Drugstore Beauty Favourites Under £10

  1) Maybelline The Colossal Go Lash Mascara - £6.99 

 

 

I bought this mascara on impulse when I was in desperate need of a new mascara, without looking at any reviews of it as I usually would before buying a new beauty product. In the past, I've been very disappointed by drugstore mascaras, particularly Maybelline's Great Lash Mascara and L'Oreal's Extra Volume Collagen Mascara. I found that I disliked formulas and applicators and they never seemed to be long-lasting or waterproof; my two biggest requirements of Mascara. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of this mascara. Despite this particular mascara not claiming to be waterproof, it lasts all day and never creates 'panda eyes' as many other mascaras do, yet still comes off easily when I use micellar water to remove my makeup. Overall, I would say this is a good drugstore mascara for providing a good amount of volume and length without weighing down your lashes and is impressively long-lasting for the price.

2) Soap & Glory Supercat Eyeliner - £6.00

 

This was the first felt-tip style eyeliner I ever tried after I found gel eyeliners to be a little tricky as a beginner at winged eyeliner. This product performs exactly as I expected; it is easy to use, highly pigmented and long-lasting. My only criticism of this is that it has a tendency to transfer to my eyelids when I blink if I don't powder due to it not being waterproof. However, this is a very good budget eyeliner, particularly for those new to liquid eyeliner.

3) Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick in '03' - £5.49

 

 

After seeing so many other beauty bloggers say how good the formula of Kate Moss' collection of lipsticks for Rimmel were, I decided to try them for myself. My staple lipstick colour has always been nude/pink shades due to my pale complexion and dark hair, and therefore I decided to purchase the shade '03' which is a lovely light pink toned nude. The satin like finish is very comfortable to wear and moisturising and also lasts for a few hours before it needs topping up, unlike many budget lipsticks which tend to need touching up frequently.

4) Kiko Velvet Creamy Blush Stick in '01 Golden Sand' - £7.90

 

 

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I love this cream blush and although I have not tried many (others being Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush and Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge), this is my favourite shade and the easiest to blend of those I have tried. Although it is not as pigmented and long-wearing as Bobbi Brown's formula, the beautiful shade and easy to blend formula are great for the price, and performs significantly better than other blushers at this price such as the Revlon cream blush.

5) Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in '01 Fair' - £4.19

 

This may possibly be my favourite concealer ever. For such a low price, the creamy, easy to blend formula provides full coverage and immediately hides spots and dark circles. This concealer out performs any other concealer I have tried; both high end and other drugstore concealers. I'd recommend this to everyone!

6) Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - £3.99

Although Mac's Select Sheer/Pressed Powder is my favourite, I have finally found a really good drugstore dupe. Despite this powder not being as fine as Mac's (only slightly), it is still lasts all day and unlike other drugstore powders, doesn't look cakey on top of foundation and concealer, and as you would expect, keeps your makeup in place all day, an essential in the warm weather we are having in the UK at the moment!

7) Essie Nail Polishes in 'Hubby for Dessert', 'Luxedo' and 'Russian Roulette' - £7.99 each

 

I often find myself to be extremely underwhelmed by any nail polishes from the drugstore due to the thick, gloopy formulas and the fact that most chip on the first day of application. However, I've never been able to justify paying for high-end nail polishes either as I only tend to wear a shade a few times before becoming tired of it and wanting a new colour, and I tend to switch up my nail colour every week or so anyway. Therefore, when I first tried an Essie polish, I was extremely pleased with the formula and wide brush, making application a dream. The slightly more expensive price tag for a drugstore polish can also be justified due to how long the polish lasts. I found that when my nails are painted with Essie without a top coat, they tend to last 5-7 days without chipping and even longer when I can be bothered to do a top coat! These polishes are definitely a must-have for any nail polish enthusiasts like myself!

8) Rimmel Sun Shimmer Self Tan Mousse in 'Medium Matte' - £7.99

 

Due to my pale complexion, I have always been a lover of tanning products, however I am also aware that dark tans make me look ridiculous due to how pale I naturally am. Though this tan states 'medium matte', it still provides me with a healthy, golden glow and the mousse is extremely easy to apply with a mitt and dries almost instantly. The result is always as I hope for; a golden tan and the lack of shimmer helps make the tan look even more natural look. This is definitely one of the best tanning products out there for a low price.

 

What are your drugstore favourites?

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Review

After running out of my Bobbi Brown Long Wear Even-Finish Foundation and MAC Mineralise Moisture Foundation, I decided it was time to try a new foundation. My skin has been quite dry recently however I still have an oily t-zone so I was looking for a foundation that would moisturise my skin whilst staying in place all day.

