Claire

Collection 2000 ‘Fix Me Up’ Makeup Setting Spray Review.

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If you follow us on Twitter or Instagram, you may have seen me get over excited about the fact that Collection have a makeup setting spray for around £5. I believe it was launched towards the end of last year, but the first time I saw it in-store was about a month or two ago – I’m not sure if this was me being horribly unobservant or if it hadn’t been stocked in Birmingham until then! I got it from Boots, if anyone is at all interested.

I think Claire and I have garnered ourselves a bit of a reputation for being bargain hunters (though I think in reality, we are just cheap and driven by poverty paha), so I’m always on the hunt for cheap-yet-quality makeup products. As far as setting sprays go, I’m a bit of a novice (hairspray on the face, anyone?). After doing a bit of research, I gather that there aren’t a huge number of fixing sprays on the market. Urban Decay do one called ‘All Nighter’ for £19, which generally has rave reviews – as does the Clarins Fix’ Makeup spray, which will set you back £18.50. I’ve heard conflicting things about the Mac Fix+ (£11) product, which teeter between rave reviews and confusion as to whether it actually is a setting spray or not (some say it’s more of a brightener?). Armed with this information, I still decided to invest in the Collection ‘Fix Me Up’ setting mist because it was one of the cheaper versions, and I’m generally a fan of their makeup products.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite deliver. Claire and I have this strange compulsion to like products and feel extremely disappointed if they aren’t really what we wanted. This is mainly why I was so sad that the Collection setting spray wasn’t great – and there are quite a few reasons why it just is a bit crap. I thought I’d set them out in list form because who doesn’t love a list, quite frankly?! (probably people with list phobias).

1. IT’S FALSE ECONOMY. For £5.99, you only get 18ml. I’m sure there’s a way of working out the maths but I am genuinely useless at that sort of behavior. Let’s just say that you may as well get the 118ml Urban Decay spray for £19.

2. It’s a bit damp. The packaging describes it as being a “weightless mist” but to the packaging I say “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT, have you gone mad.” I think the problem is the spray nozzle – it kind of comes out in squirts and doesn’t cover your whole face brilliantly (I’m sorry for how wrong this sounds). It just leaves you feeling a bit soggy and rained on.

3. The product doesn’t actually do very much. This probably should be at the top of the list but hey ho, I’m a maverick. I wouldn’t say I noticed a huge difference in my makeup staying on. For a girl who is genuinely a disco ball without powder, I was really disappointed. The setting spray didn’t deliver really and to that I say GOOD DAY SIR.

So, not a great review of Collection 2000’s ‘Fix Me Up’ makeup fixer. I would say that I don’t hate the fragrance as much as other bloggers seem to – it does smell a bit cheap but I quite like it! Other than that, I don’t really have anything good to say. Sorry Collection, but you have let me down on this occasion. The hunt for a good setting spray continues – I think I’m going to give the Ubran Decay ‘All Nighter’ setting spray a go after pay day and see how that treats my sheeny shiny face. After that…WHO KNOWS?!

Any of you lovely ladies have any other recommendations?

Claire

Mini Haul: Primark, Simple and Collection!

Hey chicks!

As a lot of you will aware from our incessant celebrating, yesterday was pay day. I feel like you have never truly experienced happiness until you get that heady ‘I’M SO RICH, KANYE HAS NOTHING ON ME RIGHT NOW’ joy from getting paid. Getting paid means splashing out on those things that you lusted over last month but couldn’t afford because you spent all of your money on pay day (LOGICAL?). As soon as lunch time hit yesterday, Claire was all over eBay and investing in her current list of must-haves. I, on the other hand, was attempting to be sensible and not buy anything unnecessary. This went pretty well until I got into Birmingham after work and had half an hour to kill before going for dinner. I went to Boots, which is ALWAYS dangerous, and then couldn’t stop myself from strolling around everywhere looking for things to satisfy my deep, deep need for material possessions (nail varnish = happiness. It has been proved. By science).

This is just a mini haul post on what I bought yesterday – I’d say none of it is HUGELY exciting, but still, a haul is a haul. You have to excuse the awful photos, I had to resort to my iphone after I’d had a couple of glasses of wine and apparently this is what happens. WHAT KIND OF BLOGGER DO I THINK I AM?!

