It's actually not that easy to find a good product that is under 5 € and I admit I struggled to get a nice bunch of products for this post. I have loads of products that I love which are just above the price mark (literally a few cents more), but I won't cheat and I plan to show them in a another drugstore favourites post. I selected 11 products that are available either in drustores or online or even in larger supermarkets and all are nice cheap thrills. So here is my selection.

CATRICE Absolute Eye Colour Mono

2.89 €.

Yes, I could select a lot of products from Essence for this post, but you know what - I don't find them that thrilling and I much, much prefer Catrice, especially when it comes to quality. Although L'Oreal's eyeshadows are my uncontested favourites in the drugstore ranks, Catrice's are a close second. I love the colour range, there are some gorgeous neutral shades as well as a few brighter colours and you can create a selection that rivals any combination in the popular neutral palettes. The pigmentation of these is great and they blend really well, even the matte shades are excellent quality. If you're looking for some inexpensive fun products I highly recommend you check them out. My favourite is a taupe shade called 350 Starlight Expresso.
By the way, I just quickly swatched the new velvet matte eyeshadows by Catrice and they are fabulous as well. 

MAYBELLINE Color Tattoo 24 HR

4.95 € (might be more expensive depending on where you buy them).

These really are so good! They boast with a lovely creamy texture that is super pigmented, blends well and once it sets stays put for hours. I tend to use them for a quick eyeshadow look or, my preferred way, as a base. There are a lot of shades to choose from, but Permanent Taupe, a matte taupe, is without a doubt my favourite cream eyeshadow as well as one my favourite colours in general.

LABELLO Fruity Shine Peach

1.85 €.

These could easily be described as the most convenient product to satisfy the craving for a cheap trill. Everyone needs lip balm, you use it all the time and they are usually in every grocery shop at the registers. Fruity Shines are one of the most fun ones with is a nice selection of tinted balms with juicy scents. My favourite is peach and I find it has one of the best peach scents out there as well as a lovely natural peach tint. These aren't the most moisturising lip balms, but they are nice for everyday use. 

EBELINE Blending Brush

2.95 € , only in DM (not in Slovenia, sorry).

I never expected such a brilliant brush for such an affordable price. It's an excellent super soft blending brush that I use also for applying a gentle wash of colour in the crease or on the lids. Basically, I can do almost an entire eye makeup with it, though due to its softness it's more for subtle looks and it performs best with high quality eyeshadows. 

E.L.F. Studio Flawless Concealer Brush

£3.75 (4.7 €), E.l.f. website.

I love how dense, yet still soft this brush is and it's just feels so well made. I use it for so many things from blending concealer, applying setting powder under the eyes and around the nose, applying a base eyeshadow colour all-over the lid, blending and even contouring. Truly a versatile brush.

INELL Eau Micellaire

2.29 €, only in E.Leclerc.

Micellar waters are a part of my everyday routine when I'm removing makeup, so I use a lot of them. This one is incredibly affordable and just as good as the rest drugstore versions. As most micellar waters it feels super light - like water and it removes makeup effectively, leaving the skin clean and refreshed. 

INELL Mousse Nettoyante Hydratante

1.51 €, only in E.Leclerc.

This is such a wonderful, gentle cleanser that is also really fun to use. It looks like those whipped creams in a can and the mousse actually resembles whipped cream a bit due to the super dense texture. It also smells so lovely and it really makes the morning cleanse an enjoyable experience.

DOVE Nourishing Shower Gel

2-3 €.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was another version of this lying somewhere in the house - I think our house might be the fan central of Dove Nourishing shower gels. These are seriously so good - incredibly creamy and luxurious feeling due to a thicker formula, they are especially loved in my household because they are nourishing and don't leave the skin feeling dry or itchy. I love the scent of these, all three actually: the classic original Dove scent, the sensuous coconut milk with jasmine one and the sweet almond with hibiscus one. If your skin is dry, give them a go.

BATISTE Dry Shampoo

£2.99 (3.7 €), online on Boots International and Asos.

Though my hair is far from greasy, I don't shy away from dry shampoo on days between the washing. I've tried a few so far and Batiste is my favourite. It properly refreshes the hair, giving it more life and body as well as makes it smell nice, it's like an additional fragrance. When it comes to dry shampoo, for me the most important features are that it doesn't leave the hair white and that it smells nice. My hair is dark brown and Batiste can leave a white cast if I spray too close, but it's easy to blend it in. However, what I really appreciate is the large selection of scents and Wild is my current favourite. It has a lovely oriental scent, I smell notes of chocolate, vanilla, musk and wood that combine into a nice perfume version of a scent rather than gourmand one, like the Tropical version has.

TONI & GUY Sectioning Clips

3.08 €, eBay this seller.

