Welcome!
I would firstly like to introduce myself to all of you reading this post. Hello, my name is Anneka, I am 20 years old and I am very passionate about all things relating to makeup, beauty, and home. I come from Dorset where near enough 80% of the time it's raining, the other 15% is cold and miserable and maybe 5% is when the sun is shining. I did previously have a blog, however, that did not work out as well as I would have hoped so this is attempt number 2! If you enjoy what your reading, please subscribe to post notifications so you are updated everytime I post new content.
Now, where it is the start of a whole new year and the majority of us love a good bargain, I thought I would post my top 10 products under £10.00; these are products which I think is worth you spending a little more on because they will change the way we do our makeup.
1 - Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation SPF 13 (£7.99)
I wanted to start with this product first, not only because it is one of my go-to foundations which I use on the daily, but because it is extremely worth the money! I absolutely love this product for several reasons, firstly it is the coverage it provides. This foundation has blown me away, it is a medium/full foundation but this can depend on how you build it up. It covers all the redness I have going on with my face easily, as well as covering up and smoothing out all the textured areas on my skin. This doesn't get cakey or cling to those hard to blend areas (nose, I'm talking to you here!) it just looks flawless. I have also found that it works magnificently with other foundations which may need a little shade adjusting, it mixes flawlessly and it makes your skin look like you are airbrushed.
The second reason I absolutely love it has to be the color range which is available. Depending on my skin color, I am either 10 - Ivory or 30 - Sand. Normally I would mix these two together (2 parts ivory, 1 part sand) to get my perfect combination. This foundation has 22 shades ranging from very pale (like me!) to deep, bronzed goddesses. For a drugstore foundation, that is pretty impressive. I know that a lot of Maybelline products have an extensive color range so I am positive you will find a color which is a perfect match.
Lastly, it has to be the longevity of this product. For me, the real test for a foundation is how well it wears during the day. I work typical office hours with a long commute daily and I feel that my foundation needs to remain airbrushed, doesn't get cakey or wear off in certain areas. I feel that this foundation does not do that with my skin. It holds really well during the day, it doesn't fade around my cheeks or lower half of my face and it doesn't sink into the small crevices on my face.
2 - Barry M Liquid Chrome Highlighter Drops (£6.99)
Have you ever looked at a product and thought "well, I know that we are going to make a perfect duo". No? Then it must have just been me with this highlight! I have recently just got on board with the whole liquid highlighter trend, initially, I convinced that it was a crazy trend and no one really wants a crazy highlight which beamed to outta space, but here we are. With this product that a very small amount goes a very very long way, I have found that if you blend it out initially with your fingers, then press it into the skin with a damp sponge it works the best because it melts in with your foundation and looks seamlessly blended.
I picked up three of their shades (they currently have 5 shades) in 'Beam Me Up' (a champagne gold), 'Liquid Fortune' (a bronze gold shade) and finally, 'At First Light' (a rose gold/pink). I currently have only tried 'Beam Me Up' which I found to be easy to blend, very pigmented and long wearing. I tried using it as a base for another highlighter I will be discussing later, which worked really well and helped with the longevity of the powder highlighter. The only thing I would have to say which would be considered negative is that they do dry relatively quickly, therefore, I would recommend doing one cheekbone at a time to prevent having a highlighter streak on your face.
3 - Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette (£8.00)
This is probably one of those things which I will continue to repurchase until I am well past the stage of needing to chisel out my cheekbones and make myself appear tanned. I purchased this well over a year ago (probably in mid-2016) and it has lasted me a really, really long time. I remember receiving it and thinking that I would become more efficient when mastering contour overnight, nearly two years later and I am slowly getting there. This palette comes with 2 setting powders, 2 bronzers, a cool tone contour shade and finally, 2 popping baked highlighters. For someone who is just starting out in makeup, this palette is all you would need for a super glam look.
I also want to discuss the pigmentation of these powders, when you first look at it in the pan you think it's your 'typical' drugstore contour powder which will not blow you away with the quality of the product. I would highly disagree - these powders are so creamy, so pigmented, easy to blend and they last a really, really long time the skin. The bronzers in this palette do not apply patchy or muddy, even if it is applied using a gigantic powder brush to basically apply it everywhere. I find that they blend seamlessly with any setting powder and it just looks like it was created by magic. The powders which are included in the palette are suitable for all skin types, preferences, and undertones in this little guy, therefore I would highly recommend checking it out next time you are in a Superdrug store!
