Makeup - something that has been ingrained in our culture for
hundreds of years, some of the most iconic being during the Egyptian period when
people wore makeup made from crushed beetles and other insects to show their
social status.
Thankfully, we’ve moved on dramatically from crushing beetles
to make eye products. Not only have we moved forward formula wise but socially
too - it is now more than acceptable for makeup to be worn all the time, by anyone. Now makeup
is worn most days, if not every day and daily routines have transformed
massively. With a new Instagram trend (which usually all stem from the way drag queens have been doing their makeup for years. i.e. highlighting &
contouring, baking etc,) appearing every week it’s hard to keep up
to date, and especially hard on our bank balance.
With makeup and makeup trends comes expense…
or does it?
or does it?
Over the past few week I have been on what some call an eBay
bender, ordering product after product on the hunt for affordable, GOOD makeup.
I stumbled across some amazing finds and I thought I would share them - because it’s hard being fabulous with no-one to share it with.
Bear in mind that I am not vegan or vegetarian and because
most of these products are from eBay/Amazon I have no idea if they’re vegan/cruelty
free. If I see anything stating otherwise on the products I will write it
below!
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| #1 Blending the Rules |
Now, I hear what you’re saying - "But Shaina, beauty blenders are specially formed! eBay dupes are just sponges!" - and that is
mostly true. When buying a cheap alternative to a beauty blender, most people look for a shape similar to the high-end version. Whilst
most dupes emulate the beauty blender shape, that’s not whats important.
Was IS important is the material of the sponge. It’s a latex sponge, which means
a smoother application. Always use wet because they can drag when dry and expand
when wet giving you a larger surface to work with. When damp it gives a
flawless finish.
Ebay -99p
Beauty Blender - £20
4/5
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| #2 Matte Madness |
Even though I waited weeks for this to arrive from China, I fell in love with these after I saw the specific one I bought being advertised as a dupe for NYX’s soft matte liquid lipsticks in the shade Copenhagen. A shade that is immensely popular, and kinda hard to find. NYX in itself is not expensive, ranging from around £6-8 online but I had no clue if the colour would suit me; and let’s face it - I am a cheapskate. If I can get it cheaper, then I will. After waiting for weeks, and being assured by the eBay seller it was on the way twice; I received the product. On first impressions, I could not believe that a liquid lipstick that cost me 99p could be SO. DAMN. PIGMENTED. I barely had to swipe it across my hand once to be blown away by the pigmentation. The store I got this colour from stocks a range of different colours and a lot are dupes for NYX's Matte Lip Creme Colours. So if Copenhagen isn't the shade for you, take your pick! Word of advice though, I've seen these liquid lipsticks sold all over eBay and if you can find a seller from your country then use them, waiting on eBay deliveries from another country can take forever. The colour was a variation browner than the Copenhagen swatches I have seen, but I in no way expected an exact match. It is more on the brown side, but it is definitely a dark red rather than a brown. On me it is dark and vampy and I love it. It may feel a little much on someone extremely pale
NYX - $8/£6
5/5
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| #3 Ruby Reds |
Now I will admit that nothing compares to a
Matte Mac Lipstick, for me at least. But after needing a new red lipstick and
craving Ruby Woo for so long but having limited funds I decided to do some
research. It was then that I stumbled across a YouTube video, where I go for
most of my info about dupes and cheap alternatives that I saw Wet N Wild’s
Spotlight Red was an almost perfect dupe. The colour is definitely spot on, the
same cool toned bright red. Although the formula isn’t sticky is isn’t
as Matte
as Mac, although in reality, I’ve never found another lipstick brand that is as
Matte as Mac
Wet 'n Wild - £3.49
MAC's Ruby Woo - £15
3/5
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| #4 Palette Talk |
I desperately wanted an eyeshadow palette for ages, and when I saw the prices for these palettes on Amazon I almost
choked. Again, a YouTube video showed me the power of this wonderful palette
that has been named the number 1 dupe for Urban decays Palette’s. In the Nude
being a dupe for the Naked 3 and In the Buff being a dupe for the Naked 2 palette.
Although I have never used any Naked
Palettes myself, YouTube swatches side by side showed the colours to be almost, if not identical. When I received the palette I was so excited, I swatched them
and discovered them to be not only highly pigmented but soft on
the skin. They don’t crease, especially in cohesion with the W7 primer (but more
on that later). The only downside is the plastic casing inside, it feels cheap
but then again, it is cheap. The eyeshadow itself can be crumbly and
you end up with a lot of fallout if you’re not careful, you soon get used to that though and learn not to be so heavy handed - which in the long run is probably
the best for all our eyeshadow palettes.
W7 In the Buff £4.44/ W7 In the Nude £4.99
Urban Decay Naked Palette - £38.50
5/5
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| #5 Primped & W7 Primed |
When researching primers a Youtuber I watch likened
this to the Urban Decay primer potion in terms of quality and I knew I had to have it. Although the formulas
are completely different with the Primer Potion being a liquid and the W7
primer being a cream I do have to say that they’re similar in quality. The
primer comes in three colours for different types of eyeshadow looks, I have
the shade Natural which is a ‘flesh’ tone, and I’ve found it works well for all
shades. White pearl is a brightening primer and Vivid Wide is for bright
eyeshadow looks. For a cheap primer it really caters to all kinds of makeup
looks and for the price, you really couldn’t ask for more. Since using the
primer my eyeshadow colours pop. Before on a night out on the town my eyeshadow
would have disappeared by the 5th drink, now it lasts until I
stumble in at 4am.
