Being Beautiful on a Budget; Drugstore Cosmetics 101

Happy Sunday! 

 I was going to wait until tomorrow to post this blog but I decided to post it early as my little treat to you guys for being so supportive of me! Thank you to everyone who has liked my Made-Up in the Midwest Facebook page, shared my blog, liked my stuff, everything! I have gotten so much love that it makes my heart swoon! I haven't felt so excited about something in a very long time and I cannot wait to see what is in my future! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

 A few days ago I posted the picture down below on my Made-Up in the Midwest page as a little teaser as to what my next blog was going to be about! As some of you could probably tell, this picture was full of products that I bought from the drugstore. 

 I am going to fill you in on a little secret of mine that I like to call

“Being Beautiful on a Budget; Drugstore Cosmetics 101”

This blog is a long one so grab a few snacks, grab a blanket, and find a comfy spot on the couch!

So, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that there is a boat load of different cosmetics out there and all of those different cosmetics can range from like a $2 to like way more than $2. Stores like Target and Wal-Mart have become my best friends while I’m at college. Just kidding, Wal-Mart and I will never be BFF’s because I am personally not a Wal-Mart fan but, Brookings only has a Wal-Mart so I just gotta deal for now (crossing my fingers that we will get a Target soon). These stores have become my best friends because during the time I am at school, I don’t always (usually never) have money to buy high-end makeup. I literally have to avoid Ulta while I am away at school because if I don't do so I often find myself walking in there and buying everything I see and that is just bad news bears for the bank account of Clarissa Waibel. Some people have trouble avoiding sweets and I have trouble avoiding Ulta. 

The reason why I chose to do this type of blog is because I feel like there are some people out there who have a stigma about drugstore cosmetics and particularly a stigma about the quality of drugstore products. I feel like people think that since drugstore cosmetic products are cheaper that it somehow makes them bad products. Some people, myself included, spend a lot of time thinking that the more expensive a product is the better quality the product is.That is so not the case for drugstore cosmetics! Drugstore cosmetic products are indeed much cheaper than products from the high-end cosmetic stores. However, drugstore products are not always lower quality. Yes, some drugstore cosmetics can be completely terrible. However, that goes for high-end products too! There are plenty of high-end products out there that are NOT worth the money (take it from someone who has spent the money and been disappointed that I did). I mix high-end with low-end products literally every single time that I have makeup on and Sometimes I even find myself preferring the cheap stuff to the more expensive stuff!

Looking and FEELING beautiful doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg! You can look gorgeous while still being on a budget!

With that being said (or typed), let's get into some of my favorite drugstore beauty products!

Face Products

I have a lot of love in my heart for drugstore face products. I actually like some drugstore face products more than I like some high-end products. My favorites are the liquid foundations and the concealers. I prefer to use high-end powders when I have the cash because I like them more. I also usually use a high-end blush just because I love them and I think they make my face look lovely.

Liquid Foundation

L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Makeup

This liquid foundation is my foundation of choice! I love, love, love this stuff! It is easy to apply, easy to blend, there is amazing color selection, it doesn’t feel like it is caked on, and it has good coverage! You can totally build the makeup up to your desired coverage level but I would classify it as medium coverage. This is an ideal foundation for me because I can put on other products, like concealers and powders, on top of it without looking over done.

L’Oreal True Match is broken down into three sections which are warm, cool, and neutral. This is just the warm section. I am currently mixing W3 and N1. I would show you mine but mine are embarrassingly dirty.

Revlon ColorStay Makeup

This is also another great foundation option. This one lasts a bit longer than L’Oreal True Match. It lasts almost all day. However, I do not like how it sits on my face because it feels a little bit heavier to me. I feel a little cakey when I have a full face of makeup on if I’m wearing this stuff compared to the L’Oreal True Match. However, it is a great foundation for when you are not doing a full face! It is all about personal preference!

Concealer

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Treatment Concealer

This concealer is life! I love this stuff! I feel like people shy away from it because of the weird ball that is on top of it. It is so smooth, so creamy, super blendable, and so amazing! I use it not only to conceal but also to highlight. You do have to set it with a powder though or at least I do because I like to make facial expressions throughout the day so people know I am alive and well.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

This is probably my favorite concealer that I have ever used! It has AMAZING coverage for a drugstore concealer and it is super creamy. I interchange this with my Maybelline Age Rewind a lot. People often compare this to Nars Creamy Radiant Concealer but this stuff is like $20 cheaper. Still gotta set this bad boy with a powder though.

