CRUELTY FREE DRUGSTORE HAUL - COLLECTION, ESSENCE AND SOAP & GLORY

Over the past few weeks I've been picking up a few bits from the drugstore, and now that I have a little pile of new things I thought I'd share them with you guys. Since I don't really need any more make-up I made sure to stick to the more affordable brands (although I did have one Soap & Glory splurge!), and each item featured in this post is under a tenner. So if like me you're into beautiful but affordable make-up, keep reading! 

Though I'd love to buy high end make-up, I'm not really in a position to at the moment. For one thing, I don't have the disposable income, and secondly - I'm still at that experimental stage, where I'm not sure what I like or what looks good on me (anyone else still in this stage in their twenties??). So I don't want to buy some gorgeous high end products only to find out they don't suit me, or I don't like myself in that colour, etc. So for now, I'm all about drugstore, and if I find some things I love I can always upgrade to high-end at a later date. Now, onto the bits I picked up!

Firstly, I wanted to try out some new bases. My previous favourites were by Rimmel (so sadly not cruelty free!) - their matte bb cream and matte powder - so I wanted to try and find some dupes. I thought I would give Collection a go to start with, as their products are just so inexpensive, so I picked up their Naturally Matte Foundation (RRP £2.99) and Pressed Powder (RRP £1.99) in the hopes of getting a similar matte and light coverage look. Also from Collection, I picked up their Eye Brow Kit in Blonde (RRP £3.99), mainly for the little clear brow gel, and for the fact that I actually don't own a specific eyebrow product. I currently use an eyeshadow shade from my Urban Decay Basics palette, but it can look a tad too warm toned, so hopefully these eyebrow specific powders will work a little better. I'm also really excited to try out the gel, as I've heard great things about these products, and although I don't have massive brows, they still have a mind of their own.

Left to right: Collection Delux Lipstick in 03 Charleston, Essence XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss in 06 Soft Nude, Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Lacquer in Riot.

I also picked up a few drugstore lip products. First, I went for Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Lacquer in Riot (RRP £7.00), which is a gorgeous bright neutral red. Think fire engine red. I've been wanting a bright red for ages, and I know red can be a tricky colour - so thought I'd go for a brand I trust. I have one of Soap & Glory's lipsticks already, and know it doesn't budge, unlike some more budget brands can. Their lipstick 'red' shade just wasn't red enough for me, so I went for this gloss instead. I'm not usually a gloss girl, but this high shine colour is actually gorgeous, and though it feels a bit sticky, I'm definitely going to give it a shot! 

Though I have enough neutral shades, when I was browsing the Essence counter in Wilkos I couldn't resist. I went for their XXXL Longlasting Lipgloss in 06 Soft Nude (RRP £2.30), which swatched like a liquid to matte lipstick, with a lovely velvety texture. It's in a gorgeous soft pink shade, which is literally only a shade away for my natural lip colour, so should be a perfect everyday shade. While in Wilkos, I also picked up Collection Delux Lipstick in 03 Charleston (RRP £3.98), which is what I would call a true nude - that shade smack bang between brown, pink and mauve. It looks lovely swatched, and has a slight kind of glisten to it, so should look nice on too. 

Also from Essence, I picked up their Soo Glow! Cream to Powder Highlighter in 10 Look on the Bright Side (RRP £2.80) after hearing good things about it from other beauty bloggers. This is a beautifully shimmery champagne highlight shade that looks gorgeous on the skin. I don't actually have a highlighter at the moment, so this is a welcome addition to my stash. I also picked up Essence I Love Trends Nail Polish in 15 Red I Am (RRP £1.80), which is the perfect shade of ox-blood red (a shade I've been looking for in the drugstore for ages). It looks lovely on, deep blood red in some lights, brown-red or purple-red in others ... gorgeous in any light. PS: please excuse my awful paint job. 

So that's what I've collected over the past few weeks from the drugstore. I love how many different products I've managed to accumulate, all for so little money. For instance, I've been lusting over the Balm Mary Lou Manizer (£14) and the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow (£15), which come to around £29 together. But all of these products that I picked up from the drugstore, including a highlighter and eyebrow product and so much more, came to even less. 

Anyone else pick up anything from the drugstore recently? Let me know!

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