I had read several reviews about NARS Sheer Glow foundation and after reading about how lightweight and luminous it is, I decided to give it a try. When I visited London a few weeks ago, I visited Space NK and purchased myself a bottle and foundation pump in the shade 'Mont Blanc' which cost £31 for the foundation and £3 for the foundation pump. This shade was the perfect match for my skin, and I found it fairly easy to blend when using the Zoeva 102 Silk Finish brush to apply it, however I would recommend moisturising your skin first to make application easier, I use Lush's Celestial Moisturiser.
 

 

The foundation provides light to medium coverage, dependent on how much you use, which is perfect for me as I like to wear a light layer so that my skin still looks natural and not too 'cakey'. The finish is very glowing and radiant but is not too dewy and despite my oily t-zone, it stayed in place all day without powder which I was very impressed with!

 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this foundation to anyone who has dry skin or combination skin like myself as it is moisturising and dewy unlike matte finish foundations which tend to dry my skin out. Although this is a high end product and is quite expensive, I would definitely say that investing in a good foundation is advisable as it provides the base for your makeup and personally, I think, defines how your makeup will look.

Let me know what favourite foundation is!

Kathryn x

Spring/Summer Playlist

As a huge lover of music, I am always on the look out for new artists and songs to listen to, either on Spotify or SoundCloud. Throughout spring, I've really grown to love my new discoveries (which are from a bizarre mixture of genres!) and I've also recently come across some new releases that I'm certain will be on repeat all summer long. Here are my current music favourites:

 

Atic - Astrid S

 

 

Someone That Loves You - HONNE ft. Izzy Bizu

 

 

Too Good - Drake ft. Rihanna

 

 

 

Say It - Flume ft. Tove Lo

 

 

 

Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time - Panic! At The Disco

 

 

 

Breathe Life - Jack Garratt

 

 

 

Send My Love (To Your New Lover) - Adele

 

 

 

Close - Nick Jonas ft. Tove Lo

 

 

 

Loveblood - Sundara Karma

 

 

 

Same Ol' Mistakes - Rihanna

 

 

Let me know what songs you have been loving recently!

 

Kathryn x

 

April Beauty Favourites

 

 

1) NARS Illuminator in 'Copacabana' - £23

 

 

 This has to be one of the best highlighters out there. The beautiful shimmery pink formula can be easily be blended using either your fingers or a highlighter brush to the cheekbones to create a beautiful highlight and when under light, looks stunning. Although this is a high end product and brand, I think this price is quite affordable compared to other high end highlighters and performs the best out of any other highlighters I have tried.

  

 2) NARS Blush in 'Orgasm' - £23

 

 

 

 

 I had read so many reviews about this blush for ages and decided that I would try it out and see if it was as good as everyone claimed it to be. I was sold the first time I used this blush. The lovely pink shade combined with the small gold pigments helps to create a natural, healthy glow and tint to the cheeks without looking too bold.  

 

3) NARS Contour Blush in 'Paloma' - £32

 

 

 

As a beginner of contouring, I purchased this as I thought it would be a pretty easy palette to start with. The matte bronzer performs superbly when blended properly on the cheeks and once topped with my 'Orgasm' blush and 'Copacobana' illuminator, creates a wonderful illusion of sharp cheekbones. However I found the matte powder highlighter to be of no use on the cheekbones and is more suitable as a translucent powder or subtle highlight on the brow bone. My only other criticism would be that the bronzing shade (Paloma) in this particular palette is a little red toned for my skin and therefore if I was to repurchase this product, I would choose the Olympia shade instead. However, overall, this is a great place to start for contouring beginners like myself.

 

4) Essie Nail Polish in 'Hubby for Dessert' - £7.99

 

Recently, I've grown bored of my nail polish collection and after seeing many people wearing and rocking white nail polish, I decided to try a slightly lilac/white shade from Essie. The colour looks lovely on, however it does take 3 or 4 coats to look fully pigmented with no streaks.

5) Zoeva Luxe Definer 227 - From the 'Rose Golden Luxury Set' - (Unfortunately only available in Vol.2 edition when sold separately) - £8.50

 

  6) Zoeva Luxe Petit Crease 231 - From the 'Rose Golden Luxury Set' - (Unfortunately only available in Vol.2 edition when sold separately) - £8.50

 

 

Ever since I received the Zoeva 'Rose Golden Luxury Set' for Christmas, I have completely fallen in love with these brushes. The 227 brush helps to blend eye shadow perfectly and the 231 brush can be used to add a darker shade into the crease of the eyelid - both together are perfect for creating a smoky eye effect. The brushes are also extremely easy to clean and I have not yet had one bristle fall out of any of the brushes in this set in the four months I have been using them. I cannot recommend these brushes enough!

 

7) Lush 'Mask of Magaminty' Face Mask - £5.75

 

 

 
 

As I mentioned in my Lush haul a few days ago, this face mask has literally saved my skin. The mask not only smells heavenly and exactly like peppermint tea, but helps to clear the skin of any blemishes, break outs and redness and leaves skin feeling super, super soft. I will definitely be repurchasing!

