Autumn/Winter Drugstore Beauty Haul

I went shopping. And then I went shopping again. By the time I was done I thought that I'd probably bought enough to justify writing a haul post, especially as many of these products are repurchases for me and I always enjoy writing about products I love. I do typically wear a mix of high-end and drugstore makeup, and I'd be the first to admit that I have an overall preference for mid-range to high-end beauty products. However, that being said, I do think there are some incredible products available from the drugstore and there are quite a few products that I shamelessly repurchase over and over again. Today's post features some of my favourite drugstore products and brands and I'm really happy to be able to take the time to talk about them.

First up on my shopping list were eyeshadow palettes. I recently did a massive makeup clearout and I realised that I only really used three eyeshadow palettes regularly, my the Balm Nude'tude Palette, my Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette and my Sleek Eyeshadow Palette in Respect (LE). My Sleek palette  is without a doubt one of my favourites and I thought it was about time that I tried some new shades. I made the most of an offer Superdrug was running at the time which meant I picked up two palettes for £10.00 - a cracking deal! The first one that I chose was Sleek's I Divine Eyeshadow Palette in Oh So Special (£7.99 & pictured above). I liked the mix of matte and shimmer shades and the colours are all incredibly pretty. The matte brown shades are very "safe" and wearable whilst the other shades offer me a little bit more variety for my everyday makeup. I've wanted this palette for about a year so it was a long overdue addition to my collection.

My second palette choice was Sleek's I Divine Eyeshadow Palette in Au Naturel (£7.99 & pictured above) and this is another product that I've wanted for a long time. Surprisingly, I think that the matte shades in this palette are actually more out of my comfort zone than the shades in the Oh So Special Palette, but I love the three shimmer shades and the matte grey and white will really come in handy too. If you haven't already tried Sleek's eyeshadows then I would really highly recommend giving them a go. I think they're some of the best in the drugstore and the range of colours available is pretty incredible. In terms of quality they're not quite up there with Urban Decay or Bare Minerals (who I think make some of the best eyeshadows), but coupled with a good primer they do a very, very good job.

Despite my intial feelings about Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Creamy Beige it has actually become one of my regularly worn products. So when I spotted two more matte Maybelline Color Tattoos (£4.99) in the shades Creme de Rose and Creme de Nude I just couldn't help but pick them up. As there was a three for two offer running I also added Pink Gold to my basket as I thought that it would work really well with my Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. I've actually got an entire blog post planned around these eyeshadows and how I like to wear them (this haul has taken a couple of weeks to go live!) so I'll be doing full reviews with swatches, including a comparison with Painterly which I received as a present back in July. But in short, I'd really recommend picking these up - they're great everyday products and all three shades are gorgeous.

I've talked about Revlon's Photoready Skin Lights in Bare Light (£11.99) before but I recently gave mine away to a friend to see if she wanted to buy one for herself, and seeing as mine was quite old anyway I decided to repurchase it. I think that this illuminator works amazingly as a primer. It really helps to conceal the redness in my skin, meaning that I can use far less foundation and still achieve an even-looking complexion. I don't, however, like using it on top of my makeup quite as much, it just doesn't look as good as Benefit's Sunbeam (which I typically reach for). Nevertheless, I really like this product and I'd highly recommend it.

My foundation had an unhappy end when I inadvertantly dropped it into a sink full of water (where it then filled up with water) so I decided to repurchase my Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Oily/Combination Skin in Buff and Sand Beige (£12.99 each). I've posted full face before and after photos featuring both Buff and Sand Beige, which I tend to switch between or mix together to get the right shade throughout the year. I absoluely love this foundation as it offers great coverage without looking too thick, but I would say that application is key and the finished effect can really differ depending on what brush I use.

When it comes to my Revlon foundation, the game changing product for me is a makeup sponge. I decided to stock up and purchased the Real Techniques Complexion Sponge Duo (£9.99), which represents better value for money than buying the sponges individually. I think that these must be my fifth and sixth sponges as I've been regularly repurchasing them for a while now. They're fantastic for applying cream makeup (which is nearly all I wear) and really help cream blushers, bronzers and highlighters to blend seamlessly into the skin. In an ideal world I'd have a constant back-up of these sponges, I really do rate them very highly.

Have you tried any of the products featured in my haul? Are there any drugstore makeup products that you'd recommend I try next?