A F Beauty

Facial Wipes: Travel, Gym + Extreme Laziness!

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Post by AF Beauty

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When I am in the mood, there is nothing better than spending time at the sink applying lotions and potions, cleaning and smoothing my skin and coming away feeling refreshed and clean. It can be both soothing or invigorating and it does the best job of preparing skin for whatever’s next, be that your favourite serum or night cream or your daily make up.

Facial Wipes: Travel, Gym + Extreme Laziness!

All that said, there are days where I am feeling lazy and just want to crawl into bed or I’ve stepped off a plane and feel like 250 people have breathed on me! Here is where a decent facial wipe can help. For me, the key to the facial wipe is that it leaves your face feeling clean. There are A LOT of wipes out there that feel like you’ve just swapped your dirty face for a slightly less dirty face but with a filmy layer of whatever was on that facial wipe. For me: No.

Simple-Kind-To-Skin-Micellar-Cleansing-Wipes-285x245_tcm1525-983943

I have been lucky just recently to find a couple of facial wipes, just by luck, that work really well. The first I was drawn to because it contained the micellar water which I have used before and quite like – but I’m also a bit drained by anything that requires cotton wool to apply – I am nothing if not low maintenance! This was the Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Wipes. Simple is a great brand if you have sensitive skin – free from colours, fragrances and stuff they say can irritate skin. The wipe itself is standard size, about 7ins x 8ins – very slightly textured with bobbles, the same texture on both sides. As you’d expect, it smells of nothing. It is pleasant to apply and leaves the skin feeling clean without a filmy feeling and doesn’t leave the skin tight. You will need to follow the wipe with any other skincare you’re planning – probably a moisturiser and then whatever else according to where and when you are using it.

refreshing_cleansing_wipes

The second set of wipes I found was just a random buy in the supermarket. I was lurking in there and spotted these Nivea Refreshing Facial Cleansing Wipes. I was looking for something I could use at work and have in my gym back – there were probably two choices (tiny supermarket) I hadn’t really expected they would be as good as they turned out. The wipe itself is identical to the Simple one – I even went and checked their brand owners to see if they were actually made by the same people – apparently not. This wipe feels like it has more liquid soaked into it, so it feels slightly smoother as you apply. I like the Nivea scent and the overall feeling while using the wipe is pleasant. This also leaves the skin feeling clean but not tight and you’d still need to follow with moisturiser and whatever your next steps will be.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by these two wipes – I’m not giving up “proper” cleansing just yet, but it’s great to have some choices for busy lives and lazy days.

Have you found any great products for lazy days?

 

Mascara: I look like an idiot so you don’t have to: Mascara

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Post by AF Beauty

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We’ve had a couple of mentions in previous comments about mascaras. I have never really subscribed to the idea of expensive mascaras because I have never really seen the benefit of spending $40 on black goo that I could otherwise buy for $20 at the local chemist. However, I have had a small epiphany.

Mascara, MASCARA, Mascara

I look like an idiot so you don’t have to

In previous comments the famous Maybelline Great Lash Mascara was mentioned, so I dutifully toddled off and purchased this one:

great-lash-clear_model-shot_144055

I chose the washable version thinking that having to scrape off a waterproof version might kill my eyes. In retrospect that may have been a better outcome!

My present gym routine involves a boxing class three times a week. I LOVE boxing – SO much fun! Generally I start with a full-ish face of makeup but by the time I’ve punched and kicked till scarlet, my makeup has done it’s best to disappear. One particular day, my boxing trainer was giving me side eyes and then looks bold and says, “you have black all down your eyes!” I totally styled it out and retorted, “It’s because I’m so tough!” And I am tough, but truth is; my mascara had let me down in a big way. Bummer.

So I started looking online for more info about a type of mascara called tubing mascara. I had read about it a few years ago, I knew Clinique did one and wanted to find some more options. The idea of tubing mascara is that the mascara goo forms a tube around each of your lashes and therefore will not smudge down your face. It can also be washed off easily without waterproof makeup remover. Sounds too good to be true, right?!

Mascara MAC Opulash

Luckily my research coincided with a spare 15 minutes I had at Sydney Domestic Airport where they have a new beauty store called Amuse that sells a variety of beauty brands. My research had led me to a MAC mascara called Opulash, so off I went to purchase.

