Money Saving Makeup Tips

Makeup…I like it! Eh, that’s an understatement, I LOVE makeup. I remember when I couldn’t wait for the day I would be able to “paint my face.” My mom allowed me to wear mascara when I was thirteen-ish, and it just escalated after that. When I was fifteen I started to wear some concealer and powder, then came the eye liner. When I was nineteen I decided I wanted to try fancy eye shadows, and yes, I definitely went overboard. It went from mild, nice tones to using makeup glue for adding glitter to my eyelids. I was told I looked like a Kesha wannabe. (Although funny, not true.) Don’t worry, now I only use glitter for special occasions, it’s very light and thank goodness I learned how to blend!

I could spend hundreds of dollars a month on makeup if I had the money to. All the fancy brands like Sephora, Mac, Clinique, etc. They’re great brands, but oh so expensive. The first time I bought my first nice expensive piece of make up was for our wedding. It killed me to spend $23 for a thing of lipstick. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s the best tube of lipstick I’ve ever had. It doesn’t make my lips peel, it lasts all day, and it’s the perfect shade of red. While spending a lot of money on quality makeup would be nice, it’s not doable for now. I have learned how to make do with cheaper makeup and it’s perfectly fine and sometimes just as good.

I have this “thing” with my eyes. Since I’m naturally blonde I feel like a ghost when I don’t have something to make my lashes look dark. That being said, my eyebrows also look invisible. I’d show you a picture but I’d scare myself! I wear makeup EVERYDAY, (Unless I’m sick. When I’m sick, nothing gets put on my face.) therefore I tend to go through makeup faster than the average woman who wears makeup on occasion. It’s no joke, I will always allow an extra twenty minutes a day to put on makeup before I go anywhere. It’s a personal thing that a lot of people wouldn’t understand. It doesn’t matter where I go, I always wear concealer, powder, and mascara. If I have time, I’ll shade my eyebrows in, and add liner to make the eyes pop. And if I have an abundance amount of time I’ll add bronzer or blush along with eye shadow and lipstick.

“Make up should never be used to hide yourself, it should be used to enhance your natural beauty.”

What Makeup I Use & Where I Buy It: 

• Primers: I never used to use primers until our wedding and I still only use them for special occasions or if I’m going to be gone for an extended period of time. While I would love to have one of the nice brands, I have found that “elf” works like a charm! It’s cheap, and they have lots of varieties. I use the Illuminating one that makes my face have a little shimmer to it and once you put it on your skin, it’ll feel like silk. In my opinion it’s just as good as Mac.
• Foundation: Sometimes you can find really good makeup at Big Lots for real cheap and I’m not talking about the yucky kind, I’m talking Almay and Maybelline, which in my eyes are pretty good brands. Last week I found a compact Almay Smart Shade pressed powder for $3. You just have to look, and grab it if you find it. My favorite foundation has been Maybelline Dream Liquid Mousse. It seems to last me all day and I have oily skin so that’s saying something. I’ve gotten asked before how I do such a good job at making my neck blend with my face. Here’s my personal tip that works for me: First, never put on too much or it’ll look like you caked on the makeup. Ick. Unless you’re going on stage, that never looks good. Second, I always buy liquid foundation that’s a shade lighter than my skin tone, and then I get a pressed powder that is a shade darker than my skin tone to put on top of the foundation. I’ve tried buying my actual skin tone and it just doesn’t work.
• Pressed Powder: Cover Girl is still my go to if I can’t find anything cheaper elsewhere. They provide the Oil Control Powder that I love.
•  Eyeliner: Eyeliner is my fav. It’s what gives my blue eyes a pop. I use a couple different kinds but the one that works the best for me is Wet n Wild Creme Eyeliner. It stays on all day. Sometimes I’ll use liquid, but only if I’m in a hurry. Word to the wise: Don’t buy Elf eyeliner. It’s the absolute worst. I don’t know what happens to it, but it fades as the day goes on.  
• Mascara: I am not picky when it comes to mascara. I will honestly buy whatever is cheapest. I do however usually keep two on hand. One is waterproof, while the other I use daily.  I have tried Elf brand before and it didn’t last long. It’s cheap. Like I said, some of their products are GREAT, but some I can live without. I’ve probably used Maybelline and Rimmel the most.
• Eye Shadow: As long as I use eye primer, I have found that even the cheapest brand of eye shadow will stay with me all day. Elf have really good variety packs that usually come out around Christmas time so I tend to stock up for the rest of the year. Wet n Wild and Elf’s eye primer work very well for me.
•  Eyebrows: I don’t like using pencils to color in my light eyebrows. I always use Maybelline’s powder. It comes with a little brush and I fill my brows in almost every morning.
• Blush & Bronzer: It’s recently been my first time using bronzer and I like it, especially if I want to go for a more dramatic look. With smokey eyeshadow and red lips, it’s the perfect added little touch. Ulta has a good choice for bronzer or you can sometimes make do with a bronze color eye shadow. Elf has my go to pink blush that I also use just about every day.
• Lipstick: I’m not a big lipstick girl unless I’m going on a fancy date with my Hubby. Like I said, I have the one Mac color that I’ll be using for awhile otherwise I use any brand of a tented chapstick.

Usually if Big Lot’s doesn’t have any makeup I’m looking for, Walmart is where I purchase everything. Walgreens and CVS tend to be on the more expensive side. Look for coupons! Keep it simple and always remember to take your makeup off at the end of the day. Your face needs a break too!

What are some of your makeup tips? What do you use and where do you buy it? Let me know!