Favourite products under £5!

I wanted to do something a bit different today and speak about my favourite bargain products. My blog has covered a lot of my most loved expensive items so it's easy for the cheaper repurchases to get overlooked. These are all things I've either already repurchased or would repurchase when they run out and thought it would be a bit of a different, hopefully interesting post! 

Radox Spa Smoothie Bath Soak Fig and Neroli Oil (£2.20) - This is a bit of a random one but this product is something I always pick up as soon as it runs out. The scent is absolutely incredible and it leaves my skin soft after use.

Elf Wet Gloss and Brow Clear Mascara (£1.50) - I already spoke about this in my 2012 favourites but I absolutely adore this stuff. It is so so cheap (but do bare in mind I have to order this online so always do in bulk to save in postage costs!) and I honestly feel it does a just as good if not better job than any more expensive brow product and sets my brows all day. I use this purely for brow setting so can't comment on it as a mascara but a definite staple in my makeup bag I'd never, ever be without. 

Sally Hansen Cuticle Massage Cream (£4.35) - Another apricot scented product! I only started using this a few months ago and it's just amazing. It makes the process of sorting out any dryness or cuticles around my nails so easy and works within a couple of minutes. It's also not too drying on my skin. You can get this cheaper if you look around but I did mine for the price I bought it for in Boots!

St Ives Apricot Scrub Invigorating (£4.29 but currently £2.86 from Boots!) - This scrub is really good and such a good price for the results it gives. I have to be honest and say I'm not mad on the apricot scent as it is very strong, something to be aware of if you like unscented products but it does a lovely job of leaving my skin soft, smooth and brightened. They also do a sensitive one and a blemish prone but I find this one fine for my sensitive, oilyish skin.

Rimmel Stronger Base Coat (£4.59) - I've used this for years and it's a really great base coat. Dries quickly, stops my nails from breaking and does the job perfectly. I've never felt the need to try any other base coat, though I do sometimes use Nail Envy if my nails are particularly weak.

Barry M Polishes (Coral Pictured) (£2.99) - I'm sure everyone is getting sick to death of my raving about these polishes so all I will say is they last ages, have an amazing colour range and are super easy to apply. They're on offer a lot too! My favourite nail polish brand.

Topshop Polishes (£5.00) - Another amazing makeup/nail brand is Topshop. Their nail varnish is really glossy, opaque and long lasting and I'd really recommend this also. They also do my all time favourite polish, Topshop Celestial!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude (£3.99) - This stuff is the best for making your eyes instantly brightened and awake. I use this most days, particularly on those early mornings and wouldn't be without it now. I'll be honest and say something controversial though! For me personally, this is the only one I've tried that I love.. the Taupe shade did not show up on my waterline however much I tried and the black one really smudged under my eyes!

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipliners (Indian Pink pictured) (£2.99) - These and the Topshop lip liners are the only ones I will use. I've never felt the need to buy a high end lip liner as I find these work so well and have a great range of colours. They don't drag, they aren't too drying considering they're a lip liner and do the job perfectly.

No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadows (£7.00) - Right, this is a cheat one because these are £7.00 if you buy them full price but I always get mine when I get the £5 off vouchers, making them £2.00 so please forgive me! These are something I recently tried and I have the shades Wheatsheaf and Yellowshine. I'm so so impressed with these, they are buttery soft and lovely shades that definitely rival my MAC shadows, my favourite drugstore eyeshadows for sure.

Soap and Glory Hand Food (£5.00) - Aah my favourite hand cream. It smells of marshmellows, moisturizes without being greasy and is super cheap for the results it gives. I use this so much in Winter and it works wonderfully.

So there you have it! Just an honorable mention, Collection's Lasting Perfection is an amazing concealer but I don't really use it as I find it a bit too much under the eyes. However, if ever my skin gets a rash from a product or if I've had dairy I love it for more coverage!

What's your favourite product for under £5?

Review: Rimmel Apocalips!

I don't know about all of you, but when I saw that Rimmel were bringing out a lip laquer similar to higher end offerings I was definitely intrigued. After hearing so much about the Armani Maestro versions but deciding they were way out my price range for a product of it's kind I was overjoyed to hear there would be a drugstore dupe and after seeing them on various different blogs I knew I had to have them! Pigmented? Check. Amazing colours? Check. Comfortable wear? Check. They sounded right up my street! :)

From L-R: Luna, Celestial, Stellar, Apocaliptic, Big Bang

One thing I can say is they definitely fulfilled all the promised claims. As you can see from swatches, the colour payoff is amazing and these really are liquid lipsticks, they didn't move all day, especially the brighter shades! The colours I chose were Luna, Celestial, Stellar, Apocaliptic and Big Bang. The other shades in the range are a brown-toned nude (Nude Eclipse), a pinky shade I also really want (Nova) and a plummy shade (Galaxy) which I didn't get purely as I own SO many plums! The packaging for these is also lovely, I love how you can see the colour at the bottom and it almost looks a bit sleek whilst not being too boring.

The formula is so wonderful - creamy and opaque with minimal effort required in terms of topping it up throughout the day and the price is what makes these even better at £5.99 each. The only negatives I would point out is this can have a tendancy to go a bit everywhere if you don't apply a lip liner around your lips prior to application. Also, I would comment that the lighter shades can be a bit patchy and Luna definitely took a little more effort to look good but this is an easily fixed problem :)

Luna - I have to say, this shade was my least favourite of the ones I picked up. I found the formula of this to be quite patchy and unflattering, you could see a lot of imperfections on my lips. However with a lip scrub, this one does make a lovely peachy shade that I'd liken slightly to MAC Shy Girl.

Celestial - This is what I'd consider the everyday lip choice of the bunch. I adore this shade, a lovely neutral pink/plum that I've found works with a variety of makeup looks! This one reminds me a lot of MAC Plumful which I also like a lot.

Stellar - This shade is another one of my picks of the bunch! An amazing bright corally pink that is so similar to MAC Impassioned on the lips it's crazy! Definitely an amazing summer shade that I cannot wait to wear.

Apocaliptic - This is the fuschia pink of the lot, another very bright shade with blue undertones. This will be a great 'nights out' option for me, especially with it's similarity to MAC Girl About Town which is my favourite for those sorts of occasions!

Big Bang - Eeeek sorry, you can kind of see what I mean about the bleeding thing with this one! This is an amazing red and one I will definitely reach for on lazy days where I'm wearing simple eye and face makeup as it'll make an amazing statement lip! I don't have a MAC dupe for this as a lot of people are saying Russian Red but to me it's far lighter and pinker!

Overall, I'm so impressed with Rimmel at the moment, they are definitely upping their game and bringing out some incredible products. I really believe these are one product absolutely worth the hype and one of my favourite launches of the last year by far! 

What colour do you like from this collection? Have you picked any of these up?