caralippittmua-blog

[caralippittmua-blog]

Hello! Today I thought I’d share with you my favourite budget makeup items (with a few luxury products thrown in as sometimes you get what you pay for with makeup). I’m not showing off or forcing my opinion on anyone, I just thought you’d like to see the high street products I love! Keep in mind that I have oily combination skin so even though these products are amazing in my opinion, some people might not get on well with them. Just a little disclaimer.

Right, let’s get on with the fun stuff!

Foundation

In my opinion, Rimmel do the BEST foundations. If you want fuller than full coverage, try Stay Matte. OMG it makes you look flawless and stays on all day! It has a mousse-like texture so it works best if you dot it on first then blend out with a beauty blender. The shade range could be better but if they have your shade and you want flawless coverage, this is the foundation for you!

Another Rimmel gem, Match Perfection. I’m not sure about the foundation matching your skin tone exactly, but it gives you the most gorgeous finish! On me, it gives a lovely dewy finish and has medium coverage.

If you’re like me and you love light coverage foundations but feel like they are too dewy and don’t last all day, give this foundation a whirl! No7’s Beautifully Matte Light foundation overs a sheer/light coverage with a matte finish, and it truly lasts ALL DAY.I have even worn it without powder (as it is so matte) and it has looked flawless all day. This probably isn’t the best foundation for dry skin but there are plenty of sheer coverage foundations and BB creams that are perfect for that – try L’Oreal Cushion Foundation. It looks beautiful on the skin and makes you look like you’re glowing from within (if you don’t have oily skin that is!).

Concealer

I don’t know about you but I hate the cakey under-eye look, it just doesn’t look flattering. This is why, for under my eyes, I LOVE using the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer. It offers medium coverage, it brightens under the eyes and for me, it doesn’t crease at all!

If you want full coverage under your eyes but still don’t want to look cakey, try Maybelline’s Eraser Eye Concealer. It gives a lovely full coverage and is super creamy!

For the rest of the face, nothing compares to the L’Oreal True Match Concealer. They have a wide range of colours so you don’t end up with orange splodges on your face. The coverage is excellent and the formula is nice and creamy.

Powders

I have re-purchased Rimmel’s Stay Matte Powder countless times. It really is the best I’ve ever tried! It keeps your makeup on all day and doesn’t get too powdery. For the money, you can’t complain!

This powder isn’t as matte as Rimmel Stay Matte but allows your skin to show through and looks a bit more natural which I like for those ‘no-makeup’ makeup days. It still keeps your makeup in place all day and comes with a mirror and a sponge which is handy for top ups.

Bronzer

For me, nothing compares to Rimmel’s Natural Bronzer. I have a yellow undertone to my skin and I find a lot of bronzers look either muddy or red on me. This is the perfect shade for me and is super easy to blend!

The shimmery bronzer in this palette is absolutely gorgeous! It gives you that perfect ‘Bronze Goddess’ look. Sleek is also good for contour shades if you don’t want to splash out on an Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Palette!

Blush

Another Sleek product – their blushes are really the best on the high street. They are SUPER pigmented and blend beautifully.

If you want to spend a little more, try The Balm. Their blushes have the most beautiful finishes and really bring out your natural beauty. For my olive skin tone I love Cabana Boy blush which is a stunning plum colour with a slight shimmer.

I know Tarte isn’t really high street but if you’re saving up for a blush definitely look at their range. They have loads of beautiful colours and they’re super buttery and blendable.

Highlighter

I don’t really wear highlighter that often as I find it exaggerates my texture on my skin but if you want an INTENSE highlighter, Urban Decay have this super shimmery, in your face highlighter that can be seen from miles away! I know it’s not a high-street product, but I find that you get what you pay for with highlighters and it’s definitely worth spending a bit more money if you can. If you can’t fathom spending that much on highlighter try out Revolution’s or MUA’s highlighters.

Brows

I feel like no one talks about this product and yet this has completely replaced my trusty Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake! They have two palettes – blonde and brunette, and the shades are incredibly pigmented and buttery. Super easy to blend and they even come with a double-ended brush and brow gel! If you find that a lot of brow powders are too red-toned give this a whirl!

I know, I know, ABH isn’t high-street, BUT, their eye brow pomades are bomb! They have such a fantastic range of shades (including ash shades which are perfect for my almost black eyebrows). You can really get those sharp-enough-to-kill brows with this. They glide on beautifully, blend amazingly and look surprisingly natural. If you really don’t want to spend that much on brow products, the Collection palette is a real winner.

