I know, I know. A blog post about makeup. Some of y’all will wanna run for the hills, but I promised I’d do this for SHARON (Hi Sharon!) so I’m going to do ma thing and hope that the rest of you will simply roll your eyes and move on.

The reality is most of us live on budgets. And budgets mean we can’t spend forty bucks for every Hourglass product ever (though life would be pretty good if we had that sort of cashflow, eh?) That being said, I wanted to do a list of budget buys that will make you purdy without breaking the bank. I either own these products or have owned them in the past, so I can speak to their quality.

ONWARD!

Blush

Milani Baked Blush. $7.99 The colors! The pigment! The finish! It’s so pretty. I especially like #5 Luminoso. It’s a gorgeous, golden peach that looks fantastic on people with warmer undertones (and the shade reminds me of a slightly peachier Orgasm from Nars, which is high praise indeed.) One warning: a little bit goes a long way. BEWARE. DO NOT GO FORTH UNTO BOZO-NESS. Start light and build else you know the clown shoes.

Eye Shadow

I’ve got two for you here:

Maybelline’s Color Tattoo Eyeshadow. $6.99 These formulas are fantastic. The color stays put, barely creases (only after a hot, sweaty day did I experience any creasing at all), and I like the shade selection. It’s a liquid formula so I apply it with a synthetic brush and go. I tend to use it as a base-color a lot, too, meaning I’ll put this on my lid and then pat on a layer of powder shadow for double oomph. The Painted Purple applied unevenly, but that was the ONLY color to do so. I’ve picked up almost every color Maybelline has to offer for a reason. (Also check out their metallics. Very, very cool.)

L’Oreal’s Infallible Eyeshadow. $7.99 This reminds me of the Maybelline except it’s more powdery and there are more colors. I can’t say which I like better because they’re . . . really similar. Wear, pigmentation, etcetera. The Golden Emerald color in this line is perfection in a jar. Like, I’m fairly sure everyone could wear it and come out looking like a rocker. I’m also partial to the Liquid Diamond. Buttery and pretty and yum.

Eyeliner

NYX Retractable Eyeliner. $4.49. Awesome color selection and the pencils have a great, soft texture. The metallic shades are actually metallic and the staying power is plenty-fine for a work shift or a night out on the town.

Lip Liner

Sephora Nano Lip Liner. $5 Almost twenty colors, good wear, why bother spending three or four times as much for a basic function? Some pencils will be softer, but I don’t actually want my lip liner to be all that soft. It’s got to stay like glue so my lipstick stays like glue, especially since I use my lip liner as a “foundation” for my lip color. Can’t beat the price, quality, or selection.

Lipstick

Milani Color Statement Lipstick. $5.49 Recommended by Vintage or Tacky, I own probably . . . six shades? And at this price point, why not? Lots of pigment and staying power. Not too drying (though I wear it over chap stick), great color/finish selection, and I like the smell. It’s not too stinky (good GOD, L’Oreal lipsticks you make me ill) though there is a scent. It’s light, though, and more like candy than perfume, so I can deal with it. Because candy is delicious.

Mascara

Max Factor. $10-ish This is a little hard to find, and I know it, however. I’ve loved Max Factor mascara for as long as I can remember and had particular luck with the 2000 Calorie formula. I know you can get Max Factor on ebay and Amazon. It’s worth ordering it because it doesn’t clump but does a fabulous job of giving volume and length. I hate having to pick those little wads of makeup out of my lashes and I never had to do it with MF.

(ONE THING. If ten bucks is an okay price point for you? Just go out and get yourself the mini They’re Real at an Ulta or Sephora. Super amazing product with super amazing results and the same cost. Sure, less actual product, but how much mascara do you actually use? Eh? Eh?)

Moisturizer

Cerave. $14.99 I’ve tried every type of moisturizer imaginable and this is the best. Not just on a budget, but like, THE BEST PERIOD. Recommended by my mama after her dermatologist told her to use it, I will probably never spend big bucks on moisturizer again. Cerave absorbs completely. It’s virtually scentless. It’s not oily. It gets rid of my scaly dry patches. Yes. All of this is a yes. Woo ha, Cerave.

Setting Powder

NYX Studio Finishing Powder in Translucent. $9.99 It’s a finely milled silicon powder. Seriously, what else do you need? Simple, to the point, does its job. I watched a Goss video about it, and yeah, it’s the bomb. Soft, makes you not-shiny, sets your foundation. Easy-peasy, done. If you’re looking for something that’s not silica based? Coty setting powder. It’s been around forever. It’s $7. Another great product at a great price.

And then . . .

Foundation

Stop. Stop right here. I’m going to say the unpopular thing. If you have ONE THING in your collection you should drop cash on? It’s foundation. Well-matched foundation from a makeup counter or makeup specialty store. Our skin is our palette and your makeup is only going to be as good as your palette. Revlon’s foundations are okay, but I’d rather have an excellent than an okay. If you’re going to go spendy, spend here. I’ve linked a couple of foundations below that are worth their weight:

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation: $37

MAC’S Face and Body Foundation: $27

Make Up For Ever’s HD Invisible Cover Foundation: $42

Shiseido UV Protective Liquid Foundation: $36

Urban Decay’s Naked Foundation: $39 (Cruelty free!)

Questions, concerns, throw ‘em at me!