Sunday 15 May 2016

The £1 face!


Hey, muffins! How do you feel about budget beauty products? Personally, I love to indulge in high-end makeup, although admittedly, expensive doesn't always mean good. Cheap doesn't always mean bad, either, and there sure are some amazing, budget-friendly gems out there. Recently, I received a few makeup items from Miss Beauty London - a brand that features only £1 beauty products. This gave me the inspiration for today's post, so I went ahead and purchased a bunch of £1 makeup from different brands. Today, I will show you my makeup done using £1 products only, and share my honest thoughts on some of the most budget-friendly makeup out there. Hope you enjoy!


From Miss Beauty London, I received a Flawless Matte foundation, a mattifying powder, a waterproof mascara and an eyeliner. The brand claims to feature 'bold, bright colours that are used for an aesthetically pleasing effect'. Unfortunately, since none of the products I received are actually coloured, I can't really judge that claim for myself. The first thing I noticed about the brand was the packaging - it's sturdy, and doesn't look cheap. I'm not saying that it looks high-end, but it could easily pass for a drugstore brand such as Rimmel, or Maybelline. 

The foundation was the one thing I was afraid to try the most. Can a £1 foundation really be any good for my skin? Fortunately, it turned out to be quite decent. This liquid foundation offers good coverage, and I was impressed with the natural-looking finish. The shade (number 2) was a pretty good match for my skin, and it works for both cool and warm undertones. Unfortunately, the lasting power leaves a lot to be desired. After a few hours, the foundation turned quite patchy, and completely disappeared in the oily parts of my face. Having said that, I've had worse experiences with more expensive foundations. I'm not saying that this is a great product, or one I'd re-purchase, but for £1 it's really not too bad.

The mattifying powder has a nice, soft texture, and I like the matte finish it gives - temporarily. Any shine control it gives doesn't last for more than two hours, so you have to re-apply constantly throughout the day. As with the foundation, this isn't a fantastic product, but it's no better or worse than a lot of other drugstore powders I've tried.  


The mascara was probably one of the biggest 'What the hell?' moments I've ever had with makeup. The tube arrived... empty! There is literally no product inside! The brush was perfectly clean, and I even swiped the inside of the tube with a cotton bud to make sure that the product didn't just dry up. Nope, there was nothing in there. I basically received an empty tube with a clean mascara brush. Perhaps I just got a faulty one, but still, I'm going to judge it for what it is. Shame, because the brush itself looks quite decent!

As for the eyeliner, I was actually pleasantly surprised with this. I'm not a huge fan of the applicator but I normally go for pencil eyeliners anyway, so perhaps I'm a little biased towards that. I found this one difficult to apply with precision, but the formula itself is pretty good. It dries quickly, doesn't smudge, and lasts pretty much all day. My eyelids get very oily, so I was impressed that it managed to stay in one place. For £1, this eyeliner is pretty good value for money!


On top of the Miss Beauty London products, I purchased a powder blusher by Makeup Revolution in Now, and a bronzer by MUA in Sunkissed Bronze. Both of these are nicely pigmented, and you can easily build them up to get the colour intensity you want. Now is a lovely, subtle, nude rose shade; decent for casual wear and very versatile. I think I might actually start using it more often alongside with my usual blushers, because it is just so gorgeous. The bronzer was a little disappointing - it's very powdery and difficult to apply evenly, and I'm not a huge fan of the shade. It seems to have a slightly orange-y undertone when applied, which just doesn't look good on me! 


I also picked up a couple of eyeshadows by MUA - a matte one in Fudge, and a shimmery one in Bronze. I have to say, I'm actually pleasantly surprised with these. The pigmentation is pretty impressive, especially considering the price. I particularly like the Bronze shade, which is quite intense and has a lovely, pearly finish. I only wish these would last a little longer! The staying power is about two to three hours without a primer, and six hours with a good eye primer (I use Proof it! by NYX). I'm actually tempted to pick up a few more shades from this MUA range - for £1 each, you really can't go wrong!

For the lips, I picked up the MUA lipstick in Shade 2. I have to say, this doesn't look like a £1 lipstick at all. The packaging is sturdy, and the quality matches a lot of the more expensive drugstore lipsticks. The formula is creamy and lightweight, giving the lips a subtle, sheen finish. It's not drying and feels comfortable on the lips, although the staying power leaves a lot to be desired (about two hours). The shade 2 is an intense berry red, but it's decent enough for casual wear. I don't think it looks particularly good on me, but I'd definitely like to try other shades from the range. 


Overall, doing my entire makeup using £1 products was a pretty fun experience, but not one I'd like to repeat! Most products turned out to be exactly what I expected, or a little better. I've had worse luck with more expensive makeup, which just goes to show that it's not always the price tag that defines the quality of a product. I really love the Makeup Revolution blush and the Miss Beauty London eyeliner, and can see myself re-purchasing these in the future. The Miss Beauty London mascara was the biggest disappointment, but how else was I supposed to feel about an empty mascara tube?! 

What do you think of my £1 face? Have you ever tried any £1 makeup?


Follow
SHARE:

No comments

Post a Comment

Blogger Template by pipdig