Bargain Beauty

In my mind there is nothing better than finding incredibly affordable beauty products that do a great job and rival more expensive items as it fills my little heart with joy and means my money goes further. The two products I've recently started using are now both part of my daily makeup routine and I carry them around with me at all times in my Primark makeup bag, oh the prestige.

Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara- £1.99

I've only recently started using this mascara after having it in my drawer for a few months (watch me get an eye infection) and didn't expect much from it, using it only as I had finished the mascara I'd been using previously. However, this mascara helps to define my eyelashes well and has a really gentle formula and brush compared to some other mascaras I've tried that nearly destroy my vision in one swipe. I find this mascara to look best after a few coats which is perfect as it is completely buildable and doesn't cause my lashes to clump together. I tend to have problems with mascara smudging underneath my eye but with this mascara I can't say I've had that problem and due to the brush having a narrower tip it makes it easier to coat the bottom lashes.

Miss Sporty Liquid Concealer- £2.99

I don't know what possessed me to buy yet another under eye concealer but I am so glad I picked this one up, I'd seen someone mention this concealer in a blog post and I think in the back of my mind I made it my mission to buy it. The concealer comes in three different shades, Light, Medium and Dark of which I bought Light and I am honestly so impressed with it. I've been wearing it on both foundation and no-foundation days and it just gives the perfect amount of natural coverage, it helps eliminate dark circles but without making it obvious you've covered them. The concealer is said to contain vitamins E and C and I'm not even going to pretend to know what effect this has on the product but whatever it is, it's working. The product does contain a small amount of shimmer to it which is unnoticeable on the skin unless you're looking incredibly closely so might make it unsuitable for blemishes but I don't use it for this purpose anyway.

Have you tried either of these products? What are your thoughts on them? Or have you discovered any other beauty bargains recently?

EcoTools Fresh and Flawless Five Piece Complexion Set

I've owned the EcoTools Fresh and Flawless Five Piece Complexion Set for quite some time now and thought it was about time I typed away my thoughts on it as I have personally never seen it be mentioned on a blog. I picked this set up randomly one day while cruising the aisles of Boots and, on this particular day, I was feeling reckless and untameable and paid for it using my hard earned Boots points so I technically didn't spend any money. At one point I had around £40 worth of points on my card and now I'm down to a measly £2.10, but please don't get me started on my Superdrug card where I have a whooping 48p... I believe this set was £11.99 but I can't actually see it on the Boots website at the moment but other stockists include Amazon and Feel Unique.

The packaging holding the brushes is in a book sort of form which is handy to travel with as there is a magnet in the lid meaning it closes securely and you also get information about the individual brushes and their uses. It also means you can keep all the brushes in one place and store them neatly rather than flung all over the place which is my usual choice of storage. In the set you get 5 quite miniature brushes all of which are intended to be used with base products and each have a pretty, colourful design.

I will run through my thoughts on each brush individually in their order in the packaging from left to right:

FLAT CONCEALER BRUSH

I don't use this brush as part of my daily makeup routine but is really handy for when a more precise and heavier coverage is required on any blemishes or problem areas. The bristles are fairly short and dense meaning you can push product into your skin well and layer up product and would also work well at cleaning up eyebrows after filling them in if you want a sharper, cleaner edge.

BUFFING CONCEALER BRUSH

This brush is great for under eye concealer as using your finger to tap the product in can be quite time-consuming (first world problems) especially if you're like me and apply several different concealers to try and get rid of blueness. I've also found this brush handy to carry with me throughout the day as when I get creases in my concealer I can use this brush to get rid them of. The bristles are, again, quite short but are a lot more flexible and is a fluffier brush making it easier to blend products into the skin.

PRECISION FOUNDATION BRUSH

This is another brush that I don't use every day but is great to have if you wanted to do a more dramatic contour and highlight as you'd be able to use it to apply and map out where you want different products to go. I personally wouldn't use this as a foundation brush as it'd take such a long time to apply and blend the foundation due to its small size but as the bristles aren't as densely packed you get a lot of movement when using it so you can get to difficult areas of your face if you do prefer flat foundation brushes.

COMPLEXION BLENDING BRUSH

I have been using this brush in place of my Real Techniques Buffing Brush recently which came about as a bit of an accident as I had used my Buffing Brush on someone at college and hadn't had a chance to wash it so decided to try out this brush instead and loved the results. This brush is a lot more travel friendly than the Real Techniques Buffing Brush as it fits in my makeup bag for any touch ups throughout the day; I don't have a preference for either buffing brush and would say both are equally as good at creating a really well blended base of foundation.

FULL POWDER BRUSH

I have been loving this brush and have reached for it nearly every day for a long time now as it works so well to apply powder with, beforehand I was using a massive kabuki style brush but felt it was too big for my face and so this small, flexible brush has been a lifesaver. I can be a lot more precise with where I powder now and it also works really well for setting my under eye concealer because of how flexible the bristles are meaning it can get into awkward places.

This set is definitely worth its price tag around the £10/£11 mark as you get 5 brushes which are really well made, are incredibly soft, cruelty-free and with the added bonus of the handles being made from bamboo. The price for this set is especially good when considering that one Real Techniques brush alone can cost more than £10. This set would make a lovely present for anyone but especially for someone who is just starting to get into makeup brushes as it has everything that would be needed for foundation, concealer and powder.

