (£25.00/10ml) as one of my purchases and I was excited to try out my first high-end mascara! I've worn this a few times now and I've surprisingly got a lot to say...

Firstly, isn't the packaging amazing, I love how different this looks. The bottle design is so sleek and the flower at the top just looks divine! I feel like you know the experience you will get with this product will be unlike anything you have ever tried before.

Opening up the bottle, you can see that it is a plastic wand. The wand however is ergonomically shaped to really hug and then push the lashes up. I actually quite like this design, I feel as though it does work to make the application process easier. With a traditional mascara you usually block your own view and so with this, you can actually see what you are doing!

As for the product itself, I have mixed feelings. I have straight, grey thin lashes and finding a mascara for me is tough anyway. I have to be quite careful with this mascara as if I apply too much, the curl that I created will drop. So I really need to thin out the application, but the finished results do look great. However there is that margin for error, so for speedy days - I don't reach for this. However, another way I have been enjoying wearing this is over the top of my everyday mascara. This end result of that is that my lashes look thicker and blacker, which looks really nice when you are going out for the evening!

The formula is not overly wet nor dry, it's a mix. You can create a few looks with this mascara, I prefer to add definition by really being quite specific with where I want to add length. This also can really add thickness to your lashes making them more clumpy but in a really awesome way, and so you get more of a dramatic, doe-eyed effect.

In terms of removal, I have had absolutely no problems with taking this off, my cleansing oils can do the trick without any need of using a separate eye make-up remover, so it's hassle free for all those in favour of skipping steps!

Curled eyelashed with one coat of Lancôme Grandiôse

So to buy or not to buy? Honestly, it depends on your lashes. I know I won't repurchase this, but it wasn't a complete fail, I still can wear this in a few different ways and honestly, I do actually like how different this mascara is. I also prefer to layer this product, I feel like I get a more 'false lash effect' that's quite dramatic and is unlike anything else I have in my make-up bag at the moment.

For girls who have stronger lashes that are more curled than mine, I know you will enjoy this because it's really good at emphasising what you have already got.

Anyway, I'm glad I got to try this! I would love to know if any of you guys have tried this and what you thought of it? Is there any high-end mascara's that you love? If so please share! I'm always on the lookout!

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Review: L'Oréal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof

For some reason, I've never really ventured into L'Oréal, they always seem to have lovely stuff, and some products have been forever on my wishlist ( the True Match foundation, is something I want to try). In Boot's L'Oréal have an excellent offer: if you spend £14.99 or more you get a free gift, the Feline Fatal Christmas 2015 gift which includes a mascara, an eyeliner, an eye-shadow quad and also a nail varnish. So I snapped up this mascara, along with a primer and I've been so impressed with the deal I just had to share. 

The L'Oréal Volume Million Lashes Waterproof  (£9.99/ 2ml) is eye-catching, it has a lovely mirrored gold exterior and is more on the chubby side, I wanted this purely because it is waterproof, I have learned the hard way that short, thin, straight lashes need a waterproof formula in order to hold a curl. This actually lived up to it's claims, I don't have a million lashes but it seems to bring out a few more, giving me a more doe-eyed effect, also it holds a curl so it is a good mascara in my books! What I love about this product is that it has an anti-clump wiper, so when you pull out your mascara wand from the product, it's got a nice amount of product to give you what you need and so it's hard to really make a mess of things.

I only wear one coat, and I find that this is good for separating and defining individual lashes, it gives you a slightly fanned out effect which is nice. This mascara makes your eyelashes feel normal, it's not crispy or hard, and so you can tell that this product just wants to emphasises and make use of what you've already got.

As this is waterproof, and some people may find taking this off an issue, I always use a separate eye make-up remover just because I don't want to irritate my eyes. I found that this wasn't that hard to remove without using an actual eye-makeup remover, but I only use one coat, so that may be why!

I'm happy with this product, and I'm glad I went and bought it. Usually with mascara's, I know within the first five minutes if I will like it (my eyelashes will usually start drooping) and this has most definitely exceeded that! 

I can't wait to try out the other L'Oréal stuff and I will be reviewing them for sure! Let me know what your favourite products are from L'Oréal.
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