I am a huge lover of high-street beauty. I won't lie, not everything I own is from the high-street and I do love saving up for products or getting something high-end for my birthday. There is something really special about it and high-end packaging is to die for. But I am against things being way too overpriced and there are so many brilliant products out there on the high-street that are just as good, if not better, than lots of the higher end alternatives. So today I thought I would share with you my top 10 beauty products under £10. I've picked enough items so that you can create a full face and look, so I will go in order of how I apply my makeup.
Kicking it all off we have the Bourjois Bronzing Primer (£9.99). I picked this up during the summer after hearing that it was apparently a dupe for the Soleil Tan De Chanel and I love it so much. It's so different to any other product that I've ever used before. It's a cream bronzer that can be used just like a normal bronzer, to warm up the face under or over foundation, or it can be used all over the face but under your foundation as a tinted primer. It evens the skin and even mattifies slightly while giving you a gorgeous glow. I don't like too much tan on my face and often I skip bronzer all together, so I tend to just use the Bourjois Bronzing Primer on my cheeks and temples to create a nice warmth underneath my foundation. It seems a little scary at first but it's actually really easy to apply and a little goes a long way. Because it is a universal shade it's really blendable to it's hard to go over board and if you are applying it under your foundation you don't have to worry about it looking perfect at all. It's a small step that makes a big difference for me.
My foundation of choice is the L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Matte Foundation (£7.99). It's probably no surprise that this has ended up in my top 10 because I've raved about this foundation loads. It's honestly the best mattifying foundation I've ever tried. It's really easy to apply and blends into the skin perfectly leaving you with a flawless matte base. It's high coverage so you don't need lots of concealer over the top and it lasts throughout the whole day. I am yet to try out the 24 hour claim, but it does last a good 10 hours and that is more than enough for me. You can read my full review here.
If you read a lot of beauty blogs or watch a lot of beauty YouTubers then this next product won't come as a surprise to you either - the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19). This is hands down the best concealer out there on the high street. I don't know anybody who has tried this concealer and doesn't love it. It's high coverage, blendable, stays put and isn't super heavy. I only have two criticisms - the shade range is rubbish unless you are pale and the black writing on the packaging rubs off and looks ugly. But for such a cheap product I guess this is kind of expected. A little tip that I've picked up while using this concealer; because it is a doe foot applicator, first put it onto the back of your hand and then use a brush or your fingertips to conceal any blemishes. Otherwise you may contaminate the product which would cause you to break out even more if you have spot prone skin.
I really do believe that Topshop Beauty is one of the best beauty ranges out there on the high-street. Especially their blushers. I picked myself up the cream blush in Head Over Heels (£7) mainly because I wanted to try out a cream blush and I was pulled in by the pretty rose gold limited edition packaging for the 5 years of Topshop beauty. This pretty coral blush is a cream to powder formula so it lasts ages on the cheeks and doesn't feel slippy and heavy like some cream blushers do. It's really easy to apply and blend, which is a relief if you're a little bit scared of cream blusher like I am and the compact comes with a handy little mirror for on the go. All round this is a fantastic product and I think I'm going to have to pick myself up some more colours.
I found the next category really hard to pick because there are so many amazing eye shadows out there on the high-street. I really do think that is one area where the high-street knows what it is doing. In the end I went for the Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette Iconic 2 (£4). You can see straight away that this is a copy of the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette and it is a fantastic alternative for those of you who want the beautiful colours without breaking the bank. For a few quid you get 12 very pigmented and versatile shades (you can see full swatches here) that blend well and last all day. I love this palette because it contains a wide range of neutral colours to take you from day to night and create any look you want. The formula is exceptional for just over 30p for each shade and I never have a problem with fall out or creasing even without a lid primer. Makeup Revolution has so many different palettes to offer and I'm definitely going to be picking up some more for myself!
Recently I've been getting back into wearing eyeliner but I've been finding that black looks a little bit too harsh on my eyes during the day so instead I've opted for the Revlon Colorstay Eye Liner in 208 Topaz (£6.29). Now I think of topaz as being blue but this Revlon Eyeliner is a lovely soft bronzey copper colour that looks really pretty and frames the eyes nicely. The formula of the Revlon Colour Stay Eye Liners are really nice, they're not as soft as other eyeliners but this means that once they are on, they don't budge. They're waterproof and don't fade or smudge throughout the day. There is a little sponge smudger on the other end of the pencil but I think this is absolutely useless and if you want to smudge the line then just use your finger. It's a lot more delicate and doesn't add any black in. There is also a sharpener on the end of the pencil to allow for a precise line, but I don't bother sharpening the eye liner because it creates a fine line anyway and I don't want to waste any of the product.
Another product that I have raved about loads on this blog is the Natural Collection Water Guard Mascara (£1.99). This is the best mascara I have ever come across for your bottom lashes. It's waterproof and doesn't smudge or flake and because I have it in brown/black it looks incredibly natural. You can read my full review here.
Now no look would be complete without a good lip product and oh boy are there some amazing lip products on the high-street. Now I know everybody has labelled Mac as the gods of the lipsticks but there are plenty of lipsticks out there on the high-street that are just as good. Yeah the packaging may not be as elegant but it's what's on the inside that counts hey? I found it so difficult to pick a lip product to go into my top 10 so I just went with the colour that I have been wearing the most recently - Seventeen Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive (£4.79). I bought this because of Lilly Melrose who I am a little bit obsessed with and I am so glad I picked this up because the colour is gorgeous. It is exactly that 'my lips but better' colour. It's a really natural peachy pink that goes on smoothly and is actually a little bit moisturising. I think the packaging is quite stylish and it even has a little pop out mirror which at first I found annoying but it's actually really handy. My only problem with Beehive is that it's soft and because I've been carrying this around with me everywhere I go, it's become so smooshed. I don't know if this is a problem across the range or just because of the terrible way in which I have treated mine but for under a fiver I really don't care.
So there you have it. My top 10 beauty products under £10. What would be on your list? Do you prefer high-street or high-end beauty?
Ciara x
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