Four Top Quality & Affordable Makeup Brands in South Africa

Recently, I seem to be drawn more and more to store brand beauty and makeup products and I'm beginning to realize with each day how misguided we are in terms of the make of products that we keep in our private collections. Most makeup artists and even prospective clients turn their noses down at anything other than Mac and Kryolan....myself included. Truthfully speaking, in the past few years, I would not have even considered swatching ANY other brand except Mac. After spending thousands of rands on brand named items, I became a lot more disillusioned in my beliefs as I encountered items that did not meet my expectations and which left me totally disappointed and regretful that I had spent so much on them only for it to be tossed at the back of my drawer never to be used again:(

Now I get an unusual high when I get 2, 3 or even 4 products for the price of what I would normally pay for just 1.

Here is a list of store brand makeup or beauty products that you should seriously consider experiencing. It's definitely worth the try... Being a once upon a time self confessed, die hard Mac fan, I can safely state that the products that I have tried and liked are comparable in every way...quality, duration of wear, pigmentation, texture and application.

My 4 top favorite affordable, quality makeup brands in SA.

The first brand that makes my list is:

Essence Cosmetics

I love the fact that the Essence range is extensive and well thought of it includes everything that you
would ever need- from eyebrow stencil kits to trios and quad eyeshadow palettes. Whatever I have
tried thus far has exceeded my expectations and I honestly cannot figure out how this awesome brand had escaped my makeup radar. They can be purchased at Clicks and The Hub stores.

WOW Cosmetics

Super, super cheap range of quality products catering for all ages and skin types. Here again, the range extends from makeup brushes to eyeliner stickers and ANYTHING else in-between. Am LOVING the range of lipsticks(have 19 colors out of the 30 some odd shades in the moisture range). The gel liners are TO DIE for. I have just placed an order for 12 of their single eyeshadows. Oh, and did I mention their range of eyelashes??? Need I say more??? I didn't think so....! WOW cosmetics is available in Durban only through private agents at the moment. There possibly are a few pharmacies that stock them but I am not really aware of which ones.

NYX

A brand boasting an extensive range of makeup goodies as well. The color range of their eyeshadows and lipsticks are endless and what I especially like about this brand is that they are often introducing combo editions that keeps their fans waiting and guessing. They are a little higher priced than Essence and WOW cosmetics....with good reason I suppose. There are a lot of NYX eyeshadows whose colors very closely resemble Mac eyeshadow shades so if you are finding that Mac is not within your budget range, check out our Mac/NYX dupes. Their quality also is something worth raving about. The only place that I have seen NYX products is at Clicks.

Catrice Cosmetics

I have very recently discovered Catrice whilst browsing through a local Hub store. I am simply taken by their eyeshadows and they are priced from R39 for 2gr of product. I was very attracted to the
texture and pigmentation of their products and will be posting reviews of my purchases in a few days. Their prices are so reasonable that you can have the luxury of experimenting with many of their products without feeling guilty. Catrice is a 'sister brand' to Essence cosmetics and are available at Clicks and selected Hub and Dischem Pharmacies.

So far, these are my 4 favorites that top my list and I'm hoping to add more along the way. If you know of other worthy products, give me a shout out so we can share them with the rest....

Review: Catrice Eyeshadows(420- Talk Like an Egyptian, 640- Don't Touch my Mosserati)

I've always been an eyeshadow gal and I can never resist the temptation to buy when I come across a good brand that offers quality and affordability. I usually end up with many similar shades of eyeshadows made by different companies simply because I just cannot resist them. Tempting my weak sense of makeup willpower is another brand that I have recently discovered- CATRICE. Catrice is the 'sister' brand of Essence which was launched by ex Miss South Africa Cindy Nel and her husband Clive Roberts. Now Essence has been a hit ever since it was launched here in 2009 and I can see that Catrice is going to be giving it some stiff competition. Both products are European brands and we can all breathe a sigh of relief as that eliminates the 'made in China' phobias.

Like Essence, Catrice offers an extensive range of makeup products which are priced well below the budget of the average buyer. It's a very trend focused brand that revises their range every 6 months and releases one trend edition every month to keep up with the ever changing trends. Once a color is taken off the shelf, the chances of a reappearance is very slim- so if you see something that you are super impressed with, purchase backups upon backups as you may never be able to set your hands on it again- and with their crazy low prices, you certainly will be able to afford many backup purchases for future use, lol. Their products are of premium quality and are not tested on animals.

I purchased 2 of their eyeshadows a week ago despite me having so many of those colors already in my collection.

The Price:  R34.95 for 2gr and it has a shelf life of 24 months

The Product

• 420- Talk Like An Egyptian: which is a pearly beige gold color. It feels a bit sheer but when packed on with a brush, has good color payoff. It's excellent for creating a shimmery, luminescent sheen on the eyelid and can be paired beautifully with almost any other color. It's perfect to use as a highlighter on the brow one and on the inner 1/3rd of the eye.
• 640- Don't Touch My Mosserati: this is a rich dark green with shimmery gold specks. It picks up effortlessly and applies like heaven. Once it's packed on, the gold specks even out leaving you with an intense pearly green color with a goldish undertone that dances in the moving light. It kind of reminds me of the 'mother of Pearl' effect without the multi colored hue.

Swatches

Pros

• I love the packaging- very elegant looking. The eyeshadows come in a transparent case without any distractions of labels and images allowing you to appreciate the color the minute you lay your eyes on them and without you having to open it.
• It has a luxurious, soft, velvety feel to your touch.
• A firm, single swipe is all it takes to pack on the color.
• It is extremely blend-able and lasts the whole day with an eyeshadow primer.
• It is intensely pigmented.
• It is very affordable- the price is definitely not an indication of its quality.

Cons

• There is heavy shimmer fall out from the gold shadow- which I couldn't remove as I had already applied my foundation. Although on the lid, I loved the shimmery effect, under the eye area, it was a nightmare. To overcome this, apply a thick layer of powder under the eyes and once you are done, use a fan brush to clean up. Leave foundation application for after applying the eyeshadow.
• Be wary...u might develop a strong addiction!!! They've got me addicted and I can't help purchasing LOTS more from their product range...