Aussie Drugstore Beauty Haul - Part 1
Monday, October 06, 2014
I often see drugstore (aka chemist) brand haul videos and blog posts from other beauty bloggers on the interwebz that just make me green with envy at the brands they have access to in such affordable price ranges! (you wanna buy Revlon here, good luck getting it under $10)
However many of these drugstore brands sold here in Aussie enjoy the ABT - Australian Beauty Tax. Common international drugstore brands that we get to pay the "Aussie Beauty Tax" on include Maybelline, Revlon, L'Oreal, Covergirl, Rimmel, Max Factor and Bourjois to name a few, even budget friendly brands like NYX cost more here.
All of these brands are at the more expensive end of the chemist/department store spectrum, with the majority starting at $12-$15 for individual small items and most foundation products starting at $20 and up. Freaking good ole Revlon Colourstay goes for an RRP of $34.95!
However many of these drugstore brands sold here in Aussie enjoy the ABT - Australian Beauty Tax. Common international drugstore brands that we get to pay the "Aussie Beauty Tax" on include Maybelline, Revlon, L'Oreal, Covergirl, Rimmel, Max Factor and Bourjois to name a few, even budget friendly brands like NYX cost more here.
All of these brands are at the more expensive end of the chemist/department store spectrum, with the majority starting at $12-$15 for individual small items and most foundation products starting at $20 and up. Freaking good ole Revlon Colourstay goes for an RRP of $34.95!
End rant.
All this angst motivated me to try and find good local budget friendly brands. I hunted through Target, rummaged the dimly lit, Australian branded displays in the back of Priceline and even snapped up a few beauty bargains on sale in Myer.
I wanted to discover our equivalent Sleek iDivine palette, or our Revlon lip butter revolution, something homegrown and worthy of internet virality.....and while I didn't find anything that will change the makeup blogosphere as we currently know it, I did come away with a few surprisingly great finds and some solid performers that won't eat into your rent money.
I wanted to discover our equivalent Sleek iDivine palette, or our Revlon lip butter revolution, something homegrown and worthy of internet virality.....and while I didn't find anything that will change the makeup blogosphere as we currently know it, I did come away with a few surprisingly great finds and some solid performers that won't eat into your rent money.
- take a deep breathe, cos there is a LOT of photos coming up :)
All the beauty products below are under $15 - some were on sale, others at their RRP.
First up is the super cheap budget friendly brand BYS. It can be found at Gloss Accessories, BYS.com.au, Priceline, Reject Shop and other budget stores.
~ BYS Cosmetics ~
10 Eyeshadow Palette in "Operation Khaki" - $8
soft decently pigmented formula
blends easily
all shimmer eyeshadows
comes with a dual sponge tip applicator
blends easily
all shimmer eyeshadows
comes with a dual sponge tip applicator
3.5 stars out of 5
3 Blush Palette in "Coral Me In" - $6
smooth medium pigmented formula
mix of satin, shimmer and matte
blends well
very similar to the Sleek Blush by 3 palettes
lasts a full work day
3 stars out of 5
 |
| left: BYS blush palette, right: Sleek Blush by 3 in Pumpkin |
Eyebrow Kit - $9.95
3 shade to mix your matching shade
leans to the warm side
great dual end brush with a very fine/sharp angled brush
includes a translucent wax to set brows
Brow & Eye Liner in "Black" - $6
thicker angled shape wind up pencil
not very accurate
not very dark
1 star out of 5
Blending Sponge
looks like the BeautyBlender
doubles in size when soaked
super soft texture
no bounce
feels hard still when wet
2 stars out of 5
 |
| left: dry and in hand right: completely soaked and in hand |
~ Napoleon Perdis ~
NP can be found at Target, Myer and NP Beauty counters to name a few. Normally their products are up in the $30 mark, but they had these cute mini/travel sized sets and who doesn't need a handy lipgloss in her handbag!
Time to Shine Lip Gloss Set - $10
3 great colour
mix of textures
not sticky or goopy
strong vanilla/fairy floss sweet scent and flavour
3 stars out of 5
~ Models Prefer ~
This brand I found at Priceline and they had quite a range of products to choose from including tools and cosmetics.
Matte Foundation in "02 Ivory" - $12.99
mattifying liquid formula
great tube packaging
light to medium coverage
lightest shade still slightly too dark for my NW20 winter skin tone
3 stars out of 5
Refillable Pump Bottle - $5.99
super convenient
130mL size
can be used with nail polish remover, makeup remover, toner etc
click top lid to cover the pump
4 stars out of 5
 |
| how the pump sits with no pressure on it |
 |
| pressure applied to the pump causes liquid to pool |
~ Savvy Cosmetics ~
Another one from Priceline, this is a budget range but has some great staples in their line up. You can often find in the discount bins these cute little $5 Savvy pencil cases which have a matching pair of products in them, like the powder and cream blush below.
Lip Stain Pen in "Watermelon" - $8.99
amazing colour payoff in a juicy watermelon pink-red
once set it doesn't budge
dries to a matte finish
once removed does leave a stain
3.5 stars out of 5
Flawless Finish Foundation in "Alabaster"- $7.99
liquid matte formula
light to medium coverage
limited range of colours
2.5 stars out of 5
Powder Blush & Cheek Balm in "Glamorama" duo kit - $5
super pigmented creamy balm that blends out well
sheer cool toned pink powder blush that layers ok
great travel sizes, perfect for throwing in your handbag
3.5 stars out of 5 (mainly for the price and cream blush!)
 |
| left: powder blush heavy & sheered, right: blush balm 1 swipe & sheered |
Whew!!! Well I think that's all can fit in for the moment, stay tuned for Part 2 coming super soon with plenty more haulage reviews!!
Bambi xox
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