I’ve been a makeup junkie for a few years now. I’ve tried higher-end brands, but the bulk of my makeup has come from the drugstore. I will always be a loyal drugstore cosmetics customer. Some products are hit-or-miss, but others are as good as the pricier brands, if not better. These are the ones I reach for most often. Wet ’n’ Wild ColorIcon eyeshadows and Mega Last lipsticks. Beauty blogs rave about these all the time, but I was skeptical. I'm glad to say they live up to the hype. Apparently the eyeshadow trios and 8-pan palettes are better quality than the 5-pan palettes, so caveat emptor. Silent Treatment is my favorite eyeshadow trio, and Cherry Bomb is my favorite lipstick. I can also verify that Sugar Plum Fairy is a dead-on dupe for MAC Rebel, if you like the look of it.L’Oreal Lineur Intense felt tip eyeliner. This is the only black liquid eyeliner I’ll use. People have asked me if I bought it from Sephora. It’s on the pricier end of the drugstore range, so wait for a sale.NYX powder blushes. Pinched and Desert Rose suit all my needs.Revlon Super Lustrous lipsticks and Colorburst Matte Balms. The matte balms hardly budge, and they feel so much lighter than a traditional matte lipstick. Standout is my go-to red lipstick. As for the Super Lustrous lipsticks, I’ve been using them since high school. The cremes tend to be the best. The texture is nice and buttery, and they look just as lovely as higher-end lipsticks. Cherries in the Snow always puts a smile on my face.Sinful Colors nail polish. My lifestyle is pretty rough on my hands, and these have amazing staying power. Mint Apple is absolutely beautiful. Bonus for any Europeans who may be reading: Misslyn Precise liquid eyeliner is wonderful stuff. A friend sent me Illusionist, a sapphire blue I love to wear when I’m burnt out on black. Which inexpensive cosmetics have been the best for you?
If you go into Groupon's clearance section, they have a cosmetic pallet on sale. I'm going to try it out. Also for a couple days if you put the code SWEET10 on any item $20.00 or more, you get $10.00 taken off at check-out. They have several different options and the brand name is: e.l.f. They advertise 'baked pallets'.
That’s a good deal indeed! I like e.l.f.’s Studio brushes, I haven’t tried any of their baked eyeshadows but I hear they’re quite nice. Another affordable product I forgot to mention was Rimmel’s Lasting Finish by Kate Moss lipstick. I have two from the regular line (09, 11) and one from the matte line (111 Kiss of Life), and they're all gorgeous. 09 is actually my favorite color of all my lipsticks.
They also advertised a 100 piece eye pallet with a 10 piece brush kit set: Face, Blush, Foundation, Brow, Eyelash, Eyeliner, Eye shadow, Concealer, lip, and a smudge eye sponge. I wasn't thinking about purchasing the brushes but now that you said that I think I might. I've also been using a powder make-up that can be used for everything but I don't have all the brushes to apply.
Well, I no longer wear foundation and have started making my own powder but I still buy products for my eyes. I like ELF products a lot. They are really cheap and seem quite adequate. I use the mascara, eyeliner pens, and shadows. I love their brushes. I have one for applying my powder and two different ones for shadows. I use a lot of LA Colors in lipstick, which are definitely cheap but work very well.
These posts are seriously tempting me to try out the e.l.f. baked eyeshadows. My obsession for the last year or so has been lipsticks, but I might be veering toward eyeshadows again. Also, I really like Jordana’s 12 Hour Made to Last eyeliner pencil in Charcoal Definition. Using it today reminded me I neglected to put it on my list. The black one is supposed to be awesome for cheap as well.
I don't wear make-up, only face powder, but the cheapest makeup that I have seen so far are the ones being sold on Ebay. The lipsticks that are usually for auction get sold for only $2 or less. I don't know about the quality though. I hope they aren't that crappy. Maybe for those who need make-up but are on a budget, these are the perfect items for them.
I must say I love department store makeup and nothing makes me happier than buying at places like MAC, Sephora and Macy's. However lately money has been low to say the least, so I've been getting makeup only when I really need them and only when they are affordable. I really like Maybelline and Revlon from the drugstore, and I've actually been pleasantly surprised with Avon eye liner. It's really cheap and does the job. Wet N Wild is also a super cheap brand and their face powder is pretty decent.
I mostly use Maybelline and MAC make-up products. They're not that expensive, but they have got good quality.
I buy ELF shine powder for a $1 at Target. I love it! It helps me from getting super shiny during the summers. I don't even buy foundation anymore. I remember paying $7 for covergirl powder that just made me look like Michael Jackson. This powder is way better!
Unlike Steph, I'm not a huge fan of the ELF powders. They're always too thick and dark for me. The up side is that I love pretty much everything else they have! Their brushes are some of my favorites and I've used their eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, foundation, lotion, lip gloss.... almost everything.
I am in love with Wet 'n' Wild especially their nail polishes and their Mega last lipsticks! Their nail polishes have really good staying power and they're so smooth and easy to put on. They have really beautiful colors as well. They're so inexpensive that my aunt buys me tons and I don't even feel guilty! Their mega last lipsticks are life. The first one I bought was 'Cherry Bomb' and it is killer. I wear that when I really need a confidence boost or whenever I feel fierce. It's a really nice dark shade and every time I wear it, my friend would always compliment me saying "I love it! It looks like you're ready to kill someone fashionably." Hoping to buy more shades soon! Maybelline has really nice mascaras. I currently have their 'Falsies' mascara and it amazes me how much volume and length it gives! It really sticks to its name, it really does look like I have fake eyelashes on. It takes me a few coats to achieve a really nice 'falsies' effect but I don't really mind. It beat having to put fake eyelashes for me. ELF has always been wonderful and I agree that their brushes are really nice. I have their concealer palette right now and it's nice and it has amazing staying power! The only products I didn't like from them are their eyeliner (it ran out a week after I used it), brown mascara (it was so thick and chunky I couldn't use it for my eyelashes. It makes a great substitute for an eyebrow mascara though!) and their bronzer that gives off more shine than shadow.
I really like L'Oreal's mascaras, especially the Manga Eyes collection thing. I like NYX and their matte lip creams and slim lip pencils. I also really like L.A. Girl's glazed lip paint collection. Their colors are so highly pigmented and bright. I also like Wet N Wild's eyeliner, because it doesn't rub off easily and its very black.
