I've always felt that it's not hard to find good products with big price tags, it's not hard to find rubbish products for pennies; what's hard is finding something that's great and affordable. So here are my top picks under £5! These are products that I think are fantastic full stop and most of them I reach for just as much (or sometimes more than) my high-end pieces.
An old favourite is the Sleek Blush in Suede (£4.49, post here). It's that perfect muted peach colour for when you're not quite sure what to wear. It goes with everything, it lasts all day and it's hard to get wrong. As for highlighter the winner by a mile is Makeup Revolution's Radiant Light in Breathe (£5, post here).
My shimmery single eyeshadow pick is the Makeup Revolution Mono Eyeshadow in Adore Moi (£1, post here). It's a really nice beige-y gold colour that is just so pigmented and has a lovely soft texture. My pick for matte eyeshadow is Natural Collection's Solo Eyeshadow in Milk Chocolate (£1.99). It can be really hard to get matte eyeshadows right on a limited budget but Natural Collection have got it so right! They're so easy to apply and blend; there's not a hint of chalkiness to the formula, plus even the light shades are pigmented. Milk Chocolate is a lovely taupe-y pink-brown. I've also chosen a palette: Makeup Revolution's Iconic 2 (£4, post here). It's an amazing-quality dupe of the Urban Decay Naked 2 and is full of gorgeous everyday essentials, both mattes and shimmers are amazingly pigmented and have a buttery texture. Finally for eyeshadows I have to mention my go-to cream formula; Maybelline's 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze (£4.99). It's just that perfect neutral shimmer base for day or night. I don't know about 24 hours but it lasts me all day! Whether on it's own or to make it even easier to create a smokey nude eye; I just love it!
I've never been big on spending lots on lip pencils; I feel they're essential but not that exciting. Therefore I was thrilled to find Essence's cheap range that are creamy and cover most of the bases in terms of the colour range. My favourite is the Essence Lipliner in 06 Satin Mauve (£1, post here) which goes perfectly with MAC Twig for a Kylie Jenner nude lip. A great brow product if you're on a budget is the Rimmel Professional Eye Brow Pencil (£2.99). If you're like me and have really asymmetric eyebrows, sometimes you just have to get in there and do a bit of drawing and this works great. A bit of a new discovery for me is the Collection 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in 1 Black (£2.99). I'd pretty much given up on felt liners as the tip was never the right shape and feel and they always seemed to dry out after only a couple of weeks. Well this one is the perfect shape and size to get the detail right, do a nice flick and a few weeks later it's still just as pigmented and inky as it was the first time I use it. It doesn't smudge or transfer and really does last all day. Plus the tip isn't scratchy in the slightest. For underneath the eye I go for something softer, and again I love Essence's offering. My favourite is the Essence Long-Lasting Eye Pencil in 19 Hot Scorch (£1.50). It's a gorgeous shimmery brown-scotch shade that has the nicest creamy texture.
I do have a bit of a love-hate relationship with it but if you can find a colour match I'd give Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19, post here) a go. It tends to wear off my oily eye area quite quickly but it's perfect for concealing blemishes; one of the best concealers I've ever tried in that respect. I go on about it all the time but the only eyeshadow primer for me is e.l.f.'s Eyelid Primer in Sheer (£1.95). It makes a huge difference to eyeshadow; making it last longer, colours show truer and just really makes the most out of your eye products.
Also repping for ultra-affordable makeup brushes; I've included the e.l.f. Studio Blush Brush (£3.95). I pretty much love all the Studio line brushes but I thought I'd show you one other than those I've already mentioned a lot on my blog. I love this for applying highlighter down the centre of my face and across the highest point of my cheekbones as it doesn't pick up too much product and is a great shape. My budget mascara is one I picked up pretty much by accident: the Collection Supersize Fat Lash Mascara in Black (£2.99, post here). I'm so glad I came across it as it's my go-to everyday mascara as it both lengthens and adds volume but never looks too much; perfect for beginners. Last but definitely not least is my #1 budget lip product (and one of my top lip products full stop), which are the Makeup Revolution Lip Hugs (£2.50, post here). The shade Keeps the Planet Spinning is representing these above. They have a really nice amount of pigment but they're still a sheer lip colour. KTPS is a really lovely raspberry tone that looks great for day or night.
1. e.l.f. Primer 2. Essence Hot Scorch 3. Collection Eyeliner 4. Rimmel Brow Pencil 5. Makeup Revolution Keeps the Planet Spinning 6. Sleek Suede 7. Makeup Revolution Adore Moi 8. Makeup Revolution Breathe 9. Essence Satin Mauve 10. Makeup Revolution Iconic 2 (Shade 2) 11. Makeup Revolution Iconic 2 (Shade 5) 12. Natural Collection Milk Chocolate 13. Maybelline On & On Bronze 14. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
I hope you enjoyed this post and it saves you bit of money!
What are your favourite products that cost under £5?
