Bargainous Beauty - Top 5 under €5!

Who loves a beauty essential for under a fiver? Well, me for one! Lower budget beauty brands such as Essence and Catrice have really been upping their game with collections and others are following suit.

I'm loving the following 5 essentials and, to be fair, the quality belies the skimpy price on each one. 

1. Essence All Eyes on Me Mascara in Deep Purple: €2.29

First up, Essence mascara in deep purple. Picked this up in Penney's on a whim and have worn it every other day since. I loved and lost a YSL Mascara Volume Effect mascara in plum earlier this year, which I bought for €32 but didn't have the heart to replace.

I cannot believe how alike in colour and texture this Essence number has turned out to be. Neither mascaras look purple on, just softer than black which can be very harsh. It shows up Blue/Green eyes beautifully. This is one that I'll be re-buying, no doubt. Available in Penney's, Dunnes and select chemists.

2. Scrubby Gloves: €1.50

Next, the Award Winning scrubby gloves. With Samantha herself, Kim Cattrall swearing by them to keep her skin glowing and youthful “I scrub my whole body, even my scalp. And it feels really good.” these €1.50 beauty wonders really do the trick.

Whether it be for removing the remnants of false tan, ex foliating pre tan or just scrubbing the bejebus of yourself pre moisturising, the scrubby lovelies can't be beaten. Available in Penney's for €1.50, Boots for €3.75 and Dunnes 2 pack for €2.79

3. Handy Wipes - €1.49

Okay, okay you might not reckon these are a beauty essential but come on, there's no point in spending time perfecting your make up á lá Kim Kardashian but wearing the blouse of Waynetta Slob aprés Starbucks spillage. 

Travel packs of wipes are ideal for handbags for whatever disaster might befall you. These particular Wet Ones are great if you have a spot of orange palm going on post tanning. One wipe and voilà, pale palms once more. They kill 99.9% of bacteria and are gentle enough for kiddiewinkles' faces. You can't go wrong. Available in Boots, supermarkets and select chemists.   

4. NYC Navy Polish: €1.29 (€1.29!!!!!)

NYC have introduced in a New York Color Minute, quick drying nail polish with minerals in 32 se-here-iously gorgeous shades. 

The wonderful Fiona from Coty was hugely generous in allowing me to try a few of these beauties out. I'm in love with West Village above. The control flow brush reminds me of China Glaze for application, one of my favourites. This colour in the bottle has a purple hue but on the nail is the deepest hue of any of this season's on trend navy polishes that I've gotten my mitts on so far. 

The pic above is two coats with no topcoat, look how shiny! For €1.29 I will be picking up a hella lot more of these. Available in Bradley's Pharmacy. 

5. Colgate MaxWhite One: €4.99

As the ad for this new toothpaste says 'Your smile is your best accessory' and they're right! There's nowt like white pearlys to make you feel good about yourself and get your smile noticed.

We're fans of whitening polishes in our house at the best of times but when I saw this new version promising 'One shade whiter in a week' I had to pick it up. My last sojourn into the world of gnasher whitening involved the ghastly Whizzer Whitening Strips, I would do a post only I can't source a PG picture of gagging!

We're on tube 3 of MaxWhite One now, nothing like telling teen boys that girls love white teeth to get 'em brushing. Our teeth are definitely whiter and the sensational mint with micro crystals is more refreshing than a lot of whitening counterparts. Will be buying this for the foreseeable. Available in supermarkets, Superdrug and selected chemists.


What bargainous beauty are you loving of late?