Lots of (maybe all) hardcore makeup people know about Makeup Geek.  However, people who buy drugstore cosmetics might have missed out on this amazing brand and that’s a bloody shame.  If you’re buying eye makeup or brushes from a drug store, you can get premiere quality makeup product . .  for the drugstore cost.  You need to do this thing, guys.  Seriously.

First you go to that website and find the Makeup Geek brand eyeshadows.  Then you see all the pretty colors and ogle them like a creepy voyeur.  Then you notice, “Holy crap, these are only $5.99.  That’s cheap.  Why’s it so cheap?  It must be gross quality.”

/buzzer sound

Wrong!  The reason it’s so cheap is there’s no packaging.  As in you literally receive the little pan of makeup in a circular disk with no compact or holder.  “So what do I do about this?”  You go forth and buy a Z Palette to put them in.  Like so:

The large black palette will hold twenty eyeshadows and you can get it for twenty bucks. You can get a smaller pan which will hold a modest nine shadows for $14.99 (I use this for travel a lot.)  The pans stick to the palette because the palette is magnetized and magnets + metal pans = win.

(The following is funny, but NSFW.)

ANYWAY.  Yes, the Z Palette is a one time investment but it’s worth it considering how cheap the makeup itself is.

Very, VERY well.  In fact, I’d say Makeup Geek is on par with Urban Decay or MAC, both of which sell for twenty dollars per pan.  The formulas are soft and buttery and blend well.  They’re long lasting, too.  There’s fallout with some of the matte shades, but that doesn’t phase me because the color payoff is that good.  Use a fluffy brush/fan brush under your eye after application to sweep the excess product away and you’re good to go.  (I actually compared the texture of the mattes to Lorac, who is known for their silky formula.)

I know, right?  But here’s some proof!

One swipe of my finger per pan.  One quick swipe of my finger through the product then smeared on the backs of my hands and that’s how good the color is.  This was not me digging in and reapplying.  Now, in the interest of full disclosure, some of these shades are part of the Foiled Collection, which are $9.99 per pan, but still a great price when you compare them to any single pan Sephora brand.

That’d be a Makeup Geek blush (shade shown is Romance!)  The blushes have the same fantastic pigment as the shadows and are only $9.99 per pan.  Again, no compact so you need a Z Palette. You may also note that Makeup Geek has its own brand of gel eyeliners (phenomenal for $8.99) and makeup brushes which are cost effective ($7.99 – $17.99) and WONDERFUL quality.  (And because they’re cost effective and wonderful quality, are often sold out.  My one gripe.)

Yes.  Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying.  Or I’ll make this face at you.