My Top Drugstore Beauty Products

In my last post, I spoke about some of my favourite high-end beauty products so I thought it was about time I spoke about some of my favourite cheaper alternatives. The drugstore seems to be getting better and better and there is a handful of products I couldn’t live without. I’ve rounded up my top 6 products from the drugstore that I rate to be the best out there.

Max Factor Excess Shimmer Cream Eyeshadows

I am not the biggest wearer of cream eyeshadows but these are incredible. The formula is super creamy and easy to blend as well as having amazing pigmentation. The shade range isn’t the best and I do think this is something Max Factor could work on but nevertheless the shades Copper and Bronze are two beautiful wearable colours that could work on many skin tones. I haven’t tried a lot of cream eyeshadows but I think these could rival many high end options!

L’Oreal Infallible Matte Foundation

I say it all the time but I do struggle with a lot of drugstore foundation formulations (tongue twister right there!). That was until I tried this matte offering from L’Oreal and was pretty much blown away by how good it is. This is my go-to everyday foundation and it just works so well on my skin. Matte foundations aren’t what I usually go for but this isn’t drying in the slightest and it’s not overly matte either offering a bit of natural shine to come through. It blends and applies nicely and also has such a nice finish and lasting power. What more could I need, oh and it’s affordable! Full review here.

Maybelline Colour Tattoos 

Another cream eyeshadow that I love. These Maybelline offerings come at a price under £5 and could rival the likes of Mac Paint Pots. In a similar style, these are more of stiffer consistency particularly compared to the Max Factor ones which are more creamy and whipped in texture. For an amazing price, there is a pretty decent shade range to choose from with my favourites including Metallic Pomegranate and Creamy Beige which makes a really nice base shade. These work great as a base colour or even as a one wash wonder type of eye look and they also stay put really well too!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams 

A more recent favourite since NYX finally hit the UK. I had been desperate to try out these lip creams for such a long time and I was not disappointed when I finally got my hands on them. At £5.50 they come super cheap and the shade range is very impressive. The formula is super creamy and comfortable on the lips with a pretty decent lasting power. My favourite shade probably has to be Prague. See more here.

Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes

A product you’ve probably heard me talk about countless times! These are by far the best drugstore blushes I’ve ever tried.  These swirly effect blushes act as a strong rival to the Hourglass blushes which are stunning but super pricey! At just a fraction of the price, these are so similar with a highlighting effect on the skin and a pretty range of shades to pick from. My favourite shade has to be Lavish Mauve which is a pretty good dupe for Hourglass Mood Exposure.

The Body Shop Honey Bronzer

Last but not least, in fact probably my all time favourite drugstore product. I was never really into bronzers until I tried this Body Shop offering. As someone with pale skin I always have the problem in bronzer shades that are too dark and muddy on my complexion. Enter this range of honey bronzers from The Body Shop with a shade range perfectly suitable for fairer skin tones. Seriously, if you are a pale milk bottle like me and haven’t tried this then go try it! This bronzer adds a beautiful amount of warmth to the skin that isn’t too much as well as adding a bit of definition and sculpting the face. Amazing!

What are your favourite drugstore products?

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2015 Beauty Favourites: Base & Cheek Products

It’s that time for a mammoth of a favourites post! With 2015 over and done with, it’s time to look back at some of my top beauty products from the year. If you are a regular reader around these parts then most of the products may not be a big surprise to you! This is actually the first time I have ever done a whole yearly favourites so as I have so many products and didn’t want to bore you all with an essay of a blog post I have split this in to two parts. Today’s post will look into my favourite base/cheek products so foundation, concealer, blush etc. Then on Wednesday I will be rounding up my favourite eye/lip products. So I will stop blabbing on now and get on with my 2015 favourites…

Primer

There is only one primer that has ever really done it for me. That is without a doubt the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. I mentioned this already just last week in my December Favourites but this is holy grail level for me. I tried out a sample of this at either the end of 2014/start of 2015 and in one try I was completely blown away! I was of course also super happy to pick it up during a flight this summer were I got it for a pretty bargain! This primer creates such a velvety soft finish to my skin which lets my foundation slip on top super easily. It makes my makeup last super long like crazy and it still manages to keep my base looking fresh and flawless. Couldn’t recommend it enough!

