I Heart Drugstore Make-Up | Tag

I love high end makeup as much as the next person (I think the Princess Tag proves that), but my heart well and truly belongs to the drugstore. I can walk into Boots full of cold in search of cough sweets, and still find myself making my way to the till with a basket brimming with goodies. Thanks to 3 for 2, points cards, and the many temptations that surround the tills, its safe to say that I could spend a small fortune in a matter of minutes, on inexpensive, high quality products. So when the lovely Charlotte tagged me to do the 'I Heart Drugstore Make-Up Tag' I saw it as the perfect opportunity to ramble about my love of budget beauty. 

What's your favourite drugstore brand?! 

This is such a tough question, but I would have to say Maybelline. From the sought after Baby Lips and much loved Mascaras ( Falsies is the one and only Mascara I have repurchased) to the coveted Colour Tattoo's, its safe to say that Maybelline are on fire of late. 

What are your favourite face, cheek, and lip products?!

When it comes to my complexion, il admit to being somewhat of a high end snob. I would rather spend £20+ on a decent foundation (hello Chanel Vitalumiere), than buy countless bottles of drugstore ones that just aren't all that. However there are two exceptions to this rule, que Revlon's Nearly Naked, a lovely, buildable, long lasting, budget friendly foundation and Collections Lasting Perfection Concealer. This heavy duty beauty, blows all others out of the water. 

For cheeks it would have to be a toss up between Sleek's Rose Gold, a seriously pigmented long wearing blush (did I also mention its a dupe for a much loved bloggers fave?) and Elf's Tickled Pink.

As for lips I still cant get enough of the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers, Maybelline Baby Lips and Bourjois Color Boost Glossy Finish Lipsticks. 

Least favourite product?!

This is such a hard one as Im rarely unhappy with my makeup purchases as I often research the products before parting with my pennies (maybe im just easily pleased). But Sadly I would have to say Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation. I would love to sit here and sing its praises, but to be totally honest we just dont get along! I love the finish, texture, shading, but after an hour or twos wear I just end up looking like an oily mess (no amount of powder seemed to help). 

Best makeup bargain?!

Ooo now this is a toss up between MUA lipsticks (for a pound they seriously are the bees knees), and Collection's Lasting Perfection (im sure this comes as no suprise). It is without a doubt the BEST concealer I have come across. To find a creamy, full coverage concealer for as little as £4 is a total steal.

What's your favourite underdog product?!

Easy, Barry M Dazzle Dusts. They deserve way more love than they get. Available in a range of beautiful shades, these wonderful little pots are a great alternative to the sought after MAC pigments!! 

Over priced drugstore product?!

This was such an easy one. I rarely ever look at Maxfactor as I find the brand (mascaras in particular) to be a little overpriced for the drugstore. Considering we have to pay double figures for a product when its sister brand Covergirl (basically the US equivalent if you were wondering) charges almost half the price for its line is a little shocking to be honest.
Talking of American brands, another drugstore product/line I find to be somewhat overpriced is the Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush. Dont get me wrong its beautiful, from the packaging, to the colour and finish, however it lacks pigmentation, so for that I would say that the $12 price tag is a little steep. 

Drugstore Dupes?!

The obvious would be Sleek's Rose gold, which is a perfect dupe for Nars Orgasm. Not only are the two near identical, but I would go as far as to say that Rose Gold is a lot more pigmented. So at a fraction of the price its certainly a steal (oh drugstores how I love thee). You can read my review on the pair here.

Drugstore products that aren't really worth the hype?! 

Please dont hate me, but I just dont understand the hype over Revlon Lip Butters and L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash's. Dont get me wrong there nice enough products, I just dont quite understand the hype that surrounds them. If anything Id say they are overpriced for what they are. Give me a Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer or Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick any day.

I tag:

Claudia from Claudia Couture

Ally from MissAllyV

Erica from EricaWears

Trina from TrinaWears

Gemma from Miss Makeup Magpie

What are your Drugstore essentials?!

E.L.F Store Cardiff

Budget brand E.L.F has found its way into the hearts and makeup drawers of many a beauty blogger, thanks to its high quality, purse friendly products. Since its UK launch in 2007, we have been reliant upon its online store to get our 'eyeslipsface' fix. So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered that the much loved brand were opening there first european store in none other than Cardiff. 

