Make up is expensive. Let’s not beat around the bush. Make-up isn’t all cheap, and it’s one of those things that I’m not sure should be, but you can keep up a make-up routine on a budget. There are a few ways that I do beauty on a budget, without completely sacrificing quality. Here are a few of my beauty products that don’t break my budget.
E.L.F. Blush: Has a rosy pink blush, a gold bronze, a dark bronzer, and a light powder for highlighting. For $3 at my local grocery store, it is quite the bargain! I use it to contour or sometimes I just swirl my brush in all of it, to get a bit of color for an everyday look.
E.L.F. Eye Palette: I got this eye shadow palette at a Ross about a year ago for… I’m not sure the exact price but it was under $5. I’ve had it for awhile, which is why it’s pretty grimy looking, sorry! It has a lot of colors for any occasion. E.L.F. brand is so amazing because it’s basics for cheap. I use a few of the metal and nude tones quite frequently, for my everyday work make up. I’m a nudes and naturals kind of gal myself, preferring browns and golds to anything else.
Not Your Mother’s Smooth Moves Frizz Control Hair Cream: I used to use Redken’s Ultimate Blow-Dry Lotion which comes with a price, a $18 a bottle price at Ulta. When my last bottle ran dry it seemed so silly to spend so much money on a hair product when I am budgeting my money everywhere else. I’ve looked for different products but I could never find anything that was the same type of texture and result. I don’t do gels or mousse or “leave-in” conditioner (it makes my hair too oily), so when I found hair “cream” at about $5 and took a chance, I was very happy. This brand always has yummy, fresh smelling products that are linger the perfect amount.
Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Refreshing Dry Shampoo: This dry shampoo smells so good, way better than any other that I’ve tried. It also doesn’t leave very much white residue when I spray from an arms length or closer. It is a great bargain at about $5, and lasts forever (this is the only bottle I’ve owned since I found it last year). I have pretty oily hair because it’s very soft, straight, and silky…. meaning I tend to touch it a lot. My secret to using it is that I use the dry shampoo at night! Before I put it in a braid to sleep, I spray it down like crazy with this stuff, and the next day it just needs a little brushing and ta-da!
Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray: I have been reading a lot of reviews about beach sprays but have been feeling very skeptical because I have the world’s straightest hair. You can knot, braid, twist, or bun it and it just pops right back out. So needless to say, beach spray does not work on me like it works on everyone else. I do like it however, because when I have a nice high pony or my hair is falling extra flat, it gives the ends great texture. It smells great at the same time and makes me feel like I could be at the beach (if only). This brand is just a great bargain because this small size was about $3, the larger one being about $5.
ULTA Eye Crayon in Black Tie: I love ULTA. Trips there are very dangerous for your wallet because they have both high-end products next to drugstore-priced ones. I have found great results with ULTA brand products. Along with this liner/stick I’ve bought their face wipes, bronzer (which would be here but I lost it), tinted balm, nail polish (haven’t tried it yet), and eye-shadow. These ULTA eye crayons aren’t just for liner and come in a variety colors. I’m sure that you could use the others as eyeshadow and would make the smoky eye easy. But I use this black one as eyeliner. It is pretty heavy but goes on very smooth and creamy. Comes in at $8.00 but is almost always in a BOGO sale.
Ulta Eye Shadow in Lustre: ULTA almost always has some kind of “buy one get one” or “buy two get one” deal going on with their make-up products. These sales are the perfect opportunity to stock up on great eye-shadow colors. This one is my favorite because it is the base color I use pretty much everyday. It’s got a bit of shimmer but otherwise it blends perfectly into a darker bronze color to make a dimensional daytime look. In stores at $7.00, but worth it in the sale!
Maybelline Mineral Powder Foundation: This product is an example of one of my clearance sale finds. I love finding things with the little 75% off sticker, like this one had! Almost all my nail polishes are from a clearance bin, because why pay $9 for nail polish or $15 for foundation when you can get them at a big discount if you look for them! I am not a big fan of heavy foundation, so these mineral powder things work perfectly. They feel light and don’t give me cake face and are so very easy to apply. Always look for clearance stickers in the aisle and clearance end-caps in larger stores!
Travel or Trial Size Products: I love trial size products, especially (as you can see) Redken. Buying trial size products is good for two money-saving reasons; trying out a product and buying an occasional use product. Out of these, the Redken Powder Refresh dry shampoo, NYM’s Beach Spray, and Redken Blown Away gel were bought so I could try the product without committing to a large, expensive bottle. I don’t love the Redken dry shampoo because it smells strongly of hair salon smell, and I’d rather have something much more subtle. The other items, like the Redken Quick Tease and Victoria’s Secret Sexy Little Things perfume, are items that I don’t use everyday and knew that I could save a few bucks by getting a smaller size. I tend to find something, and use it everyday, so small items for special occasions are way more cost efficient for me.
Chelsea in Texas 