When the savvy people over at Most Wanted, the blog behind Voucher Codes, emailed me to ask if I'd like to participate in their new SOS (short for Save or Splurge) project to review and rate different priced cosmetics, I jumped at the chance!
With the beauty industry now a very over crowded market it can be easy to react like a deer in headlights when trying to pick out a new product. Also knowing when to save or splurge on a beauty product can be a tricky task. So with this in mind I have selected a range of products with 3 different price-brackets - bargain, mid-range and high-end, to see how they fare!
Bargain Under £5 - Collection 2000 Deluxe Lipstick 'Talullah'
(£3.99 - Boots here)
A stunning new lipstick here from Collection 2000 and one that is enriched with Shea butter for a smooth finish. This can definitely be felt on application as it just glides over the lips and smooths out imperfections. Touch-ups after eating and drinking are needed at this is a hydrating and weightless lipstick that just sits on the lips without drying them out, something I look for with quite dry lips. The only thing that brings this lipstick down and reminds you that it isn't a high end product is the slightly synthetic caramel scent.
Mid-Range Under £10 - Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter 'Creme Brulee'
(£7.99 - Boots here)
An everyday nude lip colour here with Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brulee. Must like the other lip butters in this range the balm offers a moisturising formula with a nice sheen. However this is one of the more sheer shades that still allows your natural lip colour to show through. This made me feel like it was more of a tinted lip balm but with a thicker feel. Will be sticking to the brighter more pigmented shades from the Lip Butter range in the future.
High-End Under £20 - Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick 'Native'
(£15.00 - Feel Unique here)
When it comes to high-end lip products you want luxury packaging and a perfect formula and that is certainly what you get from the UD Revoltion Lipsticks. Native is a beautiful rose shade that glides on to the lips making them look fuller and smooth. However by sheer coincidence this is a very similar lip product to my bargain lip pick!
Overall Winner
This is definitely not an easy one as the Collection 2000 lipstick is so very similar in quality and shade to the Urban Decay lipstick, but the packaging of the Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick has to be swooned over. However if a bargain lipstick can preform just as good as a high-end one I will always be savvy and saving, going with the cheaper option. Collection 2000 Deluxe Lipstick in Talullah really is a stand-out lip product!
Bargain Under £5 - Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer 'Fair'
(£4.19 - Boots here)
Maybe the bestselling high street concealer right here and rightly so. Collection 2000 Lasting Perfect Concealer is the blogger's favourite due to the perfect coverage and creamy consistency. Only a little is needed to conceal blemishes and the creamy formula ensures it blends perfectly. This also lasts well on the skin without the need of touch-ups.
Mid-Range Under £10 - L'Oreal Lumi Magique Concealer 'Light'
(£8.49 - Boots here)
A perfectly packaged pen-style concealer here that focuses more on brightening than concealing. This light coverage concealer is best under the eyes and as a highlight for the face when contouring than for blemishes. But for this reason it reminds me of the much more expensive YSL Touche Eclat! Worth trying out if you want a concealer with brightening qualities.
High End Under £20 - Estee Lauder Disappear Smoothing Creme Concealer 'Light'
(£18.00 - Boots here)
An impressive concealer from Estee Lauder that offers high coverage with a lightweight feel that sinks straight into the skin and doesn't budge. The formula is moisturising so I could see this being great on dry/older skin. Unfortunately though I was let down by the lightest shade 'light', which as you can see from the swatch above is more of a medium colour... for such a high end brand I definitely expected more shades and for the lightest shade to be fairly pale.
Overall Winner
Without a doubt Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer! This is an amazing high coverage creamy concealer for the price. Under the eyes to conceal dark shadows/circles, to hide redness or on blemishes... this just works!
Bargain Under £5 - Collection 2000 Killer Curves Mascara
(£3.99 - Superdrug here)
Even as a lover of the high street and bargain beauty products I tend to stay away from low-cost mascaras but decided to trial a small natural fibred mascara (big wands scare me!) with Collection 2000 Killer Curves. I immediately decided the oddly shaped wand wouldn't make my lashes any more curled... but how wrong I was! This non-clumping mascara is modest on volume but makes up for it by separating the lashes and giving them a noticeable curl/lift that actually stays for a good few hours. A good not-overly-wet mascara that did what it stated.
Mid-Range Under £10 - L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara
(£8.99 - Boots here)
Doll-like eyelashes a-go-go here! L'Oreal's Miss Manga Mascara has been a product I have wanted to try out for a bit though knowing little about it. From the perfectly tapered brush that's just the right size to the flexi double jointed wand, L'Oreal have really put some thought into this mascara. The brush easily bends with the lashes to effortlessly coat them adding super volume that is free from clumps. This really does give an opened eye effect that even Bambi would be jealous of!
High End Under £20 - Benefit They're Real Mascara
(£19.50 - Boots here)
Another mascara that I was eager to try out after reading lots of raved reviews. Benefit They're Real Mascara instantly pleased me with it's thin brush but equally horrified me when I realised the plastic wand was actually quite sharp and spiky, especially at the end. My fears were met with a bit of discomfort as the plastic wand is definitely too hard and unforgiving to wiggle against the base of the lashes. Though it did leave me with nicely fanned out lengthed lashes. Very mixed feelings about this mascara.
Overall Winner
Though I wouldn't use the L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara on both my top and bottom lashes (it's just too heavy for the bottom lashes) it is an amazing mascara that offers great easy coverage with the flexi brush and a ton of volume. Also quite a unique mascara with new technology!
Phew, mammoth post - DONE!
Hope you enjoyed this type of post, if you did let me know if there are any other product categories you would like me to do this with in the future.
Fee xo.