4 - Maybelline Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter in 100 Molten Gold (£7.99)
Is it me, or has the drugstore been dramatically setting the bar for affordable highlighters? I firstly stumbled across this highlighter when watching one of my favorite YouTubers (Laura Lee) test out the product in a first impression video and ever since I saw how beaming it looked on her skin, I just knew I needed to get my little hands on it. I just happened to be walking past my local drugstore one miserable rainy afternoon and I saw it there on the display, just inside the door like a beacon of hope just out of reach, so I made a mad dash and grabbed it immediately. Since initially purchasing it, I can not put it down.
It is so buttery, so creamy, so pigmented and so blinding - you might as well say a little prayer and say goodbye to the rest of your highlighters. I really felt taken aback by the quality of this product from the get-go, for the price and the packaging I automatically assumed that it will more than likely going to be one of those 'meh' products. The moment my pinky finger swirled around the top of this product and swatched it on my arm, I instantly knew that was so not the case! Maybelline clearly took the cheap approach with their packaging and put all their efforts into creating this.
I have tried this on its own layered over a face powder, I have tried this on top of a liquid highlighter (ahem, number 2!) and I've even worn it without a stitch of makeup on! It looks flawless every single time, it's so metallic and beaming that you can see it from across the room I do find that it does have a golden tone but it just looks flattering on the skin. It is one of the best launches of 2017, especially from a well-known brand. If you haven't gone out and purchased it already, I highly recommend that you do! Now, GO! You will thank me later!
5 - MUA 6 Shade Palette in Matte Soft Suedes (£3.50)
Hello Bargain! I picked this up one day after hearing positive reviews on the MUA (Makeup Academy) eyeshadows. Normally I find their shadows to be either a hit or a miss, this, on the other hand, is a full YES, please! It is a 6 eyeshadow pan (duh!) and it comes with 2 base colors, 2 crease colors and finally 2 darker shades to deepen the outer V. I want to put it out there and say, that for the price (58p per shadow) they are pigmented and perfect for a basic office eye look, they are also buildable to the intensity you would like to suit everyone's needs, they apply nice and smooth and finally, they do not look patchy on the eye. I personally think that they are colors which will complement any eye look you are creating.
I typically use this palette if I am creating an office eye, nothing too dramatic but still flattering and feminine. I use the peachy color as a base for my transition, the light brown as my transition, the darker brown on my outer corner and then the off-white for all over my lid. Simple and done in less than 5 minutes.
6 - Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24h in 01 Black (£8.99)
Eyeliner can sometimes be like marmite, either you love it or you hate it. I know from experience that eyeliner can occasionally be something that we all are a little scared to do, especially when creating winged eye looks. Firstly, it can be that maybe the wing will turn out too thick and cover your entire eyelid, or that one wing is pointing towards the tail of your brow and the other is trying to greet the ceiling. The hardest bit is not always the application, but it's matching your eyeliner on BOTH eyeballs.
I have found that with this little gem, I do not have to worry about a scenario like this. It is creamy, easy to work with, extremely pigmented and it looks flawless on the eye. I mainly use this product along my lash line to add some definition to my eyelashes, this also helps to make my eye shape more defined as well as adding an additional definition stage to my eye look overall.
The packaging is in a frosted glass container with 'Maybelline New York' printed simply along the outer edge, the lid is a silver aluminum screw cap which is brilliant to keep the product creamy and prevent it from drying out. The overall feel of the product is more high end than drugstore, therefore I recommend that if you have not tried it out yet, then you really need to.
7 - Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette in Iconic 3 (£4.00)
This is a gem. It is one of those products that you did not know you needed until you had it in your collection. Everyone considers this a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 3, whilst I have not tried the Naked 3, I know I love this palette. The colors are extremely pigmented, they blend flawlessly and they last a decent time on the eyelids. They work well with one another and they aren't the kind of shadows which turn muddy and mix into one awful shade. I really like using this for a more natural eye look with maybe the darker plum purple on the outer V to add definition, or the light brown in my crease and the gold over my lid.
On me personally, these last a decent amount of time. I can put them on first thing on a morning, go about my day and near 8pm/9pm they will still be visible on my lid. I feel that this has been a game changer for me and my palette has been well loved and used especially on those days where you want something on your lids but you don't want to spend ages creating a complex look.