These are so awesome. I could never find decent sectioning clips for a reasonable price here, so I ordered these from eBay and they are so good. They feel so professional and well made with the matte rubberised texture, you'd never think they were so cheap. I use them all the time when I blow-dry my hair to clip the hair out of the way or to create volume or curls - just brilliant stuff. 

Do you have any recommendation for great affordable products? Have a great day!

While Benefit's They're Real Push-up Liner caused quite a splash, Maybelline quietly released their version of what looks to me pretty much the same product. What they hoped to achieve was to create an eyeliner with a gel formula that doesn't require a separate brush, rather it has a build-in silicone nib to do the job. Well, they certainly got the formula right, but the application method needs some improvement.

It's a twist-up eyeliner and the product comes out of the silicone nib, however, there is no way that you can apply it straight on the lid, but you have to apply it on the back of the hand first, get the nib covered with the product and then go ahead to do the line. The fact that you need to apply the product on the back of the hand means that there is a lot of wasted product which I'm not to happy about. The nib has a nice shape that due to the diagonal cut enables to create a flick very easily. I managed to do a very thin line, however, it took a lot of time and patience, so it's more of a liner you'd use to create a thick line. The problem is that it is incredibly difficult to create a super sharp, even line, instead it's more like a diffused line on the edges, which is not a bad look, but I'm just warning you that's it's not as precise as felt tip or liquid liners. 

The formula is a complete winner for me. It's intensely black and stays on like nobody's business. I even tested it on my holidays and I can confirm it is pretty much waterproof, though I wouldn't exactly go snorkelling with it. It is almost impossible to remove it without an oil based remover, micellar water removes it just partly and it smudges everywhere, so for that reason, I would advise you use a sticky tape on the back of the hand during application or a small plastic plate (even an old DVD is nice), since it's ridiculously hard to remove it from the skin and you wouldn't want to walk around with a black smudge on your hand all day (soap hardly touches it).

I don't want to show you just the eyeliner looks came out nice, but also when the application wasn't the best. The fact is that it's a hard product to work with and I want to show you what to expect. I spent a lot of time applying it, but I just couldn't get the edges even, however, from far away it really wasn't that noticeable.

I love the formula and I plan to check out whether their pot version is the same one. The silicone nib was a lovely idea, however, it leaves much to be desired. The ability to do flicks easily is nice, however, it takes a lot of time and faffing around to apply it decently and I really wish the application would be smoother as well as more even. This is not an eyeliner for beginners or for those with little patience and I still prefer my L'Oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim for a quick and precise application, but I like this for those days when I want my eyeliner to stay all day.

At 13 € it's not the cheapest liner, but it's worth checking out if you're looking for a very long lasting formula and are prepared to put more effort into application. By the way, it's not available in Slovenia yet, so check for it online or in other countries.

Have a great day!

Lets talk about my recent love - L'Oreal Color Riche L'Ombre Pure in 106 Breaking Nude. Since I got it about a month ago, I rarely reached for another eyeshadow, actually on most days my eye makeup consisted of eyeliner and this in the crease. I was already a huge fan of L'Oreal's Infallible range, but since most of those shades are shimmery and I'm very much a matte girl at heart, these new L'Ombre Pure eyeshadows, which also include some matte shades, are right up my alley.

It combines all the good stuff of the Infallibles, so excellent pigmentation, texture and staying power, on top of that it's matte. The texture is absolutely perfect - similarly as at Infalibles it resembles pressed pigments making it very soft and pigmented, not to mention it blends like a dream. There is no chalkiness that appears to be the standard for matte drugstore eyeshadows - this is closer to Urban Decay/high-end quality. On me it doesn't crease, but I always put a face powder as a base. Basically, I just adore it.

The shade is a beautiful matte taupe, exactly the type of colour I love. I love wearing it in the crease  for more definition and it looks great all over the lid as well.

Granted, it's not the cheapest at 8.99 €, but it is definitely worth it. I'd love to have more shades, but those that interest me aren't available in my country, so I'll probably resort to Boots.

I highly recommend it.

Have you tried any L'Ombre Pure eyeshadow? Have a great day!

I am very boring when it comes to nail polishes. I change the colour on my nails once a week or less and I always wear the same few colours. So it's rare that a nail polish grabs my attention in the shop as I'm the one who likes to see things swatched on the blogs first, but this one caught my eye, due to a very intriguing colour. In the bottle it looks like a beautiful warm plum with tiny red shimmer. I expected to have the same result on my nails, but on me it's a lot more purple than in the bottle. I'd love it if it looked like it does on Nihrida's nails (who does way better swatches and nail polish application than I ever will), but I guess it doesn't work that well with my skin tone. Nonetheless it's a very pretty shade.

I know the application looks shoddy, but my Seche Vite has thickened to an useless state. 

