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If you were to ask me what I thought of the Boots-owned cosmetics brand Natural Collection, I’d tell you it’s a great budget beauty brand… But if you were to ask me on a deeper level, I’d say that Natural Collection is just about where all of this – my blog – really started. It was one of the first brands I reviewed with my Sunday wages from Boots, and my love letter to the brand when it got a mini revamp in 2018 is still live. I’ve been using their OG tinted brow gel for over eight years and for me, their affordability, commitment to natural ingredients and sustainability makes them a really important and accessible brand for beauty fans young and more experienced.
Earlier this year, Natural Collection officially re-launched their purse-friendly range, bringing out more than 100 new cosmetic lines, refreshing old favourites while introducing new lightweight, wearable and easy to use products that fit effortlessly into your everyday routine.
And while the products have undoubtedly levelled up – particularly since their 1988 launch – one thing is unchanged. Natural Collection remains as one of the most affordable budget beauty brands on the market, with every single product priced at £5 or below. Plus Advantage Card holders can enjoy 10 per cent off the full range, in-store and online, making them even cheaper.
Natural by name and natural by nature, the brand is now crafted with over 90% natural origin ingredients, with all product packaging fully recyclable and made from a minimum of 30% recycled materials. It’s also vegan and cruelty-free, with Boots having been approved by Cruelty Free International’s Leaping Bunny programme across its own-brand cosmetics and personal care range.
From beautiful base products to their iconic mono shadows, here’s what I thought of the new and updated Natural Collection range:
Natural Collection Primers – £5 each
There are three Natural Collection primers to choose from, including shine control, illuminating and blurring, so you can personalise your beauty routine for the desired finish. Each one of them comes out white, but each has a distinct texture and finish on the skin. Made with chamomile extract, the primers boast a range of skincare benefits, from cleansing and moisturising, to helping soften, brighten and balance the skin while helping battle blemishes.
Each of these primers has earned a spot in my regular routines, and I use them intuitively depending on how my skin is feeling or how I want my makeup to look. Sometimes, I even use them strategically in targeted areas for a triple-threat approach.
The shine control primer is a game-changer for oily skin and can help keep shine at bay for up to eight hours. I use it mostly on my forehead, and love that it controls oil without feeling heavy on my skin, and the light consistency means it spreads quite far, too. Meanwhile, the blurring primer is incredibly hydrating and perfect for days when my skin needs a bit of TLC. It melts into my complexion and helps my skin tint stay put, giving a soft focus effect that’s ideal for those areas where you want to minimise pores and texture – for me, that’s across my nose.
And last but not least, there’s the Illuminating Primer, which creates a smooth base, whilst boosting your skin’s radiance. A lot of illuminating primers are tinted or contain shimmer, so this is a great alternative if you just want a really fresh, natural glow.
Natural Collection Setting Powder – £4
Lightweight and silky, this setting powder is made with natural mica to help set makeup for up to eight hours. It can be applied with either a brush or a powder puff, and while it effectively eliminates shine and is ideal for throwing in your bag for on-the-go touch ups, for my pale skin, the translucent option is still a little too warm-toned. I find it adds unwanted pigment to my undereyes, and there are other powders I reach for more frequently, but that’s not to say it’s not perfect for someone with a warmer complexion than I.
Natural Collection Concealer – £4
Potentially my favourite of the new Natural Collection products is this concealer – it’s certainly my most used, and has fast become my everyday weapon for disguising my dark circles. Creamy and blendable, it provides light to medium coverage while delivering a radiant finish. I’ve typically used brightening concealers in the past, but I’ve found the shade 2N to be perfect for colour-correcting and covering blemishes. It effortlessly melts into my skin without sinking into any creases and once blended, is practically undetectable making it perfect for those no makeup makeup days where to just want to look a little fresher and more awake.
Natural Collection Skin Tint – £5
For a natural, dewy look, this skin tint is fantastic. It provides sheer to light coverage, which is just enough to even out my complexion while still letting my skin breathe. 2024 really is the year of the skin tint, and this ultra-hydrating formula gives such a healthy-looking appearance without being heavy or cakey. It feels completely weightless but has some buildability to it if you want more coverage. Although a little thicker than some of the other skin tints on the market, it’s still a great choice for everyday wear, or for say, a summer holiday when you don’t want too much product on your face during the day.
