The Best and Worst of Budget Beauty

I haven't done a make-up post in a while so I thought it was about time really. Here is a list of hair, make up and cosmetic products that I think are the best and worst in their category, I hope this will help anyone who is struggling where to start with budget products. If you are a midrange or high end kind of person then it can be difficult to know what works best from the budget ranges.

Blusher

Best

E.L.F Studio Blush - £3.75
Comes in 11 shades so there is plenty to choose from and has a very subtle sheen in some shades rather than chunky glitter like other brands. I find it very similar to Sleek's blushes in terms of shades and texture, both of these brands do very natural and wearable shades.

Worst

E.L.F All Over Colour Stick - £1.50
All the shades are a bit too 'shimmery' for my liking, I ended up looking like Boy George which is never a good look, unless you are Boy George then I'm sure it would suit you. I also dislike the texture of them as it is a little too tacky and takes off my foundation which is a shame because it would be a perfect super budget, super long lasting creamy blusher. I would recommend the shade Toasted for a bronzer if you like a bit of shimmer though.

Bronzer

Best

Sleek Contour Kit, Light - £6.49

I adore Sleek's range of blusher, highlighters and contour powders. Although this is not necessarily a bronzer it is double duty because it can be a bronzer but you could also layer the two products to create a dark shimmer on areas of your face where the sun would naturally tan you. I think the powder is not drying and is extremely blendable.

Worst

17 Instant Glow (Discontinued)
No glow on my face with this one I'm afraid. Whist this had a beautiful sheen it did not boast a natural colour, it was more tangerine than tan. I wish it had been a more natural shade as this could have be a lovely budget product drawing on the concept of Benefit's 10 which is both a highlighter and a bronzer. It's probably a good thing they discontinued it when they rebranded.

Concealer

Best

Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer - £3.99
5 very wearable shades, but may not be for the darker skined among you. It has an extremely creamy and blendable texture which is essential to the functioning of a concealer. I like to apply mine using my fingers to let it heat up a little and therefore make it even easier to blend.

Worst

E.L.F Tone Correcting Concealer - £1.50
Shiny and very liquid; dried too quickly so it couldn't be blended properly, good shade range though. Made me look like I had shiny dots all over my face. Not good.

Eyeshadow

Best

Sleek i-Divine palettes - £6.50
Comes with 12 shades and because there is a huge range of palettes from neons to neutrals there is definitely going to be a palette to suit your needs. All the shades have a waxy sort of texture allowing them to linger on the skin longer than other shadows and they are very blend-able. Very well pigmented and the shimmery shades aren't full of chunky glitter but just glow nicely. I talk about this product here

Worst

E.L.F Smokey Palette - Discontinued
Doesn't blend at all well, some of the shades are lost on the skin because they are not well pigmented at all, some shades are full of glitter while the other shades are matte to the point of looking like chalk. The brush included in this though is awesome! I use it to do my brows.

Eyeliner

Best

Collection2000 Extreme 24h Felt Tip Liner - £2.99
Comes in a waterproof formula so good for crying at weddings. Very pigmented and the formula means it doesn't drag on the skin leaving a crisp line.

Worst

Avon Glimmerstick - £6
Pulled on my eye skin which hurt and didn't have much staying power which is a shame.

Make up remover

Best

Boots Botanics All Bright Soothing Eye Make up Remover - £3.99
Almost a better dupe for the Clinque eye make up remover. Very gentle on skin and nourishing, an absolute favourite.

Worst

Simple Kind To Eyes Eye Make up Remover - £3.39

This was not kind to my eyes. The worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. Seriously. My eyes were red and I was in pain for two hours. Two whole hours. I couldn't see because my eyes were watering so much, I don't even have sensitive skin so I wonder how anybody with sensitive skin actually uses this! AVOID AVOID AVOID!

