Hello!
As you may know I recently spent two months in Thailand. It’s a country that’s famous for it’s fake designer stuff, but I was surprised to find there was also a lot of fake makeup too. There were plenty of opportunities to get MAC brushes and makeup, or Naked pallets, and all with questionable sources. I thought I’d talk you through a few of the beauty buys I picked up, and whether I think they’re real or not…

sun beam and moon beam – benefit

The first things I got were these highlighters by Benefit. I’ve been wanting to try them for ages but at £19.50 each from Boots I’ve never managed to bit the bullet. But when I saw these for just £3 each I was over the moon! I assumed they were fakes but there was only one of each, and the packaging was a bit banged up so it’s possible they’re factory rejects or second hand?

A lot of the fake MAC stuff had spelling mistakes on the back, which either means they’re clearly fakes, or they’re a misprint and hence able to be sold off cheaply in bulk to markets – I’m not sure which!

Regardless of whether they’re real or just a great fake, I am now totally in love with both of them! You only use the tiniest bit so they’re going to last my entire lifetime I’m sure. I think for £20 if you did get the real ones, the cost per use would be close to zero.

The moon beam one is great for now I’m home, and for using in winter or evenings. It gives you a slightly pink reflective glow and really brings your makeup to life instead of looking too dull and flat. I hate shine and always use lots of mattifying powder, but have also been intrigued by how to get the healthy ‘dewy’ look without being shiny/sweaty. I really think this is the answer! You can dot on a tiny bit in select place and it just makes you look more healthy and ‘3D’ instead of caked in makeup hiding your features.

The sunbeam one is what I used most out in Thailand. When you’ve got a bit of a tan and are in a sunny environment it’s perfect! It gives you a little bit of a healthy tan shimmer, but still without looking sweaty. I much prefer it to bronzer as it’s so targeted and looks much more natural than big sweeps of brown powder.

The brush on SunBeam was a bit mangled when I opened it, but that hasn’t mattered as I always apply them to my hand first. A little goes a long way so if you put it straight on your face you’re likely to use too much. I prefer to dot it on with my finger from a ‘pallet’ on my hand.

These aren’t fully blended but give you a bit of an indication of the colours and reflective properties. I’d highly recommend them even at the full £20 mark. I now never leave the house without highlighter on.

eyelash glue

Just a quick one here to give you one of my favourite budget beauty tips. Always buy your false lashes and glue on eBay! For the glue I find LashFix to be the best and you can get it for £1.50 on eBay in either black or clear. Then for lashes you can get 10 pairs for 0.99p in a range of styles. I tend to get splindly ones and wear two pairs for a more natural look. I also like to have one super thick pack for dance shows or nights out when I want to add drama! You can reuse them a couple of times too if you want, but compared to one £4 pack of Girls Aloud ones you’re already quids in!

naked urban decay concealer

Finally, I picked up this Urban Decay (Naked) concealer. I haven’t really been able to find this online so if it’s a copy then I’m not sure what of! Perhaps it’s discontinued… and no one’s ever blogged about it… or maybe the ‘fakers’ just invented it – mystery!

Anyway, I got it in Shade 01 which is the lightest, and although it’s a bit light for me the coverage is lovely. It’s not as high coverage as something like the Benefit Booing Concealer but it’s pretty decent, and it honest feels like you’ve got nothing on at all. It’s got a lovely silky invisible texture so for even medium coverage I’m seriously impressed!

It’s pretty high coverage when swatched, but once you pat it in it does lose a fair but of colour. However, I’ve still been using it a lot under my eyes if I don’t want such extreme coverage as I get with my other concealers. I’d highly recommend it!