Natural Collection Blusher – £3
I typically lean towards cream blush products, but I’ve found that the Natural Collection blusher is really nice for when I fancy a bit of a change or for layering over the top of a cream product to almost ‘set’ it. It’s ultra fine made with natural mica and meadowfoam seed oil which provides that healthy looking glow and comes in three super wearable and natural colours: peony, peach echo and honeysuckle. The silky texture melts into the skin to make your complexion pop, leaving you feeling naturally flushed.
Natural Collection Clear Mascara – £3
It’s no secret that the Natural Collection tinted brow gel has been my ride or die brow product for the last eight years. Sadly, it looks as though it’s going to be discontinued, so I purchased 34 of them, in order to give me plenty of time to find a worthy alternative. Replacing it in the new range is the Natural Collection Clear Mascara and Brow Gel, which comes in at £3. The clear multipurpose gel formula is perfect for lashes and brows, designed to keep them in place to create that natural look. It’s got a great brush applicator for precision, and while it works well on my freshly-laminated brows, I don’t think the hold is strong enough for unruly or coarse hair, and, being clear, it also doesn’t offer that colour pay off I loved so much about the OG. I will never stop waxing lyrical about this brow gel so I really hope Natural Collection considers bringing one out in the future.
Natural Collection Eyeshadow – £2.50
The eyeshadow monos are to Natural Collection what Dream Matte Mousse is to Maybelline. The epitome of nostalgia, these singular eyeshadows come in a variety of wearable shades perfect for everyday use. Coming in matte and metallic finishes, they deliver great pigmentation and staying power without creasing, and can be used to create a selection of looks from subtle daytime vibes to a more glam, evening look.
Natural Collection Lengthening Mascara – £3
Reviewing the old iteration of Natural Collection’s lengthening mascara, I said I wasn’t a fan of the ‘spoolie-type wand’, and now the new version boasts a comb applicator, which is my preferred style – though it has caused some upset among those who loved the original. Available in black or brown, it does a great job at catching every lash to leave them long and fluttery, while the conditioning chamomile extract allows them to remain feeling flexible. But while I’m much more a fan of the wand this time around, I have got an issue with the packaging, with the squeezy tube seeming a little impractical. That said, I do like that it’s on the smaller side because it doesn’t give the formula a chance to dry out before you can finish it.
Natural Collection Lip products – from £2.50
I think the biggest range of products Natural Collection has launched is in the lip category, with a range of lipsticks, lip liners, glosses and tinted lip balms to choose from. Starting with liners, these come in at £2.50 with six shades to choose from. I thought Spice might have been a budget-friendly alternative to MAC’s liner of the same name, and while they’re not particularly similar, Natural Collection’s is still a really versatile everyday liner that pairs well with a range of nude lipsticks.
Lipsticks also come in six shades, priced at £3.50 – I’ve tried both Cranberry and Spiced Apple, which are a pinkish-red and warm toned nude respectively. This creamy lipstick is made with coconut and vegetable oil keeping those lips moisturised and comfortable to wear all day long, and the colour payoff is so impressive for such an affordable product.
I have to say I’ve not used the gloss as much as I have some of the others, but it’s also made with coconut and vegetable oil, giving it more of a gloss-lip oil hybrid feel on the lips that’s non-sticky. But the tinted lip balms? They’re incredible. Coming in peach, apple and raspberry, there’s something so incredibly nostalgic about them. Made with coconut, olive and plant oil, they’re hydrating your lips and add a very subtle touch of colour that adds a fun twist to my lip care routine.
Natural Collection Prep & Set Spray – £5
I feel like you can never have too many setting sprays and this £5 option from Natural Collection may not be my favourite for grip and hold, but it is a frontrunner when it comes to hydration. This prep and set spray is made with chamomile extract for a refreshing and hydrating feel. The breathable spray can be used under your make up to prep the skin, or over to leave you with that dewy finish. I also like to use it to drench my beauty blender to help with blending my base makeup. It’s also great for throwing in your handbag to mist throughout the day.
Overall I’ve been really pleased to see Natural Collection make this grand return. They’ve not only curated a selection of cosmetics to work with your natural beauty, but also maintained their values of affordability and sustainability without compromising on quality. From soft and timeless hues to a touch of colour, there’s some real hero products in this collection that have worked their way into my go-tos and I’m very much looking forward to this accessible beauty brand being around for many years to come. Shop the collection here.
