The debate about department store makeup versus drugstore brands has been going on longer than I've been allowed to wear makeup.
I must admit that I once was one of those people who absolutely would not let a discount anything touch my skin, not CoverGirl, Maybelline or Revlon. I didn't care what celebrity was endorsing the product at the time.
Well, things have certainly changed. When my financial situation shifted, so did my view of expensive makeup and just makeup in general as a necessity, and I began seeing it for what it was - a luxury. And when you view something as a luxury, it becomes hard to justify paying top dollar for it . So I began to wonder just how much better that $30 mascara was over the $8 one from Walgreens or Kroger. I decided to share with you this week my findings on makeup that will give you the look without the guilt.
Have you heard of E.L.F.? No, I'm not referring to the movie that my older sister looks forward to watching every holiday season, but the Eyes, Lips, Face discount makeup that you can find at Target and Walgreens. Seeing the brand's five lip glosses for $4.99 first caught my attention, and finding that they were not heavy and sticky made me try some of their other products.
My favorite is the eye shadow. I was obsessed with Mac eye shadow, mostly because it went on in one stroke looking like the color in the case as opposed to six layers later and barely any color. Well to my surprise, the E.L.F brand did the same thing for under $8 for about 10 different shades.
I was so happy when Sephora came to town because before I moved to Memphis, I would shop there for my $20 Everwear eyeliner. While it really did stay on forever, the actual product would be gone in less than three weeks. One day I stumbled across a coupon for the Studio Master eyeliner by Maybelline and decided to give it a try. To my surprise, over a month later it is still going strong, and it stays in place just like the other brand I used to wear. But this eyeliner is only $7 without a coupon, and there is always a coupon.
While you're giving Maybelline a try, check out their Falsies mascara. For once, something actually did what the commercial said it would do. For someone who loved Estee Lauder mascara, this is a great alternative to high prices I can no longer afford. Another great eyeliner to try is Almay. This is a great brand for people who have sensitive eyes or wear contact lenses because it will not cause irritation.
Now for the base of it all - foundation. I've always had troubled skin, so it was hard for me to break free from Clinique , but my pockets finally did the breaking for me. While none of the drugstore brands offered me the coverage I wanted with the non-pore-clogging ingredients I needed, I found that Bare Minerals gave me the most bang for the buck. It gave good coverage and stayed in place, without looking too heavy. QVC is a great place to shop for this product, because they often offer it at a lower price than you can get at the actual Bare Essentials store or in places like Sephora.
As always, we want to hear from you. There are so many brands out there that I couldn't possibly try them all, so let me know what's been working for both your face and your wallet.
Contact Renita Russell at RenitaFrugal@gmail.com. Join the conversation on Twitter at twitter.com/fabfrugalca.
Source: yellowbrix
