Off-Topic Tuesday - Budget Beauty Buys worth trying!

Although this is prominently a nail blog, I'm a closet beauty junkie too. There's no way in a million years I'll ever get through all of my make-up, but I still buy more and more. And when it comes to spending, I want more for my money! But to get the quantity you don't always have to scrimp on quality, so I thought I'd share a few of the budget friendly products I use every day and love. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a collection of MAC lippies and Urban Decay palettes, but when I can get a whole make-up bag full of goodies for the price of one higher end one, I know which I'd rather have!

MUA

I seem to have amassed quite an array of MUA products, both from their main £1 range and the slightly pricier pro range. It started off with a single eye shadow (Shade 1 pearl, not pictured because my three year old smashed it...) which I loved so much as an eye shadow and highlighter, and moved on from there. Several of the products I use everyday and will repurchase over and over - the pressed powder and clear mascara for my brows are used every single day. I love all the palettes as they're great quality and only around £4. A recent favourite is the Intense Kisses lip gloss. At just £2 it's comparable to Rimmel Apocalips, but easier to wear and less messy!

Derma V10 Cocoa Body Butter

I must admit I'm a little bit lazy when it comes to body moisturising. I buy a new product and start out with good intentions, but they soon fade either when the product doesn't live up to expectations or I just get bored of it. But not with this one. I tried it after Miss Budget Beauty's recommendation and have repurchased several times since then. For just 99p (I get mine from Body Care, but apparently you can get it in Poundland and 99p stores too) you get a decent 220ml tub of bright orange body butter. Yup, bright orange! But as soon as you rub it into your skin you get a rich, gorgeous smelling, moisturising lotion that really packs a punch. The scent lingers on your skin, but doesn't smell fake or too sickly and makes my skin really soft and smooth. My only reservation is the colour, but with a product this good I can overlook that. If you're a fan of the much pricier Body Shop body butters, give this a go. I promise you wont regret it!

Superdrug Vitamin E Range

I first tried the vitamin e range from Superdrug after the huge hype the Hot Cloth Cleanser caused in the blogosphere when it launched. I fell in love with it and have been using it ever since. I'm happy to report the rest of the range is just as good! Most recently I've been using the Facial Scrub and Oil and they're both products I love. The scrub is oat based, and while I usually find these aren't 'scrubby' enough for me, the exfoliating particles in this have just the right texture. Since I purchased the oil a few weeks ago I have used it every single night before bed and the difference it has made to my dry skin is incredible. My skin feels so much brighter and smoother, my make-up goes on so much easier and even the dark shadows under my eyes are less noticable. And for under £3!

Ebay

Not a budget beauty buy as such, but definitely worth noting if you're after a bargain! I like going in store and having a browse, but online shopping can be just as satisfying, especially if you know what you're looking for. I recently got a brand new Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow on ebay for around £3.80 + free delivery, when the exact same product in Boots or Superdrug would have set me back £4.99. Ok, so there are often 3 for 2 offers or discounts, and points to collect in store, but if you're just looking for one thing and don't want to be tempted then see if you can find it on Ebay first! Other things I have picked up are a Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Berry Queen for under £2 and a couple of Sleek eye palettes for much lower than the RRP. 

I hope this has been helpful! If you're tight careful like me or often find you have too much month at the end of your money, share your budget tips!

Hx

Pin It

Bargain Haulage

Hello!

I'm sorry this post is later than I planned, for some reason the weekend went too fast and time was not on my side.

Anyway, I've been bargain/freebie hunting and this is what I've come up with!

First up, some freebies. In Boots at the moment when you buy two Dove Deodorants you get a free Nails Inc Nail Polish in either Copacabana (coral creme) or Havana (nude shimmer). I spent just under £8 on the deodorant (which is the brand I use anyway so they'll get used up) and got both polishes, worth £22 together. I have Copacabana on my toes at the moment, and it is more orange than it looks in the bottle.

Also in Boots, when you buy any two 17 products you get this mini nail bar in a bag free, containing two polishes, a nail file and some nail stickers. The polishes are Pink Grapefruit and Red something (which I already had but had gone rock solid!) I bought a polish in Peacock and a high shine lip gloss in Coral Queen to get this freebie, spending less than £7.50. I wanted a coral lipgloss anyway, but will have to keep looking as this one is just completely sheer :(

Now an ebay bargain, I was looking for a particular Collection 2000 colour tat is apparently good for stamping, but has been discontinued. I couldn't find the one I was looking for, but the orangey-coral polish in this set caught my eye. There was 30 minutes or so left in the auction, it had no bids with a start price of 99p + £2 postage so I bid £1.20 and won. The pink isn't really very me, but the other two are nice enough, and I wanted an orange shimmer as my few orange polishes are all cremes.

These 2 Barry M beauties are Peach Melba and Berry Ice Cream, which I got from the Barry M Website with a code for 15% off. With postage I paid a little more than you would in Boots or Superdrug, but I can never seem to find Peach Melba and there aren't any offers in either shop at the moment, so I went for it. After all, you can't beat a bit of Barry M :)

Hx

Pin It