I have a lot of make up, and most of them is high-end. However I do have some cheap make up from the drugstore that I actually really enjoy. So if I'm answering this question, I would probably say my favorite cheap make up item is the Maybelline color tattoo eyeshadows. What is yours?
I have a few favorites, but I like Bourjois cheek color and bronzers. I don't mind cheap nail polish either as I go for the color and they never last long once opened. The only thing I buy cheaply are colors, because they are in and out of fashion and with cheek color, you can't go wrong with a good bronze powder. I avoid the orange ones, but you can find some NYC ones for a couple of dollars and that's my favorite cheap brand.
Eyeliners for me, usually. I really like L’Oreal’s felt tip black liquid liner, and Jordana makes a great pencil one for super cheap. For other things, I’m a big fan of Revlon’s Super Lustrous lipsticks and Sinful Colors nail polishes.
My favorites have to be colourpops lippie stix. They are $5 each and they have a pretty huge shade range. Plus for the color pay off that they give, you can't beat it. I really love them so much.
Drugstore products here are still way, way expensive than their usual prices in the US. So Maybelline, Loreal and Revlon are still considered kind of high end, at least in here. What is really cheap here would be Korean products. Not all though, because some makeups are still expensive. One brand that has some affordable makeups is Etude House. I love their lip tints and mascaras. The tints are about $4-8 each. They are long lasting, pigmented and a little goes a long way. Their mascaras are good too for everyday use and average about the same price.
Oh, I love e.l.f primer (for acne) and setting spray. The primer smells so good, and it doesn't make me breakout. I also love the setting spray because it makes me look refreshed all day.
Wet N Wild Nail Color. They are about a dollar apiece at Walmart, and since I get bored with the same color, I can buy a few and switch them out, or I can buy several and use them to create designs such as polka dots, stripes, flowers, etc. I tend to wear colored polish on my toes more than my fingers, since it's always chipping off the fingernails, and I don't have to worry about it getting gloopy, because when it does, I can toss it and buy some new colors.
I'm a fan of cheap nail color too. If you use a decent base and top coat then it'll last just as long as the expensive brands. I usually get bored with a color before I've managed to use it all up so it's nice to be able to afford to get a few different shades.
Boots own brand blusher is really nice and the color I use, Peach melba, really suits me. I would have to try an expensive blusher sometime so I can have a good comparison, but yeah its pretty great!
I like combining the colors sometimes, too. Also, if you get bored with it, or simply like DIY, there are quite a few DIY projects available online that call for using nail polish, and usually require more than one color, so it's good to have some low cost varieties on hand for those. I'm sure there will be some new ones posted soon, too, with Halloween and the holiday season approaching.
Wet ’n’ Wild in general makes quite a few nice products for dirt cheap. I LOVE their Silent Treatment eyeshadow trio. Won’t be surprised if I hit pan on the two lighter shades by the end of the year. I know Walking on Eggshells is the cult favorite but I just have to be a maverick I do like that one too, though.
I haven't bought much makeup lately, but I will have to check out their other items. Another company that has lower cost but good quality items is Rimmel. I've bought a variety from them in the past, and have always been happy with the colors, quality, and how long their products last.
Right on, I think you’ll be pleased with some of their other stuff! And if not, then at least it wasn’t expensive Rimmel makes great lipsticks for sure. Two of them are among my all-time favorites. I do believe the Kate Moss #11 one is supposed to a dupe for a limited edition MAC color… but that doesn’t really matter so much, it’s definitely my favorite red in any case. I’ve heard good things about their other stuff as well, particularly their eyeliners… but I have a lot of makeup already, haha.
@LeopardJones It's funny you should mention that, because eyeliners is what first attracted me to the Rimmel London line, along with their lipsticks. The other companies at the time were outrageously priced, so I looked around, and stumbled upon Rimmel. Ever since then, I pretty much bypass the expensive brands, in favor of those more affordably priced. As you said, if it doesn't work out, it's not nearly as huge of a loss as if I'd invested $18 or more in a lipstick and the color didn't work out, or the lipstick feathered, or dried out my lips.
Mine is the aloe lipstick. When they are on sale it's just .79-.99! One thing that's not so good about aloe lipstick is that it bleeds. I recently found NYC at Walmart and they are just fine and cheap. NYC nail enamel goes for $1.12, NYC lipstick goes for .99! It was a great find at Walmart that I discovered recently. I just went bargain hunting and I asked the stock clerk about it and she brought me NYC brand nail polish. I began hunting for NYC products and found more at such wonderful prices. The NYC products are good to know about and at such a low price you can't go wrong!
The one nice thing about fancier lipsticks is that you can try before you buy, so I’ve never bought a more expensive color I didn’t like. But drying out can be a factor, and I’ve honestly found that the fancier brands aren’t all that much better in that respect. It can be nice to try out something more expensive just to have the experience, but I think the only people who could possibly tell the difference once the products are applied to the face are seriously hardcore makeup geeks.
My favorite cheap make up product is the eyebrow pencil. Specifically, I enjoy the ones sold at beauty supply stores for one dollar. (Yes!) They glide on easily and show up in brilliant colors. The only downfall is their length. Usually, they are short. So, you get 30 to 45 days of use and it's time for a new one.
I liI like Maxfactor mascara. It is rather inexpensive. It is about 3.00 per tube compared to Maybelline at about 5.00. This is one of my favored products. I think it is one of the better of the generic make up items. I don't think their is a huge difference in terms of generic versus name brand makeups so I will go for generic items usually unless I have a great coupon for the item.
I absolutely love Max Factor makeup but it's relatively pricey in my part of the world and certainly costs more than Maybelline : ( I use a lot of items from a budget range called "Collection 2000". It's even cheaper than Rimmel but is of a similar quality. I've never tried NYC before, although it is available over here.
As I am sure most people know, I am not the biggest fan of make-up. I am not the most experienced person either, when it comes to applying make-up. But I can just about manage to apply eyeliner and mascara. But my favorite cheap item to use is the mascara that my mother has taken to purchasing for me. I don't know where she gets it from.