For £4.00 you are getting 12 shadows (33p - 1.16g per shadow) ranging from your basic white to pinks, to taupes to deep dark colors for added drama. I think this will be perfect for someone who doesn't want to pay the £39.50 for the Naked 3, but still wants to see if the colors work perfectly for them, or even someone who has just started with makeup and wants to experiment with a diverse selection of colors.
8 - Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara in Intense Black (£8.99)
Have you ever looked at a mascara, and been really unsure of what it will look like once it has been applied to your lashes? That was how I felt when I was looking at this mascara, I heard so many people raving about how dramatic it is on your lashes and how long lasting it turns out to be. I know I am late on the bandwagon with this, but holy moly, this is a game changer!
My typical mascara is the Bare Minerals Lash Domination which costs £20.00, this mascara does give me full volume and drama on my lashes which is why it used to be my all time favorite mascara. Since I have been using the Lash Sensational, my opinion has dramatically changed. This drugstore version has similar results regarding the volume and lengthening of your lashes, it also has similar lasting power and its a fraction of the price. You are saving £11.00 when you purchase this version which means your not breaking your bank for a great alternative.
9 - Freedom Eyebrow Pomade in Dark Brown (£5.00)
If you are a beginner and just started out with filling in your eyebrows, sometimes trying to find a product which doesn't give you very bold, sharp and dramatic brows can be scary. Especially when there are so many different brow products on the market. As embarrassing at this is, when I first started out with filling in my brows back in 2014, I used to use a brown eyeliner which I found slid off my brows within a few hours, plus it used to give me two very lovely brown blocks on my forehead.
My first ever brow product was the makeup revolution ultra aqua brow tint in Medium Brown which worked like a charm and got me used to a creamier brow product, shortly after this, I proceeded to try a brow pomade. I absolutely love how you can tailor your brows depending upon an individuals preference, I do love a dramatic brow with a feathery inner part. It looks flattering and dramatic all at the same time, it's perfect.
This brow product is great because it's really pigmented, creamy, easy to work with and if you make a mistake, you can easily cover it up with concealer which means you can really define them after you have applied the product. It also has the ability to overline your brows to make them appear fuller than they actually are, I tend to do this with my arch and upper area of my brows where they can look uneven and sparse. For the price, I highly recommend that you try this out as it is my go-to product when I want a dramatic, overdrawn brow.
10 - L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper in Medium/Dark (£6.99)
This last product is a recent discovery for me, I have only just started trying out this product over the last few months but I am already in love. I never really understood the concept of Brow Gels, partly because I believed they were a gimmick and they didn't actually work. It wasn't until my local drugstore was doing a 3 for 2 and I picked this up at a reduced price and tried it out, I can honestly say now that it has changed my brow game dramatically.
I found that it added some extra dimension to my brows regarding the brown tones as well as keeping the brow hairs from flying all over the place AND to top it off, it actually looked natural (well, as natural as it can be). I found that this does have a small mascara wand which makes it perfect to access those hard to reach brow hairs, it also smooths them down and it feels like superglue for your brows. It does feel slightly hard once it is first applied but once it has dried down, you won't be able to feel any trace of the product which is great.
The shade range is great because it is tailored for everyone with different brow colors, tones, and shapes. I picked up the Medium/Dark shade where I do have brunette hair, this seems to works the best with the color of my brow. I really recommend this product if you are looking to try a brow gel, I know it seems pricey for what it is and there are cheaper alternatives available; however, I do believe that based off the market with brow gels at the drugstore, this is one of the best brow gels available.
Finally, I can comfortably say that all the products above are, in my opinion, some of the best products available at the drugstore priced below £10.00. Please let me know if you have tried any of these products and what your options are, did you love it? Hate it? On the fence? I would love to know.
Thank you for stopping by and reading this post. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below and I will see you all next week with a post going up on Sunday 11th February.
Overview of the Products:
Where to purchase the products above:
1 - Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation - £7.99 (CLICK HERE)
2 - Barry M Liquid Chrome Highlighter Drops - £6.99 (CLICK HERE)
3 - Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette - £8.00 (CLICK HERE)
4 - Maybelline Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter - £7.99 (CLICK HERE)
5 - MUA 6 Shade Palette in Matte Soft Suedes - £3.50 (CLICK HERE)
6 - Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner - £8.99 (CLICK HERE)
7 - Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette in Iconic 3 - £4.00 (CLICK HERE)
8 - Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara - £8.99 (CLICK HERE)
9 - Freedom Eyebrow Pomade - £5.00 (CLICK HERE)
10 - L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper - £6.99 (CLICK HERE)
Until Next Time.. *
