When I first started Makeup Savvy (8 whole years ago!) my main focus was to share the sheer amount of beauty bargains and savings that could be found on the high street.
But over the years there's been a shift, with high street prices rising while online retailer offering more discounts and competitive prices than ever before.
Which is why most of my beauty purchases are now made online bar the essentials that I prefer to pick up while food shopping or when popping into the likes of Boots - although the latter often seems a costly affair.
Some of my biggest beauty savings have been found online so in this blog post I wanted to detail them and share the cream of the crop so to speak!
Discount Essie Nail Polish
Essie is without a doubt one of my favourite nail polish brands that can be picked up from Superdrug or Boots costing £7.99. But if you are fine to not pick from Essie latest collections (most of us then) you can pick them up for a mere £2.75 each here putting them in line with the most budget of nail polish!
Fragrance Direct is where I shop for my own discounted Essie polishes, building a huge collection over the years that literally doesn't seem to dry up or go gloopy over time.
With over 60 different Essie shades to currently pick from on Fragrance Direct I often feel spoilt for choice and for £3 I find 3 or 4 polishes in my basket - oops!
Above you can see Hors D'Oeuvres and Leggy Legend two of my most favourite and unique shades I've picked up from Fragrance which you can find here along with so many other stunning shades!
Fragrance Direct... in general
While I love to pick up Essie nail polishes from Fragrance Direct it's often while I've shopping for other bits and pieces that I don't intentionally need but rather can't resist due to the hugely reduced price tags.
From fragrance to both high and low-end beauty brands and even gifts, Fragrance Direct has always been my go-to beauty website for great savings; whether I'm simply wanting to treat myself without overspending or for gifts come birthdays and Christmas time.
- As for fragrance I always pick up my low-cost favourites that are all under £20 - Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely here, Vera Wang Princess here and Clarins Klein Eternity here.
Basically, I can't recommend Fragrance Direct enough!
eBay Makeup Brushes
For the longest time I've raved about makeup brushes from eBay, buying, using and reviewing so many amazing high-quality brush sets and individual brushes over the years.
In fact, I now find it hard to justify buying makeup brushes even from high street brands such as Real Techniques and Eco Tools when I know I can pick up beyond similar quality individual brushes for under £2 and full brush sets for under £7 on eBay.
eBay is also a great website to pick up cheap makeup brush dupes, my favourites being this wonderful Nars blusher brush dupe here for only £1.85 (shown above) and an amazing RT Bold Metals dupe brush set here for only £6.69!
Brush sets and individual brushes I own and love: 5pcs Metal Harry Potter Wand Set (£3.19), 10pcs Unicorn Horn Pastel Makeup Brush Set (£3.39), 10pcs Elite Oval Brush Set (£6.95), Large Chrome Powder Brush (£1.91), Gold Metal Kabuki Brush (£1.35), 12pcs Zoeva dupe eyeshadow brush set (£1.40), 5pcs Rose Gold Face brush set (£4.25)
Cheap Brush Cleaner Accessories
While makeup brush cleaning is a boring affair it's essential. But thankfully it's a task that can be done efficiently and quicker when using a clever brush cleaning accessory, first made popular by Sigma.
Whether you opt for a silicone mitt or matt that you place in the sink you will not only save time but also your nails (no more dried out prawn fingers!) while extending the life of your brushes keeping them in good condition by not over scrubbing them. Both the Sigma brush cleaning glove and cleaning mat will set you back £20+ each however much cheaper alternatives can be found on eBay no less!
Both made of hard-wearing silicone these two budget brush cleaning accessories have lasted me years without any sign of wear which is why they are some of my best beauty savings that I simply had to share.
Find the makeup brush cleaning glove here for £2.89 and the makeup brush cleaning mat here for only £3.29.
Certain Beauty Boxes
Over the years I've reviewed countless beauty boxes; both on monthly subscriptions and stand-alone and while I've come to the conclusion that most monthly boxes aren't worth their spend there are a few that offer amazing savings.
However, the real saving without being tied into a payment plan comes from a few limited edition and stand-alone beauty boxes that you can decide to buy based on the contents and not risk by buying blind.
My favourite limited edition beauty box which is released each season is the QVC Tili box as it contains both full-size products and samples of beauty and skincare brands stocked by QVC. So you can always expect really great brands in each box. Other beauty boxes that have impressed me in the past include Latest in Beauty and Powder.
If you do however fancy trying a monthly beauty box subscription then I highly recommend Cohorted or Mintd* beauty boxes (*although while offering good savings this is one pricey beauty box subscription!).
I've named this week 'Budget Week' on my blog so make sure to check back for more budget beauty posts throughout the week!
Find the best budget beauty dupes of 2018 here!
Fee xo.
