Beauty on a Budget

Wandering round a shop yesterday I was in awe of all the makeup products on offer. According to the products on display, various parts of me could be plumped, volumized, extended and buffed. But where to begin? Do these products live up to their expectations? In one store alone I saw not only a wide range of products, but also a varying price range. Should I go for the most expensive? Should I risk the cheaper options? After staggering out of the shop with my head buzzing, I decided to put some items to the test. 

The products in this post were all bought from a supermarket called Lidl. I had read snippets of reviews in national papers but I wanted to see for myself. This post isn't sponsored by Lidl, it is merely me grabbing some products off their shelves and giving them a go. This is also my first beauty review so please bear with me! :)

EYES

I dream of luscious, gorgeous eyelashes that flutter. Having not been blessed with these, it is down to beauty products alone to help me on my quest. I have tried false lashes, but do not always get on with glue (allergic reaction isn't an attractive look!) and eyelash tinting. This did quite a good job but it wasn't possible to maintain this regularly.














Lidl's make up range is called "Cien". The black mascara I bought was £1.99 and was the "Volume" mascara - they also had a waterproof one available.

Putting this on I immediately noticed how unclumpy it was - a real positive. I put on a few coats and each time it went on smoothly - no clumping of lashes or heaviness. If you are looking for a daytime mascara I would really recommend this. 

After

Before

LIPS

I usually stick to a plain moisturising lip balm but decided to go a bit crazy and picked up a gloss AND a lipstick (quite a big step for a non makeup person!). 

I chose a "Light Coral" lipstick (£1.99) as I thought this would suit both daytime wear and evening use. The lipstick went on easily and had a slight goldy shimmer. My lips can be quite sensitive, so I did put on a small amount of moisturising lipbalm prior to applying the lipstick but I was pleased with the colour. 

I do like red lipstick but I already own one, so I decided to get a "Red Hot" red lip gloss (£1.99) just so I could compare. Lip gloss can be a tricky one - some can be sticky and there is nothing worse than getting your hair stuck in sticky lip gloss! When I applied this gloss it went on quite easily and thickly so you wouldn't need to apply too much to the wand in one go. The colour was vivid which was great, as some gloss looks great in the bottle but comes out quite thinly when applied. I did a blotting test to see how long lasting the gloss was, but most of the colour came off straight away, so if you are choosing a gloss and want it long lasting, it may be best to look elsewhere. But for the price I paid I was more than happy! 

SKIN

My skin is pretty fair, apart from when I go on holiday and tan easily. I have freckles across my nose and cheeks too which I quite like My skin can flare at times where bits of it go red (mainly across my cheeks) so I wanted something that makes my skin look youthful but blends the colour. I chose Lidl's Osiris Avisé CC Cream - a colour correcting cream with SPF 15. 

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The store I bought mine from had the cream in "Natural" or "Tanned" - make sure you check the tube carefully as both are identical and the gold lettering stating the shade could be missed. I chose Natural as I wasn't sure how dark even the natural shade would come out. When I put it on I think I made the right choice shade wise. The cream was applied easily and blended well. It felt light and smelt lovely - not "makeupy" like some products do. It gave my skin a nice glow and didn't look or feel greasy. Think I will be using this regularly!

Lidl also do eyeshadows and nail varnish, and lipsticks and lip glosses in a range of colours all for the great price of £1.99. I think I will be a regular customer!  

A new direction

I have been sitting here wondering about the direction to take my blog. Yesterday I was able to meet a friend for coffee and we had a small wander around town. I went into a shop and was faced with rows of makeup and beauty products and I just thought "Where to begin?" Growing up I was always a bit of a tomboy so didn't really wear much make up. As I have got older I have begun taking more interest in it and now I approach my 30th birthday in October (eek!) I'm now starting to look for things to help me desperately hold onto a youthful glow! 

Quote of the day yesterday came from my friend: "I'm looking for a beauty product that makes me look about 30 years younger...."

So from now on my blog is going to be a bit of a mixed bag - reviewing products, random musings and of course, my adventures!