I love expensive makeup and beauty products in general. I am also student loan poor.
As a result, I don't spend a ton of money on cosmetics. We have a budget we follow pretty strictly, and dog food, people food, and bills all rank over a new $50 foundation. It's a shame, I know. However, through the years of being a poor college and now law student, I've definitely acquired a collection of my favorite fool-proof, cheap makeup choices. Most of these can be found at your local superstore or pharmacy.
Remember, everything doesn't work the same for everyone! I have trouble with color matching because I am really pale and don't have a noticeable warm or cool undertone. What works well for me may not be your cup of tea!
Face/Foundation:
I struggled with pretty bad acne throughout my teenage years, and after a few rounds of accurate got my skin under control. Despite lots of exfoliating and a pretty regimented routine, I still have some acne scarring and discoloration from the rough years. Being pale on top of that means that any imperfection is pretty noticeable on my face.
I'm sure part of my hyper-awareness is due to the self-consciousness induced by years of acne, but I really don't like going out with noticeable blemishes.
That's why at a minimum I usually have a BB cream on unless I'm just having a heavenly day of good skin.... and let's be real, that happens maybe once a month.
My favorite easy fix is NYX Cosmetic's BB Cream in Nude.
I'm always hesitant with things that don't come in many shades (remember, Casper the friendly ghost here), but this cream goes right on. I use it over my moisturizer, and although it's not a super perfect match it provides a nice sheer coverage to even out my skin tone and help me with my self-consciousness when I don't want to mess with a face of makeup or foundation.
NYX is awesome, and you can find it in some drugstores and supermarkets. Meijer carries it here in Kentucky, and sometimes the store has awesome sales! I have also had awesome experiences with sales on the online store (nyxcosmetics.com) with promo codes and shipping when you sign up!
The best thing is that this whole tube is only $13, and it lasts forever. This is a lifesaver for mornings where effort is minimal.
For a full face of makeup I use Revlon 24 Hour Colorstay in the Normal/Dry formula
This foundation in the 110 shade is my neutral-tone-pale-girl holy grail foundation. Not only does it have SPF 20-- something you have to fight to find in a cheap/drugstore foundation, it is also pale enough and comes pretty close to a perfect match for my skin. This is so hard, but I find it especially frustrating that I can hardly ever find a pale enough foundation.
This little beauty goes on smooth with a beauty blender and builds really well. I love using it, and never have pangs of envy for $50 foundation. I've turned a lot of people towards it, and they rave about it.
The best part? You can usually get it for around $8 at most stores.
Blush
I'm a sucker for an awesome blush. Like, y'all, it's hard to find something that is not way too red or pink. I almost always opt for a nice peachy tone and something with a little shimmer. Unless it's the perfect rose color, I do not look great with too much of a noticeable color.
Again, this is just a personal preference thing where you have to figure out what works for you. I'd suggest going to a department store where they'll test different colors out and help you, then take those colors to your favorite website or store and find cheaper versions.
This little fella is $7, and the shade (Ignite) changed my relationship with blushes entirely. I'd given up on finding tones that looked right on me-- damned orangey red hair. Then I came across this color and the perfect shimmer and light peach tone completely changed my thought process. It looked right on my face and did what I was jealous of when I saw other people wearing blush-- it actually accentuated a face structure I didn't know I had!!
I could go on forever, but I love this blush.
This particular shade and formula of e.l.f. blush has been another amazing find that I'll never stop buying. It's $3, and you can get it at Wal-Mart. The Candid Coral shade is amazing and adds the perfect shine to your cheekbones without messing around with highlighter.
Go buy it, you'll love it, it's cheaper than your Starbucks drink.
Mascara-ara-ara
I love mascara, y'all.
My eyelashes and brows are pretty much light blonde, and without it on my eyelashes I instantly look like I am 12. I have to have a little something on. It isn't optional to me.
That being said, I lucked out in this arena (we'll call it karma for being a pizza face) and have fairly long and thick lashes naturally. I err away from thick formulas short of looking way overdone. I like a nice, even formula that gives me a defined and sort of fluffy look.
My pick? L'Oreal, almost always
You can find it anywhere, and if you watch for sales you can get it really cheap. I love the Voluminous Feline Waterproof formula in Brown-Black. It found it at my local drugstore on sale for $2.50, but you can get it at a normal price of around $8-9. Totally worth it for a waterproof formula, good applicator, and staying power.
I think L'Oreal has a consistently good formula, and for me it comes down to the applicator brush. I will look for the type I am fond of and see what version has the best sale going!
Lips
I love a good lip, but don't get to stray too far from neutrals in law school. This is my favorite for date nights and going out:
Fun Lip: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream $6
NYX will hook you up with the best shades in the perfect matte colors. I go between matte finishes and using a little gloss over them, but I love the staying power of these beauties.
And if you do have a little money to splurge with...
I'd totally suggest getting an subscription to Ipsy's glam bag. It's only $10/month, and you get samples of lots of products in different colors and variations. I've received samples of Too Faced and Urban Decay products (things I'd NEVER pay full price for), and it's awesome to experiment around with.
I've also found that I could just subsist on the samples for things like mascara and blush and not spend any extra!
I hope this was helpful for my fellow budgeters. Let me know if you plan on trying any of these or have any suggestions you think I'd like!
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