Re-build my make up bag please! Oh and you've a budget...

[soppypreggyloon]

of £50 max!

Call it the pregnant brain, call it an almost 30 life crisis call it whatever but I have just re-organised the bathroom cabinet and am a bit {blush] about my make up collection.

i can't remember what i last bought, or when. some of it dates back to when i got married (nearly 4 years ago) and bought lovely clinique stuff. (which never got used up but can't be chucked as it was so £!) some of it is older!

i don't usually wear any and if i'm going out/ feel the need then its usually loose powder/ tinted moisturiser, mascara, eyeliner and cream eye shadow.

so i want to overhaul my collection and start again. BUT with dc2 on the way money is tight hence the budget.

i have reasonably ok skin - i focus on making sure it looks good nude IYSWIM. however it is definitely combination and i get occasional red bumpy spots which seem to react badly to make up. My skin is fair, hair is medium-dark brown, eyes are green and my best feature i think as my eyelashes are quite thick and long. :) Oh and my hair is short - too short to tie back in any way.

what can you suggest as i don't really have the £ to make mistakes or have expensive experiments.

please help before i get be-fuddled in boots!

Pink or yellow undertone?
Ooh I'm getting excited

ummm.... i think pink. but i'm not sure how you tell.

oh and i appreciate your excited-ness! :)
i am too!

Collection 2000 waterproof mascara £2.99
Rimmel Hide the Blemish concealer £4ish?
Virgin Vie eyeshadow set (in lilac satin case) £25ish but has every colour you'll ever need!
Avon glimmerstick eyeliner 2 for £5 depending on offer
Barry M dazzle dust - not sure how much but you could probably get 2 or 3 pots within budget.

Go for nicer products that have offers on. and use your offers wisely. Boots have an offer that if you spend (I think its £5 you get a £5 no 7 voucher). If you like no 7 stuff you can get £5 pretty much everything because if you buy the products separately they just give you more vouchers (And clubcard points) - I LOVE boots. Also in the larger stores you get a lot of make up with either buy 2 get 1 free or a bag of free stuff, which is always good for trying out new products (Buy things you know you like and use the rest for experementing)

Don't chuck out any powder based products, they will not have gone off.

Also you can usually tell if a cream/liquid product has gone off by the iffy smell. Not everything will be rank after 4 years. If you have sensitive skin then maybe ditch old foundations and concealers and don't use old mascaras, but lipsticks may still be fine, as will eye pencils as long as you sharpen them to reveal the product that hasn't be exposed to the air.

I was in Boots today and they have lots of special offers on, plenty of 3 for 2 and the staff are usually quite helpful.

Get yourself some Bad Gal Lash Mascara (Benefit) It is fab.

Then head to Tescos and get the Barbara Dailly range of make up. It is cheap as chips but fantastic quality, especially if you are on a budget.

If you dont need foundation, dont buy it - tinted moisturiser is fine. No7 powder is good too.

Agree with Barbara Daly, her stuff is lovely and cheap as well

i just had a spend in boots and superdrug this morning. superdrug do a good range \\3 items for \35 the liquid concealer is great, i got neutral eyeshadow set and a brown crayon eyeliner.
boots had bourjois make up with money off, i brought the 10 hour sleep foundation, and a pale bronzer, also a lovely pinky/neutral lipstick.
superdrug do good brushes as well cheap as i prefer to put eyeshadow and foundation on with brushes.
i normally prefer branded makes such as chanel, benefit, laura mercier etc but have gone a bit barmy for boots and superdug at the moment and they look the same on!

Cheers all!
So are there any specific best budget buy items?I'm good with a lost but may get lost if I shop without one.
I need a mascara that doesn't smudge easily as I get watery eyes when I'm tired.

I just did this! Lost everything and then got (all No7, 3 for 2) - foundation, concealer, two eyeliners, blusher and illuminator for £46. I look as ever gorgeous!

I like Max Factor Masterpiece mascara (they do a waterproof version),

Bourjois for blushers or eyeshadows, amazing quality and great colours, cant live without their Beige rose eyeshadow and love the blush too)

Rimmel hide the blemish as a proper concealor, L'oreal Touch Magique for under eye concealing

Revlon for proper grown up lipstick

If you want a foundation Rimmel new Lasting Finish is amazing, has a built in primer so it goes on really well and lasts all day.

