Alert! Alert! Beauty Bargain Ahoy!

As a beauty lover on a budget, I am always on the lookout for a bit of a bargain and my skincare products are really no exception. I have a particular love of body scrubs - salt ones, sugar ones, creamy ones and sloughy ones - and generally treat myself to a new one every now and then to scrub away my grumpy on a morning. However, since our beloved kitty moved in and money has got a bit tighter I've been forced to move down the shelves and look at something a bit more...low-brow.

Cue me, standing in front of the shiny, pretty coloured rows of things in our local Morrisons, trying to make the choice of what to get. I'm in a rush and feeling broker than usual I decide I might as well give their own brand, £1 for 200ml Orange and Mandarin Body Scrub a try. Quick sniff in the shop to reassure myself it doesn't smell like cat's piss and off I go.

A few days later, my shower gel runs out and I crack out the new product, not without a little apprehension. It is, shall we say, a very bright orange colour. It's pretty cheerful, I suppose, but it's also...well...neon. The scrubby beads in it are clearly visible -  a good thing, in my book, but the scent was actually really quite pleasant, although more along the lines of orangeade or orange sherbet than fresh fruit. Nice and zingy first thing in the morning, at least.

However, I was extremely surprised with the texture: it lathered up really well, but not to a shampoo-like level and felt silky-smooth on my skin. Even after just a couple of uses I have really noticed a difference and my troublesome upper arms feel smoother and more hydrated. As a lover of sulfate- and paraben-free products I must admit I am a little stymied. For something which costs all of £1...well, you can't go wrong!

Review: Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Eyeliner

Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Eyeliner

One of my weaknesses is eye products. Mascara, eyeliners, eyeshadows - oh my! When I have time on my hands I browse the shelves in Boots for new products which catch my - haha - eye. 

Despite their relatively low-budget reputation, I have had some decent products from the renamed Collection, formerly Collection 2000. Their packaging has had a revamp and they are now trying to appeal to a whole new generation of impoverished 16 year olds with their Disco Brights range and a host of new orange bronzers. However, I still look. Cheap and cheerful is always good in my book, and it doesn't do to sneer at low end products when they are often as good, if not better, than their high end, high cost sisters. And, for once, I have hit gold dust with this £2.99 eyeliner.

The Extreme 24 Hour liner is available in four shades: teal, navy blue, purple and black. I bought the purple and the teal (which got stolen by my sister instantly) and have just bought the black as well, after having a brilliant experience with the purple. 

The packaging is a bit unassuming - plain black and a bit cheap and plasticky - but opening it up it has a nice broad felt tip, narrowing to a point which can be used to make both bold, broad strokes and detailed lines. Unlike traditional liquid eyeliners, this one is very easy to control and isn't prone to blobbing on application. The pen style is also very easy to handle, making it ideal for first time liquid eyeliner users.

In terms of staying power - wow! The first time I used the purple I was surprised by just how long such a cheap product lasted! After applying first thing in the morning the lines were still crisp by the time I took it off in the evening. However, be warned! The purple left a slight stain on my eyelids even after using make-up remover, and after crying in the cinema with it on I had attractive Kiss-style stain lines! Definitely not one to wear to weddings.

The product's texture is really nice - smooth and more like ink than like the paint texture which I've had with most other eyeliners. Thanks to the pen tip it's also really easy to apply. 


I drew my usual eyeliner flick with the purple liner the first time I used it and it came out like this:

Not the best picture I admit but you can see that the line is crisp and clear. I also found that if I dabbed a little pigment powder over the liner while it was slightly damp I got an awesome pearlised effect which actually lasted very well!


Really the only downside of this product is that it isn't very easy to remove! My usual make-up wipes weren't really up to the task and there was some staining, and I had to resort to an eye make-up remover. This wouldn't be a problem for people with a better cleanse, tone and moisturise routine than me, but lazy girls beware!


All in all a brilliant budget buy for less than the cost of a coffee and a bun!