Contour

Maybelline Fit Me Shine Free Foundation Sticks

I use these little bad boys if I am ever feeling a little bit of cream contour action! They are not something that I use every day because I have always been more comfortable with a powder contour. Powder is just WAY easier to do and less work. These little sticks make it a little bit easier to achieve a cream contour because you can draw the line on your face and then blend it out with a foundation or stippling brush and you will be good to go! They are easy to apply and they blend really super well! There are a lot of high-end cosmetic lines that have the same kind of concept such as Bobbi Brown. Same concept but totally different prices!

Quick tip; You should ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS set your cream contour with a powder so it doesn’t move all around that beautiful face!

Blush

Milani Baked Blush in Shade 05 Luminoso

I broke down and bought this blush after everyone was talking about it on YouTube and thank God I did because this is hands down the best blush you can get from the drugstore! It is kind of hard to come by though which is a bummer! I can snag it from Walgreens once in a blue moon but not always. It is very easy to apply and it looks amazing on the skin! It is like the perfect peachy pink and it looks amazing in the summer because it literally makes you look like you are glowing!

CoverGirl Classic Color Blush in Soft Mink

If you know me, you know that I have used this blush since the beginning of time! This was the blush that I wore every single day of my life back in middle school and high school. I don’t use this blush as often as I used to just because I have been using my high-end ones. I grab this blush if I just want a flush of color on my cheeks. I use this blush almost every single time I am doing someone’s makeup for them because it looks super gorgeous on every single person! It gives people a nice hint of color without looking over done (if I have learned one thing by doing peoples makeup it is that people get a little freaked out about blush).

Bronzer

I have a hard time finding bronzers at the drugstore because they all have shimmer in them. I am not a fan of shimmery bronzers because I like to use my bronzers as a contour as well. I typically use a face powder in about 3ish shades darker than my foundation.

Quick tip; you should NEVER use a powder containing shimmer for your contour.

L’Oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder

I use this powder for both an actual setting powder (if I don't use a translucent one) and I also use it as a contour and bronzer! I will bounce around with the shade depending on how tan I am. It is easy to use and very lightweight!

N.Y.C. Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in 720A Sunny

I am going to be real with you guys, whenever someone used to say NYC all I would think to myself is low quality. I was pleasantly surprised after I decided to just try some products from them. This bronzer is amazing! It looks a little light right away but you can build girl! I am not one for an overly bronzed face. I can honestly say that bronzer is my least favorite cosmetic item and if I am going to buy a bronzer I am going to buy a more spendy one because I don't use very much. This one is super nice for a drugstore bronzer! It is not chalky and it is super blendable. It is super duper cheap too!

This is the N.Y.C bronzer! I don’t like how you can't tell what it looks like when you look at it in the drugstore so there you guys go!

Eye Products

Eye Shadow

I think everyone knows that I LOVE eye shadow. I have a TON of eye shadow palates lying around. I can’t stop and I won’t stop buying eye shadow palates. I can honestly say that once I started to buy expensive eye shadows that I have had a harder time going back to the drugstore ones.

Revlon ColorStay 16-Hour Eye Shadow

This entire collection is just about the only eye shadow that I will buy from the drugstore.  I think it has very good pigmentation and not to mention there are MATTE colors! Yay! They are also really nice because they come in a quad set up so if you don’t know what looks good together, there ya go! They won’t put four colors together if they looked bad! My favorite ones are wild (the rust color is GORGEOUS), addictive, decadent, and adventurous!

Mascara

There are some awesome mascara's from the drugstore! Mascara is something that doesn’t really need to be $20 because they all do the same thing if you find the right ones.

Cover Girl LashBlast Volume Waterproof Mascara in Very Black

I have used this mascara for years and I always go back to it! I love it.  It’s black as black can be, it has a nice fat brush which is perfect for upper lashes, it defines my lashes, and it doesn’t clump no matter how many times I apply it! I love it!

Maybelline Volum’ Express The Colossal Cat Eyes

I love this stuff also! I will often apply a few coats of one mascara and then go over it with this mascara! I love the brush because it really separates my lashes, which is the best. One of my best friends told me about this mascara and thank gosh she did because otherwise I probably wouldn’t of tried it! So, thanks Taylor! You’re the best.

Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Mascara

This is a lower lash lines dream! The wand is perfect for those little baby lashes. It is perfect. Keeping this one short and sweet! Just go buy it.

Eyeliner

Maybelline Eye Studio Drama Gel Eyeliner

I was a little bit hesitant to try gel eyeliner because it just seemed like a bit of a pain to me. I finally bought this stuff last prom season because one of my prom girls wanted to try it. And can I just say that this stuff is life changing! It is black as black can be, it doesn’t move anywhere, and it lasts me all day long. However, I don’t like the brush that comes with it at all. Mess around with this stuff and you will fall in love, trust me!

