Top Ten Budget-Friendly Makeup Products

I know better now.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to be more selective. Buying a $10 foundation doesn’t mean jack if it makes my face look cakey or leaves me with the mother of all breakouts. These days, I spend a lot more time browsing the shelves of Ulta or Sephora instead of Walmart to stock my makeup bag.

That being said, I’ve also learned that an expensive price tag doesn’t necessarily equate to a better product (ask me how it feels to drop $40 on a foundation only to wind up looking like an Oompa Loompa…thank God for liberal return policies). Some of my old drugstore brand favorites have stood the test of time. When I just don’t feel like spending the equivalent of my cell phone bill to restock my makeup bag, I still turn to some of these products

Foundation

Maybelline Fit Me Matte +Poreless Foundation

This is literally the only drugstore brand foundation I use. I’ve tried tons of them over the years and been disappointed by the outcomes (this is even true of some pricier brands). Now, I’ll be honest, this one doesn’t hold up quite as well as my favorite Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation…but for less than a quarter of the cost, it’s pretty darn close.

Maybelline’s Fit Me Matte +Poreless liquid foundation covers well without leaving my face feeling like it’s coated in a layer of spackle. It’s also pretty helpful at keeping my T-zone under control and not looking like I just finished a spin class. For those who suffer from super dry skin, this might not be a great fit (pun intended). But, if you’re like me and your skin falls in the combination or oily spectrum, this one’s worth a try.

Eyeshadow Palletes

Makeup Revolution

This one is less a recommendation of a specific product and more a review of the brand in general (at least for their eyeshadows, I haven’t tried most of their other products). Makeup Revolution is a UK based company that’s most well-known for creating affordable dupes of expensive brands. To my knowledge, the brand is currently only available in stores at Ulta (at least in the US). Personally, I think if dropping $50 on the latest eyeshadow pallete is out of the budget, Makeup Revolution is a great option. The price tag on their palletes ranges anywhere from $7-20 depending on size. Some of their products were even developed in collaboration with known beauty vloggers (Their Soph x Revolution Extra Spice pallete, created with vlogger Emma of Sophdoesnails, is full of fun colors).

Maybelline The 24K Nudes

This is my favorite drugstore brand eye pallete. While the colors in them aren’t as intense as some of my more expensive palletes, they’re still pretty rich for the price. The shadows themselves are also super blendable and have an almost creamy texture. The 24K Nudes comes in a variety of metal and jeweled tones and is infused with gold pigments, making it a great pallete for creating a smoky eye look. The brand also had a Blushed Nudes pallete infused with rose gold pigments in lighter shades that looks super cute for spring.

Eyeliner

Maybelline Unstoppable

My only use for kohl eyeliners is to line my waterline and make the base of my lashes appear fuller. For this reason, I need a kohl eyeliner that isn’t likely to run and leave me looking like a racoon. Maybelline’s Unstoppable is one of the few drugstore brands I’ve found that achieves this. It’s a retractable liner that doesn’t require sharpening and is safe for sensitive eyes and contacts. My biggest complaint with this brand is that over the years they’ve limited the available colors to two and discontinued my favorite dark blue shade.

Liquid Eyeliner

NYX Matte Liquid Liner

Confession: I actually hated this liner when I first bought it. The wand was longer than I was used to and I struggled hard trying to evenly line my lids. I left it sitting in the bottom of my makeup bag for a few weeks while I switched back to one of my pen-style liners. And then, horror of horrors, the lid to my eyeliner pen popped off in my bag and dried out. I had no choice but to dig this one out of my bag and use it until I had a chance to stop by Ulta. But I never ended up replacing it. After using it a couple of times and getting familiar with the size of the wand, I found that it worked amazingly well. I like that it’s a matte liner and doesn’t have a shiny finish. It stays put and doesn’t come off until I want it to (which is great, because I have a bad habit of rubbing my eyes without thinking and then walking around with black smudges around my eyes). The tiny applicator brush is great at creating a variety of looks, whether I’m just doing a light line to define my eyes or going for a bold cat eye. This is one of the products I prefer to more expensive brands. It works just as well for a fraction of the cost. I call that a win.

Mascara

Essence Lash Princess

Now, I’m pretty dedicated to my favorite Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara. But when something has reviews like this and only costs a few bucks, I have to give it a try. If you’re looking for a flawless mascara…this isn’t it. The formula can be a little clumpy (but, I mean, it’s $5…what dod you expect?). But if you’re looking for a dramatic eye look with big lashes, this stuff is pretty incredible. I like using this one to create a fun, babydoll lash look. If you’re into costume makeup, I’d say this is a pretty good item to have in your kit.

Maybelline Full’ N Soft Mascara

The effect of this mascara is less dramatic and more natural. It clumps very little and doesn’t leave your lashes feeling like they’ve had spider legs glued to them. The best thing about this mascara is that the formula is that it dissolves easily, so you’re not scrubbing off your eyelashes at the end of the night to remove it. If you feel like your lashes are getting sparse thanks to continuous makeup use, but you can’t stand the idea of eschewing mascara long enough to let them recuperate (guilty), Maybelline’s Full ‘N Soft is a great option. I’m also a fan of using this when I wear false lashes. It adds just enough boost to help my real lashes blend in with the falsies (especially since I prefer wearing less conspicuous false lashes) without looking overly done.

Lipstick

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

I’m in love with this stuff and I own several shades of it (my all-time favorite is Prague, a sort of dark-ish pink/mauve shade). While I love the look of a matte look (I think it’s more sophisticated than an overly glossy pout), matte lipsticks can be so drying. It doesn’t matter how pretty the color is if half an hour after you put it on, your lips are drier than the Sahara dessert. I don’t have that problem with this liquid lipstick. The formula is lightweight and creamy, so it doesn’t make my lips feel dry and cracked. It’s also surprisingly long-lasting and I don’t have to reapply it every 10 minutes.

Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor

This one’s another matte lipcolor that doesn’t leave my lips looking shriveled and dehydrated. While the formula is matte, this lipstick boasts aloe leaf extract for added moisture. It’s definitely one of my go to lipsticks. The colors are bright, bold, and in it for the long haul (I can apply this at the beginning of the day and hours later still get compliments on how pretty it is). My favorite shade is Love, a bold reddish-pink that I “love” because it makes my teeth look even whiter. I’m also a big fan of their Infatuation shade, a deep wine color that looks great for fall or winter.

I’m always on the lookout for great new products to try. Which makeup products can you just simply not live without? Tell me about them!