I’m no makeup snob. My favourite brow gel costs £2.50 and I’m a big fan of the £2 concealer from 17.
But when it comes to budget beauty, there’s a difference between affordable dupes, and simply cheaply made, poor quality products.
Now, I’ve tried some of Primark’s beauty range previously and found it to be okay. Nothing to write home about, but ideal if you’ve forgotten your lippy and happen to have one rolling around in the glovebox.
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But this week I picked up their ‘perfect finish’ foundation and was left less than impressed.
The product costs £2.50, which of the three things I paid for in town that day was more expensive than the car park, but cheaper than my Starbucks .
The foundation comes in a squeezy black tube with a transparent centre that allows you to see the shades - of which there are said to be 16, but I could only spot a handful in store.
I grabbed a bottle of porcelain because it appeared to be the only one that wouldn’t leave me looking like an extra from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as they’re fairly warm in tone.
At £2.50, it’s one of the cheapest foundations on the market. Even notoriously cheap 17’s foundation is £5, with Natural Collection’s is £2.99.
The bottle is 35ml, too, which is more than your average 30ml bottle. And it all almost sounds too good to be true, but mostly because it is.
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Having moisturised my skin and applied a primer, I opened the foundation and went to squeeze some onto my beauty blender, noticing straight away that this is quite a quick formula.
This is because it aims to offer a medium to full coverage, but I found it extremely difficult to blend with either a beauty blender or a stipple brush.
I also found that the foundation had a bit of an odour, which isn’t really what you want from your base layer, either.
It was easier to blend with a damp beauty sponge, but the shade made me look pale. And as someone who is constantly asked ‘are you feeling okay’ wasn’t great.
My skin texture felt bumpy, and it was more matte than dewy, but the finish is definitely up to personal preference.
I think there are some far better affordable drugstore foundations on the market, from L’Oreal’s True Match which is £9.99 , to the 17 Second Skin Enhancing Foundation for £5.
I’d rather spend my £2.50 on a Starbucks, instead.
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