A few weeks ago, on a Thursday morning I was asked to attend a new beauty launch at the Hari hotel in Knightsbridge. Knowing what my job is this is no unordinary occurrence, however three things had piqued my interest in this particular launch. 1. The range was vegan beauty. 2. The price was suspiciously low and 3. Sainsbury’s formulated it.
Supermarkets have been offering lacklustre and diluted makeup ranges for as long as I can remember. Often, I swing by the beauty aisle with my avocados and oat milk for a quick nosey at what they had to offer, perhaps hoping to unearth some £1.99 gem that would take YouTube by storm. Alas no such luck, yet.
After a delicious vegan breakfast at the Hari along with 10 other bloggers I was introduced to the new and expanded Boutique makeup range, available exclusively at Sainsbury’s, in store from 23 September 2018. We were shown the makeup in action on the faces of girls by make-up artist, Karen Alder. The girls looked absolutely flawless.
Supermarket makeup?
There is often an air of snobbery and pretention around makeup brands formulated by anyone other than designer brands and dedicated makeup brands and I won’t lie, I was dubious myself. Supermarket ranges I’ve seen in the past lacked inspiration, innovation and were rarely trend led.
I don’t think I am I wrong in saying that today’s woman expects a little more than a powder pressed coloured cosmetic that has longevity? We want formulations that are flexible, buildable, kind to skin (sometimes demanding those added skin benefits too). And today we are increasing our daily product line up to include highlighters, primers and 1 (or maybe 2 if you’re like me) brow products! And on top of it all, the demand for more conscious cosmetics is growing FAST.
I had high hopes for this launch, which promised to be a real trend-led offering in a great breadth of shades for all base products. So, what’s new about this new and improved Boutique range? Everything you need to know is below including my favs from the collection that are worth picking up on your next shop.
A larger cruelty free range
Notably, Boutique has increased the range from 80 products to 116 and the collection is all cruelty free (with the Leaping Bunny stamp of approval) with everything being vegan with the exception of 2 products that have beeswax in them.
A little added extra
Most of the products have a little added extra for the skin; like the Illuminating Drops (one of my fav products), which have soothing Aloe Vera in them. The Flawless Hydrating Primer has Hyaluronic acid and vitamin B to maintain moisture balance under makeup and the lipstick line contains peptides and jojoba oil for softness. Pretty good for prices that start from £2!
Trend led makeup for less
Fairly the range may surprise the traditional “Sainsbury’s” shopper who might, as an afterthought, swing down the makeup isle looking for a new nondescript pink lippy. The range contains contour sticks, Holographic lip & eye toppers for creating multi-dimensional eye looks, Long Lasting Eyebrow Tattoo tints in 2 shades.
My top picks
Long-lasting Eyebrow Tattoo
I have been meaning to try one of these quickie at home brow tints for the longest time! This one comes in 2 shades and I was BOLD and used the darkest tint. It came out very dark (just how I like it!) after 10 mins even though it recommends 20. I’d advise doing a test for a shorter amount of time and seeing how the colour turns out before committing to the whole 20 mins. NB. You can leave it on up to an hour for a super dark tint.
Holographic Lip and Eye Toppers
I’m seeing a huge lean towards more viscous, wet look makeup finishes for the eye and lip in recent months so it’s nice to see the Boutique range offering something so trendy. The longwear formula glides on to eyes and lips and dries down into a long wear setting. You can layer up the product for a more intense look and you can also wear alone as a wash of colour. It’s a really good example of the transformable, flexible style of makeup women are looking for today. My FAVOURITE is the bright copper shade, so beaut for blue eyes.
Illuminating drops
This is probably my most fav product from the collection, everyone at the event was drawn to these drops in a small glass dropper bottle that are, in my opinion, MUCH better than other illuminating drops on the market. The cooling Aloe formula is way more wearable, not as glittery and intense so you can build the product up on the cheekbones for a dewy, fresh, light catching GLOW. It’s a beautiful sheen on the skin – no shimmer. It’s also subtle enough to drop into moisturiser and foundation for a natural all over glow, nothing fake or over the top. It also applied really nicely dabbed on top the centre of the nose, the brow bones and cupids bow with a wet sponge applicator.
So next time you’re at Sainsbury’s for your dinner ingredients (or don’t even wait til next time get down there now!) have a little swing by the Boutique range and pick up a new mascara and a fresh nude for autumn and then because everything starts from £2 and is under a tenner, might as well treat yourself to a little highlight and a freshly tinted set of brows!
Products are available at Sainsburys.co.uk and at Sainsbury’s stores nationwide. Visit the new Boutique microsite to see all the products here: https://www.beautybyboutique.co.uk/
Want more beauty content? Click here.
*This post was written in partnership with Sainsbury’s.
Be the first to write a comment.