Foundation/ Base products 

There is three base products that I truly fell for this year. All of which will be no surprise to you! Weirdly enough each one has a completely different finish from one another but it means I’ve got something good to cover all bases. First up, the tinted moisturiser lightweight base. BareMinerals Complexion Rescue stole my heart during the year with its flawless skin in a bottle formula. This is one for a good skin day as it does have a much lighter coverage. Although it basically gives you better skin, it is super glowy and fresh and makes you feel like a VS Angel, pretty much! Check my review for that one here.

For a more fuller coverage, night out option and just overall incredible foundation, Nars Sheer Glow wins hands down! I had been desperate to try this foundation for far too long and finally took the plunge earlier in 2015 and I am ever so glad I did! The shade Mont Blanc is the perfect fit for my skin and coverage is super buildable. It also doesn’t include SPF so is perfect for nights out! Just a perfect foundation in my books, check my full review here.

Lastly, a surprise new favourite came my way from the drugstore not too long ago. I don’t usually get on well with drugstore foundations although this seemed to work a dream with my skin. The L’Oreal Infallible 24h-Matte is the foundation in question. I never ever swayed towards matte foundations, with glowy and satin finishes more up my street but this formula is just great, it’s not too matte and has a nice natural look whilst still providing good coverage. At an affordable price, it’s such a great everyday option, check my review here.

Conceal & Correct

Concealer is always something I had been on the hunt for, something that provided good long lasting coverage without caking. The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer seemed to fit the bill. This is just the perfect concealer for me when covering blemishes, it offers great coverage and is super blendable with a thick consistency. The fact I am now running out makes me feel pretty darn sad! I don’t know how to deal without my Nars concealer! Check my full review here.

At the start of the year, corrector is something I would never have considered. Not just because I wouldn’t have needed it but also because I probably never knew what it was. That was until the Bobbi Brown corrector made its way into my life. I get discoloration under my eyes and I turned to trying the cult BB corrector in a bid to fix up my blue under eyes. This product works wonders on me, the creamy formula is super easy to work with and blends in nicely on the skin without caking or creasing. It offers really great coverage too and hides any noticeable discoloration.

Cheek Products

At the start of the year I never cared so much for bronzer. I never really seen the need for it although that was until I tried The Body Shop Honey Bronzer. This is hands down one of my best makeup discoveries ever. The shade is just so perfect for my fair skin and isn’t too warm at all. As well as giving my skin a bit of warmth, it also adds shape and definition which I just love. It is also a complete bargain!

This year also saw my love for blush grow. I don’t know why I love it so much but I have always been forever looking for more blush to add to my collection. In 2015, I finally tried out the well hyped Hourglass brand. After getting my hands on the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit, I got to try out a couple more blushes and other products in their powder range. The one that I truly fell for though was Mood Exposure, a gorgeous mauve plum shade which looks super natural on the skin. The formula for these are also unbeatable! Check my review of the palette here.

What was your favourite base products from 2015?

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November Favourites

Since I started doing monthly favourites I don’t think I have ever had as many favourites in the one month. I picked up quite a few new bits and bobs for my beauty drawers over the past couple of months so I’ve been basically been wearing a whole new face this month and I am loving everything I’ve picked up. There is a couple of totally expected favourites that I spoke about in the last couple of weeks and a few others that I have been waiting to share with you all, so without further ado here is my November favourites…

Going to get the most obvious one of out the way first, the most gorgeous palette I’ve ever seen, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit (check my full review here). Since I got this I have been using it every day and I just adore it. All of the powders are such great quality and beautifully finely milled so don’t look to heavy or overdone. My two favourites from the palette that I have been using the most is Diffused Light, one of the Ambient Lighting Powders which is a gorgeous pale yellow toned powder that I use to set my makeup all over and Mood Exposure, a gorgeous mauve plum blush. Speaking of Mood Exposure, another one of my favourites is a complete dupe for the mauve shade, Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Lavish Mauve is total steal at a fraction of the price. I had been eying this one up for a while and I am so glad I got it as it is so gorgeous and such a bargain!

