Rolling in the Cheap: Current Drugstore Faves.

I'll be honest, most of my makeup/skincare collection is high street (or drugstore). I don't spend all of my wages on high end counterparts simply because I have other bills to pay. Do I wish my wage was higher? hells yeah! but who doesn't? 

As much as I'd love to, I just can't fund a makeup collection that's solely made up of NARS and Chanel and I know that I'm not the only one. But this doesn't mean you can't build on the one you already have using products from the high street. 

And let's face it, do we really need that Tom Ford liquid liner when Rimmel or Maybelline probably do ones that work just as well? no, we don't but I'm not saying it's bad to treat yourself every once in a while either. It's happy days when I'm trawling through the lipstick stand at MAC and I finally pick one that I want to take home with me...that's a damn good feeling! and I do believe in everything in moderation - like vegetables and junk food. 

As for the Tom Ford liner - to be quite honest, I could never justify buying a beauty product that costs the same amount as my weekly food shop...unless I'd won the lottery in which case everything's game.

Recently, I've been a huge fan of applying my foundation with a sponge and the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge is just the ticket. It blends in bases faultlessly and leaves the skin looking polished but still skin-like. I love it.

I've always loved Simple Skincare and this Deep Cleansing face mask hasn't disappointed. It's the mildest mask I've ever used, so gentle that you can't even feel it working. It doesn't dry out or warm up, it just feels like a thick moisturiser but it pulls out all the gunk that's lurking in your pores. A solid recommendation for sensitive skin.

Vaseline is a product that every girl should have in her beauty arsenal. It's uses are endless. Honestly. It can be used to soothe chapped lips, as a foot cream and I've also been known to pop it over a particularly stubborn dry patch before applying my makeup - though I wouldn't recommend this technique for everyday use since it can clog pores quite badly. 

My practice of this foundation is becoming a bit of an obsession. I've used it nearly everyday since buying it a couple of weeks ago. It's fantastic. I've still yet to pick up the lighter shade, but mixing a little of my MAC Studio Fix Fluid in with it is working just as well for now. The Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude foundation is extremely long lasting, my skin looks oily after hours rather than minutes and it blends like a dream.

For a nail painting fiend like myself, Seche Vite top coat is a must. It adds shine and gloss to your freshly coated talons, dries within minutes and prevents chips like no other. I refuse to be without this from here on out.

My lip colour of the moment, Maybelline's ColorSensational lipstick in Velvet Beige. Although the smell isn't entirely pleasing, I've learnt to look past it because the colour's so beautiful. It's a pinky-mauvey-brown shade and works well with any makeup look that I seem to come up with. I own way too many of this lipstick colour and I should probably stop buying them now.

Lately I've been loving just adding definition to the outer halves of my eyes for a simple makeup look or if I'm ever in a rush. Rimmel's Scandaleyes Kohl liner in Bronze is my best friend on these days. I swipe a little on the outer half of the upper and lower lash lines and blend it out with my finger and that's it - job done. And since they're waterproof they last all day.

Another recent addition to my stash is this, the Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip pencil in Nude Perfection. Can you tell I like my nudes? Everything I seem to buy recently has Nude in it. These are a new release from Maybelline and I bought this after watching Lily Melrose's LFW makeup diary. It looked stunning on her and I simply had to have it - I also picked up the shade Minimalist but since the Boots website doesn't seem to offer reliable colour swatches or descriptions of individual shades I didn't realise it was barbie pink with a slight shimmer running through. Not for me.

Bringing up the rear of my current drugstore faves is the Maybelline Better Skin concealer. I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy using this concealer since the foundation and I just couldn't seem to get along and had to part ways on a somewhat harsh level - I threw it in the bin because I was having a love affair with the Loreal True Match. Even though the colour match isn't great (this is the lightest shade they do...I triple checked this time) the coverage is decent and it's excellent for the under eye area. However, I wouldn't advise for blemishes since it's a little too creamy and the coverage, although great for under the eyes, isn't so much for those pesky blighters

See, you can accumulate a good handful of decent enough products without having to take out a loan. And whilst I love drooling (not literally...that's weird and kinda gross) over the latest NARS blush or Charlotte Tilbury eye quad I actually prefer spending my money at the drugstore, you get more bang for your buck.

Lauren

xo