Affordable Makeup Series | Beauty and Fashion Tech

Jul 9, 2012

Makeup Wars: The $20 Makeup Challenge

July 9, 2012 By Carleenp 23 Comments

The Makeup Wars group is at it again, this time with the $20 makeup challenge. The premise behind the challenge is that you have lost your makeup and have only $20 to replace it. What do you do? It started as a YouTube tag meme and we decided to blog it. I also did a video given that it started with the video bloggers.

I went shopping at Target for the challenge and came out with $19.74 in products. I had a few nice surprises in these, and a good number of duds. Here are the products used and my thoughts on them.

(1) Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation, in 120 Ivory, $4.99: This is an SPF 15 foundation with “smart-tone technology” whatever that might be. When I first applied it, it seemed a bit cakey and oily and coverage was just so-so. I liked it much better when I put powder over it later. I spent extra on foundation and skimped in other areas hoping for a better product and I don’t know that I got it. I also could not find any verification that it was oil free and, based on its feel, I don’t know that it is. I wouldn’t buy it again.

(2) e.lf. Clarifying Pressed Powder: , $1.00: This product surprised me. It was a perfectly good pressed powder that I will happily use up. For a dollar, it is a good buy and it is just as good as more expensive drugstore level pressed powders.

(3) NYC Eye Shadow Quad, in Chelsea Chic, $3.59: This had very pretty colors, and I have seen some positive reviews of this quad, but for me it was a big dud in regard to application and wear!

The NYC Chesea Chic quad looked very pretty on the shelf and I was excited to try it, but the shades were so lacking in pigment, that I had to pack it on for it to show up. For example, it does show OK in the video when I watch it, in fact surprisingly better than I thought it would, but up close when I was filming, and outside in natural light, it didn't look as good. It was rather splotchy in spots, and the shadow wore off rather quickly afterward. An hour later and it was basically gone. The shades also look OK in the swatches, but they are packed on for that as well. I would not buy this again simply because of the lack of pigment and low wear time. Below are swatches from the quad. They are indeed very pretty shades. Too bad that they don’t wear too well.

(4) e.l.f Eye Shadow Brush, $1.00: This was a perfectly useable brush for ultra cheap. I prefer higher end brushes, but as far as cheap ones go, I recommend it!

(5) NYC Eyelash Curler and free eyeliner, $2.74: This was a good find for the curler, which was a decent enough eyelash curler, complete with an extra pad for super cheap. If you need a budget curler, get this one. The free eyeliner, however, was a dud. It was a kohl liner with a super hard and sharp point. I refused to use it!

(6) Rimmel Extra Super Lash Mascara, $2.99: This was a perfectly good mascara. Not great, but not bad either. Definitely give the brush a good wipe before using or it might clump. It gave a lot of length, but the look was a bit on the spiky side, which isn’t my taste, although it looked just fine.

(7) e.l.f. Color Stick, in Pink Lemonade, $1.00: This was the best item in the lot and I love it! This double duty cheek and lip stick had good pigment and a pretty color that would work for many different skin tones. It blended well, and I loved the shade. For $1.00 it is amazing! I have some expensive color sticks and I would use this one just as much as my pricier NARS and Estee Lauder items.

(8) NYC Liquid Lip Shine, in Rivington Rose, $2.29: This is another good find. It is a standard gloss with rather good pigment and shine. Not at all sticky, and it wore well. The only downside was that it had a light mint fragrance to it that I could do without, but it wasn't overbearing or anything. I would still buy it again.

Below are swatches of the NYC gloss and the e.l.f. color stick. I'm very happy with both of these!

Extra items: I also picked up a few Wet N Wild items at the grocery store with the thought of trading out my eyelash curler for one or two of the them. I ended up not doing so. One was a concealer that was too light for me, another was a twist up eyeliner that looked like it might not be hard, but it actually was. Finally, there was the Wet N Wild Passion Plum and Prune Passion Perfect pair lip wand, which has a lip liner on one end and a lip crayon on the other. It has great pigment and I do like this item. However, getting the plastic wrap packaging off of it was next to impossible, as was the packaging on the eyeliner, and that left me rather annoyed.

Here is one of those goofy self portraits, taken in direct sunlight about half an hour after the video was made. As you can see, the eye shadow doesn’t really show up at all and I had it caked on! The shadow shows up much better in the video, but that doesn’t show just how splotchy it was in places. The foundation and powder combo turned out to have better coverage than I initially thought but it also made my wrinkles stand out. I do like the lip products though, and the color stick is a keeper!

Here is the video version as I put the products on. I plan to try to start doing more video, so hopefully this will kick start me on that!

Want to see more of the $20 Challenge. Click the last and next buttons at the top of the post or visit other blogs in the group through the links below:

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Filed Under: Blush, Eye Liner, Eyeshadow, Face Products, Foundation, Makeup, Makeup Wars, Mascara, Powder, Video Tagged With: 20$ Makeup Challenge, Affordable Makeup Series, Elf Cosmetics, Makeup Wars, NYC, Rimmel, Swatches, Video

Mar 6, 2012

Look Beautiful on a Budget – 5 Great Makeup Tips

March 6, 2012 By Carleenp Leave a Comment

If you envy celebrities with their armies of hair and makeup artists and an unlimited beauty budget, you might be feeling like you could never achieve a similar look on your budget. The great news however is that makeup doesn’t have to be expensive to look fantastic. The key is to know how to apply it properly, plus there are plenty of tips and tricks that can leave your friends wondering if you have suddenly swapped your budget brand makeup in for something much more high end...

Image by Jupiter Firelyte.

