Top 10 Products Under £5

Lemme just preempt this by saying that I started planning this post with the idea of calling it ‘Top 5 Under £5′ which, I’m sure you’ll agree, is a somewhat snappier title. Thing is, I started going through my collection and I found that there were just too many good, cheap products to stick to that brief. That’s right y’all, TOO MANY. Can you believe that?! I really thought I’d struggle… Anyhow, let’s do this thing.

1. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Fair £4.19 Alright, no surprise here, but this product really does live up to the hype. Creamy, blendable and non-drying, I come back to this bad boy again and again for both under the eyes and blemishes. Winner.

2. 17 Eye Colour in Funfair £3.89 These eyeshadows are surprisingly pigmented and buttery for their humble price tag. This colour in particular has great longevity and is an impressively complex duo shade with golden and tangerine hues shining through a surprisingly flattering pink. Use with an eye primer for best results.

3. E.L.F. Make-Up Brushes £1.50 When I first started buying brushes these ELF beauties were some of the first I tried. The eye brushes in particular are so so soft and excellently shaped for easy and precise application. If you’re new to brushes, or even if you’re a pro, you could do a lot worse for a lot more money.

4. Natural Collection Lip Lines (Discontinued) Lip liner is never something I want to spend money on. I’ve tried high end versions and I can honestly say I can’t tell the difference. I own a few of these in different shades and they have a real effect on how long my lip colour stays on. I wrote the majority of this post without realising that this product seems to be discontinued along with a fair few items from Natural Collection – still, I think any bog standard cheap liner will do the trick – try Collection!

5. Sleek Blush in Pixie Pink £4.99 This blush is the most shocking pink in my collection. It’s so bright and has, quite frankly, the most amazing colour pay-off on application that you really don’t have to work hard to get an all-day long dolly pink flush. This stuff is hard wearing too, it’ll last through rain, sweat, tears. Definitely my pick to wear during the Zombie Apocalypse.

6. Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia £2.25 I have a confession to make, I’m a bit of a whore when it comes to lip balm. I can never settle on a favourite, but for now, these Nivea Lip Butters are ticking all the boxes. Light on the lips and as sweet as a bowl of ice-cream, they make a perfect base for lipstick and keep lips hydrated throughout the day.

7. Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr in Pink Gold £4.99 Another cult product which is definitely worth the hype, the Maybelline Color Tattoos are long lasting, easy to apply and come in a good range of colours. My only gripe is that a couple of the shades contain a little too much chunky glitter, but “Pink Gold” is a shimmery treat that works amazingly well as a base to my favourite eye shadow combo du jour – MAC’s Naked Lunch with Cranberry running through the crease. These stand up to Benefit’s Creaseless Cream Shadows and come very close to MAC Paint Pots, so for a fiver, I don’t mind if I do! Click to read my write up of High End vs Drugstore Cream Eyeshadows.

8. Fashionista Eyeshadow in Sweet Kiss £4 I think the “Build Your Own Palettes” from Fashionista at Superdrug get a bad rap. Dismissed a little for being novelty, I think the products stand up really well for everyday use. I use “Sweet Kiss” (buttery, easy to blend but beware of a little fall out) as an inner corner and brow bone highlighter. It doesn’t crease or budge throughout the day and you get an impressive amount of product for the price. Click to read a full review of the Fashionista Custom Palette.

9. Rimmel Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Liner in Nude £3.99 I very rarely wear kohl eyeliner so I don’t really have a depth of knowledge on the subject, BUT I think the Scandal Eyes range from Rimmel is genuinely something to get excited about. I love lining my waterline with this Nude pencil to give a brightening effect to the eyes without looking tacky like a white liner might. It stays put for an impressive amount of time too – around 6 hours, and it’s not irritating on sensitive eyes.

10. Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Coral Reef £4.99 When it comes to lipstick I’m well and truly a high-end girl. I have dry lips so a creamy formula is a must to keep my look pristine all day, plus I need serious staying power through all the treats I tuck into. The only drugstore lipstick that really cuts it for me is the True Colour Lipstick by Sleek. I own a few, but Coral Reef is a bright, beautiful orange similar to MAC’s Morange. It’s easy to apply, lasts for around 5 hours and doesn’t move a millimetre.

Highly Comended: Boots Baby Cotton Wool Pads in Large £2.19 Ok, so this isn’t *technically* a cosmetics buy, but it’s such a bargain I didn’t want to leave it out. I spent years buying the oval shaped cotton pads in Boots, using 3 or 4 a day to cleanse and remove make-up or mop up spills. These huge pads in the Baby department are almost twice as big and extra soft. I buy them every time now!

Hope you enjoyed my list! Will you be trying any of them out? I’ll be back with my faves under £10 soon, but until then let me know what your favourite drugstore bargains are :)