Though I've already found my favourite cleanser, Balance Me is hardly an affordable option, so I have ventured to find something less expensive and Good Things Manuka Honey was first on my list. 

Unlike Balance Me, which is a balm, this one is a cream, so it feels very similar to a light moisturiser. I must admit it is a texture I'm having a hard time adjusting to, though it does clean well and actually can be rinsed off just with water, but I like to wipe it off with a washcloth as recommend, so there is no filter of product remaining. It leaves the skin nicely moisturised, so there is not concern that the dreaded dry patches might appear and the skin is left quite comfortable after cleansing. Since I've started using it (about two months ago), my skin looks nice and I've had almost no spots appearing (those few healed up fast anyway). 

As a honey scented products fan, I was looking forward to the rich honey scent, but in this product it's very gentle in an typical cream products fashion - so nothing exciting.

Ingredients:

I got mine from Boots International for £4.99.

I'm not in love it. I mean it does its job and doesn't dry out my skin, but it's not Balance Me if you get what I mean. Because it's a cream cleanser instead of a balm, it doesn't feel as luxurious. But all in all, it is a nice cleanser, especially if you're on a budget, it just me that's spoiled. 

Have a great day!

Le Petit Marseilais is not a new brand to me and before the advertisement storm in Slovenia, I've actually tried their peach shower gel that I bought in Leclerc. What I didn't know is that they also have several hair care lines. Ulmiel from Did Someone Say Nail Polish? told me she likes some of the products and naturally, I wanted to try them out myself. I settled on a hair mask with shea butter and honey for dry hair.

Texture: The thick, buttery texture was the first thing that grabbed my attention. My hair is super dry and I feel that the thicker the mask, the better it will work, whether it's true or not. It's thick, imagine something almost like a body butter, but not so thick that the application would be difficult. 

Scent: The mask has a strong scent of honey with a sharpish note, which appeals to me since I love honey scents (by the way, I wrote a honey inspired post a while a go). 

Effect: This is not a product that will make your hair silky since there are no silicones in it (at least I don't spot any), however, it is a mask that will make your hair feel properly nourished and hydrated. My hair felt rather nice and it stayed hydrated a decent amount of time, however, I had to use something with silicones on damp hair, to comb through without tugging. 

Ingredients:

Packaging: It's stored in a plastic pot with a metal lid. In general I like pots because it means you can get all the product out.

Price and availability: I bought mine in E.Leclerc for 5.18 €, but it's widely available in supermarkets.

It's a nice affordable mask for dry hair with a lovely scent, however, I miss silicones. The thing is that my hair is never silky smooth, so I really need a dose of silicones to make it less coarse-feeling. If you're one of those who avoids silicones and has dry hair that doesn't need something to make it silky, give this a go. I wouldn't recommend this to people with thin hair that gets greasy fast as I think it would be way to much for them. There is another hair mask for coloured hair in their selection, but that one has silicones.

Have you tried anything from this brand?

Have a great day!

I love the old Stay Matt Lip Creams. Love. And Essence being, well, them, went ahead and changed the formula. Or at least it's a different formula just for this shade. I just can't wrap my head around it. Coral Mousse is a new shade that was launched when the originals were revamped, but I've only recently picked it up, because it wasn't available in my country. Honestly, I expected more.

Texture and pigmentation: It is oily. Where has the creaminess of the originals gone Essence? Or is it just this shade that has such a slippery formula? This particular shade also never dries to a matte finish and it stays creamy as well as oily on the lips. Why did they put a label Matt Effect on it if it's clearly a creamy liquid lipstick? The pigmentation is actually lovely and it's nicely pigmented with one swipe. At least they got one thing right.

Colour: It is completely different of the lips than in the tube. In the tube it looks darker and pinker with almost no peachiness. But on the lips it's clearly a peach shade, well, a desaturated peachy-pink-nude. It's a very decent everyday shade that is kind of a your-lips-but-better, but in a peachy way. Obviously, on anyone that is darker than me (NC/W15) it will look lighter.

Staying power: It's ok, but not as long lasting as the deeper shades of the old formula. It stays on for a number of hours, but disappears completely if you eat or drink.

Packaging: It the same long thin tube as of the rest XXXL line and has the same long flat applicator, which I find clumsy.

Price and availability: I believe this shade is only available where those 3 m long Essence stands are. It cost 2.25 €.

I like the colour and it's a nice every day shade that will appeal to a lot of people, but I'm a bit bummed about the formula. It's not bad, but it's not like the old Stay Matt Lip Creams, at least the dark shades and the staying power is a lot poorer, however, it could just be because the shade is so light. Nonetheless, it a decent buy if you're on a budget, though for a truly matte and long-lasting option go for Bourjois Velvets.

Have a great day!