Now we're in January and we're all scared to look in our bank accounts, I thought id challenge myself to create a full face of makeup for only £20! I didn't actually realise how hard this was going to be until I started looking at my collection but with some luck, I was able to make it work! Heres how I did it. 

The Makeup:

I could probably say that I sat and looked through my whole collection, was adding everything up and testing products out for over 2 hours just so I could be in the budget but also use products that I actually enjoy wearing. Most of the products on this list are either from Revolution or MUA which didn't happen intentionally, but these brands have amazing products but they are also really affordable. 

Total = £19.98 (With 2p to spare!)


A few of these products I have decided that I would multi-use them like I couldn't afford to get a single highlighter so I thought I would use the lightest shimmer shade from the eyeshadow palette, I also thought that even though the palette I do have is all shimmer shades I would use the bronzer as a crease shade. 

How I did my makeup!

Foundation & Concealer


For my base, it was actually the easiest to choose from because the Revolution Fast Base Stick foundation is actually the cheapest foundation I own. I did a review of this product a few months ago which you can read here. Even though this foundation isn't my favourite out of my collection it works really well for quick application and blending. For the purpose of this challenge, I did use all of my eBay makeup brushes just to show you can get a really great look for cheap.


  • I applied my foundation first and then buffed it into the skin which took seconds with one of my foundation brushes, what I love about this foundation is that it blends out flawlessly so quickly making it perfect for anyone who likes quick and easy makeup. 

I found the concealer for this look quite difficult to decide which one to use, at first I was going to use Revolution Conceal & Define but I only really use it for concealing imperfections and I could actually just do that with the foundation, this concealer is also £4 and the Fast Base is £3 which makes a big difference when you only have £20 to spend.



  • I used the Fast Base concealer for my under eyes, I applied it with the applicator and them blended it out with my fingers. If you have read my blog for a while you will know that this concealer is my new favourite for my under eyes. It's so easy to blend and gives a really nice brightened effect to the under eyes

To set the foundation and concealer I used the MUA Translucent Pressed Powder that as you can tell from the photo I have been loving recently.



  • I used this powder to set my under eyes and my whole face because the foundation isn't matte. I love using this powder because it doesn't make my skin look cakey and it keeps my skin matte for hours. 

Bronzer, Blush & Highlight 

The bronzer, highlight and blush are what I found most difficult to decide on what products to use, I was thinking of adding my Revolution Ultra Contour palette which was £4 and I'm not too keen on the blush so that would mean getting a new one and I couldn't afford it (dilemma!). For the bronzer I was rummaging through my collection when I found the MUA Sunkissed Bronzer, I got this a few months ago and never really used it but then when I looked up the price I realised it would be perfect for this challenge.


  • To apply the MUA Bronzer I used my usually fluffy contour brush and lightly dusted the bronzer below my cheekbones, jawline and forehead to frame the face. I was surprised about how good this bronzer blended out because of how cheap it is. The colour also worked really well for my skin but I think it may be a little dark for people with very pale skin. 

The blusher was the one product that I wanted to change around a few times because I wanted to add a different brand into the mix so I picked this W7 Candy Blush. Technically from the W7 website, this blush is usually £5 but from Fragrance Direct it was £1.99 so perfect for the budge.

  • I used my usual blusher brush to apply this product and just lightly dusted the blush on to the apples of my cheeks and it actually came out really pigmented at first I had to blend out the product a little more. Even though the colour came out really pigmented it was easy to blend and get the look I wanted. The colour of this blush is a really pretty pink shade that I think would suit all skin tones. 

For this look I was having a bit of trouble trying to decide what product I was going to use for my highlighter, Even my Revolution or MUA highlighters were all over £3 which I couldn't stretch to in the budget. Then having a look at the eyeshadow palette I figured I could use the lightest shade as a highlighter, I tested it out and loved the look. 

  • The highlighter I decided to use was the lightest shade from the MUA Rusted Wonders Palette, its a really pretty shimmery light gold shade which looked great for the look. I used a fan brush and lightly swept the colour onto my cheekbones and tip of my nose. I needed to apply slightly more of the shadow for my highlight because the formula is a little different to a proper highlighter and just needed a little more, but in the end, I was happy with the look. 

Eyeshadow & Brows 

The palette I decided to use for this look was the MUA Rusted Wonders Palette and it didn't actually have any matte shades so I decided to use the bronzer as a crease and transition shade to pull the whole look together. This also helped me to keep the cost down as most of my other palettes are over £4. 

  • For my eye look I wanted to add as many of the shades in the palette as I could, I firstly I used the bronzer as my crease shade, this actually worked really well but I just needed to blend out the colour quite a bit. I then applied the 2nd and 3rd shimmery gold shades in the palette onto my lid and then blended in the darker shades in the palette on my outer corner. The palette worked really well and the colours had lovely pigmentation. 


The brows for this look was what I was most worried about, I couldn't find a cheap brow pencil for my budget of £1. I then had the idea of using an eyeshadow shade to fill in the brows and give definition. The rummaging through my single shadows I found the MUA single shade in Smoke.

  • I used a very small brow brush to apply the shadow and had to work in stages as the colour wasn't going a long way. It actually took me a bit longer than usual to do my brows as I was trying to get them to look sharp. I would actually keep using this for my brows but I would outline them with a brow pencil first. 

Lips 
The lipstick was actually the easiest to pick as I knew what shade I wanted to use which would look perfect for this look. I decided to use the MUA lipstick because they have amazing pigmentation, wear really well and feel comfortable on the lips for only £1. 

  • The shade I decided to use was shade 11 for this look is a coral shade, I really like this colour because it isn't too bright or neon and can be worn in any season and it can be added to an evening look too.

My Look

Did I like the look?
I actually really liked the look that I came out with, and I think I would actually wear it all again. Using some of the products for different uses also worked really well and I think would be great if you are travelling and can't pack too many products with you.  

Pin For Later...

I actually really enjoyed this challenge, it was pretty difficult but it reminded to use more of my affordable products and that they can work just as good as more expensive products. Have you tried any of these products before? 

Aaliyah xo

8 comments:

  1. I am in aw. The makeup look is amazing, I love what you did! And it is for so cheap as well! Makeup usually is so expensive!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! I cant believe I actually did it (took a while!) xx

      Delete
  2. Wow, you managed to come up with such a gorgeous makeup look! This is such a useful post as I love that you found different uses for products and kept so well to the budget. It's amazing how good the quality can be, even with really affordable brands. Cannot believe how good that lipstick looks, especially for only a pound!
    Beth x Adventure & Anxiety

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Using the products for all different uses was such a great was at keeping to the budget I set myself. Love that lipstick! xx

      Delete
  3. This is really impressive! I feel like makeup gets expensive when you add it up, so this was cool! Your eyelashes look great!

    Jas xx | https://thoughtsfromjasmine.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  4. I absolutely love the fast base foundation stick! It's one of the best products to come out of 2018 besides the concealer!

    Love, Amie ❤
    The Curvaceous Vegan

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great post! perfect for this time of year. I love a splurge on high end makeup but it's great when you want to save a little extra money to go for these cheaper items. High street makeup has come a long way too! You can find some brilliant products.

    Hayley | hayleyxmartin

    ReplyDelete
  6. You did so well with this!! I honestly think I'd have to go out and buy a new face because I'm not sure if I could do this with the products I own. I'm trying to add it all up in my head as I type. I love when you can use powder products for multiple things, it really makes a huge difference with challenges like this. Your end look is amazing and it doesn't look like there's anything missing either. I think I might try this! x

    Sophie
    www.glowsteady.co.uk

    ReplyDelete