My beloved Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara has run dry and I stupidly forgot to ask my daughters to pick me up a new one in Duty Free. I struggle with mascara smudging and only get along with Lancome or Chanel and am always afraid of wasting money on an expensive mascara that will give me "Panda Eyes" like the YSL one did a few years back. I do seem to collect mascara's, usually off the front of magazines or out of my monthly Glossyboxes and keep them for my girls who seem to get through one a month at least. In the absence of any local store that stocks "high end" make-up or skincare brands, I turned to my mascara stash and started to use one by GOSH, a very cheap brand found in Superdrug which came in a Glossybox some months ago. I have been left very impressed by this product as a) it doesn't smudge and b) it does give as much length and volume as I could possibly expect for my short and stumpy lashes. Would I buy this product again? Most definitely, although I can't see myself giving up on the Chanel addiction just yet.
At only £8.49, this is the perfect budget option mascara for somebody who craves great results without having to blow the budget. GOSH The Secret of Longer Lashes Mascara £8.49.
I have also found myself very low on eye make-up remover and eye cream. I have been sticking to Dermalogica for most of this year but am getting low and need to save what I have for clients, so on a trip into town I thought I would pick up some cheaper products to see me through to my next big order. Superdrug came up trumps with a Paraben free eye make-up remover suitable for sensitive skin at only £1.72, seriously what's not to love? This product has me thinking that there really is no need to spend a fortune on eye make-up remover in future and is as effective as any I've ever used. Simply Pure Eye Make-Up Remover £1.72.
My eye cream search wasn't quite so easy. I was trying to find something that completely removed wrinkles as opposed to most of them that for £10+ would only help with dark circles and the prevention of wrinkles (too bloody late guys). Nothing on the shelf seemed to be suitable for mature skin that in the last ten years had seen the deepest lines imaginable develop, so just as I was about to give up, go home and do an online order, I noticed that Palmers (of Coco Body Butter fame) now have a range of skincare (who knew?) which contained an eye cream that mentioned the words "Line Smoothing" on the packaging, so I had to take a closer look.
Now I am pretty good at checking out the ingredients in moisturisers and the like, and once proved that the Aldi face cream contained the exact same ingredients as the Nivea Q10 equivalent, so when the ingredients Retinol, Vitamin E and Peptides jumped out at me, I knew full well that these are the sort of anti-aging line fighters normally associated with far more expensive brands than this which costs just £4.63. I couldn't resist having a scout around some high end eye creams for ingredient comparisons and found that Perricone MD's Neuropeptide Eye Contour contains at least 10 of the same ingredients as the Palmers eye cream and costs a whopping £165! I haven't used this for long enough to know if it makes any difference but whatever the outcome, I am pleased that I have paid under a fiver for a cream containing the same ingredients as one costing well over £100! All the moisturisers in the range contain peptides and retinol and the day cream also has an SPF 15, essential in winter as well as summer. Palmers Line Smoothing Eye Cream £4.63. The range also contains facial scrub and cleanser as well as a facial mask.
You can also probably see an eyebrow pencil in the pictures above. I use the MUA blonde at just £1.00. I haven't bought an expensive brow pencil since the HD brow craze started and I began to do a bit more with mine than just tint them once a month. I now draw them on when I go out into quite an angular shape, you can never be too old to take care of your brows, they really do frame your face and I quite like making more of mine as they are so fair and very rarely need waxing. Big brows are youthful and thin ones very ageing in my opinion.
Superdrug currently have free standard delivery on all orders until 22nd October if you don't fancy a trip into town.
What bargain basement products are you loving at the moment?