Hey guys, it’s me again!
I am always on the hunt for new products that won’t break the bank.
Don’t get me wrong, I love higher end brands like Urban Decay and, more recently, Jeffree Star but the sad fact is, my bank account doesn’t let me buy these all the time!
I decided to try out a few new products when I saw Boots were going an offer of free products if I spent more than £20.00.
The Boots Beauty Edit Box claimed to contain £40.00 worth of products so it’s always worth waiting to make a purchase when a website has an offer running!
I kept my order as cheap as possible to bring you a full(ish) face of first impressions on a budget.
*Disclaimer* I don’t really do a typical full face of makeup anymore. I’ve almost given up on setting my face with powder now, I don’t use primer because my moisturiser is quite tacky and I don’t really use powder highlight unless it’s a special occasion.
I’ve tried to stick to brands that I’ve either not tried or not tried for a while.
Wet N Wild Photo Focus Foundation – £5.99
I’ve seen quite a few people rave about this foundation and it’s so cheap!
I hate picking shades on websites but I think I managed to get the lightest one. It doesn’t look like there is a huge range though so you might struggle to get a match.
I got mine in the shade Nude Ivory, which is a teeny tiny bit too dark as it oxidises a little as the day wears on.
This foundation does not smell great! It smells a little like paint but luckily it doesn’t hang around once it’s blended!
It has a pretty weird spatula applicator which I’m not really a fan of but once the product is on your face, it blends out quite nicely.
It did sink into my smile lines a little but it didn’t seem to get worse through the day after I initially noticed about an hour later.
I noticed a bit if transfer where my glasses sit but that’s nothing unusual for me!
It lasted until bedtime which was great, I can definitely get a full days wear out of it and I didn’t look super oily or anything either which is definitely a plus!
If you are looking for a cheap foundation and you have combination skin, this might just be the one for you!
Wet N Wild Photo Focus Concealer – £3.99
This smells a little like the foundation but again, the smell doesn’t hand around too long!
I was really impressed with this little budget concealer! It’s not completely full coverage but it blends so well! I think it could be buildable too.
I didn’t notice any creasing as the day wore on either.
Barry M Chisel Cheeks Contour Highlighting Creams – £7.99
I don’t normally use cream contour or highlight products but I think that might change!
I’m not fussed for the highlighter stick as it doesn’t really show up too much but the contour stick is definitely worth it!
You can only get this in one shade and it says it works on all skintones. I think if you had really dark skin it probably wouldn’t show up but light or medium skintones would be fine.
The formula is so creamy and it really does blend effortlessly to a really natural looking contour.
It sits nice on top of foundation too and doesn’t move it or remove it which I’ve found with other sticks like this.
Wet N Wild Colour Icon Brow Pencil – £2.50
As I mentioned in my last post, eyebrow pencils are really not my forte. I’m determined to get better though!
This pencil has a spoolie on one side and the pencil on the other. I’m drowning in spoolies at the moment 🤣.
This pencil is a little scratchy to begin with but once it’s warmed up it’s nice and creamy. You definitely only need a light hand as it deposits a fair amount of product with one swipe.
I’d say it’s easy to be accurate if you are used to using a pencil, for me, not so much!
Collection Eyes Uncovered Urban Jungle – £4.99
This is where I was ridiculously surprised! The pigment! 😍
So this is a pretty tiny palette but it really does pack a punch. I was not expecting the colours to look anywhere near as vibrant as they did.
It is an entirely matte palette which I know would put some people off.
The shades are slightly dusty in the pan but fallout was pretty minimal and it only seemed to be the blue that I had any issue with.
They blended really nicely and I think the colours are versatile enough that you can make several looks from this pocket friendly palette.
There were a few different colour stories available but I had to go for the brightest one of course but you can get more neutral tones if that’s more your thing.
Collection Lip Liner Pencil – £1.99
I don’t normally use a lip liner so I don’t have much to compare this to but I thought I would try it for the price!
It does feel a bit scratchy on application but you can get a fairly solid line.
There was quite a few different colours available too. I went for a boring pinky nude since that’s normally my go-to for lip colour.
NYX Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipstick – Free (RRP £7.00)
Everyone always raves about NYX products but this is the first time I actually got to try one out!
The formula feels lovely on first application and the doe foot makes it really easy to apply.
I did notice as it started to wear, it made my lips really sticky which I didn’t appreciate quite as much but it doesn’t dry your lips out like a lot of liquid lipsticks out there.
The colour I got in my box was fairly dark – shade – and it didn’t wear off as prettily as some other lipsticks I have but I will definitely be using this again!
A cheaper option would be Wet N Wild liquid lipsticks. I love mine and they seem to last as long as the NYX one that I’ve used.
Maybelline Great Lash Mascara – Free (RRP £5.99)
I know this mascara is a favourite for many people, if judging from the comments on Instagram is anything to go by!
I never picked it up first time around but I’m glad I got a chance to use it.
The formula is pretty wet but the brush is a good size which makes it easy to apply.
I found it gave me a lot of definition to my lashes without making the too clumpy.
I did notice a little bit of flaking but that doesn’t bother me all that much but it took me a lot of makeup remover to get it off my face at the end of the night!
The Beauty Edit Box
Along with the NYX liquid lipstick and the Maybelline mascara, my freebie box came with lots of other goodies to try out.
I got a Garnier Moisture Bomb sheet mask and a L’Oréal Rivitalift Filler sachet which I’m looking forward to using on my next pamper day!
Lip products were clearly the highlight of the box because as well as getting the NYX liquid lipstick, there was a L’Oréal Colour Riche lipstick and a Sleek Matte Me lip cream.
I also got a Rimmel 60 Second nail polish and a Rimmel Kohl Kajal eyeliner. The liner is blue which I’m actually weirdly excited about trying out. I’ve not worn eyeliner in the longest time!
I managed to get all this for £27.45. I know I cheated a little for my full face as the liquid lipstick and mascara came as part of my free beauty box but it’s easy to exchange this for a cheaper options to keep the cost as low as possible or take advantage of a deal like I managed to do.
I also managed to bring the cost down a little by using Top Cashback with my order which I always use when I can to get money back on purchases.
I think the look turned out pretty good, and I’ll definitely be using these products again – the highlight for me was definitely the eyeshadow palette (obviously) and the contour cream (maybe not as obvious!).
The eyebrows could have been much better and I have used better foundations but I will keep trying and maybe with use, I can get them looking better!
Im fairly impressed with my purchases considering I spent less this time than what I did on Stay Naked Foundation a couple of weeks ago!
What’s your favourite budget brand? Do you prefer budget or high-end beauty? Let me know in the comments below ⤵️.
Thanks so much for reading as always! Speak soon!
Claudia xxx
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