Revlon Liquid Eyeliner

I used to use this liner every single day to line my upper lash line. It is absolutely perfect for that “everyday” wing. My favorite part about this eyeliner is the size of the applicator. I find it a lot easier to create my wings if the brush is smaller because that way I don’t get too carried away. I like to go little by little with my wings... I don’t want my wing to be so large that I could fly away with it by the time I am done doing my liner.

Quick Tip; I get asked about my eyeliner quite often and my little secret is using a gel eyeliner for the actual lid and then a liquid eyeliner for the wing. I can get slightly messy with a wing but then I just take a makeup remover wipe and clean it up to my desired shape.

L’Oreal Pencil Perfect Self-Advancing Eyeliner

Lining my waterline is an absolute MUST for me! It is not something that is for everyone. My eyes go from about 0-60 (in a good way) when I line my waterline with this puppy! It is so creamy and it stays in place! I have carbon black, and also cocoa. I prefer to wear brown on my waterline because I don’t always like the harsh line that black eyeliner creates.

Brow Products

Eyebrows have become a hot topic in the makeup world as of recently. In my opinion, brows can either make or break you. Brows are a bit of a touchy subject because everyone likes their eyebrows their own way. I personally don’t fill in my eyebrows a ton. I do not like over drawn eyebrows what so ever. Overfilled eyebrows are just not for me. I think when it comes to eyebrows that people should just stay inside the lines. But hey, do you!

The drugstore is not the most ideal place to be buying brow products.

It is totally hit or miss and I have tried a lot of brow pencils from the drug store and I am just like, yeah no.

But, I did find one!

L’Oreal Brow Stylist Designer Eyebrow Pencil

I like this stuff because it is easy to use and it gets the job done for me. It has a spooly on the end, which is perfect for blending out a little color if you were a little heavy handed. It’s the drugstore version of the Anastasia Brow Wiz pencils in my opinion.

After I apply my brow pencil then I need to apply some sort of gel because I have man eyebrow hairs. They are so long that I honestly think they flap in the wind more than my hair does so I gotta tame those babies down a bit!

E.L.F. Essential Clear Brow and Lash Mascara

This product does the trick in taming my wild brows for sure! I love this stuff. It does get a little crunchy sometimes if I put too much on but I just go back in with the spooly on my brow pencil and fix it. I use both sides of it for my brows because I honestly think they are the exact same product but one is just labeled brow and the other one is lashes.

Try this for $2!

Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara

This product is extremely comparable to the Benefit Gimme Brow. I love using a tinted brow gel on days when I do not feel like filling in my brows. This stuff applies evenly and it does not clump what so ever! I love the Benefit Gimme Brow but now I find that I don’t even need it because I found this Maybelline stuff! See, it’s all about cutting corners!

Lashes

Lashes are not something I wear every day of my life because I honestly do not need them. I get asked a lot if my eyelashes are fake and I am all natural baby (besides the five coats of mascara). I love wearing false lashes for special occasions just so I feel extra sassy!

Ardell False Lashes

You really cannot go wrong with these lashes. These are the ideal lashes if you are not an avid falsie person like me. They look awesome, there is really a type for everyone, there is a type for every occasion, and they are $4. My all time favorite Ardell lashes are the Glamour Wispies! They are what I always go to. They never ever look over done and they just look really girlie and soft. I love them! 

Look at those lashes! Love them!

Lips Products

Ugh! I love lip products! I grab a new lip product almost every time I go to Target because they are so cheap and they are pretty darn good! My only complaint is that I do have to apply them more often than the high end ones. I could go on and on and on about lip products so I will spare you and give you my favorites.

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks

Say hello to some of my most worn lipsticks ever! I have these lipsticks everywhere! The color selection is literally overwhelming (in a good way)! It is so nice because they split them up into sections like reds, pinks, nudes, buffs, and so on! Thanks Maybelline!

My Favorite Shades:

Can I say them all?

915 Blushing Beige

920 Nude Lust (God bless this lipstick)

015 Born with It

275 Crazy for Coffee (I love coffee in every form)

These are two of my favorite Maybelline colors. Crazy for Coffee is currently back in Minnesota because it is more of a fall and winter shade. 

Nude Lust is on the left and Born With It is on the right.

Maybelline Color Sensational Color Elixir

Can you say creamy? This stuff is so creamy that it blows my mind. It feels so amazing on your lips and it isn’t sticky which is awesome! It is perfect alone or on top of a lipstick. They first came out with only a few shades but now they have like 20! They have so many fun ones now! Love these so very much!

My Everyday Shades:

505 Blushing Petal

060 Nude Illusion

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink Cognito

This stuff is awesome! It is a perfect pinky nude. This lipstick has a buildable color payoff so you can choose to make it as light or as dark as you want! It is very smooth as well!

