It was only a matter of time, I guess, before my love of a cheap fashion fix influenced my make up buying mindset.  For me, make up isn’t just about the product, it’s also about that solid click of a well made compact, the weight and feel of a tube of lipstick in my hand and the beguiling name of the product shade.  I’m just a little disappointed I’m not more fluent in French given the number of make up labels I’ve read in my lifetime.

Beyond the walls of Daiso, $2.80 doesn’t get you much these days.  Especially in the world of cosmetics.  You’d probably be able to finance 3 fingers of a manicure.  The question within the walls of Daiso was what to buy?  As I mentioned in my previous post about Daiso, the possibilities and permutations are endless.  In the spirit of frugality, I ended up buying only two products and these were on a ‘needs’ basis.  A blush because I’m on a quest to find that perfect soft pink shade and a mascara base becuase if $2.80 is all I need to invest to avoid the tedium of false eyelash application then it’s money well spent.

My hands were too hefty and clumsy to do much with the brush that was included in the compact….

I went with the Cheek powder blush because I like self explanatory when it comes to a product name.  There were 3 shades to choose from and I settled on Pink Rosa.  The consistency of the blush is very fine and it dusts on evenly with a standard blush brush.  It’s easy to blend and the end result was a very flattering soft pink with a little shimmer.  The co-ordinating highlighter shade also had a slight shimmer to it as well and also works as a brow highlighter shade.

I’ve been trialling the blush for a week and put it through all my usual day’s activities.  You know, things like staying calm under pressure, or at least looking as if I am.  Not to mention mad dashes up the stairs at work because they’re faster than the lifts or even trying to remain composed behind the wheel in peak hour.  And do you know what?  Cheek stayed put on my cheeks through it all.  Not only that but the thing I feared most from cut price make up, a catastrophic skin reaction, didn’t even happen.

The second product I trialled was this mascara base.  Thankfully, there was some English on the barrel and the packaging to help steer me to the appropriate mascara base for my needs.

‘Volume Up’ was just the ticket for me.  The other version focussed on length and there were other products that aimed to declump already applied mascara.  I’ve been applying a single coat to un-curled lashes (who has the time on a Monday morning?!?!?) before using my usual mascara.  The result has been very pleasing and definitely ‘Volume Up’.  An added bonus is that my mascara doesn’t seem to flake as much using this base.

I’ve set a precedent now with these super cheap make up buys.  Both products have delivered huge bang for buck.  Stay tuned for further Daiso cosmetic reviews!