That time of year has dawned upon students again. Your loan is almost gone, rent is due and worst of all, you’re running out of all that expensive make-up you treated yourself to at the beginning of term. Since your parents have suspiciously stopped answering your phone calls it may be time to swap the Smashbox for a bit of Miss Sporty. Well, sort of. Here are my top picks for cheap make-up alternatives for the starving student.
Benefit Brow Zings – £24.50
Sleek Make-up Brow Kit – Light or Dark – £8.50
These eyebrow kits both contain a waxy-type substance for colouring, powder for setting and a pair of teeny tweezers. These products eliminate the risk of you getting the dreaded ‘drawn on’ look – leaving you with Delevingne-esque brows. Having used both, I can honestly say the Sleek kit is just as good. It goes on smoothly and lasts for hours.
Mac TWIG lipstick – £15.50
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss 08 – £5.50
There really is no comparison to the matte finish and full coverage of a good Mac lipstick. My go-to colour is always somewhere in the nude/dark-pink family,
specifically Twig. This colour is a must-have for my friends and I, as it seems to look good on every skin tone. But for those of you who can’t splurge, Rimmel has come up with a substitute. Whilst it may not last for just as long, 08 has proven to bless my pout with nearly the exact same colour for a fraction of the price!
Urban Decay Naked Palette – £37.00
MUA Palette Undress Me Too – £4.00
Eye shadow can give a girl that extra something on a night out without looking like you’re trying too hard. The Naked Palette has 12 shades from Virgin to Gunmetal, but coming to almost £40 – who needs it! Whilst the MUA palette may not include fancy names, I assure you that their 12 shades are virtually identical!
It costs almost 10 times less, so how can anyone resist?
Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil – £2.00
EVERY OVER-PRICED PENCIL OUT THERE
Rimmel comes to the beauty rescue again with this eyebrow pencil. It comes in a variety of shades and with a handy eyebrow brush for those girls in a rush (excuse the rhyme). Being the cheapest item on this list, I urge you to ignore the pricey competitors as this pencil simply gets the job done.
Take the bargain mentality of this list with caution. Not all cheap make-up works as well as these items. Whilst I will refrain from naming and shaming brands, I have had one too many pharmacy foundation nightmares. Now I reside proudly as a self-confessed Bobbi Brown addict, and have yet to discover an inexpensive equivalent. A girls got to spoil herself every now and again after all.
Soraya Ali
Image Source:
1) http://www.superdrug.com/Sleek/Sleek-Makeup-Brow-Kit-Light/p/282828#.VGvVXle5aDQ
4) http://images.ulta.com/is/image/Ulta/2101445?$detail$