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Super Natural

This stuff adds the best shine to your lips! It also lasts pretty long too! It is the perfect pink to add a hint of color to your lips.

Revlon Super Natural with Revlon Pink Cognito is my recent go to lip color. It is perfect for every makeup look and even more perfect for the natural makeup looks!

Brushes

My hands down favorite brushes from the drugstore are the Real Techniques brushes. These brushes make applying your makeup so easy and they aren’t that expensive! The average price per brush is $8-10 and they are worth every single penny! I use these brushes primarily for my face stuff such as my powder, bronzer, and liquid foundation. These make your face look all the more beautiful! You can’t go wrong with buying literally every single one of these brushes. But, just incase you don’t want to do that, I listed my favorites are down below!

Real Technique Expert Face Brush

I use this brush for my liquid foundation every single day. I put my foundation on the back of my hand and put little dots all around my face and then literally press it in my face with this brush and then I will blend it out with my beauty blender (GET A BEAUTY BLENDER)! It makes my face look flawless and my face is far from it!

Real Technique Powder Brush

I use this brush for my all over bronzer if I don’t want any sort of harsh lines such as a contour!

Real Technique Stippling Brush

I use this brush to blend out my cream contours and it works like a charm!

Sonia Kashuk Core Tools Large Crease Brush

This brush will always be one of my favorites! It has been my ride or die shadow brush since I was like thirteen! I always had just one of them because they weren’t available for the LONGEST time! Then all of a sudden one day I was strolling around Target and what do you know? There is this brush again! And now I think I have three of these so that is that. I use it in my crease of my eyes and I have absolutely no complaints! No harsh lines here!

Sonia Kashuk Large Domed Eye Shadow Brush

This brush is what I use to lay down my transition color on my eyes. A transition color is just the in-between shade from your lid or crease to your brow bone to make everything flow smoothly! I love this because it is big enough where it will get some color in my crease but also slightly above it too!

E.L.F Complexion Brush

I feel like this brush is an all purpose brush for the face! I use it for powders and it works great!

E.l.F Flawless Concealer Brush

I use this brush to do my contour! I draw my harsh line and then I will blend it out with a bigger brush! It gets in the hollows of my cheeks perfectly!

Quick Tip; just because a company suggests a brush for something does not mean that is it's only purpose. You can always use them for whatever you feel like using them for! I rarely use the brushes for what the company tells me to use them for.

And I am finally done! I hope your eyes don’t hurt too badly! I hope you all learned something new and I hope that you go out and try some of these amazing products! And always always ALWAYS remember that just because something is more expensive does NOT mean that it is always better! You can always be beautiful while staying on a budget! 

Talk to you soon lovelies! A step by step will be coming very soon! :)

Xoxo,

Clarissa

Feel Free to Stay Updated on Social Media:

Facebook: Made-Up in the Midwest

Twitter: @clarissawaibel

Instagram: clarissa.waibel

Products I mentioned:

Buy the L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Makeup here.

Buy the Revlon ColorStay Makeup here.

Buy the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Treatment Concealer here.

Buy Maybelline Fit Me Concealer here.

Buy the Maybelline Fit Me Shine Free Foundation Sticks here.

Buy the L’Oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder here.

Buy the Milani Baked Blush in Shade 05 Luminoso here.

Buy the CoverGirl Classic Color Blush in Soft Mink here.

Buy the N.Y.C. Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in 720A Sunny here.

Buy the Revlon ColorStay 16-Hour Eye Shadow here.

Buy the Cover Girl LashBlast Volume Waterproof Mascara in Very Black here.

Buy the Maybelline Volum’ Express The Colossal Cat Eyes here.

Buy the Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Mascara here.

Buy the Revlon Liquid Eyeliner here.

Buy the Maybelline Eye Studio Drama Gel Eyeliner here.

Buy the L’Oreal Pencil Perfect Self-Advancing Eyeliner here.

Buy the L’Oreal Brow Stylist Designer Eyebrow Pencil here.

Buy the E.L.F. Essential Clear Brow and Lash Mascara here.

Buy the Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara here

Buy the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick here.

Buy the Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks here.

Buy the Maybelline Color Sensational Color Elixir here.

Buy the Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss here.

Buy the Ardell Glamour Wispies here.

Buy the Real Techniques Expert Face here.

Buy The Real Techniques Powder Brush here.

Buy the Sonia Kashuk Core Tools Crease Brush here.

Buy the Sonia Kashuk Large Domed Eye Shadow Brush here.

Buy the E.L.F completion Brush here.

Buy the E.L.F Flawless Concealer Brush here.