The new budget beauty brand that could replace your designer haul

Who doesn’t love a good budget beauty buy? These days there are plenty of great brands out there offering more bang for your buck and they’re getting better and better in terms of quality, packaging, pigment and finish.

Here at Beaut, we’re big fans of budget beauty brands such as Rimmel, Catrice, Sleek and Essence. Now there’s a new kid on the block that’s set to rival these, in a big way. Yes, it’s time to make room in your makeup bag for L.O.V cosmetics.

If you haven’t heard of them before, not to worry. We hadn’t either. The brand is new to Ireland having launched a few weeks ago in Shaws Department stores and selected pharmacies nationwide, including McCauleys and Lloyds.

Prices range from €4.95 to €16, so won’t break the bank (yay!). Overall, the look and feel of the products is much more high end than you’d expect for the price point. Aesthetically, L.O.V is geared towards the 25+ market, so you won’t find any brash, tween style products in there, just sleek black packaging that is a little reminiscent of Chanel or Bobbi Brown.

On first inspection, the LOViconyx eye palette (€15.95) really stands out, as does the beautiful red nail polish. They're great dupes for Hourglass and Marc Jacobs respectively, I’m hoping. I’ll do a full review of the EVENelixir Serum Foundation (€14.95) but the texture feels really lovely so watch this space.

Similarly, I’m looking forward to testing out the Forbidden Dramatic Volume Mascara (€9.95) to see how it stacks up against the likes of Bourjois and Maybelline’s cult favourites.

Aside from a full collection of cosmetics, L.O.V also has a limited edition brush collection out at the moment, too. Made from synthetic hair, you can use them for either cream or powder products. The collection includes:

• Foundation brush (€9.95)
• Concealer brush (€6.95)
• Duo eyeshadow brush (€6.95)
• A fluffy powder brush (€8.95)

I’ll be honest, these won’t rival the likes of MAC or Shu Uemura brushes, but for the price point, they seem really good. I like the added details of the embossed handles and there’s a decent weight to them too. I’ll report back when I’ve played around with them more. For now, though, I'm pleased to see another budget friendly option out there.

Have you tried any of the L.O.V collection yet? Will you be keeping an eye out?