Beauty on the High Street
High Street, Drug Store call it what you wish. Budget makeup brands have come along way in the last few years. Carissa Casey on why she’ll never stop shopping for makeup on the high street.
I have the great fortune to live within a short walk of a small Boots shop. The women who work there know me well. They should, since for the last few years I’ve made nearly daily pilgrimages there. I always have the perfect excuse - I’m picking up a prescription, or I’m out for my daily walk. But the real reason I go there is to browse the makeup. Rimmel London, Maybelline, Revlon – these were the old and trusted friends that helped me get through those awful lockdowns. (I’m still mourning the demise of Bourjois.) Soap and Glory and, more recently, Revolution Beauty, were the edgy new friends that brought a certain pzazz to the party.
Call me crazy but I made myself up every day of every lockdown. Precisely because I wasn’t seeing anyone, I decided this was the time to experiment. I could try eyeshadow shades outside my usual range, finally figure out how to make glittery eyeshadow work for me, get to grips with contouring, experiment with colourful gel liners. Yup, I would turn up at Boots to pick up a prescription, looking like I was off for a night out, and still spend the best part of an hour browsing the makeup.
This was probably an improvement on my previous form when you could try the samples. Back in those days I would walk out of Boots with all manner of crazy additions to my face - one glittery green eye, one matt blue, strobe highlighter and purple colour corrector ineptly blended.
Of course, I always bumped straight into someone I know but I rarely cared. I love makeup. It’s fun to experiment and I’m not a brand snob. Many of these were the brands of my youth and I don’t see why I should abandon them now.
REVOLUTION
High street makeup has undergone a revolution, much in the same way that new brands have seriously shaken up the high street skincare market. In makeup, the eyeshadow palettes from Revolution Beauty are both highly rated in the industry and cheap as chips. And they are fab, with dense colour pigmentation which lasts all day. The XX Revolution sister brand is widely available in Boots stores or, for the full range, check out beautybay.com (another one of my lockdown saviours). On a recent trip to ‘pick up a prescription’, I couldn’t resist a ‘three for two offer and snared an excellent blush, yet another eye palette and a shimmer powder that promises to give skin a subtle glow. The XXcess Blush Powder (1) in Vision at €10 is as near a dupe to Nars Orgasm as I’ve ever found. The colour is denser so apply with care. I’m not entirely sure about the shimmer powder but the eyeshadow palette XXpress XXtreme (2) will get plenty of use. The entire haul cost about €20 so who cares about one dud.
Then there’s Kiko Milano (kikocosmetics.com), an Italian brand with stores throughout the continent but, sadly, not in Ireland. I stock up when I’m abroad and have ordered from the website. I have the Baked Eyeshadow Quartet (3) in three of the four shades (€7 each) and am a recent fan of the lipsticks. Check out the Charming Escape Matte (4), which comes in six colours at €7 a pop, if only for the pretty packaging.
Delivery is free to Ireland on orders over €49 (you’ll bag a serious haul for that) but, be warned, the package takes an age to arrive.
I’ve waxed lyrical about ELF before. The Poreless Putty Primer (€10) works a dream for me and I love the Coconut Mist Dewy Setting Spray (5) at €10 which not only keeps makeup looking fresh all day but also smells divine. As a brand, it can be hard to track down in Ireland.
Some Penneys have a limited selection but your best bet is the website (elfcosmetics.com). Shipping is free over €30 but, again, it takes a while to arrive here.
Physicians Formula is an American brand only available online here in Ireland. I ordered the Murumuru Butter Blush (6) for €15.95 as part of a Beauty Bay haul and I love it. It’s that wonderful mix of creamy yet powdery and gives just a hint of colour. It’s eminently buildable if you want a stronger flush.
NYX is another American brand and is available in some Boots shops (not mine sadly), or from the Boots website (boots.ie). My favourite eyebrow pencil was discontinued but the Suede lip pencils (7) are superb and just €4.25 each.
Finally, it’s hard not to include Penney’s own brand PS in any roundup of highstreet makeup. The PS Eyeshadow Palettes (8) aren’t half bad and with price tags of between €2 and €5, they’re a steal. This is where I go to try new shades I’m not sure about. I’ve tried green themed palettes from PS, ELF and Revolution Beauty and the colour, in whatever hue, just doesn’t work for me. That’s fine, I tried and didn’t spend a fortune in the process.
I know people who swear by L’Oreal’s True Match Foundation (9). Personally, I find that higher end foundations are better on my skin and I spend on powders too.
Who am I kidding? I’ll fork out for fancy-pants eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, eye-liners - you name it, I’ll buy it.
So no, as good as they are, these makeup brands will never replace the sheer joy of buying a chic lovely something from an upmarket brand with all it's beautiful packaging and top quality ingredients. But for fun, something different and the odd fabulous find, I’ll never leave the high street. Happy shopping.
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