IMG_1459I have a little bit of explaining to do with regards to each item actually and they all come with wonderful stories that I know you are all dying to hear, so feel free to make yourself a cup of tea and snuggle down. I’m justifying this little shopping trip because most of the items were entirely necessary and I did vaguely try and be thrifty NO JUDGEMENT PLEASE, MONEY GOD.

IMG_1461This little bad boy I have been lusting over since I spotted it in Boots a few weeks ago. I was actually having a lovely chat with @StonesGotStyle on Twitter about it and we both were thinking it’d be a BRILLIANT product if it delivered on the makeup fixing front. For the price, I think it really could be a winner, particularly when compared to more expensive brands. I’ve got it on today and so far so good – although I would say it’s not really a fair trial as I manage to smear all of my makeup over my face when I’m at work no matter what I’ve got on. I’m going to try it out on Friday when I head out with Claire and the gals – expect a full review very soon. It also smells lovely, as a side note!

IMG_1463Why have you put a lip balm on a haul post, you ask? Well, it does seem a bit pointless BUT I think it’s good to know what lip balms work and smell good. There have been so many times I’ve just gone with Vaseline because I couldn’t make up my mind about other brands and to be honest, Vaseline is a pile of greasy nothing. For anyone else who struggles with chapped lips in the summer, this lip balm is perfect. It smells and tastes yummy and actually works – I’ve been using it for a while now and I can safely say I’ve not used a better everyday balm.

IMG_1464I CAN’T RAVE ABOUT THIS CONCEALER ENOUGH. Honestly, it is full on amazing. I’ve tried similar illuminating concealers and they have all been WUBBISH. I’ve also heard this is the best dupe for Yves Saint Laurent’s Touche Éclat and for £5, it’s definitely worth giving it a go. I bought it in the ‘Glow’ shade as it’s the darkest one they do and use it under my eyes and down my nose for contouring purposes. Occasionally I’ll use it on spots too, although I try not to as it is a mixture of a highlighter and concealer (and who wants to highlight their spots?!). Saying that, it does work well as a simple concealer too. I could go on about this product for YEARS but will save you all the torture and just recommend you purchase and give it a whirl!

IMG_1465Claire and I had a moment the other day when we realised that big earrings were no longer cool. It was quite a heart wrenching moment; our standard jewellery ventures used to be a giant pair of chandelier earrings. But this just simply can’t be done anymore, sob. We’ve come to the conclusion that necklaces and rings are the big players in the jewellery world now, which is fantastic apart from the fact I have sausage fingers. ANYWAY, it turns out I haven’t been quite able to let go of my love of earrings and decided to buy a load of hoops from Primark. At £1, it was pretty rude not to. My theory is, because the 90’s are well and truly back, I can get away with a bit of Jennifer Anniston hoop. I’m planning a big topknot and hoops for Friday, so I will take a picture and see if this is achieved! I also got this set of rings because I love a bit of neon and they’re a great way of adding a bit of the trend into a boring outfit (note – Primark have some LOVELY neon jewellery in at the moment).

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If you follow us on Twitter, you might have seen my #bbloggers beg the other day for some eye makeup remover recommendations. I have a new mascara, which I love, but it refuses to come off. It’s not actually waterproof but has a terrible habit of sticking to anything and everything. I had a lot of response and I really wanted to invest in a No7 oil based remover that one of you lovely people recommended. However, I left my voucher at home and in a bid to be sensible, decided to go with something a bit cheaper. I also looked for the Neutrogena wipes that were recommended but unfortunately the Boots I was in didn’t stock them, so I went for the next make up remover suggestion! So far, I’ve been really happy with this Simple one and it takes all of the naughty mascara off in a few wipes. I’m actually very happy with it and for the price, I think I will buy it again. So big thanks to all of you who gave me some suggestions!

IMG_1468Finally, this was my last purchase yesterday! There’s not much to say apart from the fact that my shoe situation is terrible and I needed some black pumps for work. They’re quite cute, so I’m happy! I have my eye on a pair of nude t-bar studded ones in Primark actually, and will probably buy them in the next few weeks.

WELL, that was my slightly mad pay day haul yesterday. I’ve told myself I’m on a spending ban now, but lets see how long that realistically lasts….

