LATE LAST MONTH, Penneys launched their fancy new PS Pro beauty range to great excitement from beauty nerds and bargain hunters alike.
The collection is only available in four Dublin stores at the moment (Mary Street, O’Connell Street, Blanchardstown and Dundrum) with prices ranging from €2.50 to €5.
So what’s the scéal? Is it worth your hard-earned? I tried ten products from the range to find out.
1. Longwear Mineralized Foundation, €5
This foundation comes in five shades (Ivory, Porcelain, Warm Beige, Rich Beige and Chestnut) and has buildable, medium to full coverage that does well to cover spots and redness. The SPF 15 is also a welcome addition, and look at that lovely bottle! Kudos, Penneys.
As for the ‘longwear’ claims? Sadly, it didn’t last on my oily T-zone, and my red nose had poked through by the end of the day. Normal to dry skins should fare much better. 7/10
2. CC Concealer Palette, €5
Here’s a cheap way to try out the colour correcting trend taking over Instagram – the yellow cream is for dark circles, while the green is for redness.
The concealers are a bit on the greasy side, and the darkest shade is still too light for deeper skin tones – but it can be used as a cream contouring shade for pale gals. 7/10
3. Longwear Graphic Liner Pen, €3
This liner pen goes on very black, which is more than I can say for most of the others on the market.
However, the permanent marker-like tip is way too thick to achieve a precise line. Perfect for massive Amy Winehouse wings, yes, but there will be no subtle cat eye here. 3/10
4. High Definition Mascara, €4
This promises ‘ultra volume and lift’ and it certainly follows through on the latter. My eyelashes were HEAVY with product.
The more I tried to comb it through, the heavier it got, until it looked like I had just a single thick, black eyelash. Not for me. 2/10
5. Eyeliner Corrector Pen, €3
Finally, salvation for us with shaky hands. The firm felt tip enables you to get a cleaner line than you would with a regular makeup remover-soaked q-tip. Definitely a handy little gadget to have in your makeup bag. 10/10
6. HD Brows Longwear Eyebrow Pen in Cara and Brooke, €3
Upon seeing this eyebrow marker, I was immediately concerned that it would apply like an actual marker, leaving me with a boxy Scouse brow.
With a light hand, the darker shade (Cara) manged to subtly fill in my gappy eyebrows – but it won’t be replacing my more precise brow pencil. Soz. 5/10
7. Ultra Shine Lip Gloss, €3
I got two shades – Bombshell Pink (a nude) and Supermodel Nude (weirdly, a bright pink). Neither are very pigmented but they smell like candyfloss, so that’s a win in my books.
Compared to the Dealz lip gloss I reviewed last week, this is much easier to apply and a more comfortable gloss to wear, and not sticky at all. 8/10
8. Rich Colour Lipstick in Midnight Crimson, €3
This shade got me very excited when I saw it in the tube, where it appears to be a deep red with brown undertones. Unfortunately, it’s definitely not as dramatic on the lips as it appears at first glance.
Saying that, it’s still a lovely berry red colour with a very comfortable, semi-matte finish. 7/10
9. Longwear Lip Liner Pens in Provocative Pink and Midnight Crimson, €2.50
Again with the felt tips! The hallmark of this collection. These aren’t your traditional lip liners – the tip is fine enough for precise application, and you’re left with a lip stain that will not budge.
They’re probably best used to intensify a lip colour – the Midnight Crimson lip marker pairs with the lipstick above to create the very colour I thought it would be in the tube. 9/10
10. Lip Primer with Vitamin E, €3
I admit I was a bit sceptical about the idea of a ‘lip primer’. I normally prep my lips with balm before applying lipstick, so how could it be any different to that?
Well, it kind of is – it goes on completely transparent, and leaves a dry yet slightly tacky base that act as an anchor for colour. My lipstick applied perfectly and very comfortably over the top, and I ate my words. 8/10
VERDICT
Is the PS Pro range as professional as the title suggests? Not really, but the packaging is sleek and stylish and the prices are hard to beat. My picks are the foundation, the lip glosses, and the lip liner pens.
