Beauty on a Budget
The makeup industry welcomes thousands of new products every year, with more brands popping up than ever before. Improvements in technologies and formulas have also resulted in an upgrade to a lot of products and packaging. Regardless of whether you choose luxury or drugstore makeup, cutting-edge research has given us a multitude of choices when it comes to picking out makeup products. The biggest lesson we’ve learnt is that higher price does not necessarily equal higher quality.
In this blog post, we will focus on budget makeup – which we believe has seen a massive improvement over the years. Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have influencers highlighting that you don’t actually need high-end makeup when such wonderful dupes/cheap makeup products are available on the market.
Concealer
This is our absolute favourite, affordable makeup. Maybelline’s Eraser Eye Concealer is simply a makeup bag must-have. It’s also a fan favourite amongst many, earning the spot as the UK’s number 1 bought concealer. At only £6 on Amazon, this concealer stick flawlessly conceals facial blemishes.
The product is very easy to use. Firstly, twist the collar of the applicator. Turn it in the direction shown in the arrows. Stop twisting once you see the product visible on the sponge. Secondly, use the applicator to apply concealer directly on your target areas. For us, this is under our eyes, a little on our cheeks, and under our chin. Using the sponge, we recommend you blend the product in an outward, circular motion. If you need to apply more, simply twist the applicator 1-2 clicks at a time. You’ll quickly realise that you don’t need a lot of product. For best results, use sparingly.
Foundation
We were always a bit hesitant when it came to cheap foundations. A lot of products we tried oxidised very quickly, or their range of shades was never an exact match to that of our own skin tone. However, for a budget foundation, the MaxFactor 3-in-1 FaceFinity Liquid Foundation is a game changer. With a built in primer and concealer, and flexi-hold technology, you would never know this foundation is only £10 (on Amazon). It is long lasting and offers a matte finish with medium to full coverage. Better yet, it comes with SPF20. As noted in our SPF blog post, this isn’t enough to protect you from the sun on its own. But having an extra level of SPF protection, on top of your sunscreen, is never a bad thing.
We recommend starting with a foundation brush (or just your fingertips) to apply the foundation to your skin. We often use 1-2 pumps on the back of our hand and then dip the brush in – almost like you’re your very own paint palette. We then use the brush to blend into our face. Be sure to properly blend your foundation from your jawline to your neck. I learnt the hard way when I saw in a photo a horrendous shade difference between my neck and face!
Brows
We’re suckers for a good looking pair of brows. Budget-friendly NYX Micro Brow Pencil helps us build full and beautiful brows with its ultra-thin design. It almost looks like a mechanical pencil, offering extreme precision. We particularly like the thinness of the application as it coats even the finest hairs – giving a much more natural final look. It can be used to outline your brow shape, fill in sparse areas, or even to draw on the look of natural brow hairs.
This product comes in a good range of shades, catering to every hair colour. It’s also dual-ended: one end has the brow pencil and the other a spoolie brush. This helps you to shape your brush hairs in the right direction, making it easier to then apply the product.
Mascara
Finding affordable but great mascara is no easy task. There’s a reason why brands like Benefit and Two-Face get away with charging such obscene prices for their mascara… That being said, we think we found a budget-friendly mascara which delivers what it says on the tube. Maybelline’s Colossal Curl Mascara volumises your lashes instantly. Its formula features a glue-like ingredient which keeps your lashes in place, as well as a thick dark mascara that helps give your lashes a stand-out look.
What we particularly like about this affordable mascara is that it never flakes, smudges, or gets clumpy. These are problems quite common with mascaras – even if they’re high-end. So to find a mascara that doesn’t have these issues, and is only £7?! We think we’ve found a winner.
Eyeliner
As you can tell from this post, we think Maybelline has some brilliant and budget-friendly makeup products. No wonder Gigi Hadid exclusively wore Maybelline makeup when attending the 2022 Met Gala!
Maybelline’s Hyper Precise Eyeliner has earned a place in our heart. It offers super dark pigments, which don’t dry out, and an extremely precise tip. This will help you master the fine line control – something we struggle with! When using this product, we found it easier than ever to do winged liner. At only 0.4mm, the brush helps you create thin, smooth, and even lines. Better yet, it’s a waterproof and smudge-proof formula, meaning it will last all day long. And after full-day use, we can confirm it’s true!
We recommend starting at the inner corner of your upper eyelid. From here, steadily drag the brush across your lid, as close to your lash line as possible.
We hope you enjoyed this post and get the chance to try out some of these super affordable but super good makeup products. We firmly believe that you don’t need to splash out on all-things-designer to create a flawless makeup look. In fact, most of the time we’ve found the cheapest products to be best. Just shop around, read reviews, and take the time to practice your makeup looks and you’ll become a MUA pro in no time!