Do you own this brush set or do you prefer other brand offerings?

Makeup Revolution: Lipstick in Immoral* and Nail Polish in True Blue*

I'm sure over the past week or so you have seen hauls and product reviews cropping up left, right and centre featuring the new makeup brand Makeup Revolution and have squealed with joy, like myself, over the reports of there being a Naked 3 dupe. The company, who have already created a huge impact after only having launched in London during March this year, offer 300 products on their website, here, all while being incredibly affordable and cruelty free. Prices start at £1 (seriously, my bus fare is more than double this amount) and the most expensive price being a mere £12 for a 100 Piece Eyeshadow Palette or a collection of 12 nail varnishes currently on sale at the same price.

It was on one fine Tuesday afternoon that I was offered the opportunity to try out their blue lipstick in Immoral and, although I really wasn't sure what to expect, as the old tale goes: never pass up the chance to rock a blue lip. Or something vaguely along those lines I'm sure. I am a huge lover of lipstick and rarely feel self conscious regardless of what shade I'm wearing from pinks to oranges so thought how different could a blue lipstick really be?!

The lipstick is held in a basic, black plastic case with 'MAKEUP REVOLUTION' printed nicely on the side in gold writing with the shade being displayed at one end in see-through plastic. For me, packaging is necessary only to store the product inside and I feel that it will be enough to keep the lipstick safe and free from damage. Immoral has a definite hint of a vanilla scent which I really love as I can never resist giving my makeup a good little sniff before applying it (uh so weird).

Immoral is a light, baby blue colour and, I feel this is fairly obvious, but it's not the type of colour that you would pop on to go to the shop quickly and is instead one used to create a statement. I admire that Makeup Revolution have stepped away from the classic lip shade collection of a red, a nude and a pink as I'm only currently aware of Lime Crime doing unusual lipstick shades which cost around £13 so Makeup Revolution definitely provide a much better alternative for people on a budget.

The formula of this lipstick is quite sheer and feels a little like a lip balm on the lips as opposed to being stiff and drying like a lot of cheaper lipsticks tend to be. At first I did find it a little difficult to work with as I couldn't seem to get an even application all over my lips as when applying another layer it seemed to remove the first layer and make my lips appear patchy. It's worth mentioning that I do feel like this is a problem unique to the shade as I can imagine the sheer formula working really well with a more nude shade and one which isn't going to be such a contrast against the natural lip shade. After some trial and error I did find that lining my lips with a blue eyeliner first improved the look of the lipstick a lot as it gave the lipstick something to stick to and intensified the colour which made it more wearable as well as giving much needed definition.

I did originally think that this would be a really cool lipstick to wear on a night out (although I can imagine my friends recoiling in horror) and would make for a striking look but unfortunately I don't think I have the right sort of face for it (damn you genetics). I do truly believe that if you're the type of person who's quite edgy then Immoral would work for you and make people want to go out and buy the lipstick too, and I know for one I would be in awe of them. This shade would flatter someone with a darker skin tone as the contrast would look amazing and you'd be less likely to look washed out or even with a nice sun-kissed tan it would be a shade worth considering. As I'm doing a makeup course I'm planning on using this lipstick for fashion/editorial looks and so I'm certain I'm going to get a fair bit of use out of it. If you're on the fence I'd say to give it a go as it truly is only £1 you'll be losing out on if you decide blue lips aren't for you but you could definitely get creative with your makeup to compliment the blue.

Immoral applied alone (excuse my awfully moody lips)

Immoral applied with a blue lip liner

Makeup Revolution were also kind enough to send me a matching nail varnish in the shade True Blue, pretty great timing as it's all about matching lips and tips this season! I would say that the nail varnish and the lipstick are nearly if not exactly the same shade in person and this has been on my nails since it arrived in the post on Monday. The shade is a perfect powdery, summery blue and has lasted incredibly well so far especially considering the low £1 price tag; while at work on Monday I kept checking my nails over to see if there were any signs of chipping and didn't see any (ticks imaginary check box) and I'm now on day 3 of wearing the polish and the only chips are from me picking at them (bad habit). I applied 3 coats as application was a little streaky at first but this is an issue I find with a lot of different brands and is not something that would deter me from buying more shades from the range. If you're wanting to incorporate colour into your wardrobe for Spring and want to start with your nails but don't want to spend a fortune then Makeup Revolution would be a good place to start as you get a good quality product and not to mention the nicely rounded edges on the bottle.

From left to right: one coat of True Blue, two coats of True Blue, three coats of True Blue

Makeup Revolution is a brand to keep an eye on as their existing products already look amazing and seem to be innovative and up-to-date with current trends so it's going to be really exciting seeing what else they come up with. I've heard the brand will be available in Superdrug eventually which nearly sends me into excitement overload as I can swatch until my heart's content and walk away proudly with a bag full of beauties. Next pay day I feel like I'm going to have to purchase a few items online from Makeup Revolution as I can't help the fact that the Hot Smoked and Iconic 3 eyeshadow palettes are calling my name!

Have you tried any Makeup Revolution products yet or are you interested in doing so? What's your take on blue lips?

*Products sent for consideration of review