MASCARA MAC Extended Play Gigblack Lash

I told the MAC SA (who was super nice and helpful) about wanting a tubing mascara and not wanting smudginess. She told me all MAC mascaras were non-smudging, I admit I inwardly scoffed. She also told me of a different mascara which she said was tubing called Extended Play Gigblack Lash. She was that nice that I took her at her word and bought the Extended Play even though I’d read about the other one. I admit, I was feeling hopeful, but my expectations were almost nil. However, I have been using this mascara now for a couple of weeks and have deliberately been applying pre-workouts to see whether it will smudge – and NADA. Not even a hint of it. This is an angels singing moment!

Because I go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week, this has been a real gamechanger. I don’t feel like I need to give my makeup more than a second thought and I have confidence now that I’m not going to look dishevelled in my makeup, even if the rest of me looks like a mess!

Have you heard of tubing mascara? What’s your favourite?
AF Beauty xx

Eyebrows

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Post by AF Beauty

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I kinda wish the focus on eyebrows had been as strong back when I were a teenager and in my early 20’s as it is now. I spent my 20’s plucking my brows inefficiently and without much consideration of what I was doing. Fast forward a decade and my sparse eyebrows caused my new beautician to almost cry in anguish at the state of them.

Eyebrows AF Beauty PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

Eyebrows

I’ve learned a few lessons since then and have a few tricks up my sleeve, but truth be told – I am still looking for reliability in my brows and am considering temporary tattooing – have any of you tried it? It seems incredibly pricy and if I’m honest I’m scared, but the results do look tempting.

In the meantime, I have a couple of great products and I practice some techniques I’ve found – I’ll share them with you.

In my previous post about budget beauty I mentioned the Brow Lash compact – still my morning go-to brow definer.

But I’ve also found these two brow pencils, easier for travel or taking to the gym.

Browlash EX

The first I found on in an Asian beauty store – Brow Lash Ex. This is a handy tool that turned out better than I initially expected – a double ended tool with a pencil on one end and a powder on the other. The powder applicator is contained in a spring loaded attachment which avoids that issue of too much or too little powder. The texture is good and the colour suitable for light to mid brunettes, perhaps also blondes with darker brows. Good for less dramatic effect.

eyebrow-pencils-47182

The second pencil is from Napoleon Perdis, just a regular pencil, retractable, but incredibly reliable. The pencil is thin to avoid overly dark application but strong enough not to break too easily or smudge too much. This is one of the easiest I’ve found that I can use with some of the techniques I’ve found online to improve eyebrow shape.

My eyebrows are still a bit patchy, despite the past 10 years of much more considerate eyebrow management – hence my need for the pencils and powders I’ve mentioned, but these are no good without techniques. Pinterest, if you’ve not used it before is a great source of random info and brows are a popular pin.

Here are a couple of pins that I think are easiest to translate from internet to self:
– the idea on this one is to create the overall shape of the brow and then fill in – easy!
– this one contains info on plucking and keeping shape – although you do need a decent enough brow to start with for this one.
– this one recommends eyebrow shape for different face shapes. Although I’d not be overly led by this sort of recommendation, it’s worth considering your face shape now and in future if you decide to take more permanent action on your brows – basically consider whether you want a permanent raised brow look or if you lost or gained weight how your brows might change.

What are your eyebrow secrets?
AF Beauty x

Beauty You (might) Need To Translate!

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Post by A F Beauty

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Allow me a moment of comedy:

What do you call someone who speaks three or more languages?

Multi-lingual

What do you call someone who speaks two languages?

Bi-lingual

What do you call someone who speaks one language?

English!

Beauty You (might) Need To Translate!

Yes, so my heritage is English and I speak only one language, to my shame. What this does mean though is that there is a whole selection of beauty products where my purchasing choices are dependent on guess, hint or, if I’m lucky, a translation sticker on the back of the product! So here’s a couple of products I’ve bought on hint or guess which have been amazing:

HadaLabo TAMAGOHADA AHA BHA Oil Control Face Wash

Hada Labo Tamagohada AHA and BHA Exfoliating Cleanser – Japanese

Luckily for me, this was positioned front and centre in a pharmacy in Singapore with AHA and BHA in the largest letters on the pack, so I was immediately drawn to it. My skin copes pretty well with acid treatments, so I figured that it would also be OK with the cleanser. It’s texture is not dissimilar to Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean – but it is slightly softer and lathers easier. But the exciting part of this product is that the moment you wipe your skin clean, it is C-L-E-A-N – you have properly exfoliated without any abrasion –your skin is smoooooooth and lovely. I use this about once a week almost as a treatment rather than daily – I personally think my skin wouldn’t tolerate it so well on a daily basis – the acids are more powerful than any other I’ve bought in a cleanser. I’ve had the pack for just over a year and it’s still going (even though I bought three on a whim!)