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claire

Cheap Makeup: Is It Really That Bad?

Pretty much every beauty blogger and makeup aficionado will concede that for the most part, the more money you spend on a product, the better it is. As avid readers of beauty blogs, Claire and I often cry with jealousy over Mac makeup hauls, Illamasqua purchases and Bobbi Brown buys. While we have to confess that on occasion, one of us will splash out on something a bit fancy (see Claire’s Benefit ‘They’re Real’ Mascara Review), most of the time we simply can’t afford to. Our budgets don’t really stretch to spending £30+ on makeup when we run out and of course, things like paying for rent, water and (regrettably) food have to take priority. That definitely doesn’t mean we don’t want to and we’re not begrudging y’all who do (although we hate you and your beautifully made up faces), it’s just not something we do on a regular basis.

With all of this in mind, we have become quite the experts on cheap makeup. Over our makeup wearing years, both of us have tried pretty much every budget to mid-range makeup product on the high street. I get particularly excited and a bit over enthusiastic about trying new products, even if it is something a bit pathetic from MUA or Rimmel. There can be a lot of negative buzz around cheaper brands but I think there’s hope yet. Cheap makeup doesn’t have to bring back horrible memories of slathering your eyelids in baby blue eyeshadow from Miss Sporty. I am of the opinion that there are some absolute gems on the high street and there are a lot of cheap makeup products that you simply can’t ignore. So, with all of this waffle in mind (I just can’t get to the point can I?!), here are my five best cheap makeup products that have been tried and tested.

2True Cheek ‘n’ Lip Tint, £1.99

Any makeup brand that is called 2True should in theory have the face rash alarm bells ringing. Also, a product that is actually £1.99 probably sounds too good to be true (there was a pun in there, I missed it. I am sorry). ALAS MY DEAR FRIENDS, this is actually a great Benetint dupe and the only criticism I have is that it is slightly runnier than its £25 counterpart. The colour actually lasted longer for me and I generally just prefer it. Did I mention it is £1.99…?

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Collection 2000 Extreme 24h Felt Tip Eyeliner, £2.99

As a big believer in winged liquid eyeliner (I am Cleopatra), I’ve always been on the hunt for the perfect liquid eyeliner. I’ve dabbled in Barry M, Rimmel and lots of others but this Collection 2000 beauty is at the top of my must-have cheap makeup list. It lasts for AGES (probably 24 hours, I haven’t quite tested it for that long) and it is mega easy to apply. Even Claire gets on with it and her face likes to reject liquid eyeliners.

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Primark Nail Varnish, £2 for four.

These have been hyped quite a lot on beauty blogs recently and it’s no surprise really. They’re SUPER cheap (my maths brain works it out to 50p per pot and to this I say WHAAAAAAAAT?!), they last well and they have a great colour range. What more could you want, you needy human beings?!

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Perfect Girl Natural Flirt False Eyelashes, £3.99

These are my go-to lashes. Claire and I love false eyelashes for nights out and I personally couldn’t go out without a pair flapping away around my eyeballs. I used to be a firm Eylure purchaser, but it started to get a bit pricey at £5 per pair. I then went full circle and bought 60 pairs for £7 on eBay and I have now settled on these. They’re big, volumous and just look great. I would say that the glue is a bit crap so you may want to just buy a big pot of decent glue to stick these bad boys on.

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Collection 2000 Supersize Mascara, £2.99

I’ll have to pop a disclaimer in over here. Mascara isn’t my forte and I know a lot of people (like Claire) are really picky with what they use. I have blonde eyelashes that have quite a good natural curl, so I am mostly bothered about getting some black colour onto them more than anything else. Saying that, I have tried a lot of the more expensive brands (of which Dior’s DiorShow has been THE WORST) and I will keep coming back to this Collection one. It does the job and I’m happy with it. It’s not too clumpy (though I weirdly quite like clumps) and it stays on well. Definitely worth the £2.99 I’d say!

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So, is cheap makeup really that bad? I’d firmly say no. While there are some things you should spent a little more money on (like foundation and prostitutes), there are a lot of other products you can get away with scrimping on. So the next time you whip out your credit card for a hefty Mac  haul, think for a moment whether you can pop to Superdrug and find a decent alternative (and then spend your saved money on tequila).