Sorry but I really dont rate No7 stuff at all

Generally the rule is to spend on stuff which will stay on your face, eg. primer, foundation, concealer, blusher (but if your skin is good this isn't so important) and save on mascara, eyeliner ect. which doesn't actually come into contact with your skin.

Tools are almost more important then the makeup, eyelash curlers and an eye lash comb will make almost any mascara look good, and even the most expensive brands will clump, but these tools are very cheap. The same goes with foundation sponges and concealer brushes.

Blusher makes everyone look healthier, even by itself, and imo is far 'fresher' than bronzer. I have a Bobbi Brown lips and cheeks pot which I love* and I think was about £12.

A red lipstick makes everyone look glam, and looks best with a subtle lick of mascara and nothing else but I would go to a makeup counter, as if is very difficult to judge which looks best (either bluey reds or orangey reds) and again if you get it wrong it will look awful. I would really recommend Chanel or Mac for this.

Oh and if the veins on the inside of your wrist look greeney you are yellow toned, bluey you are pink toned. It is very important to know this when you buy foundation or concealer, as if you get the wrong one it will look awful.

Sorry if I've come across as very dictator like, but hope i've been of help :o

this is all good stuff ladies! :)

can you suggest any tinted moisturiser/ light foundation for combination skin?
and a eye area concealer while you're at it?

Max Factor Second Skin foundation

L'oreal touche magique under eye councealor(their touch eclat rip off, its v v good)

I don't like Bad Gal Lash - Max Factor Masterpiece is way better. Benefit blushers are nice but ££, and I have found this in Pink Cloud does the same job as Dandelion for much less (everyone says how well I look with it on).

It's worth getting a good eyeshadow primer like Urban Decay because then you can use cheap eyeshadows and they look better and last longer.

I am also currently liking Bourjois eyeliner pencils.

Try loreal double extension mascara, the one with the White primer one end and mascara the other end. The waterproof one doesn't run and gives very glam lashes. I've tried Lancome, clinique, Chanel, Dior, No7 and max factor but always go back to this one.

Aldi lacura under eye concealer, YSL touché éclat copy but very good and cheap £3.59 or something.

Ok... Thank you all for your advice. After looking at your suggestions and online reviews this is my list.

L'oreal touche magique
Max factor masterpiece mascara
Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks- pink cloud
Bourjois 10h sleep foundation
Bourjois - eyeliner

I'm still looking for

• eye shadow - cream or powder is good but hate cream that collects in creases
• powder- use loose at the mo
• lippy - I like something sheer ish but not sticky like a gloss

You are all VERY helpful!
And I am VERY excited about my next trip to boots- way more fun than nappies!

The only decent foundation is Chanel
The only decent mascara is Chanel
And you MUST have YSL Touché Éclat (£17.50 from cheap smells)

Everything else, eye shadow, blusher, lippy you can get away with cheaper stuff

IMHO you cannot skimp on the top 3

M&S do some really nice sheer lipsticks. Perfection Sheer Shine lipsticks in either Melon Shine or Berry shine are my favorites.

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara is as good as a lot of the luxury brands in my opinion.

Not sure where you live but it you are able to get to Westfield in Shepherd's Bush there is a Polish brand called Inglot which is super cheap and really nice quality. A lot of make up artists are using it now.

www.inglotcosmetics.com/

Also, a lot of make up artists use Sleek eye palettes. You can get them in Superdrug and are £6.49 for a palette of 12 colours (!). I've not tried them myself but a few of my colleagues seem to like them. The Pixiwoo girls rate them quite highly.

You can also double up a lippy as cream blusher if you're strapped.

Start adding very specific products to your Xmas pressie list too. My DH supports a clinique habit quite well through valentines, easter egg replacements, anniversaries, a present when its HIS birthday (bless) and then Xmas ...

mosschops Chanel would be lovely I'm sure but kind of blows the budget! :)

I'm near Bristol so shepherds bush not really an option but I'll keep my eyes peeled. Don't usually do superdrug (not sure why) so might pop in for a quick peek.

Anything else I needy know about? :)

Sleek eye palettes are fab, really intense pigment that wont shift if you use a primer