MYEONGHAN MIINDO HEAVEN GRADE GINSENG FACE CONTOUR GOLDEN GEL MASK

Hwansaenggo Bird’s Nest Pearly Brightening Gel Mask – Korean

This purchase was a pure guess under time pressure – the shop was about to close and I wanted to buy everything, as usual. So I picked up a few bits that caught my eye, and lets face it, Heaven Grade Ginseng – who wouldn’t want this!?

I cracked this mask out of the pack – it’s like an actual mask that sits on the face, you don’t apply it per-se. I peeled off the backing layer and applied to my face thinking it was a bit crinkly with the other plastic layer on it and thought it wasn’t sitting very well against my skin – and then it dawned on me that duh, I was supposed to remove both plastic layers. Genius. I’m here to make the mistakes so you don’t have to!

The mask then sat lovely against my face, felt lovely and soft and smelled good. After about an hour – probably double than advised (I was watching TV!), I peeled off and my skin looked great. Definitely plumper and fuller – this would be a great mask to apply before a big night out.

 

I totally love the excitement of finding a new product, especially one that hasn’t been translated into English, I feel like I’ve found a secret that no one knows! I’ve got a few more of these in test at the moment, will tell you about a few more next time – but what secret buys have you found?
A F Beauty XXX

 

L’Occitane Immortelle: 28 Day Divine Renewal Skin Program

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Post by AF Beauty

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L’Occitane Immortelle

28 Day Divine Renewal Skin Program

Opening the product was VERY EXCITING. I had no idea what was in the box, it being given to me by the lovely Portia to review. I cracked the cellophane and opened the box and saw the four panels of oil before me. Quite possibly the most extravagant packing I’ve ever seen for what amounts to 28ml of oil!

L’Occitane Immortelle 28 day #1

L’Occitane Immortelle First week: Gentle Exfoliation

My first point of note was the instruction booklet which detailed very specific instructions on how to apply the oil, down to a pre-application inhalation of the oil aromas. The first oil smells very green and plant-like, not unpleasant. The second, and most surprising revelation was that 1ml of oil is a HUGE amount. I did as instructed, dropped the oil into my hands, rubbed, inhaled and applied – and lo, I was an oil slick! The oil felt a little grainy and took a while to settle in. Having applied at night, it did sink in overnight, but I was still a bit oily in the morning. At this point I wasn’t using any other moisturiser on top of the oil. Towards the end of the week I realised I was starting to get tiny spots on my cheeks and forehead.

L’Occitane Immortelle Week Two: Hydration and Nutrition

Immediately on this week I noticed the aroma was a lot sweeter than the previous week, much less plant-like and more flower. I really liked this week’s oil although, given the choice, I would probably only choose to apply half the amount. Because the pods are “single serve” there is no choice but to apply once open.

L’Occitane Immortelle Week Three: Balance

At the start of this week, I’ve not noticed a huge difference in the oil from week two. The aroma is comparable, still sweet and light. The texture is slightly less fine than week two, but this is almost imperceptible. Nightly, I am still an oil slick but the spots have ceased.

L’Occitane Immortelle Week Four: Renewal

By week four I had started to apply a tiny amount of moisturiser on top of the oil in an attempt to encourage more absorption and to prevent the oily residue on the skin. At week four, I can’t tell the difference between the previous three weeks in both texture and aroma.
But with all this, how was my skin? That’s really the question! Well…. overall, not great. Towards week four I had started to dwindle in my commitment to the product. My skin texture had lost some smoothness and I was really missing my usual routine. I didn’t perceive the benefits each week proposed to offer. But in defence of this product, I used it in almost isolation, just after cleansing my face each night, unlike almost any other product in my arsenal. And in fairness, the reviews of the product on the L’Occitane website shows that people truly love it – I am completely open to accepting that not every product works in the same way for everyone.

L’Occitane Immortelle 28 day #2

I would love to see the best oil in this collection sold in a bottle by itself with a dropper and to be able to use that oil in amongst other products. (And now I check, I see they now do this at L’Occitane)

Will you try this set? Do you use other facial oils? Which ones and how do they suit you?
AF Beauty xx

Cleansing? Super Budget Perfection

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Post by AF Beauty

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Hi APJ,

Today we are looking at Process or Product

There are definitely some amazing skincare and makeup in the world, but sometimes the difference in the efficacy of either, for me, is to do with the process rather than the product. By that I mean the techniques used to apply or use rather than the product itself.

