Alternative products

Hi Beauts.

One of the exciting things about being a beauty blogger or a make up junkie is finding little bargains, or alternative products to the higher priced items we all love.

Today I wanted to share some great alternatives (I wont call them dupes, because some are just products you could use instead so aren't exactly a dupe)

Let's start with Skincare:

Bioderma 100ml for £4.50 Vs LO'real Micellar solution 200ml for £4.99

I'm pretty sure it's no surprise that this made an appearance in this post because everyone and their mother has tried one or the other, or both. In a nutshell these are both cleansing waters used to remove make up before a proper cleanse with face wash. If I'm honest, I don't notice any difference between the two, so I'd definitely opt for the L'oreal because it's cheaper and easier to get hold of.

Soap and Glory hand food 125ml for £5.00 Vs Along came Betty Hands that do wishes 75ml for £2.49

This isn't a huge money saver but I wanted to share it with you because I'm amazed at how extremely similar these two are. They both leave the hands so soft and moisturised, they're both non greasy, they have the same consistency and best of all they both smell exactly the same. The Along came Betty isn't as strong as the Soap and Glory but the scent is still there!

Beauty blender £13.00 (plus p+p) Pro make up sponge 99p (free p+p)

This is a massively hyped product both in the beauty blogging world and on YouTube, and rightly so. I don't have the original beauty blender so can't actually compare the two, however the one I bought from eBay is AMAZING. I have a full review coming up soon so won't say too much but I will say if you're looking for something to give you a flawless finish, halve your make up application by half and something to help you use less foundation then this is your guy!

MAC 224 £22.00 Vs Emily 224 £3.19

Again I don't have the MAC brush to compare the two, but from videos and photos I've seen (not to mention the name of this brush) this is very similar to the MAC 224, and is a great and cheaper alternative. It's fluffy, soft and great for blending out harsh lines.

Urban Decay Primer potion £15.00 Vs MUA eye primer £2.50

For me as long as an eye primer holds my eyeshadow in place without creasing, it's all good. I personally find these two very similar. They're both a nude product that would suit any and all skintones. They have the same consistency, are non greasy and don't give off any colour pay off

MAC Carbon eyeshadow £12.00 Vs MUA Shade 20 £1.00

Another highly hyped product is MAC's carbon eyeshadow and one I have to say I'm really disappointed in. As you can see from the picture the MAC shadow has barely any pigmentation compared to the MUA shadow. I find carbon really hard to blend and have to pack a lot on to get any colour pay off. Shade 20 from MUA is soft to blend and SO pigmented. No need to tell you which I'd recommend.

MAC pigment in Pink Opal £16.50 Vs MUA Undress your skin highlighter £3.00

One is a pigment, the other is a highlighter and both are the same colour. I noticed these two when I was applying the Undress your skin as a  highlighter as an eyeshadow and had to get MAC's pink opal out to compare. I can't believe how alike these two are, they're both a gorgeous pinky white pearl and look gorgeous when applied. MUA's undress your skin is obviously a highlighter but works great as an eyeshadow too.

Revlon just bitten kissable balm stain £7.99 Vs MUA power pout £3.00

Revlon isn't exactly a ridiculously expensive brand (a little more expensive the some highstreet brands) but when you can save £4.99 on a product, why wouldn't you? These two lip stains work pretty much exactly the same for me. They last almost the same amount of time, they both wear off evenly, neither are drying and both are pigmented. However the MUA smells a little more minty which I like, and is a little more glossy than the Revlon which I also prefer.

Well that's it for my alternative products. Like I say, they're not exact dupes more products that if you have one you don't need the other.

Have you got any good alternatives? Feel free to share in the comments :)

Stacey x

My favourite YouTubers

Hi Beauts.

Today's little post isn't a review or a haul or even a rant. Nope, today I thought I'd share the love and tell you all who my favourite YouTubers are.

Watching beauty videos is one of the things that gave me a kick up the backside to start writing this blog. That and it left my bank account empty and my make up bag fuller......not complaining about the mass amounts of make up I now own *whistles*

Anyway, onto my little list of favourite people....in no particular order:

Hannah from xtoomuchblushx

Shannon from Shaaanxo

Claire from HeyClaire

Annalee and Jesse from AnnaleeandJesse

Khila from MissBudgetBeauty

Leigh Ann from LeighAnnsays

Alice from Pretty Wonderful

Hannah from Midnight Violets

Casey from Casey Holmes

Who do you enjoy watching?

