Budget Buy: TRESemmé Heat Defence Styling Spray

Being someone who regularly uses straighteners, curlers and a hair dryer I'm a definite culprit of damaging my hair by applying a lot of heat. To counteract the damage I cause to my hair I apply a really nourishing hair mask, the Fekkai Advanced Technician Rapid Results Moisture Mask (link to post here) and a lot of hair oil. To prevent the damage before applying the heat I slather on a lot of heat protector - the problem with this is it can make hair very crunchy and uneasy to style especially when applied to dry hair!

In general I prefer heat protector sprays as you can direct the product to a specific area whereas with creams it's harder to distribute it evenly. TRESemmé Heat Defence Styling Spray is fantastic as its really easy to use, lightly mists your hair and the actual spray is so watery it doesn't alter the hair texture so it's easy to use while styling. It ensures protection up to 230 degrees and the packaging ensures its locked so no worries about spilling while travelling.

TRESemmé Heat Defence Styling Spray is £4.69 and available from boots here

Budget Buy: Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

I've been obsessed with my Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliners for a while (post here) but the joys of being a beauty addict, when something finishes you want to try something new! Gel Eyeliners are the formulas that I favour for the conditions which I wear eyeliner in, at night most likely combined with some sort of smokey eye. I went on a hunt to find a decent drugstore gel eyeliner and success - I did! I picked up three , L'Oreal, Collection & Maybelline  and if you've been a bit of a detective and realised from the title of this post the winner is Maybelline you are correct       

Firstly gel eyeliners dry out ALL the time and the Maybelline pot had a screw on lid that was very secure so I knew I wouldn't be unable to use a full product in a couple months time. The reason why I love Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner is the blendablilty of the eyeliner, meaning I can apply it and blend the line to make it less harsh and a little more smokey so the line between my eyeshadow and eyeliner is less obvious. Which is something the Maybelline allowed me to do with ease, like the Bobbi Brown.

Second of all the Bobbi Brown colour pigment is really really black, which I love. When compared to the Maybelline it almost made the Maybelline look brown, only slightly and only noticeable when comparing the colours side by side so I let that slide.

Thirdly, the longevity of the Bobbi Brown is what really makes it stand out as a fantastic gel eyeliner. As I tested out and compared the longevity of both eyeliners, the Bobbi Brown on one eye and Maybelline on the other after five hours they both looked the same. No smudging and fully in place!

When it comes to application I just apply it the same as I would normally, with an angled brush from Sephora but you can pick up a similar one from Mac and blend the line with a matt black shadow and a pointed eyeliner brush like Louise Young LY13.

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24H is £7.99 and available from Boots here and Superdrug here 

Budget Buy: Pixi Eye Bright Liner

This little item from Pixi, their Eye Bright Liner, has popped up quite a few times in my 'My Makeup' and 'Beauty On Location' posts purely because I use it...a lot. A flesh toned pencil that, when applied along the water line, helps make eyes look brighter, as it counteracts any redness, and also bigger! (see how here) Much more realistic than using a white pencil and much more subtle, yet effective. Really soft and creamy so won't pull against your eye but not the most long lasting of eye pencils. Doesn't bother me though - that just means I touch up throughout the day ;) Apologies for the messy top but at least you can see it's well loved! So well loved in fact this is it twisted all the way up - thats all thats left over!

The colour is the perfect peachy pink for me, doesn't look too obvious but obvious enough that it makes a difference. A total early morning saviour! To see this liner in action click here, or watch the tutorial below! 

Pixi Eye Bright Liner is £10.50 from Boots here, Asos here or the Pixi website here

Budget Buy: Method Handwash

It's very hard to find those hand wash bottles that actually look decent next to your sink without going on a major splurge to somewhere like Diptique or Noble Isle. I've recently discovered Method which is a brand that includes a whole range of things from surface cleaners to bathroom products and their hand wash bottles are just so cute! They come in four different colours and  scents. The one that has been sitting beside my sink is waterfall and it is more of a masculine scent but at the same time smelling quite fresh.

You can pick these up from places such as John Lewis, Superdrug, Tesco and Waitrose (see more stockists here) for £2.49. You can shop all Method products here

Budget Buy MaxFactor Mascara

I can't believe I haven't included this before seeing as MaxFactor mascara is probably the only drugstore mascara I repurchase and regard it just as highly as high end mascaras. There are three in the range that I adore, Masterpiece Max, False Lash Effect Fusion and False Lash Effect. Out of all three Masterpiece Max is probably my favourite as it's easily buildable from subtle lashes to big full on fluttery ones. The wands are one of those spiky plastic kind which I find the easiest to use out of the bunch. Only problem is they do tend to dry up pretty quickly.