Foundation

Best

Barbara Daly for Tesco Moisture Foundation - £7
Maaaaaaaaaaaasive range of shades including for the pale people like me! Medium coverage with a not-quite-matte finish. Liquid formula so a little goes a long way. I'd also recommend Bourjois 123 foundation

Worst

E.L.F All Over Cover Stick - £1.50
When I tried this was sticky, waxy and gross. It is very much like the Colour Sticks but all over your face. You get what you pay for really!

Hair Spray

Best

Tesco Proflex Hairspray - £2.04
A lovely little find from Tesco, it leaves my hair perfectly in place without looking stiff and disgusting. I also talk about this product here.

Worst

Tesco Family Firm Hair Spray - 64p
Made my hair look as if I were a Lego man with Lego hair. Again, if you spend just a little bit more money, the quality of products are almost infinitely better.

Shampoo and Conditioner

Best

Pantene Repair and Protect - £3.69
Makes my hair shiny and look beautiful. I feel this really does protect my hair from the crap I put it though e.g. colouring, blow drying and heat styling! Great iconic fragrance and really gets my hair clean. May not be a product for those with very greasy hair. I also talk about this product here.

Worst

Tresemme 24 Hour Body - £5
Made my hair really dry and no noticeable ease of styling or protection against styling. No volume either which was a shame. You do get a lot of product for your money though.

Lip Stick

Best

Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick - £1.99
Awesome range of colours, from very bright reds to subtle nudes. Very moisturising and lasts an acceptable amount of time, lasts even long if applied correctly. The trouble with this product is that on the Boots website it is often unavailable to purchase, which is crap if you can only order online but if you live near a Boots then you are in luck. I'd also recommend any Rimmel lipstick from the Kate range and also the E.L.F ones.

Mascara

Best

Collection 2000 Big Fake - £4.99
The brush on this is huge! I'm talking seriously massive, you need to see it to believe it really. This mascara provides huge volume and length, most mascaras are not voluminous enough, but this makes your lashes HUGE but without the clumping that is commonly associated with big lashes. If you are willing to spend a little bit more or see it on offer do try out Falsies.

Worst

E.L.F Waterproof Lengthening and Volumising Mascara - £3.75
NO it didn't do anything it said on the tin. There was no volume to be seen as the formula was just far too watery. The bristles on the brush were not long enough to coat lashes properly.

Nail Polish

Best

Barry M Nail Paint - £2.99
A rainbow of shades, finishes and effects. Barry M are most famous for their nail paint as it is very very long lasting, I've had Barry M on my toes for up to a month before with out chipping (kind of gross really). Various nail effects ranges have been launched using revolutionary technology like including metals in the paint which can be manipulated using magnets, freaky. Drying time is good on these even though they are highly pigmented, most of the time I only use one coat.

Worst

Eyeko - Discontinued, Avon ProWear - £6
The lasting time is quite frankly crap, a nail polish should not chip 4 HOURS after application; enough said. So glad that Eyeko have gone back to just dealing with eye make-up, when EYE is in your brand name you should probably just stick to what you know. I also dislike the Avon ones quite a bit they chip easily as well.

Nail Polish Remover

Best

DermaV10 Nail Polish Remover Pads - 75p
Lovely orange scent and quickly removed nail polish whilst caring for nails. Small pot so easily transferable and can be used over and over again as they are absolutely soaked in the remover. Not sure where these are available, I got mine from my local Savers.

Worst

Avon Nail Polish Remover - £4
Ripped my finger nails to shreds because it was not nourishing enough. Took ages to remove my nail polish which was a pain. I had to buy a top coat to put over my nails after I used this stuff just to protect my nails.

Cuticle Oil

Best

Olive Oil
Available from most food shops, you probably have some in your kitchen right now! It is a waste of money buying expensive oils when good ol' olive oil is to hand. It contains lots of goodness, if it is healthy enough to eat then surely it should be good for your nails, right?

Worst

Anything that is expensive!

Loose Powder

Best

Still haven't found on sadly :(

Worst

Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder £2.99
Didn't really do anything for my skin at all, it didn't really mattify my skin or make it look sheer, it just kind of did nothing.

I hope you enjoyed this collection of products, let me know your own suggestions in the comments, on facebook and twitter