W7 - £2.99
Urban Decay Primer Potion - £16
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| #6 Brushes for Dummies: Part 1 |
I am under the strict belief that when it
comes to makeup brushes, it doesn’t matter how much they cost as long as
they work. Sure, high-end brushes may feel like angels dancing across your face; but there’s nothing to say a cheap alternative can't either. As long as they’re
the right shape and thick and thin in the right places for the right results, that’s
all that matters to me.
This set I picked up from Amazon is a 20pc set, with various brushes for various purposes. Some are typical sponge applicators, which are good for
packing product on the lid such as glitter or an eyeshadow pigment. There are
some small flat brushes too which are good for concealers or eyeshadow primer.
The set also includes a large flat brush which could be used as
a foundation brush, but I use it for my crème contour (which I will be talking
about shortly), flat brushes which vary in size and tip
shape, one round topped thick brush which I find perfect for blending and several
angled brushes which I personally can't get enough of - I use them for cutting my
crease, precision eyeshadow, concealing & filling in my brows; and even
eyeliner.
Some brushes are doubled up with a smaller brush on the end, usually
a very thin set of bristles which are good for eyeliner or
even as a lip brush.
The set does include a lip brush/small concealer brush, but
it’s always nice to have a backup.
There is also as spoolie, but that started
falling apart after a few uses (it’s probably because I am heavy handed when
combing through my brows) but other
than that (and not having another round topped brush for precision blending), I
cannot fault this set! They are soft, good quality and they do what they're supposed to do.
Amazon Voberry - £1.99
Real Techniques Starter Set (5pc) - £12.99
5/5
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| #7 Brushes for Dummies: Part 2 |
I found this 10pc brush set on Amazon after my friend recommended them to me and I am in love. They are wonderfully soft, and they come in a range of different styles for pretty much anything you'd need - whether it be foundation application, bronzer, concealer or blush.
They come in the traditional Kabuki styling,
thick bristled and some angled for better bronzer/blush application. It includes a round flat top brush perfect for foundation, the finish I have when I use this brush is flawless. With the set comes 4 fluffy eyeshadow brushes. I don’t use
these brushes as I find them just too fluffy and hard to work with,but this doesn’t
mean to say they aren’t good brushes. Regardless of these, the set as a whole is
good quality and affordable!
Sigma Kabuki Brushes 5pc- £64.50
4/5
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| #8 Contour Chaos |
Recently I was debating on whether or not to pick up
a crème contour kit because until now, I had my routine down. Did I really wanna change it now? I didn’t want to splash
the cash on what might just be another Instagram fad, but when the urge was too
much to resist any longer; I browsed online and found a creme concealer kit
which does the job wonderfully. There are plenty of colours in the palette for
all skin types and looks, and most eBay stores that stock the palettes also have
light, medium or dark palettes on offer. Due to it being so cheap and a creamy product, I was expecting a low quality, greasy and easily creased outcome and although
when you overapply it can become creased under the eye, I'm still really impressed. It blends and applies easily and although it goes on the skin sheerer than the colour it appears in
the palette, I think it helps as it allows you to build your
contour rather than having a thick block of colour to start with. I worried about being cakey
when using cream and powder contour together, but this is such a fine, silky product that I needn’t have worried.
I have hit pan pretty quickly, but again
that probably has a lot to do with my heavy handedness. There are plenty of
concealer colours in the palette though and being so cheap, I don’t mind
replacing it in a few weeks’ time if I have to.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Crème contour kit -
£39
4/5
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| #9 Eyeliner Eleganza! |
Previously I was using the L’Oréal Super Liner - which was great, until the sad evening it finally gave up on me. I was on the look out for a replacement and I had heard great things about MUA, a reasonably priced drug store brand. Loads of my friends use their products on a regular and swear by them, but I was yet to own anything of theirs and seeing as I was in need of a new eyeliner I thought it’d be the perfect time to try them out.
First off, this eyeliner stays put, better than any high-street or high end brand I have tried in the past. This eyeliner is DARK even if I forget to apply my eye-shadow first and it gets a little dusted. It still stands out and looks slick even if you can't be bothered to go back over it again. It's sharp felt tip makes for a smooth application and makes creating fierce cat eyes that little bit easier.
L’Oréal Superliner- £6.99
5/5
These are some of the products I have found
over the course of a few weeks. Youtube is my saving grace, and I highly recommend using it to your advantage - especially when it comes to beauty products. A lot of Youtubers review well known dupes so you can see exactly what you are buying before you take the plunge. Searching through Ebay and
Amazon can also bring up some great finds! Research is key to saving money,
some of the best bargain beauty products just need finding!
Good luck! If you have any devious dupes or amazing alternative’s you can share
them using the hashtag #cheapcheeks @shabeydoo
Shaina
xo
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