Tip 1: Store Nail Varnish in the Fridge

Whilst expensive nail varnishes may come packaged in a prettier bottle, the truth is that there is very little difference between cheap and expensive brands when it comes to what’s inside. High priced nail polish is just as likely to flake and chip as cheaper brands. With pretty much any colour that you can think of available from a discount brand, it is a waste of money to go for expensive options when cheaper ones will do the job just as well.

One little known trick is to store your nail varnishes in the fridge. Keeping them cold will make them extra glossy for truly A-list nails. On the other hand, if your nail varnish is thick or gummy, a couple of quick solutions are to either warm it up in a bowl of hot water before application or to add a drop of two of nail varnish remover which will thin it down instantly.

Tip 2: Make Use of Tester Products

In-store makeup displays offer testers for a reason. The worst thing that you can do when trying to save money on cosmetics is to buy something, only to find that it doesn’t suit you and you can’t get a refund now you’ve used it. If testers are available always try them out on the back of your hand to be sure that what you are buying will suit your skin tone and look as you want it to – certain lip glosses for example have a knack for looking colourful in the tube but colourless when worn!

Tip 3: Get a Free Makeover

Many makeup counters in large department stores will be more than happy to give you a free makeover if they are not too busy as this is a great way to show you just how good you look and encourage you to make a purchase from them. Of course, there is nothing that says you have to buy from them so do not feel pressured to do so. A makeover can simply be a way of finding colours you may not have tried before, meaning you can then buy products in new shades from the cheaper brands.

Image by Much To My Dismay

Tip 4: Buy Online

With fewer overheads to pay and much fiercer competition, the majority of online makeup stores offer much lower prices that you would expect to pay in store. It is quick and easy to find what you are looking for online and to compare prices of products at rivaling stores. Try this when out shopping and you will find yourself doing a lot of walking between shops! The Internet is by far the best place to find a great deal on makeup.

Tip 5: Go For 2-in-1 Items

Another great money-saving tip is to choose from the wide range of 2-in-1 makeup options available nowadays, effectively halving what you need to spend. From lip and cheek tints to highlighter pens that can be used on dark eye circles, brow bones and cheeks, there are plenty of multifunctional makeup products available to those who look for them.

Good makeup doesn’t have to cost the earth. It takes time and patience to shop around for the right products to suit you, but it doesn’t have to break your bank balance. I suggest you get online and start browsing for what you want. Cheap does not equate to unethical.

Do you have any tips or stories? We’d love to hear them!

Estelle Puleston blogs about everything health and beauty related. As a student she developed an addiction to buying cheap makeup online and learnt some great tricks on how to expertly apply these cosmetics.

Filed Under: Affordable Makeup Series, Makeup, Nail Products Tagged With: Affordable Makeup Series, Makeup

Dec 15, 2010

The Best Makeup Brushes

December 15, 2010 By Carleenp 2 Comments

Your makeup is usually only as good as your brush. This is especially true with cheap makeup or drugstore makeup, which isn’t usually very pigmented to begin with, and is often packed with cheap sponge applicators. The good news is that the best brushes need not cost a fortune. There are some excellent pro makeup brushes out there, which tend to be pricier, but there are also some decent inexpensive makeup brushes available at your local drugstore. I received some brush questions recently, so I thought I would do a post on them as part of the Best Makeup series here on the site.

Here are the primary differences between cheap makeup brushes and professional makeup brushes:

Professional makeup bushes are normally made of real animal fibers which hold and apply pigment more evenly for the best look. For liquid makeup and the best eye shadow application, pro makeup brushes are often preferable.
Pro makeup brushes hold up better. They do not lose bristles, which can be rather annoying when applying make up, and they last longer overall.
Inexpensive makeup brushes may lose a few bristles, but often, once they are broken in, they work nearly as well as the pro brushes. Some brands are better than others though. For example, Eco Tools tend to hold up pretty well, but the last Sonia Kashuk makeup brush I had lost bristles constantly, to the point where I considered it unusable.
Price is often the biggest difference. Drugstore brushes are often under $10, while pro brushes are after over $20-40. You will replace even the best drugstore makeup brushes more often though.

Below are a look at some of the best makeup brushes across several price ranges.

The Best Cheap Makeup Brushes

Low on money? One of the top cheap makeup brush brands is Eco Tools. Eco Tools makeup brushes are very affordable, easily found in drugstores and big box retailers, and tend to hold up pretty well. They also are eco friendly, being made of recycled materials with bamboo handles, and are packaged in natural hemp and cotton cases. For a good inexpensive makeup brush set, the Eco Tools 5 piece makeup brush set is a good way to test out the line. I also love the Eco Tools 6 piece eye makeup brush set (pictured above).

Another good inexpensive line, which can be found at CVS, are the Essence of Beauty makeup brushes. I find that those tend to wear out a bit quicker, but they are very affordable and apply makeup rather well for their price.

The Best Professional Makeup Brushes

In the pro makeup brush range, there are numerous excellent choices in brushes. But a couple always stand out. First and foremost are MAC Makeup Brushes. MAC makeup brushes are consistently high quality and often carry a bit lower price than some of the other pro brands. For a particularly good deal, watch for the MAC makeup brush sets that come out around the holidays. They are the same high quality brushes, but with shorter handles in order to fit in a makeup kit. Buying a set can be a great way to get a set of quality makeup brushes and save a good deal of money.

Another professional quality favorite of mine are the makeup brushes from Laura Mercier. You can see some Laura Mercier makeup brush sets (limited edition travel brush set pictured above) along with some other sets at Nordstrom, which also has a pretty nice selection of higher quality items: Shop Nordstrom Makeup Brush Sets. As with the MAC brushes, finding travel sets can be a great way to save money over buying each brush individually. I actually find that I prefer the shorter handles as well.

Shop For Makeup Brushes