Cleansing? Super Budget Perfection

Budget Cleanse? Granny Doll blickpixel PixabayPhoto Stolen Pixabay

The one technique I wish I’d known about at 15 rather than 35 is the highly technical: How to wash your face! As a teenager I believed the hype of product companies and magazines that persuaded the methodology of cleanse, tone, moisturise. And in fairness, it wasn’t all disastrous but probably around age 35 I learned of “hot cloth cleansing” or as your nanna would have called it, “washing your face with a flannel.” If you don’t already use this technique then I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re smirking at the naiveté of the APJ Beauty Writer! I’m totally OK with that, just you wait and see! ☺

This is the deal:

First you need a flannel. You can buy a luxe face cloth or a multi-pack from Ikea. The flannel itself doesn’t need to be any special quality or type or colour. I use the Ikea multi-pack type myself. Cheap and cheerful, I can buy a couple of packs and use them on rotation; easy.

Next choose your facewash. This will be any facial cleanser that you can use with water. It could be gentle, physically exfoliating or chemically exfoliating, gel, cream, foaming, non-foaming – you get the idea – just your favourite.

Photo Stolen Flickr

I usually just splash my face with water and apply the cleanser, in the meantime I run the hot tap and let it soak the flannel – depending on you’re the temperature from your hot tap, this will be workable or you’ll need to add a splash of cold. I then squeeze the flannel and wipe my face clean with the hot cloth and repeat soaking and squeezing the cloth between wipes until I’m happy my face is clean.

THAT’S IT!

I know this sounds deceptively simple but I thoroughly recommend giving it a go. For me, the cheap and cheerful flannel is ever so slightly exfoliating and the repeat process of wiping with fresh water gets my skin cleaner than any non-water cleansing process. I did always like a milky cleanser and softening toner, but the necessity to repeat toner was time consuming and ultimately expensive and I never felt my skin was properly clean.

Some people will use a fresh flannel at every clean, could be twice a day, but I’m happy enough, or maybe dirty enough to just let the flannel dry between uses and swap it out every couple of days or so and wash the old one in a hot wash in the machine.

I can honestly say, this process is at least as important in my skincare routine as any product. I’d love to hear if any of you do this already or if you’ll give it a go?

New Foundation Formulations

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Post by AF Beauty

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Hi APJ,

I have recently been tempted by a couple of new foundations, both claiming to offer new exciting things in formulation.

New Foundation Formulations

 

Lancome Beauty Cushion

Lancome Miracle Cushion

This is an idea stolen in entirety from Korean beauty – beauty cushion – implemented by a French company, Lancome.

I already quite like Lancome’s foundations, they provide good coverage with lightness , something others can often fail to deliver. The Lancome Miracle Cushion keeps up that standard, the cushion is very soft, the applicator pad ultra smooth. I had expected it would be similar to a standard foundation application sponge, but it’s smoother texture, while still porous enough to hold the product as it goes on. The colour range is relatively small, just 6 colours at present. My first choice was sold out when I originally went looking and I succumbed and bought a slightly darker shade. I anticipated that summer would bring extra colour, but it is not overly dark and I’ve been wearing it even in my paler winter state just blending well.

I use this foundation almost like a BB cream, its coverage is light and it broadly evens my look rather than hiding flaws. I have dark circles that are improved but not well hidden. For me, this is my go-to foundation for a casual day, a weekend day or just a day where I’ll wear light make up to work.

Clinique Perfecting Foundation and Concealer

Clinique Perfecting Foundation and Concealer

I had seen Clinique’s Perfecting Foundation and Concealer advertised, but had originally dismissed it as being too heavy for me. My preference has been for lighter foundation and to use concealer separately where needed but I was enticed into trying the foundation. The Clinique Sales Assistant probably loaded me up a bit too much, but I still took a punt and bought it. Since then I’ve learned to apply it a bit more judiciously with better result. I have read elsewhere about application techniques to only apply foundation in the places the face needed it and to blend out, in fairness I’ve been dismissive as it doesn’t really apply to lighter foundations. The foundation comes with a wand with a sponge on the end with barely more than one blob, I apply a few spots of foundation across my forehead, chin, nose and a little more under the eyes. I then use my fingers to blend it out followed by further blending with a brush. There is no denying the foundation is thick and the coverage is much more than I’m used to. It definitely has a good go at hiding my eye bags! I have to spend more time blending and smoothing than in simple application but the result is a brilliantly flawless face, great for bigger, longer days or just bolder make up. I still find I need to apply a powder to set the foundation so it does feel like a heavier application. Definitely different foundations for different reasons.