Stacey x

Grease isn't the word

Hi Beauts.

Whilst shopping in Asda I noticed they had anitomicals face mask sachets for 99p hanging at the end of the beauty isle. The one that caught my eye was the 'Grease isn't the word mattifying face mask'

This mask seemed right up my ally because I have an oily T-zone so anything with the word mattifying in it, I'll give it a whirl.

The actual product is bright green, so I hope you don't mind walking around the house looking like Shrek for 15 minutes :P The back of the packet says to leave this on for 10-15 minutes. After 10 I noticed a slight tingle and after 15 it was fully dry so I took a damp cloth and wiped away the mask, then rinsed any leftover away with clean warm water. 

I couldn't believe the difference in my skin after removing this. I have a sheen to my face all of the time due to the excess oil, but when I took this off and dried my face I was shine free and completely matte! Whenever I  use a face mask or a face wash I notice that my skin feels tight, but I didn't find that with this. My skin felt so smooth and soft, and looked fresh and even. I think that there'd be enough product in one sachet for two uses if you only applied this to your T-zone, which I think I may try next time.

I haven't noticed any long term changes with this and I use it twice a week. However I will continue to use it and of course keep you all updated. I definitely recommend giving this a go if like me you suffer from oily of combination skin, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

The Nitty Gritty

* Price - 99p

* Product - 15ml

* Where to buy - Asda

* Mattifies skin

* Leaves skin feeling smooth and soft

* Leaves skin looking even and fresh

What's your favourite face mask?

Stacey x

NYX mega shine lipgloss

Hi Beauts.

It's so hard finding the perfect lipgloss that does everything - high pigmentation, super glossy, long lasting and most of all not sticky. Well ladies, the search has ended. Let me introduce to you the NYX mega shine lip glosses.

I bought mine in Natural and Tea Rose and I love them. The glosses are extremely pigmented, and the thing I love most is that they aren't sticky at all.

These lasted on my lips for 2 hours with full glossiness and pigmentation. After eating and drinking they started to wear off (as you'd expect) a little but not completely, and around 3 and a half hours later the gloss and colour had gone completely. 

However my lips continued to feel moisturised throughout the day even without the gloss. I'm yet to find a gloss that rivals these mega shine glosses, they're amazing and I'll definitely be adding to my collection.

The Nitty Gritty

* Price - £4.50

* Product - 15ml

* Shades - 64

* Fruit scennted

* Highly pigmented

* Not sticky

* Long lasting

Have you tried these before? What did you think?

Stacey x

Balmi lip balm

Hi Beauts.

Time for me to rave about another great product, this time a lip balm. To be more precise: a Balmi lip balm.

I'm a little bit addicted to watching haul videos on YouTube and this is pretty much how I write my 'Must buy' lists. One thing that always catches my eye and makes it to the top of my list is the EOS lip balms. However, I don't live in the US of A so can't get my little paws on one unless I buy from eBay and I'm a little bit dubious about buying make up from there. That and shipping is usually ridiculous!

Imagine my excitement when I was out shopping in Boots and noticed the little ball of goodness that is Balmi

In a nutshell, Balmi is a round solid lip balm which I personally think is great. I always find it annoying having a pot of lip balm to hand when I'm out because I have to hunt around for a tissue to wipe my fingers clean. Where as this, unscrew it slap it on and bobs your uncle your lips are moisturised!

I'd say out of every lip balm I've used, this is the most moisturising. It contains Vitamin E, shea butter and jojoba oil which we all know are known for there moisturising properties. Whenever I get dry chapped lips, I find I have to use a product for a couple of days to see the effect but this literally works straight away. Not to mention the smell. I got mine in mint and honestly, I could eat it! But I won't...

 Although it's solid, it's not solid to the point of having to really rub it in to get any product on your lips, it's a great consistency.

All in all, if you don't have one of these then you're BALMI haha......get it?! :P Yeah OK I'll stop now.

