BEAUTY ON A BUDGET

Beauty on a budget

A few years ago it was unthinkable to find such beauty gems at drugstore price point. Enter 2017 and why would you look elsewhere? From foundations to eyeshadow palettes, incredible skincare and haircare rivalling luxury beauty, there’s plenty to choose from. I love to stop by Boots, Superdrug and many online stores for deals. Today, it’s all about my recent top 5, all of which are under £10!!! Have I peaked your interest yet? 

The Ordinary Coverage Foundation | £5.90 for 30ml

Not a love from a first sight for sure. More like a hate if I’m being honest. It’s not a foundation I loved in the summer. With hot days firmly behind us, it was time to give this little gem a go again. Light but creamy formula offers a good medium coverage and little goes a long way. I usually go with less than a pump as a first layer and add the remainder of the pump as a teeny tiny second layer around my cheeks to build up a coverage a little. My initial issue with this foundation was the lasting power, as it seemed to last for only 6-7 hours. I now find it lasting much better. I apply it over The Ordinary High-Spreadability Fluid Primer and it seems to lock the foundation in place. I prefer beauty blender to other methods of application in general and it’s no different here. I really enjoy the shade too, I’ve got it in 1.0 NS which is made for very fair skinned with neutral tones and silver highlights. I find this to take away some of the pinkness of my skin tone. I set it with my usual RCMA powder and it lasts well into 10 hours. The matte finish isn’t too flat, in fact before the powder I can still see some natural glow. Giveits’s price point, I feel this is a great starter foundation. It’s amazing to see so many shades, so well done to Deciem for catering to us all: pink, neutral or yellow tones too! 

Buy now: Deciem | Beauty Bay | Cult Beauty

Soph X Makeup Revolution swatches (1st and 2nd row from left): Penguin, Pancakes, Fairly Lights, Pink Champagne,  Iced Coffee, Cuppa Tea, Grow Old, Sparks Fly, Smokey Bronze, Mixed Berries, Tiramisu, Peaches

Soph X Makeup Revolution swatches (3rd and 4th row from left): Cloudberry, Pumpkin, Pine Tree, Petrol, Pug,  Danger, Strawberry Sweets, Festive Flame, Copper Coin, Mug Cake, Rosewood, Nightmare

Soph x Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow Palette | £10 each

Just looking at it makes me happy. This is a stunning choice for those who love a good neutral palette with a little kick of colour. There are so many shades to choose from and unlimited looks to create. Mattes are matte, shimmers are giving it all and the black? Baby, it’s black alright! Other than Pancakes and Pug which lack pigment this is an all-rounder. It has everything, matte white, matte transition shades to suit any skin tone, matte black to rival the best black shades I’ve known and it has Petrol and Petrol is everything and more. Just look at that baby swatched! Stunning. I love the intensity of mattes like Cloudberry, Pumpkin, Danger, Strawberry Sweets, Tiramisu and Peaches. All of which perform well on the eye and blend beautifully. Shimmers like Mixed Berries, Grow Old and Pine Tree are also stunning and will make any look! It’ll make a lovely gift to a makeup enthusiast not only because of quality if shadows but also updated packaging. I love nude matte plastic, it looks way better than the usual MUR packaging. So if you’re in a market for the non-expensive palette, look no further. 

Buy now: Tam Beauty | Superdrug

L’Oreal Fine Flowers Cleansing Cream | £7.99 for 200ml

Moving on to skincare, I can’t tell you how happy I am I picked up this cleansing cream in Boots a few months back. Perfect formula, rich and heavy goes on smoothly and removes traces of makeup and all the impurities. It smells of cream with hints of rose and jasmine which are the extracts the formula’s been enriched with. Rose flowers are known for their soothing properties whilst Jasmine protects and moisturises. No, it’s not the most natural of formulas (that comes with the next product!) but it does the trick, doesn’t block my pores and I really enjoyed using it. I feel this is hands down to how rich this cleanser feels! Perfect for dry and sensitive skin, maybe a little too rich for oily. It’ll help diminish dehydration as it leaves skin super soft. I don’t use it around the eyes as it stings them a little, but that’s most products for me, so not too big of a deal. Great as a second cleanser and I’ve been using it as such. Although it promises to melt away all the makeup, I just prefer oils for that first step or a gentle yet effective cleansing balm. It’s great to see drugstore brands inspired by double cleansing and this product proves that. 

Buy now: Superdrug

Drugstore beauty

Nacomi Cleansing Oil* | £9.86 for 150ml

Favourite cleansing oil as of yet, Nacomi combines a great mixture of natural oils to quickly remove any makeup (even waterproof) without a hint of pain and stinging. It’s a pure nature with Castor Oil, Argan Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Inca Inci Oil, Marula Oil, Sea Buckthorn Oil and Jojoba Oil there’s nothing this oil cannot do. I use it for cleansing and it does it well. It won’t lather or change to milk when mixed with water, but it works great at melting away every last trace of makeup. I remove it with a hot cloth to ensure all residue is gone. Yes, it’ll leave the slight residue but that’s the beauty of using all natural oils. You could use it as facial, body and hair oil too so it’s a total multitasker. Small minus - the packaging leaks a bit. It’s such a nuisance. I combat it by placing the bottle on top of a cleansing pad to absorb the oil that leaks from the top somehow. Other than that, no issues from me. It does the job very well indeed and at this price you won’t find a better and more natural formula. Excellent choice for all skin types even though it’s marketed for dry skin. 

Buy now: The Straight From Nature

Style Freedom Dry Shampoo* | £3.98 to £7.99 for 200ml

Recent affordable haircare discovery comes from Style Freedom. Their Dry Shampoo can rival many more expensive ones. Shake well before application and it’ll barely leave any residue. It’s not as strong as Batiste and doesn’t leave my hair matte. Perfect for a second-day hair that is in need of a little help. It smells so nice too! Budget-friendly even if slightly more expensive than Collab or Batiste. I’ve started using it as a styling tool, whenever I curl my hair, I use this first. It gives my curls that extra bounce and prolongs the finished style. It’s been my firm fave for a few weeks now! For longer lasting results, use at night. It allows the product to soak in all the oils and you’ll wake up with a freshened look! If you’re in the market for that dry shampoo that doesn’t leave your hair too matte and sticky but can’t afford Ouai or Oribe, this one’s for you. 

Buy now: Superdrug

Budget beauty

Have you discovered any drugstore gems recently? I'm always on a lookout for new amazing beauty finds, so please share them with me in the comments section below. 

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Love