2014 Drug Store Favourites

So it's Sunday! Work tomorrow, great... 

My current Sunday status consists of lazing about watching Neil Oliver documentaries about Scotland (for the third time this year) and munching. I decided I would write a blog post about some of my favourite affordable makeup products, in particular the products I tend to buy over and over again. You should be able to find most of these products online if not in your local 'drug store'. I just realised how American that sounds, doesn't sound right coming from a Scottish person but I'm not sure how else to describe these types of shops, let me know what you call them. You know what I'm talking about anyways don't cha? 

Anyway here are the makeup items I repurchase. I have to say I have been very impressed by Loreal this year as a more affordable beauty brand. Let's start of with priming the canvas...

REVLON PHOTOREADY PERFECTING PRIMER

Please excuse the messiness of this bottle as you can see it is well loved. This has got to be one of the best primers I have tried so far, it leaves your skin feeling silky soft as it fills in pores, fine lines and little scars and makes your foundation look smashing! I like the fact it comes with a pump, the packaging doesn't look too cheap and you get a good amount of product (27ml). If you haven't tried this yet I defiantly recommend checking this out if your looking to create a clear flawless face, also perfect for oily skin types. 

L'OREAL TRUE MATCH FOUNDATION

This foundation is a cult favourite among the online beauty community. I wouldn't say that this is my favourite 'drug store' foundation but, it is the one that I seem to repurchase again and again, maybe because it is a better price than most others, who knows! No really, it is a nice thin consistency and actually gives very good initial coverage. It contains an SPF 17 and comes in an array of really nice colours. The only thing I find with this foundation is that it doesn't really last very long and if you have oily / combination skin it may slide off very quickly. That being said it is nice for everyday wear and blends in easily. 

MAYBELLINE 'FIT ME' CONCEALER

Can I just say that this concealer is great! It is really inexpensive and gives a nice medium converge which can be built up. I have this in a couple of colours so that it can be used in various areas on the face, I haven't experienced any creasing around the eye area, it seems to stay in place pretty well. Try this one especially if you love MAC Pro Longwear concealer. 

NYC SMOOTH SKIN BRONZER (SUNNY)

So my obsession with smelling things lead me to sniff this bronzer which I can tell you it smells like play dough! It isn't really noticeable when you apply it though, I like this shade as it doesn't pull up orange, it is a nice matte bronzer perfect for contouring and all over bronzing purposes. NYC is incredibly cheap I think this bronzer is less than a fiver! This is my second lot of this because the other one broke however, it is a definitive repurchase regardless. 

L'OREAL SUPER LINER BROW ARTIST 

Okay, this is a new product for me this year, I have instantly fallen in love with this brow shaper pencil. It comes with two sides, one the brow colour and brush the other is a clear wax that you apply before or after shaping your brows. This is the colour 02 Blonde and is a match made in heaven for my eyebrows! Quite a lot of brands make 'blonde' eyebrow pencils that are orange! The pencil is not too soft so it fills in little gaps whilst making your eyebrows look nice and natural although, you can make them bold if you wish. Again, an affordable product that does an amazing job without too much time and effort - go get it!

L'OREAL L'EXTRODINAIRE LIP COLOUR 

Ahhh!! Loreal again! although these products have just came out I love them! They are on the purchase more and repurchase lists! The colours are pretty amazing and the actual product feels great on the lips. To me, these are basically just pigmented lipgloss as they don't leave a stain on your lips they just kind of wear off as a lipgloss typically would. They feel soft and smooth, not sticky, the packaging appears more like a higher end lip product rather than a drug store range which is a great thing as they make your vanity look pretty. I have pictures and swatches of 3 of these lip products, you can find the link in the side bar > > >

So, there you have it, my drug store favourite / repurchase list of 2014 so far... I mean this may change in the coming months as brands come out with new lines but for the moment this is what I have been loving! 

Do you have any cult favs from the drug store that you just can't see past?

Let me know your thoughts.

MAC MUST HAVES

Hello! So I quite enjoy reading these types of posts from other bloggers so I thought it would be a good idea to insert one of my own in case anyone is interested or is in need of some inspiration. What you see above is my top 5 favourite all time MAC products. 