 

8) Lush 'Celestial' Moisturiser - £12.95

 

 

 

 

I have been on the hunt for a new moisturiser for quite some time now as I have always been quite hesitant to buy high end moisturisers due to the fear that they wouldn't be suitable for my skin and I don't think drugstore moisturisers perform too great. However Lush's skincare range meets perfectly in the middle of drugstore and high end, and to be honest, when I received amazing advice on which products would be best on my skin from a lovely lady working in the Oxford St Store, I was left questioning myself on why it has taken me this long to try out Lush's skincare. This moisturiser has definitely helped to repair my dry, blemished skin over the past few weeks and I have definitely noticed that I am having considerably less breakouts and my skin has a much healthier glow.  

 

9) Aussie Miracle Dry Shampoo - £3.14

 

 

I stopped using dry shampoo for a long time after I grew bored of Batiste's white, powdery, chemical filled formula. However I bought this on impulse when it was on offer in Boots and I have been very impressed. The spray adds an instant lift to hair and the Jojoba Seed Extract naturally conditions hair naturally; something I have convinced myself is much better for my hair than other dry shampoos.. however I'm not sure how true that is. Besides, I prefer this dry shampoo much more than Batiste's and I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a quick hair fix at an affordable price.

 

What have your favourite beauty products been this April?

 

Kathryn x

Lush Oxford Street Haul

 

 I have been a fan of Lush Cosmetics for quite some time now, and I'm surprised it has taken me this long to finally dedicate a post to this brand. In August of last year, I visited Lush on Oxford Street in London for the first time and honestly, I felt like I was in heaven. The flagship store is bigger and better than any other Lush store I have ever shopped at and the exclusive products alone make it worth the visit. Therefore it only seemed natural to make a second visit to the store on my trip to London last week and pick up a number of goodies; both products exclusive to the Oxford Street store and products that are part of their existing range.

 Bath Bombs & Bubble Bars:
 

1) Cyanide Pill - £3.50
 

 

This is the one of the products I purchased that is still an exclusive at this store (in addition to Lava Lamp) and I am definitely sad about the fact I won't be able to purchase this again until it is available in all stores. The almond oil based product not only smells divine, but also leaves your skin feeling incredibly soft and moisturised. Despite the actual effect of the bomb in water not being very impressive, I would definitely repurchase this product because of its heavenly scent alone. 
 

2) Lava Lamp - £3.45

Lava Lamp has to be my favourite bath product out of this collection; it ticks all the boxes! First of all, it smells amazing, the orange flower, tangerine and mandarin oil create a lovely citrus scent which is my favourite type of scent for bath products and is perfect for morning baths as it is awakening and rejuvenating. Secondly, the bomb looks exactly as you would expect when dropped into water; a lava lamp. The bubbles of purple layered over the orange glitter don't only look pretty but also do wonders for your skin as the purple is actually olive oil which cleanses and moisturises the skin. 

 

3) Pink Flamingo Bubble Bar - £5.95

    

 Although this bubble bar looks very cute and has a sweet, floral scent, it is not as impressive as other bubble bars I have tried such as Karma. The bar creates a generous amount of bubbles and tints the water a light lilac/pink colour however the bubbles did not last long and I think that in order to perform at its full potential, the entire bar needs to be crumbled under the running water rather than saving some for another bath as I did.  

4) Big Blue Bath Bomb - £3.50

 

(Sorry I forgot to photograph this before I used it!)

I was a little apprehensive to try this bomb as I was not too keen on the seaweed and sea salt scent or the idea of there being seaweed floating around my bath. However I used this after a long day and found it to be incredible for easing tension and sore muscles due to its unique combination of ingredients; seaweed, sea salt, lemon oil and lavender oil. I will definitely be repurchasing this as it is perfect for a relaxing and calming bath.

 

Skincare:
  

 1) Mask of Magnaminty - £5.75 for 125g
 

 

My new saviour. No, I am not exaggerating, this product honestly seems to have superpowers. It is no wonder this product is the best selling product in the entire Lush range as on my first use, it cleared my skin of any breakouts, dry patches and redness in just 10 minutes. Not only did it make my skin feel incredible, it smelt wonderful too; just like a fresh mug of peppermint tea. This is definitely my favourite Lush product I have ever purchased and I will definitely repurchase when I run out.

  

2) Celestial Moisturiser - £12.95 for 45g

 

This moisturiser is amazing for leaving your skin feeling super soft and helps to protect your skin from breakouts and dryness in the long term due to its main ingredient, almonds being high in vitamin E. Although this is a little pricier than the average drugstore moisturiser, I think it performs a lot better than any other moisturiser I have used before and is therefore definitely worth the purchase.

What's your favourite Lush product?

Kathryn x