Clinique has 13 shades not many targeting darker skins, perhaps more will be added to the range.

My next trial in foundation is CoverFX Custom Cover Drops intended to meet the balance of light and heavier coverage in one pot. I’ve just started on these, so I’ll let you know how I get on.

Do you have particular foundation favourites? Any new formulations caught your eye?
AF Beauty

Stealing Your (BOY) Friends Beauty Products

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Post by AF Beauty

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These past couple of weeks I have had a couple of sleepovers at a friend’s house. I had packed a bunch of stuff I thought I’d need, make up bag, sample sizes of facewash and moisturiser but when I had to have a shower I was empty handed and had to take pot luck with whatever was in his shower. Luckily, my friend is a bit fanatic about his appearance, so I didn’t think I would be washing with Fairy liquid or Morning Fresh! But still, it was like being thrust into the unknown, so I thought it would make an interesting post!

Stealing Your (BOY) Friends Beauty Products

Aveda Clove Shampoo

First of all I needed shampoo. I found Aveda’s Clove Shampoo. I like the fresh smell of this shampoo so I placed a blob in my hand and applied. It lathered well but I felt when it rinsed away my hair wasn’t smooth. Honestly, I never know whether I should have smooth hair after shampooing or only after conditioner. I just know I’m not keen on that rough feeling some shampoos leave. And this was one of them.

QV Hair Gentle Conditioner

So with my hair feeling a bit booffee I reached for conditioner and had a brief moment of panic that as a man with short hair he wouldn’t have conditioner. But I found QV Hair Conditioner. It comes in a giant pack, I squeezed some out, the texture was very much like moisturser, odd! I applied across my hair and left it in for a few minutes. Overall, it rinsed off well and my hair felt much smoother and I had a giant relief that I wasn’t going to have haystack hair the next day!

QV Body Wash

While the conditioner was left in, I then went looking for shower gel. I found on the floor a large container of QV Body Wash. I squeezed a couple of pumps from the pot and washed – I was actually very impressed by this. I usually go for things that smell nice when choosing shower wash so I wouldn’t have picked this myself. It lathered well and just a couple of pumps from the container was enough to wash me. Afterward my skin felt nice and clean and soft. I am actually going to buy my own one of these today!

QV Face Exfoliating Polish

Lastly, I was in the shower straight after work, so I was in a day’s worth of make-up and in searching for all the other products I found QV Face Exfoliating Polish – so I squeezed a bit of that and washed away. I loved the texture of this, creamy but exfoliating, when I finally washed away my skin felt lovely and clean and soft. But in the back of my mind, I was having doubts about the exfoliating ingredients. I double checked today and found it contains plastic microbeads. I like the texture of the beads, but I can’t live with myself knowing that washing my face is damaging the environment, so as much as I liked it, I wouldn’t knowingly buy this. Sad.

Do you ever have to make use of someone else’s beauty product choices? Ever found exciting gems?!
AF Beauty xx

If you want to know more about plastic microbeads, campaigns to remove and details of products without plastics, this site has some good stuff.

CLINIQUE 3-Step Skin Care System

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Post by A F Beauty

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The past month I have been trialling the Clinique Three Step Program. I’ve never used the proper three step program before mainly because the cleansing step always used to be a soap bar which I’ve never been keen on. The pack now contains a liquid cleanser, so I gave it a go.

CLINIQUE 3-Step Skin Care System

clinique 3 step cleanser SephoraPhoto Stolen Sephora

I’ll start with the moisturiser. This is a reformulation of the original, now called Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion+. They also have a gel formulation. My Clinique skin-type at the time of purchase was Type 2 which recommends the Lotion+. I like this moisturiser a lot. The texture is light, but the moisturisation level good. It’s OK under makeup, but it wouldn’t be enough for night time (for my skin). It is fragrance free, which is OK but either I am heavy handed or they are light on the pack size – the 30ml didn’t last an entire month for me using the system twice daily.