MAC as we all know is one of the biggest makeup players out there and has been for quite some time now. I would say that MAC isn't really high or low end makeup, for me it sits in the middle. That being said, they have bumped up there prices quite a bit over the past few years. Narrowing my favourite products down to just five was no easy task as I am a class A MAC makeup junkie and I had to be realistic with my choices. 

1. MAC LIPSTICKS - Okay, I chose the lipsticks because 1. I have lots of them and keep buying them, and 2. MAC do some amazing colours and textures. MAC certainly know a thing or two when it comes to creating fabulous lip wear, the packaging it simple but sleek and looks good as far as branding is concerned. The lipstick range is quite vast so make sure you do your homework before purchasing one (or three), look on Google and YouTube for swatches before you commit yourself. The original black bullet style tubes are around £15 each with the exception of limited edition shades which tend to be more expensive. MAC also make various other ranges which are a bit more expensive again, do some research before you buy. 

Colours to check out - Lady Danger, Milan Mode, Morange, Speed Dial , Peach Blossom

2. MAC PRO LONGWEAR CONCEALER - Concealer is something that is very important to me, personally this one in particular is unquestionably perfect! Pro Longwear is a liquid based concealer that blends impeccably into the skin without leaving a cakey mess, it doesn't crease around the eye area and is amazing at covering up scaring or blemished skin. It comes in an array of great colours. You get 9ml of product inside the little glass bottle which also comes with it's own pump. One pump tends to be just enough to cover under the eye area and then around the face. I would highly, highly recommend this product to anyone that wants a great concealer that last's on the skin without creasing or clogging up. And by the way I use this concealer everyday and have had the same little bottle for about 3 months (maybe longer), again you can check online reviews of this product for reference. This product has bounced up in price from the last time I purchased it, it now retails for £17 but I guess considering the longevity its still worth it. 

3. MAC MAC PAINT POTS - Probably one of my most favourite makeup products. For some strange reason I really love primer, wether it be for all over the face or just the eyes. The MAC paint pots are great for under eyeshadow or they do some beautiful colours if you just want to wear them alone. You can also smudge these under the eye for a smokey effect or use a more neutral tone as an eyebrow fix. I find that some of the shimmery paint pots crease so you may want to set some eyeshadow over the top to prevent that but, for the most part they last a long time on the eyes and in your makeup collection. Again, around the £15 mark for these. 

Colours to check out - Painterly, Soft Ochre, Bare Study, Dangerous Cuvee, Quite Natural

4. MAC CREAM COLOR BASE - Your probably sitting wondering why I have included these on my top 5 list, the answer is simple, they are amazing! My first ever cream colour base was Shell (light pink shimmer) it is brilliant everything highlighter, I don't think I've came across a look yet that it didn't go with. You can use these for so many things including; general highlighting (cheekbones, brow bone, cupids bow etc.), eyeshadow base, primer, mix with foundation and lipstick. All the colours in this range are amazing I will list the names below for you to have a look at. I don't think this product gets enough credit it is one of the best cream highlighters on the market, they retail for £15.50. I'd just like to point out that the colour base range also does solid matte shades also but this particular section applies to all the highlighting shades. 

Colours to check out - Shell, Luna, Pearl

5. MAC PRESSED PIGMENT - Last but no means least is the pressed pigment range from MAC. These came out not to long ago but have been made part of the permanent collection, they come in so many beautiful colours it's just too hard to choose! They are basically loose powder that has been compressed into pan form, for me this makes using this product so much easier. The pressed pigment colour range is different from the original pigment jars, personally, I think the pressed pigments are better but thats just me. I will say this, the pressed pigments are defiantly very shimmery and sparkly and are a lot chunkier than the original pigments however, they are gorgeous. A little more on the pricer side they retail for £17 and come in 14 different shades. So if you are looking for something a little bit different and exciting then check these out. 

Colours to check out - Blonde Streak, Angelic, Sweet Acting

MAC UK SITE

MAC.COM

I hope that has been somewhat helpful to people that are looking for something a little bit different or want to try something new and are not quite sure. If you have composed a list like this please leave me your links in the comment box so I check out your lists. 

Thanks for stopping by, speak soon!