The look: from high-end to low-end beauty

Wearing a few good cheapies

Yesterday I laid out a price comparison and today I'm wearing three of the five cheaper items I purchased.

CG's Country Woods in lieu of UD's Naked

Covergirl's Country Woods is just ok in my book. While I do like the neutral quad, I didn't enjoy how powdery three of the four shades were; the vanilla hue out-performed the rest.

Essence's Superfine Eyeliner Pen didn't beat NARS' Eyeliner Stylo

Essence's Superfine Eyeliner only has two things going for it -- price and colour. My fears were realised -- the length of the tip was daunting, unwieldy and started to dry out amidst application. The pen began playing up on my left eye; this eye also happens to be the one I have difficulty applying liner on anyways -- it was a double-whammy scenario. After three attempts, I finally got a semi-desired result.

Saving the best for last: Covergirl’s Clump Crusher by Lashblast beat its competition, YSL's Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils

Easy to use, loads of volume, no clumping and stays put. Covergirl's Clump Crusher by Lashblast crushed YSL's Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils. Enough said.

A final look

Other items used to complete the look above:

Too Faced La Creme Color Drenched Lip Cream in I Want Candy.

NARS Lip Gloss in Greek Holiday worn atop I Want Candy.

Essence's Long Lasting Eye Pencil in Bling Bling applied along the lower lash line.

Illamasqua's Naked Rose on the apples of my cheeks.

Chanel's Vitalumiere Eclat Foundation in B30 Beige-Sable applied all over. It's a powder, but I smooth the finish by lightly misting water on my face.

What do you think? Does paying more money for makeup guarantee quality?

The ol' switcheroo: from high-end to low-end beauty

I love expensive makeup, but sometimes my wallet doesn't allow for such things -- especially when I'm attempting to save. Dupes for basics come in handy for the girl on a budget. For today's exercise I've shopped my own makeup stash and came up with a few cost-saving alternatives; I firmly believe in having options ;)

Chanel's Illusion D'Ombre in Mirifique versus Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Rock Chic

The only thing I can really afford from Chanel is their makeup and even this particular love affair comes at a major cost. Chanel's Illusion D'Ombre in Mirifique retails for $48.00 AUS / $36.00 USD; the formula has a tendency to incite drooling, a gaping jaw and squeals of delight. Then there's the realisation that you have to fork over dollars upon dollars you might not be willing to part with -- this is when budget beauty brand Essence saves the day. Rock Chic sells for $5.50 AUS and passes for Mirifique's doppelgänger. Both are creamy, black eyeshadows with silver glitter and no one will be the wiser.

NARS' Eyeliner Stylo in Koala (gray) versus Essence Superfine Eyeliner Pen in black

While it's not a dupe in terms of colour (Carpates would suffice), both felt tip pens are pliable, lay down colour upon touching the skin, however one of these is not like the other. NARS' Eyeliner Stylo costs $44.00 AUS / $27.00 USD, whereas Essence's Superfine Eyeliner Pen is available for as little as $4.95 AUS. My only concern with the cheaper formula is the feathering as seen in the swatch to the right, some clean-up might be required post-application.

YSL's Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils no. 1 versus Covergirl's Clump Crusher by Lashblast in Very Black

YSL's Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils was a bit of a bummer for me -- raccoon eyes aren't cute. Here's hoping Covergirl's Clump Crusher by Lashblast (say that three times fast!) saves the day. The former is available for $52.00 USD / $30.00 USD and the latter was purchased on sale for $10.00 AUS and maxes out in price for $6.99 in the States.

Urban Decay's Naked versus Covergirl's Eye Enhancers 4-Kit Shadows in Country Woods

Nude/bare is a thing and it's an easy eye look to pull off during the day. Urban Decay's Naked palette has been selling like hotcakes, but if the 12-pan palette overwhelms you in the variety or price department, a quainter quad should do the trick. Covergirl's Eye Enhancers 4-Kit Shadows in Country Woods is a petite imposter -- instead of paying $50.00 USD for UD's Naked, try shelling out 9.76 AUS / $4.84 USD for Covergirl's Country Woods. Virgin, Sin, Naked and Sidecar would blush from embarrassment.

Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero versus Rimmel's Scandaleyes in Black

A lot of women who've had the pleasure of using Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil certainly know one is not enough; 24 shades round out this offering -- at $19.00 USD a pop, your wallet will certainly shed a few tears. Kate over at La Beaute et le Blogueur sold me on trying Rimmel's Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal (15 shades to tempt you with), that's code for super soft eyeliner with high colour pay off! I purchased Scandaleyes on sale for $7.46 AUS / $4.49 USD. Btw, can you tell which swatch is which?

Let's see how much you can save...

Total Savings

Happy shopping!

I'll post a look showing off my cheap dupes later today :)

Happy Australia Day!

Most paths lead back to the Brits...

A bit more about today.

Take this waltz: Australis' Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick

Australis Colour Inject Lipstick in Honky Tonk, Salsa and Samba

Last month during Priceline's Australis sale I picked up a couple of their eye and lip products. Today I've got three of their Colour Inject Lipsticks to show you, Honky Tonk, Salsa, and Samba. I love how Australis named their Colour Inject lip products after dances! I'm a total sucker for anything with a cute name.

Swatches of Australis Colour Inject Lipstick in direct sunlight (from left to right) Honkey Tonk, Salsa and Samba

Swatches of Australis Colour Inject Lipstick in natural light

Honky Tonk is a nude pink shade with a creamy finish.

Salsa is bright medium pink with a creamy finish.

Samba is a mauve-y pink with a creamy finish.

The lipsticks were all comfortable to wear, but if my lips are extra dry or flaky, the lighter shades (Honky Tonk and Salsa) are not very forgiving and highlight any dry spots. They do have a faint "lipstick smell" reminiscent of the lipsticks my mother owned in the '90s, but the smell doesn't linger or bother me. The colour is buildable and takes a couple of swipes to achieve full opacity. They last about 4-6 hours on me and also leave behind a bit of a stain after the sheen wears away.

The lipsticks do contain SPF 15 (although it's not written on the packaging or the website -- I saw it written on the display at Priceline and even emailed Australis' customer service to double check). This is a huge plus for me since I usually wear a clear SPF lip balm underneath my lipsticks; with these I can skip that step.

I highly recommend these lipsticks. I love the fun names, the wide number of shades available and the fact they contain SPF 15.

You can purchase these (18 shades in total!) for $12.95 at Priceline, Kmart, Big W and select pharmacies. Keep an eye out on Australis' Facebook and Twitter page for any information about sales.

Australis is cruelty free :)