Next the Clarifying Lotion. With this I am very much in two minds. The Type 2 lotion contains menthol which I dislike at the best of times. It smells very chemically and menthol-y. I used it as instructed for most of the trial, but I have noticed towards the end my skin is more sensitive to other products – perhaps because this one is doing the job so well in exfoliating. The intent of this product is to tighten pores and clean the residue off the skin but I noticed as I swept the lotion over my skin it goes slightly pink and feels tight. I don’t like this. Objectively I can’t tell if my pores are any better – I think they are slightly – but is it worth it? If I’m honest with myself, I wouldn’t use this particular clarifying lotion again – I may go and check the others to see if they are of comparable formulation. For my skin I would prefer an exfoliating cleanser, either with texture or AHA/BHA and if absolutely necessary, a more soothing toner – but most likely I’d skip a toner. (The Clinique SA gave me a sharp look when I told her this!)

Lastly the cleanser. This time a gel liquid soap – very thick and glossy, needs a fair bit of water to break down and emulsify. Once it’s done it cleans well – is fragrance free like the moisturiser and the little tube in the sample pack goes a long way. I don’t think it is necessarily better than any other specific foaming cleanser, but it’s good enough. My skin felt pleasantly clean but not tight after using it.

Overall, I’d stick with the moisturiser, I wouldn’t say no to the cleanser and I’d not go back to the toner. The trial pack is a good way to see how your skin will respond to the three-step or to re-try some of Clinique’s products. Do you use any of the Clinique skincare products? Anyone else use a different Clarifying lotion? I’d like to hear reviews on the other three versions.

Clinique Australia has the Gift Set Sampler $39

AF Beauty xx

Side note: Some of Clinique’s website reviews are based on testers who are provided the products at no cost, although they do disclose this in the review. I purchased the Clinique three-step set with my own funds and the review is my opinion only.

Budget Beauty Reviews

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Post by A F Beauty

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I love beauty products. I love them more than my wallet loves them. So to try and balance desire with budget I like to keep my ear to the ground for bargain products that do a great job at a brilliant price. I wanted to test genuinely well priced products, not just a fabulous lipstick on 90% discount so I have aimed for items under AU$15.

Budget Beauty Reviews

First the oldies but goodies. I’ve been re-testing Rimmel’s Hide the Blemish concealer – AU$9 and Barry M’s Showgirl Extra Lengthening Mascara – AU$10.

HideTheBlemishConcealer_PRODUCT-01

Hide The Blemish. So, it transpires I am the biggest idiot! This concealer is great – why did I stop using this as a teen?!! I’ve gotten on great with the texture and coverage and the way I can layer to build coverage – I will add this as a staple to my make-up bags. (Yes, both!)

Barry M Showgirl

Barry M Mascara. This says it is extra lengthening; maybe it is, but in that case, so is it extra time consuming! The wand is one of those plastic spikey ones, not an old fashioned brush, which I think do a better job of lengthening or volumising. That said, it goes on well without clumping, it’s great colour and texture, you just have to apply a few coats to get the extra lengthening.

Next the supermarket products. Here I got lucky! I was in Aldi, which has some well-reviewed products at amazing prices. I tried the 3-in-1 Primer at AU$5.

At $5 I didn’t have massive expectations, but Aldi consistently receives great write ups for their budget skincare line. I really liked the primer, much more than I expected. I am not a huge fan of the silicone type primers which feel overly silky but this is more of a light moisturiser. I used my daily moisturiser followed by the primer, then foundation. The primer instructions were to apply over the face concentrating on fine lines – this seemed odd to me given the lightness of the fluid, but I think my foundation applied well, evenly and smoothly. Although much lighter, I found this similar in concept and result to Clarins Beauty Flash Balm, smoothing the face and leaving me looking marginally, inexplicably, better, but it was less sticky (good!).

MODELS PREFER Essential Brow Kit 1

Lastly, a wildcard, an eyebrow kit from Priceline (Walgreens/Boots equiv), a brand known as Model’s Prefer. Model’s Prefer Eyebrow kit from Priceline AU$13, the most expensive item in this group, but worth the little extra.
The kit contains a brow powder, coloured gel, a slanted brush to apply and a mini tweezer. I’ve learned to spend 30 seconds of the few minutes I spend on make up each morning on brows to frame the face. I used just the coloured gel usually and this is both reliable and easy to give a decent lasting result.

I have happily added the concealer, primer and eyebrow palette to my daily routine and it’s some of the best money I’ve spent! What are your favourite budget beauty products?

A F Beauty xx