We all look for beauty products that are affordable, effective and long-lasting however it is difficult to find a range that falls into that category. You may have heard of Lacura Beauty if you are a shopper at superstore chain Aldi, however if you haven’t – then you’re in luck, as I am road-testing every single product in the collection. The very lovely Gabriella from Aldi asked me if I would like to host a ‘girls night in’ and sent me a selection of their wonderful products to try out and report back to you on!
Now, I’d just like to point out before I start – this is NOT a sponsored post by any means. I have not been paid to do this review (nor have I been paid for any post on my site) and although the products were sent to me, I always give an honest and informative review that (hopefully) benefits you when you are next considering a product to buy/test out. I know all too well how annoying it is to buy a product and be disappointed with the result – so hopefully, these reviews will eliminate that problem and provide you with some guidance. * Note before: this is a long, picture heavy post. I have divided it into sections for easy (or easier) reading!
I have previously reviewed a product from Aldi’s beauty range – the Carino Miracle Argan Hair Oil (which you may remember reading). Amazingly, this post is one of the most viewed and well received features on my entire site and unbelievably, the oil has sold out nationwide. There are no plans at the moment to re-stock the oil as it was a ‘special weekly product’, however you will be the first to know if it does go back on the shelves. Anyway, on to the ‘girls night in’ review party. I invited a few friends over to poke, sniff and test out the products – in the hope we would be able to give an overview of the strengths of each product. Considering that they are all priced so afford-ably, I speak for the group when I say that we were extremely impressed with the quality and results of these products.
Lips
The ‘lips’ collection consisted of a lipstick (in shiny peach) and a lip gloss (in gold shimmer). Although I never really venture past clear or slightly pink lip-glosses, I was very impressed by the Gold Shimmer Gloss as it was neither sticky or watery and in fact lasted for over an hour when drinking and eating. Some of the girls weren’t too keen on the colour, as it is quite glittery and shimmery – but obviously there are other colours available and it’s mainly the texture and feel of the gloss that we were more interested in. I personally think that for £1.99 it is a perfectly decent lip gloss that is easy to wear and very affordable.
The lipstick was very impressive, especially the colour as it was a real mix between red and pink – and looked lovely on everyone! It is a really hydrating lipstick, which is important if you (like me) don’t apply Vaseline or lip salve every hour on the hour and therefore don’t have perfectly hydrated, smooth lips. It’s quite an intense colour, but it does last a long time – and does not fade as quickly as other lipsticks tend to.
Eyes
The products for the eyes were probably the most impressive selection from the whole range. The Lacura Caffeine Eye Roll-On product was amazing due to its hydrating and refreshing ingredients which moisturise skin and DO in fact make you feel much more awake and alert. I know many people use eye roll-on products to eliminate dark circles in the morning (and it does do this effectively) but personally I love it because it makes you more energized and refreshed. It sounds silly, because really – the advice is, just get more sleep! But if you are looking for a ‘wake me up’ product, then this is really effective (and affordable too – at just £3.49!).
The Lacura Volume Mascara was also another beauty bargain at just £2.39! Despite it’s low price, it’s honestly one of the best mascaras I have tried in a long time and I personally think it looks far more expensive than it’s price tag. The beeswax ingredient in the product (I can only assume it is this) means that the mascara sticks to your lashes more firmly and lengthens them in a more dramatic and volumised way – but without all the clumping. We all agreed these products were fantastic and definitely in line with other popular make-up brands on the market at the moment. If you are looking to refresh your make-up bag but don’t want to invest a fortune – I definitely would recommend both of these two products a try!
Base/Foundation
Lacura have both a compact powder kit and a foundation, which personally I feel work together to create a great base but aren’t necessarily enough on their own. This may just be a personal preference, as I like to matte my foundation and make sure it is quick thick – so apply both liquid foundation and powder. However, I do believe that you should use a little compact powder alongside liquid foundation to reduce shine and that ‘greasy’ look that some foundations can give.
The foundation (in transparent) did provide some coverage, but probably not the same kind of coverage we were used to – and so ended up slapping loads on. The liquid foundation is £2.39 from Aldi, which I think is reasonable – but I personally prefer the compact powder (again at £2.39) as it offers a little more coverage and really gives you a flawless base to work with. One girl in the group absolutely loved both products and is off to buy both again after finishing using the ones we were sent!
Concealer
The Concealer is also one of the best products in the range and in recent months has been compared to YSL’s Touche Eclat Concealer Pen (which at £25 a pop, is a LOT more expensive than Lacura’s £3.59 version!). It is thick enough to provide useful and natural looking coverage – whilst also being very easy to blend in with your natural skintone. It aims to reflect the light, therefore creating the impression that those bags and dark circles are no longer there at all! It really is a luxury product, without the extortionate price tag.
Hair
Now, whilst we didn’t all wash our hair at the girls night in (for obvious reasons) I did have a little try of some of the Aldi Hair Care range – which is by Carino (the same brand as the Argan Oil – so I had high hopes!). Very suitably I was sent the Colour Protecting range, which is ideal for my hair as I have regular highlights and hate it when they start to fade! Inevitably, I also have fairly dry and a little damaged hair from all the colour treatment – so I was excited to try out what Aldi’s Carino range had to offer. The tub of Carino Colour Protecting Intensive Treatment was probably my favourite product from the collection as it made a real difference to the feel and texture of my hair and definitely made it much shinier and much healthier looking. The Colour Protecting Shampoo and Conditioner were also effective, but if it is immediate results you want – then the tub of Intensive Treatment is definitely what you want!
Skincare
The Lacura Anti-Aging Formula looked a little scary (as at first glance it looks a little like an injection needle) but did provide effective results (obviously I didn’t try this myself but I am going from what my tester has told me!). You simply apply the anti-wrinkle formula morning and night and massage gently into the desired area to stimulate blood flow and relax your facial muscles. It is effective in smoothing your skin and minimizing problem areas on your face, however I think it needs to be road tested for a little longer in order to see lasting results. It is a very highly valued product, especially for it’s price and for £4.99 – you can’t really go wrong.
The majority of us loved the Aqua-Complete Moisturiser however I personally found it quite greasy when applying. After a few minutes it settles and provides a really hydrating finish – however, it does feel a little greasy at first. The product itself and it’s packaging is that of a high end product and the heavy, glass style tub is really impressive. I know it’s not all about the look of the products but I just thought I’d highlight how well this product packaging has been designed – as you really wouldn’t know that it is £1.99!
So overall, we absolutely loved the majority of the products and thoroughly enjoyed testing them out! I just want to say thank you to Gabriella for letting me host a girls night in and voice my opinions of the products on my blog. I hope the review has been informative enough and helps you decide whether the products are worth a try! If you are a shopper in Aldi and normally glance past the beauty aisle as you shop elsewhere, consider how much you might save if you tried one of these lovely products!
