Real Techniques

Probably a few months ago now, I was stuck on which brushes to by. I walked round and round the aisles of Boots in the hope that I would find a set of brushes that were affordably priced yet good quality. I came back empty handed. A more recent update, and I've now found the gem I was looking for- the Real Techniques Brushes. I found out about them via Sam Chapman of Pixiwoo, who created the line of brushes with the same criteria as me. 

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - £9.99 - I am yet to purchase the full set of Face Brushes from RT (The Core Collection) so when I saw this single brush, I picked it up. Although a tenner may initially seem pricey for it, the quality is great, and in MAC for example, you'd easily pay double that. None of the brushes are at all scratchy, and they are all synthetic which means they are ideal for use with cream shadows, blushes, and more. 

Real Techniques Shading Brush - £7.99 - This was another single brush, and again, well worth the money. It blends, shades, and softens harsh edges. In general, its great, and can be used for eyes or even concealer. The brushes all have a colour scheme with the Face Brushes being Yellow, the Powder/Stippling/Setting brushes being Pink and the eye brushes being Purple. 

El

Boots Skincare?

I love Benefit and Clarins skincare products, but when I'm a little down on dosh, Boots' own skincare brand has often caught my eye. What started out as a one-pound whim has now developed into a bit of a collection!

Walking around Boots with only a few quid in your pocket is never a good thing as, quite frankly, there's usually nothing under the £3 mark. I needed a cheap but fairly effective eye make-up remover and this was the first one I spotted. Nothing special, just a box-standard gel to take off your eye make-up, but that's kinda why I like it. It's basic- no ridiculous packaging or a fun name. And for just under £2, I wasn't going to be out of pocket if I bought it. So that's what I did. It's not brilliant, nothing really compared to the Clarins Eye Make-Up Remover that I had been stealing from my Mum's bathroom (that stuff is amazing, but much more expensive than the Boots' own one!) but it gets the job done! Admittedly, you do have to rub at your eyes a little, gently though, but I do find that it takes the bulk of my eyeshadow and mascara off. And yes, I think I will be buying this again!

To be honest, I don't even really remember picking up this product or the reason behind it- it was probably just another 'I'm broke!' buy. This exfoliating face scrub is from the Tea Tree and Witch Hazel range, and if you can get past the slightly overwhelming smell, is quite nice. Again, its another stripped back product, a simple but good face scrub. I try to use this 1-2 times a week, and really like it!

Everyone loves a good old face mask, and I particularly like mud or clay ones. I tend to stick to the one application sachet, especially if I'm trying something new, but this 3 minute Clay Mask caught my eye. And at £2, its not really breaking the bank. 

I think that Boots' own brand(s) are often underrated. People dismiss shops own brands in favour for more expensive and supposedly better quality products. Don't forget that brands such as No7 which isn't exactly cheap, and 17 Cosmetics are both owned by Boots, so next time you're in there, take a look and see what you think!

El

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Budget Buys

left to right: Soap & Glory Lid Stuff in What's Nude, Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, Barry M Kohl Pencils in Bronze and White, Collection [2000] Lasting Perfection Concealer

As much as I do love to splash out on cute products from the much adored brand Benefit, drugstore and highstreet brands are something that I love buying, and I think my purse appreciates it too.

Soap & Glory is a brand more commonly known for their amazing skincare and bath and body products, so I was all for trying out a piece or two from their cosmetics line. I picked up Lid Stuff in What's Nude, a palette of mainly mattes with one brown-purple shimmer. Colour pay-off isn't great, and at a tenner I probably won't buy it again, but it is fab for a subtle hint of colour-you won't be worrying about garish looking eyes with this as even the slightly more whacky colours don't come out overly bright.

After hearing many a rave and review, I just had to try the infamous Maybelline Colour Tattoos and jump on the ever-growing bandwagon of popular products. And I wasn't disappointed. In comparison to other cream eyeshadows that I have tried, I would say that it's just as good as the high end ones and even without the premium price tag, there's no compromise on quality.

Barry M is one of the cheaper brands in Boots that I tend to veer towards when out of pocket. Having heard neither a good nor bad thing about the kohl pencil liners, I picked them up for a couple of quid each. They can be easily blended into the lashes, however in the waterline they don't fare quite so well- lasting power isn't covered by the small cost of them. I do love them though, and at such a little amount of money, another one wouldn't go amiss in my make-up bag.

I love a good trip down to Boots, so I'll be keeping my eyes open for any other budget buys!

El
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