Situated within the quirky Royal Arcade (the one with Rossiters if you were wondering), its safe to say that E.L.F have managed to create a beauty addicts playground with a floor dedicated to all things makeup and nails (picture row upon row of blushers, bronzers, brushes, lipsticks etc, and a table brimming with sweet jars filled with nail polish) and an upstairs studio and makeover space. 

Yesterday I finally got to pay the fabulous store a visit. Reliant upon online swatches when it comes to making an E.L.F order, it was a luxury to be able to pick up the products, and to swatch, see and feel them in the flesh. Although I could have easily cleared the shelves, I was restrained and walked away with two products, the softest Powder Brush and a Daily Brush Cleanser (expect a review soon). Im seriously impressed with what E.L.F have done. They've managed to create the ultimate relaxed space, perfect for beauty bloggers, and general makeup enthusiasts alike. A space to talk about all things beauty and swatch to your hearts content. 

Will you be paying E.L.F Cardiff a visit?! 

E.l.f Haul

Eyes. Lips. Face (or as its fondly referred to as E.l.f.) would have to be one of the cheapest, high quality cosmetic lines I have come across. With products suitable for both makeup newbies, and those wishing to add yet another pink lipstick and millionth nude palette to there ever growing collection (guilty as charged),without breaking the bank.With a whopping 60% off all orders over £25 it would have been rude not to take full advantage of the latest E.l.f. sale.

Everything you see before you came to the grand total of £10 (no thats not a typo), excluding postage. Thats £1 per product, A POUND PER PRODUCT (hold on a moment as I try to pull myself together). 

Recently I have found myself reaching for glossy sticks, after falling hook, line and sinker for the Mirenesse Glossy Kiss I received in my april Birchbox. So I couldn't resist popping one three of the Jumbo Lip Gloss Sticks into my basket. I opted for Coco Loco (a deep nude, that looks slightly scary in the bullet), Flirty & Girly (a beautiful fuchsia pink, with some serious sparkle), and Movie Star (a vibrant red). I cant get over how pigmented these gloss sticks are. I wouldn't say they have the best staying power, but for £1 who am I to complain!! 

Keeping with the stick theme I also purchased 3 of the Jumbo Eyeshadow Sticks. I picked French Lace (a light gold with a subtle shimmer running throughout), Turkish Coffee (a deep burgundy with a coppery brown tone to it), and Feeling Lucky (a coppery brown). These shadows have received a mixed bag of reviews, with many stating that they crease like crazaay. However I am completely smitten, and have yet to experience creasing thus far. These creamy, easy to work with shadow sticks are super pigmented. With a little help from the E.l.f Eyelid Primer in Champagne (yet another cheeky new addition) these will easily last the best part of a day without budging. 

Last but certainly not least I picked up 2 Flawless Eyeshadow Palettes (Tantalizing Taupe, Beautiful Browns) and a Lip Exfoliator (expect a review soon). I will shamefully admit that I picked up the palettes for the sole reason that they resembled the Wet n Wild ones (oops). Ive yet to try these, so cant comment on application or staying power, however I have high hopes after trying the shadow sticks (have you tried these?!)

My only niggle with E.l.f (come on you knew there would be one), is that the online swatches are rarely true to the actual shade, so be aware of that when making your order.

Fancy getting hold of some E.l.f shaped bargains?! There is currently a 50% off Sale for all orders over £10. But be quick as products are selling fast. 

Did you take advantage of the E.l.f sale?! 

Dont make me blush

So when the lovely Charlotte took to twitter in search of guest bloggers I jumped at the chance. Sorting through my stash I came to the realisation that I have quite the obsession with those pretty pink powders also know as blusher. After much umming and ahhing over what to write about, I decided that it was only right to share my little collection with Charlottes lovely readers.
Ive mentioned a few of my must haves (a hard task for a blusher junkie like myself), including some cult favorites (Nars & Tarte to name but a few).

I would love it if you took the time to check out the post here!! ..and take a peek at Charlottes lovely blog while your there!!
 I would love to know what you think!
Are you a lover of Blushers?!