Another bargain blush I fell head over heels for is the Illamasqua Cream Blush in Zygomatic. After a little trip to my local TK Maxx I found this on one of the shelves at a bargain £4.99! The blush is actually still sold and isn’t discontinued so I definitely got a great deal there! I am not really one for cream blushes but I really like this. It applies beautifully with a stippling blush and has a gorgeous soft natural rosy pink hue that adds a little flush of colour to the cheeks.

After my rave review of the L’Oreal Infallible Matte Foundation how would I not mention it! This is without a doubt the best drugstore foundation I’ve ever used. This is pretty much the only base I’ve been reaching for during the month, it applies beautifully without a cakey or drying feeling despite being a matte finish. It has great coverage and is pretty lightweight too, I couldn’t ask for anything more!

I have heard so many people rave about the Lush Comforter and when I heard about their new shower cream I had to get my hands on it asap. It has the most dreamiest scent of blackberries which feels so warm and cosy. It has lasted me quite a while too despite being the small version of the bottle and whilst I absolutely adore Lush Snow Fairy I am slightly favoring this at the minute!

Lastly, I had a handful of lip product faves this month that I have to mention. Two of which surprisingly were lip glosses! Yep you heard me right, I am typically not a fan of gloss formulas but I may have been swayed by two products this month. The first being from H&M which I spoke about here, Tuscan Blush is a lovely mauve my lips but better shade and the other being from Fleur de Force’s makeup line and is her lip gloss in the shade Starry Starry Night which is a gorgeous deep pink berry shade perfect for this time of year. Both formulas are pretty similar, they are both quite thick in consistency but don’t feel overly sticky with a high pigment finish. They are great alternatives to my usual lipstick choices and I have even ordered another shade from the Fleur de Force line which I cannot wait to give a try!

I was also totally hyped to see the arrival of NYX to the UK this month. I pretty much couldn’t deal with all the praise from the US gals about how good the matte lip creams were so I was pretty darn happy to see they are much more available in the UK now! I picked up two lip creams but the one I’ve been wearing all month long is Stockholm, a gorgeous pink nude shade that is so perfect for everyday wear. Finally, my last lip fave comes from Bobbi Brown in the form of their Art Stick in the shade Bright Raspberry. I had been eyeing this up for so long and with some House of Fraser rewards points to use I had to make the purchase. It’s kinda like the lipstick version of the Fleur de Force lipgloss, a gorgeous fuchsia plum-y shade which adds a twist on the usual deep pink with a bit of purple tones in the mix. A gorgeous shade with a fab formula, I need more!

What did you love during the month of November?

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The Best Drugstore Foundation? L’Oreal Infallible Matte Foundation

If you’ve read my blog for a while then you may be well aware that I usually don’t get on really well with drugstore foundations. I am not being a makeup snob but I always find that cheaper foundations don’t sit right on my skin so I have always been in a bit of a hunt to find the perfect foundation from the drugstore. One foundation that got a lot of hype when it was released was the L’Oreal Infallible 24 hour Matte Foundation. As always being the nosy person I am, I just had to see what all the fuss was about with this one. So being from the drugstore and also surprisingly for me being matte did it change my mind on drugstore foundations?

I always tend to sway towards more dewy/satin finish foundations so obviously being a matte foundation it was always going to be a challenge. Although it looks really natural on the skin and not too matte. It allows for a natural glow to come through and doesn’t sit too flat on the skin whilst looking fresh. The coverage is also pretty impressive with a more fuller buildable coverage that allows for a little less concealer to be used over the top which is always a bonus. For being matte and more on the fuller coverage side of things, the foundation is actually pretty lightweight on the skin and blends in beautifully. Unlike many drugstore foundations I’ve used in the past this sits so nicely on my skin. It doesn’t appear cakey or mask like, it blends in incredibly well and appears flawless yet natural.

I picked up the shade Vanilla which is the perfect match for me and at £7.99 it is a complete bargain! The foundation claims to last up to 24 hours and whilst I obviously haven’t worn foundation for that length of time I can say that the lasting power is pretty good. For an everyday wear foundation, I like my base to last well especially if I am out all day and this makes the perfect foundation for daily wear. With an overwhelming list of positives, you can probably already grasp my feelings on this foundation. For me to be saying that I am truly obsessed with a matte drugstore foundation seems incredibly absurd with my foundation standards but damn this is good. I really do think I’ve found the one…

What is your favourite drugstore foundation?

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