Student Style: Orlando Checks Out Penneys Beauty Buys

When you’re scraping your last sheckels together in a frugal fit, you might as well spend them on a birra sparkle to brighten up your day … and where better to grab inordinate amounts of beauty swag for a pittance, than Penneys. The Benefit-tastic packaging and quirky names have endeared Penneys products to me since they overhauled their range. I had a gander at a few bits and bobs – for research purposes, natch.

Up first was the Little Glow Cheek block blusher in Sun Blush, €3.50. As knockoffs go, this looks like a Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick – but the blusher itself is crap, with a capital Useless. The five strips of colour, from a cream to a deep, pinky brown, dissolved to monotone glitter when applied. Not a winner for me.

Whip Lash Volume and Curl mascara, a black-brown in a squeezy tube, first caught my eye for the novelty factor. I actually think you’d get the most out of your product if you could squidge it around. For less than €3, this is a passable daytime mascara, so give it a lash (ahem).

Shimmer and Glow face and body bronzer was next on the list. A leopard-print, sand and pink spotted bronzer, this was so pretty that it made me break my golden rule (oh, the puns keep rolling!) of Never Ever Wearing Bronzer, EVER. It was a big mistake. The gold and pink were stamped ever so lightly over the surface of the bronzer without actually continuing beneath, which is one of my biggest beauty peeves. I looked like I had painted my face in dark brown mud, no matter how lightly I applied it.

The pièce de résistance was definitely the eyeshadow range. Oh, ladies! I cannot praise the Magneteyes Metallic Wet and Dry eyeshadows, in Jade and Sapphire, too highly. Applied dry, the sheen is metallic without being harsh and the pigmentation is really impressive. Wet, I nearly wanted to paint my entire face with them when my eyes were complete. I’m a fan of greeny-blue shades for eyes anyway, but for €2.50 a pop, you can’t go wrong with these.