Makeup Values!!

Hey guys! One of my friends asked me a few weeks ago to write a blog on affordable makeup.

Sorry it took so long! I did use that time to find some new, cool things though! :)
Many of the items pictured below were $1, $3 or $4. Some were regular priced, some were on sale or I used coupons.

Best Values:

One of my new favorite finds is e.l.f. cosmetics. E.l.f. sells everything from brushes and lash curlers, to acne treatments, to makeup, including foundation, blush, eye shadows, mascaras, lip gloss, and lipstick. They really have everything you need for your eyes, lips, and face, as promised. The best part: most items are $1 or $3! So far, I’ve tried their complexion brush (which I actually use for blush and bronzer), lip glosses, eye shadow primer, and “zit zapper”. I’m impressed with all of their products. I love their lip glosses- they’re not too sticky and they are well pigmented. I finally found the perfect shade of pink I’ve been searching for for years (literally years). It’s called Dragonfruit. This brand is the only eyelid primer I’ve ever used, so I have nothing to compare it to, but I’ll give it credit—it definitely makes the eye shadow stick! Their “zit zapper” is an acne spot treatment made of salicylic acid and tea tree oil. Surprisingly, it doesn’t stink and I’m pleased with the results. In Lynchburg, this brand is only found at Target. Click here to learn where to find e.l.f. cosmetics in your area: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/storelocator.asp

The other product I would rank as best value is my Innovative Cosmetics makeup kit (pictured below). Aaron bought it at Belk for $9. It contains 96 eye shadows, 64 thick and pigmented lip glosses, and 12 blushes/bronzers. It also contains a mirror and kind of crappy brushes (I don’t use them). These are great eye shadows. Huge variety of colors. Great staying power. Seriously pigmented.

***************************************************************************************

Makeup brushes:

I think the best bang for your buck for eye shadow brushes is the Sonia Kashuk kit from Target. It is $4 and includes a large lid brush, crease brush, angled brush, smudger, sponge-tip applicator, and a mirrored traveling case. The nest best would be e.l.f., ranking at $1 each. They do have longer handles than the Sonia Kashuk brushes though. Brushes definitely apply eye shadow better than those spongy things that come with most eye shadows.

******************************************************************************

Foundation/Concealer:

Revlon Colorstay foundation is absolutely my favorite of ALL. I’ve tried the drugstore brands- Maybelline, Cover Girl, Almay, and I’ve tried the more expensive brands- Clinique, Bare Minerals, Lancome. They all pale in comparison. A lot of people compare this to MAC Studio Fix foundation, but it’s a fraction of the price. It lasts ALLLLLL day. Seriously. Put it on at 8am and It’ll still be looking fresh when you wash it off at night! They have two formulas, one for combination/oily skin (mine) and one for normal/dry skin. It’s about $12 at Target, but they almost always have $3 off coupons taped to the lids. They last for months. I also like their Age Defying under-eye concealer. Caution: keep it away from your waterline and tear ducts—it will burn and make your eyes run. No clumps, caking, or flaking. I think it was about $9…. Then $3 off that.

***********************************************************************************

Best places to buy makeup:

Target, sometimes good sales. CVS, get Extra Care Bucks on makeup all the time or join their beauty club. But the best deal of all is the Dollar Tree. They get Maybelline makeup by the truckload and it ends up being like 1/6 of the cost of superstores. And always use coupons!!

Tip: If your eyebrows are crooked or sparse like mine, don’t bother with expensive, waxy brow pencils. Use a little brown shadow on an angled brush to even them out. Key word there is LITTLE. Don’t make yourself look like you have Mia Thermopolis eyebrows :)

If you have any questions about quality/value or if you’d like to suggest other brands, leave a comment below. :)