 

MaxFactor Mascara is around £10 each and available from Boots and Superdrug

Budget Buy: Zara Home Candle

Who doesn't love a good candle?! There's no doubt about it that Diptique candles are the best I've ever tried but can be quite a little splurge! A brand that really surprised me as I didn't expect their candles to be anything special at all was Zara! Huge candles and the most amazing scents that are really strong and longlasting- my favourite is Black Vanilla. The Zara candles are £20 and you go home with 620g, whereas Diptique are £38 for 170g. Goodbye Diptique and hello Zara! Plus being such huge candles they will last for ages too      

Zara has over 6 gorgeous scents to choose from at £20 each here

Budget Buy: Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner

One thing I hate about eyeliner is when it pulls against your eyes when applying (and actually really hurts!) My latest quest has been for the perfect, long-lasting, black eyeliner that glides on really easily and doesn't tug or pull. Welcome Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pencil! 

Before I even tried comparisons and tested longevity I was sold purely on how smooth the application was, glides on really easily, doesn't pull the skin and has, as the name would suggest, a gel texture. Above is Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner verses Mac Eye Khol in Smoulder. When first applied, after three hours, and after five hours. When first applied I really had to build the Mac pencil to get a colour whereas just a couple of sweeps of Avon was enough! After three hours the Avon pencil had lifted a little but not as significantly as the Mac & after 5 hours the Avon had hardly lifted anymore whereas Mac was hardly visible. To test out the colour pigment I then compared Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner with Mac Smoulder Eye Khol and MaxFactor Khol Kajal in 20 Black (below), the Avon was the clear winner as it was the deepest shade of black and after 3 swipes of my Bioderma makeup remover it was the strongest left!

Most importantly at £4.00 (normally 6 but currently on sale!) is a total bargain! Especially when you compare to Mac, which is more than three times the price at £14.00 and MaxFactor £4.99. I loved this so much I even bought another colour in the shade Blackberry!

You can buy Avon products online here, and find the SuperShock Gel Eyeliner here

Budget Buy: Maybelline Dream Touch Blush

Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in 02 Peach

There's not denying that cream based products look a lot more natural than powder as they give the appearance that the colour is actually your skin rather than sitting on top of it. I find this to be particularly true with blush! The problem I have with cream products is they end up ruining my foundation so when I find one that doesn't it's a treasure!
I've recently been using Maybelline Dream Touch Blush in 02 Peach, which is a very light natural peach shade. The texture feels almost watery and the colour is not very pigmented so would be perfect for very light skin tones but probably wouldn't show up on darker skins. I apply with my fingers just dabbing it into my skin and blending outwards to make sure there are no streaks. What I loved most was it didn't seem to sink into my pores and end up highlighting them! You can what it looks like on my skin here 

Available at Boots for £6.49 here

Budget Buy: Natural Collection Eyeshadows

When I picked up my first Natural Collection eyeshadow for £1.79 I really wasn't expecting anything at all, especially as I'm normally pretty disappointed with drugstore eyeshadows. However I was pleasantly surprised! As expected, the pigmentation isn't as rich as some of the higher end eyeshadows I own, but much better than some other drugstore eyeshadows!





In terms of lasting power I found it best when paired with Painterly Paint Pot by Mac - link, this combination really helped make the eyeshadows last longer & have stronger pigmentation. They do break really easily so perhaps not a great eyeshadow to take travelling. Since purchasing my first one a couple months ago I was so impressed I've actually picked up three more! Swatched below the shades are... 

Natural Collection Eyeshadow in Milk Chocolate (left) and Asteroid (right)

Natural Collection Eyeshadow in Willow (left) and Barley (right)

Currently boots have a 3 for 2 offer so you could pick up 3 colours of your choice (and there are loads to choose from!) for 3.58 - wow! Check out the colours here

Beauty Budget Buy Of The Week: Carmex Moisture Plus

I absolutely love love love convenient handbag sized lip products. One that's been great for me in the transition from winter to spring, when I don't need something too heavy on my lips, is the Carmex Moisture Plus. A combination of a lip balm & a lip stick with a hint of colour. If I use lip products that don't have colour in the day I end up looking a bit washed out. You get the hydrating properties of the normal Carmex Lip Balm but also an added tint in either pink or peach. If you're someone who doesn't like the strong Carmex smell good news - these smell much more faint! 

I love the sticks - they are far more hygenic than sticking your finger in a pot!

Pink Sheer Tint Carmex Moisture Plus

Peach Sheer Tint Carmex Moisture Plus

Left - Pink Right - Peach

The perfect lip balm/stick combination for day time (also contains SPF 15) as it isn't sticky or glossy so you avoid an awkward hair stuck on lips situation!
Carmex Moisture Plus is available from Boots here