Makeup on a Budget: Drugstore Beauty

It's not a secret that I'm a drugstore makeup buyer and that I love inexpensive makeup. The fact that the product costs a little amount of money doesn't always mean that is bad. In this post I'd like to share few ideas for those, who are starting with makeup and have a limited budget to buy it. I'm going to recommend few products that I love and probably mention also a few that my co-bloggers love.

First thing first, a skin care. Taking care of your skin is the most important, because no makeup can save skin problems (it can only cover them up). I personally have normal to dry skin, so for me the most important thing is to moisture the skin before applying makeup. I have to pay special attention to my nose, where my skin can be the driest, and to my forehead – I have to make sure that makeup won’t emphasize any dry parts on my skin. My favourite cream to use it Mixa Anti-Dryness cream with 10% glycerin, because it moisturizes and mattifies my skin and it's also great to use under foundation. 

PRIMER

I wasn’t using primers for a long time and if you're a beginner I'd say it's not necessary. Primers smooth your skin and are a base for foundation. They should also prolong the duration of a foundation on your face. My favourite primer is L'Oreal Lumi Magique primer (around 13 €), which gives a healthy glow to my skin. I also love to use it as highlighter. Very popular primer in beauty world is also Max Factor Face Finity All Day primer (around 13 €).

Very important is also an eyeshadow base, especially if you have oily lids, because it prevents eyeshadow from creasing. The best in our drugstores and not expensive at all is, by my opinion, Catrice Prime&Fine (3,79€). Eyeshadows are easy to blend over it, don't crease and look intense.

FOUNDATION

The choice of foundation depends from personal preferences. Some like dewy finish, some matte, some like light coverage, some full coverage. The choice of a foundation also depends a lot from your skin tone (pink, yellow, neutral). Many people say that foundation is meant to even out the skin and that's the purpose I use it for. I suggest you to go to the drugstore and ask for a sample to try it at home. I highly recommend Bourjois foundations because they have big range of shades, also very light ones if you're pale. Healthy Mix serum (around 15€) is perfect for those who search a light coverage and a dewy finish. On the other hand you can try Catrice foundations. I find All Matt Plus (6,79€) and Nude Illusion (7,69€) perfect foundation collections. Both have medium coverage and gave matte finish to the skin. Bourjois has yellow undertone and both Catrice foundation have more neutral tone. If you can’t find a perfect match, you can mix different foundations. Now, if you're searching a full coverage foundation, try Revlon’s, many Slovenian bloggers recommend them. 

CONCEALER

Concealer is a product that should cover up all imperfections and blemishes on your skin. I personally don't have much blemishes on my skin and foundation covers almost everything, but I need a concealer to cover up my under eye circles and I also use it around my nose, where my skin tends to be very red. My favourite is Essence Stay All Day Longlasting 16h concealer. For 3 € you get a medium coverage concealer that is good to use on under eye area and on blemished on the face. Very similar to Essence is new Catrice Velvet Finish (4,69€), with the difference that's a bit drier, but it works great anyway, as well under my eyes as also for redness around my nose. The best for covering blemishes is Catrice Camouflage cream (3,29€). It has thicker consistency than concealers, but it blends easily and it to the skin. All three mentioned products have shades, bright enough for paler people like I.

BLUSH

Blushes are probably my favourite makeup products beside eyeshadows which allow me to create many different looks. Some people don't use blushes, but by my opinion they are a must. I mean, we all have our natural blush, right? The best in our drugstores, and I ramble a lot about them, are Catrice Defining blushes (3,79€). Catrice offers 9 different matte shades and every girl can find a blush that will suit her complexion. One of my favourite drugstore blushes is also Maybelline 501(2,89€). Unlike Catrice Maybelline offers shimmery shades and I think these are worth checking. Blushes that are worth checking for are also Essence blushes from trend edition collections. Essence releases new collections all the time and during years they released few gems. Not to mention cute designs on blushes, they always make an effort with these.

If you like shopping on internet, I suggest you to check Sleek blushes (around 6,50€). Besides sturdy and high quality packaging they offer amazing pigmented shades. My favourite is Pomegranate. The inexpensive brand that won't disappoint you is also Makeup Revolution. I tried only cream blushes from them them, but bloggers all over the word like powdery ones and Vivid Blush Lacquer in shade O Boy (4,95€) I tried blue my mind, because it's so good pigmented that you need only a tiny bit of product to achieve colour on cheeks. Also, the palette All About Cream (8,95€) contains 8 very nicely pigmented blushes.

HIGHLIGHTER

I didn't wear highlighters for a long time, but when I discovered their beauty, they became a non-replaceable part of my collection. Essence can produce true gems in their trend edition collections, so I suggest you to check those if you have a chance. One of those highlighters is Metal Glam Gold Digger, which is loved by many bloggers. In regular assortment they offer creamy highlighter Soo Glow! Look on the Bright Side (2,99€) that's easy to use and gives a gorgeous shine to the cheeks. Natural cosmetics lovers know brand Terra Naturi very well. While their products are a hit or a miss, highlighter Golden Highlight (3,99€) is worth trying. It's a golden shimmery highlighter. Brand we cannot skip when mentioning highlighters is Makeup Revolution. Their baked blushes and highlighter is cute heart shape are very popular and from my experience I can say that they are not bad. I tried a Goddess of Love (5,95€), which is a highlighter with pink hue and it looks pretty on cheeks.

LIP PRODUCTS

If you are "scared" of colors and like lipglosses, I suggest checking Catrice Beautifying lipsmoothers (3,79€) and Deborah Milano Glossissimo (around 6€) lip glosses. Both are moisturizing and give a bit of colour to the lips. Essence and Catrice offer nude lipsticks as well as bright and bold one, and both brands make great lipsticks for a low price. The brand that's also worth checking is P2. I tried one of their lipsticks, but it impressed me like no one before. P2 is availableon Moja drogerija for 3-5€. Brand that probably offers the best lipsticks in our drugstore is Bourjois. Their product cost a bit more, but they won't easily disappoint you. My personally favourite is Rouge Velvet edition (around 14€), which offers matte shades.

MASCARA

Mascara is quite a personal choice. Everyone has different lashes and everyone expect different effect from mascara. I personally adore mascaras that give me a volume and Essence I LikeExtreme, Miyo Big Fat Smoky lashes and Essence Lash Princess did this job great. All mascaras cost less than 5 €.

Let me know, what are your favourite drugstore products. Thank you for reading!