Poundland & Boots Beauty Haul

I made a few cheeky purchases the other day along with some essentials and I thought I would share.

I have wanted the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge ever since its release, but I was a bit weary of spending £5.99 on what is essentially just a sponge. I decided to save up my Boots points and get it with them.

Even though makeup is currently 3-for-2, I managed to restrain myself and only get what I needed - foundation. I love Revlon Color Stay, it is the only drug store foundation I have tried that truly lasts all day on my skin. I get the Normal - Dry version and am using the colour Buff, which I think is second to lightest in the range.

On to Poundland- I went in to buy my shampoo as I have run out. I picked Schwarzkopf Gliss Total Repair up on a whim to begin with and was blown away by how good it is. Its now my regular shampoo, and a total bargain.

I spotted these makeup brushes, they are new to my Poundland so of course I had to buy them to try them out. A full review will be coming as soon as I have road tested them, but first impressions are that they are super-soft and look really cute!

Have you picked up any bargains recently?

Gem x

Chit Chat Juicy Lipstick: Poundland Bargain

I am a self confessed bargain addict. If something has a reduced label on it, I am like a moth to the flame. I love rummaging around the beauty section of Poundland and have had many great finds like Revlon nail polishes and Stila dry shampoo. 

I have always been somewhat put off from buying from Poundlands own make-up range, Chit Chat. For a start, the name 'Chit Chat' doest exactly scream hight quality. But the other day I decided bite the bullet to give it a go, its a pound after all. I asked myself If brands like MUA and e.l.f can make good quality products for a cheap price then why cant Poundland? 

I started off gently and bought this liquid highlighter and loved it, so went back and bought some more goodies. 

Today I am reviewing Chit Chat Juicy Lipstick in Damson. It is a lipstick in a packaging that is not dissimilar to the Clinique Chubby Sticks. That's where the similarity in these products end though as the Chubby sticks are a balm and this is a lipstick. 

I was expecting a horribly drying, hardly pigmented, frost finish lipstick that didn't last 10 minutes on my lips. But what I got left me pleasantly surprised. Its is a very pigmented lipstick that glides on effortlessly and isn't at all drying. It looks quite moisturising on the lips, and lasts as long as you would expect a reasonably priced lipstick to last. There is also no frostiness in sight, bonus. 

From the packaging, you would expect a more red colour, but the colour is a gorgeous deep pink.  It looks great for an evening look, but also can be worn in the day as a statement pop of colour. 

Overall I love this lipstick and it is a steal at £1. I definitely recommend you try it out, for a pound you cant really go wrong!

Have you tried any of Poundlands own make-up range?

Gem x

Benefit High Beam Dupe...From Poundland?

I am so broke at the moment. All my spare money is going on paying bills or saving for out trip to Disneyland Paris in November, so I have hardly been buying any new beauty products. I suppose this is a good thing really as I am rediscovering some old favourites. I have a plenty of things to blog about so that's not a problem either.

I do love a good bargain and I love to have a rummage around the 'beauty section' in Poundland. I have had some great finds in there, including a Lilac Sally Hanson Nail Polish which I love and retails for £6.99 in Boots next door.

 I usually steer clear of the brands I am not familiar with in there including this one. Its called 'Chit Chat'. The name just screams high class and good quality. I think it is aimed at the teenage market, and is a brand that is 'exclusive to Poundland'. I know many products that are in one branch of Poundland wont be in the next, but with this brand I think it is sold in all of them.

It looks such a rip off of High Beam, but as it was only £1 I thought I would give it a go. I have a mini High Beam which I love but couldn't justify buying the full priced one in my financial predicament.

I will get on with the review and compare both products...

    Top: Benefit Bottom: Chit Chat

Blended out. Left Benefit, Right ChitChat

The outer packaging is very similar, even down to the white lid. They are both the nail polish type packaging and have the little brush attached to the lid. The brush on High Beam is great, keeps its shape and applies the product nicely. 


The brush with the Chit Chat highlighter is useless. It has completely lost its shape and the product applies unevenly because of this. But I can look past this as I usually dot the product on and blend with my fingers, or use my Real Techniques stippling brush to apply it. I have never really come across a 'budget' brand that has great quality packaging anyway. 

When the products are heavily swatched there are some differences in the colour and amount of shimmer. I would say that the Chit Chat highlighter has more white in it and the Benefit more pink. The glitter in both products aren't that detectable in normal light, but under harsher light I can see it. Chit Chat it is slightly chunkier than Benefit, but not at all chunky if you get what I mean. When blended out, they look like the same product. Both are a pinky white colour and give a nice glow to the skin. 


The formulation of both is also slightly different. The Benefit is more of a creamy consistency where the Chit Chat is more watery. The Benefit is slightly easier to blend and get it to go where you want it to go, but the Chit Chat is by no means hard to apply. 


In the name of research, I wore both Highlighters on each cheek bone for a day, and found that they looked the same and lasted for the same amount of time. 


Overall I think that Benefit High Beam has a slight edge over the Chit Chat highlighter in terms of packaging and ease of use. The Chit Chat highlighter is a good product and I found that I ended up with basically the same results. It is definitely worth giving the Chit Chat a try, it is only a pound after all!


Have you bought any beauty products from Poundland? 


Gem x


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