Let me know in the comments if you agree or whether you are still adamant on skipping along to Benefit every few months to re purchase your super pricey mascara? (I really hope not!)
MASCARA ... GO HIGH STREET
In my eyes expensive mascaras are a waste of money, they only last 2-3 months before they dry out and stop performing to their potential and if like me, you use mascara on other people whilst performing a makeover- fancy mascara wands will not be beneficial due to the fact we must use disposable plastic wands for every application to stay hygienic- so we are technically only buying the mascara fluid in the tube.
I have used high end mascaras in the past including Benefit's They're Real which I loved however for the money I am not prepared to keep repurchasing every 2-3 months when the mascara had dried out. My favourite mascaras come from Maybelline and L'oreal Paris which you can pick up for less than £10 and in my opinion get the same, if not better quality than a mascara costing you up to £25!
EYESHADOW ... GO HIGH END
There's no doubt that you can find some great affordable eyeshadows in the aisles of Boots and Superdrug however I do not feel that there is a huge choice on offer, especially for people like me who are not afraid to rock a bright purple eyeshadow once in a while-(I absolutely love MAC Stars N Rockets for when I want something bright!) I also find matte shades hard to come across among the huge variety of nude shimmery, bad pigmented pallets scattered across the shelves.
My favourite eyeshadows come from MAC and Urban Decay where I find MAC to have the best colour selection and Urban Decay never fail with their buttery, extremely pigmented and well bendable eyeshadow shades. I have used and loved MAC eyeshadow for years and I have put together my own custom pallet where I have picked my favourite shades including Naked Lunch, Satin Taupe, Cranberry, Red Brick, Fresh Water and Chrome Yellow- I especially recommend MAC shadows if you are aren't afraid of bold colours or are an aspiring makeup artist like myself and want to build on your colour collection.
Urban Decay have their famous Naked pallet collection which I feel every makeup addcict would love, the shades are very wearable whilst still giving the option to go crazy dramatic for a show stopping look. Read more about my thoughts on the Naked pallets... (click here!)
MAKEUP BRUSHES ... GO HIGH STREET
Almost all of my makeup brushes are from the high street/ drugstore and they are one of the only things that I feel you get a better variety when you buy them on a budget. Having a lot of makeup brushes makes everything 100 times easier as you don't need to constantly keep washing the same brushes over and over and you can never fear of running out of clean blending brushes whilst perfecting a sultry smokey eye! Many high end makeup brushes are made from real hair fibres which can sometimes help achieve certain effects so you may want to invest in one or two of these if you want a full collection of a variety of different brushes. On the other hand, synthetic makeup brushes are a lot friendlier to your wallet, kinder to the environment, tend to be feel softer and are much easier to clean so if all of these points sound appealing to you- I say stick to the synthetic, cheaper brushes.
I absolutely love Real Technique makeup brushes which you can pick up from Boots and Superdrug either individually or as part of great value sets to get you started on growing your collection.
A few of my favourites from Real Techniques include the buffing foundation brush (only available in the core collection set), miracle complexion sponge, setting brush and blush brush however I have yet to find a bad brush within their massive collection available.
Amazon also have some amazing makeup brush sets on offer for extremely low prices- these are brilliant if you are starting out with makeup and want to experiment with different makeup brushes. One of the best sets I have found on Amazon is this Ovonni 29 piece makeup brush and case set which will only cost you £30, giving you every type of brush you will ever need to create a fantastic makeup look- with each brush costing just over £1! I have been using these for a few months now and I am yet to find any faults- I also love the case that is included and I have found it to be very useful when travelling on makeup jobs.
FOUNDATION ... GO HIGH END
"The best thing is to look natural, but it takes makeup to look natural" Calvin Klein.
Good looking skin is everything in beauty and I believe that a really good base makes a huge difference to your overall appearance; it really sets off and brightens the rest of your makeup and features. It is possible to pick up a great foundation from the drugstore although more often than not, you are likely to go for the wrong shade or pick up one not suited to your skin type. Department store counter staff are there to help choose the right foundation for you, they will help to colour match you and give advice on what will work best with your skin, this is unfortunately something you pay for and will not receive at the drugstore.
Caring for your skin is essential so looking at what you plaster across your face every day may help solve some specific breakouts or skin concerns, certain brands will cater for certain skin conditions so do some research before you head out to the shops.
MAC have a huge variety of foundations suited for different skin types, colours and conditions and I love their Studio Finish foundation for a high coverage base that works well on oily skin whilst I also like Face & Body which gives a lighter finish that works on all skin types.
For myself (rather than foundations I use in my kit) I like to use foundations from YSL and Clarins as I find they work well with my skin type (normal to dry) and help me to create a healthy, dewy finish which is something I love.
STATEMENT LIPSTICK ... GO HIGH END
I love to wear bright and bold lipsticks however they are not always the easiest to pull off and feel comfortable whilst wearing so I always like to go for better quality formulas such as lipsticks from MAC and YSL. I have tried statement lipsticks from the drugstore before however I do not find the colour selection very exciting (I love purple lipstick!) and the formulas tend to be drying and uncomfortable to wear all day long.
I have a huge collection of statement lipsticks that I love although a few of my favourites include MAC Heroine, MAC Rebel, MAC Media and YSL Rouge Pur Couture 39.
NUDE LIPSTICK .... GO HIGH STREET
Personally I very rarely wear nude lipstick so I see no point in going out and spending £15 on one to wear it once in a while, therefore I do own a few nude lipsticks from the high street and I think they are great. Nude lipsticks tend to be moisturising and a slightly more interesting colour than your natural lip shade, they are nice to pair with a dramatic smoky eye or as part of your simple everyday makeup look. I rate Rimmel lipsticks to be the best on the high street, particularly their Kate Moss collection which includes my favourite Nude lipstick in the shade 03 which is a pretty brown toned pink that is easy to wear and looks great on almost all skin tones.
