For too long, budget beauty brands have been deemed a means to an end - an alternative to pricier cosmetics and more often than not to dupe a product that your budget can't quite stretch to accommodate nor justify. Sure I have dabbled with budget cosmetics for the above reasons - haven't we all - but I have come to realise that the budget sector can often trump pricier cosmetic brands, you just need to know where to look and what to look for.
In my opinion - humble or not - the best and most long wearing matte liquid lipstick formulations are those that can be found on the highstreet - forget the pricey Anastasia Beverly Hills offerings (they are drying and patchy) and stock up on NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipsticks, Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Colours and Sleek Make Up Matte Me Lip Creams - all of which will cost you less than £10 each, come in great and varied shades not to mention wear beautifully. For those in the U.S (or visiting), I can not recommend Sephora's Lip Stains nor the ever raved about Colour Pop Liquid Lipsticks - all of which again won't set you back more than a couple of dollars and easily trump high end liquid matte lipsticks.
Then there is mascara, why is it that budget beauty brands often offer the most superior mascara formulations? I own and have tried most high end mascaras over the years and more often than not, I come away feeling disappointed rather than impressed, and yet with budget mascaras it is the complete opposite. Perhaps with a pricey purchase your expectations run high and anything less than perfection isn't acceptable? It may be the case with budget finds you are more likely to approach with an open mind. However you see it, there is no denying that Maybelline is King of the mascara world, with L'Oréal and Revlon not trailing far behind and of course I can't finish this paragraph without a quick nod to Cover Girl and Max Factor too. Why spend more than £10 on a tube of mascara when you can pop into your local chemist/drug store and achieve the lashes of your dreams with a budget find?
Now my next confession will strike fear in most skin care devotees everywhere but I do think if you are going to use face wipes, budget facial wipes are as good as any. Do I use facial wipes frequently? No, not at all but if I am travelling, I do tend to pop a pack of facial wipes in my bag for any just-in-case moments. Again I have tried expensive, mid-range and budget wipes and truthfully none have really blown me away - most do a mediocre job of removing my make-up and are saved for emergencies so why pay more?
Lastly I think budget beauty brands do nail polish exceedingly well, as a matter of a fact other than Essie (which I'm hesitant to deem high end) and the odd dalliance with Chanel nail shades, the majority of my stash consists of mainly Barry M, Miss Sporty, Rimmel and whatever else can be found in the aisles of Boots and Superdrug. In my experience, if you set your nail polish with a great top coat you don't really need to shell out on expensive nail lacquers.
Is there anything else that you feel the budget beauty world has a better grip of than it's high end counterparts?
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