Catwalk make-up looks for less: Part 3

Let’s have a quick look at the edgiest catwalk make-up of the AW2010 collections – the brights. Flashes of strong, messy colour were found offsetting eyes and nails, and it’s filtered down to the department stores and high street already.

These are ‘big night out’ looks, and not for the faint hearted. They’re a little post-punk and a big bit 1980s, and they work best when they’re not too finished and a little rough around the edges.

The most popular product here is nail polish, an easy and cheap way to update a plain outfit. I managed to get my hands on some of the new MeMeMe Nail Collection Long Lasting Glosses. The colours are gorgeous, including naturals, brights and pearlised finishes, and this season’s khaki and taupe.

So, they’re priced at £4.50, and, erm, it didn’t start well. The polishes have brushes with a wide flat shape, similar to certain luxury versions. Unfortunately I’m quite fine-boned and the brushes are wider than some of my fingernails, causing a fair bit of annoyance and smudging, and the filaments don’t spread out in a uniform fashion, making smooth application difficult.

The polish seems very thin and drippy, and there’s a real learning curve when you’re deciding how much to load the brush with and what speed you need to work at. Oh, and it dries patchy so you need either three thin coats or two very thick coats.

BUT it dries incredibly quickly, creates a beautiful shiny surface finish and wears like a dream. The finger-tip wear and tendency to chip is actually better than many expensive designer polishes, and it’s the best sub-£10 performer I’ve ever used.  My favourite so far is number 63 (Exotic), a lovely warm-toned purple, but I’ll certainly be going back for more colours. Summary: get the hang of how to apply it first, and your £4.50 will be truly well-spent.

For bright eyeshadows, the bargain brand I’d recommend is undoubtedly Sleek. They have a fun range of highly-pigmented, finely-milled shadow palettes all around the £6-mark. Max Factor are also pushing a new range, but I confess I haven’t tried it yet…

Now on to mascaras and felt tip eyeliners. I had a chance to try out Collection 2000’s new Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liners and their Extreme Coloured Lengthening Mascaras. Both are priced at £2.99, or you can buy any two for £5 this week at Superdrug.

The liners look like this:

They’re very easy to use, drawing thick and thin lines without any fuss, and mainly act like a stain. The colours are varied and interesting, and they really are very long lasting. There’s a mild amount of fading, but they genuinely have plenty of staying power and perform just as well as similar items costing more than twice the price. I had to use waterproof make-up remover in the end. My favourites are black, purple and teal.

Now on to the mascaras:

You get a fair deal for your hard-earned cash. The colour dries a little darker than shown (more flattering), and there’s a genuine difference in the length of your lashes after use. It goes on smoothly without clumping, dries fast without smudging and is buildable, with two coats looking better than one. Considering the price, it doesn’t noticeably go flaky on you after drying either, so it’s an all-round good buy.

If, like me, you have sensitive eyes and like to throw your mascara out every 12 weeks, this is one of the better cheap options.

Do you have any tips for bright make-up under £10? Please let me know.

Disclaimer: Polish, liner and mascara samples were provided by Superdrug. No cash has changed hands and my opinions are entirely my own.

Competition: I have two make-up sets of coloured mascara and felt tip eyeliner to give away, one in blue and one in teal. To be in with a chance of winning, just decide which colour you’d prefer and leave a comment below saying either ‘blue or ‘teal’. Winners will be chosen at random at noon on Tuesday 23rd November. Good luck!