Eyeshadow

Unfortunately you truly get what you pay for with eyeshadow, meaning there are few products that are cheap and good quality. However, Sleek palettes definitely break the mould. They have loads of palettes which tonnes of shades and the shadows themselves are pigmented, easy to blend and buttery. Definitely have a look next time you’re out makeup shopping.

As I said, you get what you pay for with eyeshadows and so I highly recommend saving up those pennies for amazing quality shadows. If you want on-trend blendable colours that are insane quality definitely save up for Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Modern Renaissance Palette. If you want more fun shades or a wide range of nudes, try Urban Decay. If you want glamorous eye looks and the highest quality eyeshadows head over to Charlotte Tilbury. Seriously, if you save up for one makeup product, make it an eyeshadow palette. Not only are they worth the money, they’ll last ages and allow you to produce loads of looks.

Eyeliner

When it comes to eyeliner my preference is definitely felt tip liners. These liners from Collection are the best I’ve ever tried! The tip is thin enough to create that sharp cat eye, the colours are super pigmented and oh my they really stay on all day! It’s a workout trying to get these off!

Mascara

In my opinion, Maybelline do the BEST mascaras. You can’t go wrong with any of them! For major volume try Colossal Volum’ Express and for fluttery flirty lashes try Lash Sensational. Maybelline really own the mascara games – they never clump up and always do what they say on the tin. You could also try Seventeen Falsifeye HD Mascara or Cover Girl Full Lash Bloom which both literally make you look like you’re wearing falsies!

Lipstick

I truly think Rimmel lipsticks are the best high street lipsticks with their moisturising formulas and such a wide range of colours. You really can’t go wrong! I also love Max Factor for long-wearing lipsticks and this Manhattan lip stick is the perfect ‘your lips but better’ shade.

Liquid Lipstick

Liquid lipsticks are another product that is hard to get right meaning there are few high-street versions that are actually good. However, NYX’s Soft Matte Lip Creams feel so moisturising on the lips and they have the BIGGEST range of colours! The only problem is that they are definitely not transfer-proof so you’ll find yourself re-applying throughout the day. Although, their moisturising formula allows you to keep re-applying without clumping or drying out your lips.

As I said, you get what you pay for with liquid lipsticks. If your heart is set on a high quality liquid lipstick definitely try the ABH ones. The colours are STUNNING and providing you wear lip balm beforehand, they are very comfortable to wear. They last all day, are pretty much transfer-proof and fade away nicely.

Lip Crayons

Revlon do gorgeous lip crayons (both matte and balm) which are comfortable and  long-wearing. They have a wide range of shades and they just go on beautifully. No need for lip liner.

Lip Gloss

I don’t know about you but I DESPISE sticky lip gloss. I just can’t deal with it! It gets stuck in your hair, it gets on your teeth and just feels gross. Therefore, when it comes to glosses I only ever buy non-sticky ones. I adore Tanya Burr’s lip glosses as well as the Revlon ones . As I said they aren’t sticky at all, they don’t taste gross and they are definitely comfortable to wear. They also give a beautiful ‘juicy lips’ finish.

Lip Liners

When it comes to lip liners, Rimmel is my go-to. They glide on beautifully, aren’t too drying, last all day and come in a variety of shades. You can’t go wrong.

Brushes

We’re coming to the end now, but I just wanted to quickly mention some brushes before I go. I DEFINITELY think you should pay more on brushes. The more you pay, the softer the bristles, the better they work and the longer they last. I highly recommend the Real Techniques brushes which are a little bit more expensive but are amazing quality and technically they are high-street as they are sold in Boots. That being said, if you don’t want to spend that much on brushes or if you’re just starting out with makeup definitely try this set from Amazon:

(I need to wash some of them, sorry)

This set includes 36 brushes and a brush roll. They are actually really soft and have lasted me quite some time! This set it perfect to create any look and is ideal for people just starting out with makeup and don’t want to spend much on brushes. Get them here.

The only brush missing is a good eyeshadow blending brush, so you might want to invest in either of these two:

(Sigma on the top and Zoeva on the bottom)

I hope you liked this (very long) list of my favourite high street makeup products. As I said these products work incredibly well on me but may not produce the same results on others so don’t buy before you try!

Cara x