Top 10 Under £10- Makeup

We've all had times where we're standing in a Boots or Superdrug with money in our pockets and we quite frankly, have no idea what to buy. It can be quite overwhelming sometimes, there's just so much to choose from. You're just left standing there trying to decide between a new mascara, or a new eyeshadow. It's a difficult decision. I have constructed a list of my top 10 makeup products under £10, so that all of you lovely people don't have to go through the 'I don't know what to buy because I want it all but I don't have enough money' dilemma. And if you're a newbie to makeup, this may be quite helpful to you too as I'm sure spending £15 on a MAC lipstick or £22 on a highlighter sounds a teensy bit extreme. It was incredibly difficult narrowing all my favourite products down to only 10, but after lots of um-ing and ah-ing I finally whittled them down.

The first item that has crept its way into my top 10 is the MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder. Highlighter is something I've just recently been getting into and this has got to be one of the best I've tried. For £3 (yes you read that right), you really can't go wrong. 

I have read a few reviews saying that the packaging is 'tacky' which I 100% disagree on. I think that it's very simple, pretty and sturdy. 

Can we all just take a moment and admire how beautiful this highlighter looks? At a glance, this looks like a MAC highlighter. 

This isn't the most pigmented highlighter ever, but with one swipe you can pick up enough product to make your cheeks all glowy (not vampire glowy) and fabulous. As you only need a small amount of this, I'm sure it will last agesss. It can be a hard to find these in store, it took me 3 weeks to find one *sigh*, but you can get them here from the MUA website.

The second item that has found it's way into my top 10 under £10 is the Barry M Natural Glow Shadow and Blush Palette, here's a challenge, try saying that quickly. I know what you're all thinking, 'Barry M, doing eyeshadow palettes? This can't be true'. Well indeed it is.

This palette, from the outside, looks like a Stila palette *thumbs up* and it is quite sturdy. I really love the big mirror you get inside as it can be used when travelling. 

All the shadows are really nicely pigmented but the blush is hardly pigmented at all. It does however make a really nice highlighter and it's not completely useless (yay!).

At £6.49 this palette is really good value for money and it has a really good range of colours. 

The third item that has sneaked it's way onto my list is the Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara. This is (dare I say it?) my holy grail mascara. As I have naturally quite long eyelashes, I always go for mascaras that promise to volumise your eyelashes. This mascara promises '9x the volume'. Now I wouldn't say it gives quite that much volume but it definitely makes a dramatic difference and creates the effect of fuller lashes. It doesn't flake or smudge during the day and my eyelashes look the same at the end of the day as they do when I first apply this mascara.

The tube makes it really easy to find in the mornings when I'm still half asleep and raking through my ridiculous stash of mascaras. 

In terms of the brush size, it's not massive but it's not tiny. It's, as Goldilocks would say, just right! For £7.99 this mascara will remain a staple in my makeup bag, unless I find a better one.

Lipstick was a hard one to choose, but in the end I just went for my favourite lipstick of the moment which is the Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in Shade 107. I'm not going to speak about this too much as I did a full review on it here.

It's so beautiful. Don't you agree?

No matter how many times I swatch this, I'll never get over how pigmented it is!

Now I have a love-hate relationship with this next item. I used to hate it but now I love it, but then some days I hate it again. It's very strange. But when I love it, I really really love it, which is why I've decided to put it in this post. It's the oh so famous Rimmel Stay Matte. This has got to be the most hyped up powder ever. Everyone and their mothers talk about it. If you haven't heard of it, then where the heck have you been!?

Apologies for the battered packaging, this little guy has been everywhere with me, hence the reason it is no longer 'Stay Matte' but 'Sta Matte'. 

I have the shade '001 Transparent' which I feel is the best shade as you can build it up as much as you like without it going cakey. This keeps me matte for around 4 hours before I have to touch up but so far, this is the longest any powder has kept me matte.

It lasts ages, I've had this for about 8/9 months and I've only just hit pan, anyone else get really excited when they hit pan? Or just me? Probably just me. 
Anyways, even though I sometimes hate this powder, the majority of the time I love it, so if you want to hop on the bandwagon (if you haven't already) then go out and get this, go on, I dare you;)it's only £3.99 after all.

The sixth item is a very predictable one. If you haven't heard of this, then I think you need to come out from that rock you've been living under because I genuinely do not know one person that hasn't talked about this concealer. And, if you haven't already guessed (and seen the photos) it's the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer.

This concealer is just the best concealer ever. It covers spots, under eye circles and redness perfectly. One tube lasts AGES, and it just seems never ending! 

 I have managed to preserve this tube and prevent the writing being rubbed off (yay me) but be warned, the writing does rub off and does ruin the inside of makeup bags.

I have the shade 'Fair' which is the lightest shade there is. In summer I'm the next shade up but in winter I turn into a vampire, and this matches perfectly. 

As you're all probably very well aware, this concealer has a doe foot applicator. It can be a little unhygenic but I wash mine every so often so I'm not spreading bacteria around my face (anyone else?). I'd recommend this concealer to anyone and I don't know how I survived without it before. And it's only £4.19, what's not to love?

Staying on the 'facial area' my next item is a blusher. Now I'm not usually one for blusher, I'm quite often very heavy handed and end up making myself look like a clown but Natural Collection's Blush in 'Peach Melba' is perfect for me.

In the pan, this blusher looks quite brown toned, but on your cheeks it gives such a natural rosy flush.

This blush isn't insanely pigmented, but I find that to be a good thing as I can't really apply too much and make myself look like a clown. The pot is also a really nice size for travelling. This blush was only £1.99 and I'll definitely be going back to Boots and seeing what other shades are on offer.

We're getting there(finally). My 8th item of choice is the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze'.

This is yet again another incredibly hyped up product in the beauty blogging and YouTube world. This is just the perfect eyeshadow, in terms of lasting power and colour. One quick swipe is all it takes to tranform your eyelids from dull and dreary, to glittery and gorgeous! 

Well hello there fantastic pigmentation, how you doin'?

These are perfect for throwing on in a morning when you have very little time to get ready and also for parties or meals out etc. Sometimes I like to apply this all over my lid and then blend out the edges with my Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush to create a (sort of) smokey eye.

You really cannot go wrong with these and I can't recommend them enough!

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll probably already know what eyeliner I'm going to recommend, it's my holy grail eyeliner and I've just recently purchased my 5th one. That's how much I love it.

It's the Collection Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner. When I first got this it was by accident and I'd actually meant to pick up a pencil liner, but that mistake was one of the best mistakes I've made before. This baby doesn't smudge at all, stays in place all day and is as black as anything. 

 

I've spoken about this so many times before, so instead of rambling on about it, I suggest that if you're a liquid eyeliner wearer, like myself, you should go out and get this! Go on, you won't regret it!

The final item in my top 10 under £10 is the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.

 Sooo many people have hyped this brush up, and being my usual curious self, I finally gave into the hype and asked for it for my Christmas. This brush is everything I expected it to be and more. 

As you can see, the bristles are very dense and this results in you getting a very flawless finish. This brush is so so so so soft (not got quite enough so's) and it's my go-to brush for applying foundation. It literally gives you the most perfect, airbrushed finish ever and I cannot describe my love for this. And for £8.99, you can't say no!

And finally you have reached the end of this post! I hope it wasn't too long (although it was rather lengthy) and it helped some of you in some way! If you've tried any of the products mentioned in this post please let me know your thoughts on them!