The Nitty Gritty

* Price - £4.99

* Product - 10g

* Flavours - 4

* Contains SPF 15

* Super moisturising

* Great for travel

* Cool packaging

* Easy application

* Contains Vitamin E, Shea butter and Jojoba oil

I for one definitely want to try out the coconut balmi next. What's your favourite?

Stacey x

Nivea soft moisturiser

Hi Beauts.

I suffer from extremely dry hands, and for the past few weeks I've been testing out a bunch of different hand creams - both budget buys and high end. So far one cream in particular has outshone the rest.....Nivea soft.

This has been the cream that I've gone back to time and time again when others have failed and best of all, it's the cheapest out of the ones I've tested out.

'Nivea soft, a moisture sensation. We love this highly effective formula with vitamin E and jojoba oil because it is quickly absorbed, leaving your skin sensationally soft and smooth. Enjoy the revitalising feeling of long-lasing moisturisation on your face, body and hands every day'

I agree completely with the above statement. My hands felt so soft straight away after applying, and felt well moisturised hours later. The cream soaked into my skin so fast, unlike other hand creams I've used that leave my hands feeling greasy.

The great thing about this is that it can be used on hands, face and body which also means that it's great for travel as you wouldn't need to take a body (or face) moisturiser too.

I can't tell you how impressed I am with this (OK I guess I just did haha) Definitely one to add to my Holy Grail list!

The Nitty Gritty

* Price - £1.21 - £2.45

* Product -  75ml

* Where to buy - Boots Superdrug Asda, Tesco and Wilkinsons

* Extremely moisturising

* Soaks into the skin really quick

* Non greasy

* Can be used on hands, face and body

* Travel friendly

* Contains vitamin E and Jojoba oil

What's your favourite hand cream?

Stacey x

Hey there bright eyes

Hi Beauts.

I've looked ever so rough some mornings and my eyes have needed a little extra bit of sparkle. I bought the Benefit Bright eyes eye brightening pencil a few months ago to help with this problem. Although it is great at waking up my peepers, it's is on the expensive side and I wanted to see if I could find a cheaper alternative. 

However it's so difficult finding eye brightening pencils on the hight street so I made it my mission to hunt some down, and thought I'd share with you what I found.

MUA Intense colour eyeliner pencil in Snow White £1.00

This is (obviously) a white soft khol pencil. Some people don't like to use white as it can look harsh, personally I think it looks fine if your make up isn't too harsh i.e. Black. I like to use white if I do a pin up/just eyeliner look because it brightens and pulls the look together. The MUA pencils are soft and creamy  to apply and stay on the waterline pretty much all day

Rimmel Scandaleyes waterproof Khol kajal eyeliner in nude £3.99

Time for a nude, and a very popular nude at that. I find this to be quite a warm toned pencil and I find it stands out more on us paler girls, but it still looks natural. The scandaleyes pencils are waterproof and don't budge all day. This, again, is a creamy pencil so doesn't drag along the waterline

NYX Jumbo eye pencil in Milk £4.50

Another white pencil, this time from NYX. The jumbo pencils are SO creamy to apply and obviously chunky, so I usually apply this with either a small angled or an eyeliner brush for more precision. The great thing about this is that it can be doubled up as an eyeshadow base too

Avon Supershock gel eyeliner pencil £6.00

Avon supershock eyeliners are great, they're super creamy and literally stay put all day. This one, unlike the other eye brightening pencils, is shimmery. I find this can be a bit out there for daily use, but it's great for a night out and for an inner corner highlight.

Pixi Eye bright liner £10.50

Another nude pencil, this one is from Pixi. Unlike the Rimmel eyeliner this one is more of a neutral shade and will suit any and all skintones. This one isn't as creamy as the others so I like to warm it up on the back of my hand before applying

Benefit Eye bright pencil £15.00

And last but not least is Benefit's Eye bright. This is a very pale pink shade so isn't as obvious as the white pencils and isn't as natural looking as the nude pencils. However I do find that this makes eyes pop and look wide awake, and can be used as an inner corner highlight and a browbone highlight too

I think my favourite is probably the Pixi eye bright liner as it's more of a neutral shade and I can run it and blend it along my lower lashline to make my eyes that little bit brighter.

What's your favourite?

Stacey x