The best of Cheap!!

I've been wanting to do this for a while now. I've always appreciated the quality of high end products and I still do. However, in the past, I feel I've underestimated the quality and potential of cheaper products. I've written off cheap items as not having quality do to the lack of an inflated price. I have discovered recently, that If you read reviews and look hard enough, you will find those drugstore gems for great prices. What I'm doing with this post is comparing my favorite drugstore products to my favorite high end products of similar type. Let me know if you have anything to add to this list!

It all started with a $1.00 eyshadow brush from E.L.F.......

FOUNDATION
Best high end: Bare Minerals

Best Drugstore: Revlon Colorstay ties with Revlon Photoready

CONCEALER
Best High End: Merle Norman Coverup

Best Drugstore: Covergirl smoothers concealer (redness)
Maybelline 24 hour superstay (undereye circles)

EYESHADOW BASE:
Best High End: Urban Decay Primer Potion

Best Drugstore: L'oreal Decrease (in fact, I'd call decrease a dupe for UDPP)

BRIGHT EYESHADOW:
Best High End: Urban Decay (entire line)

Best Drugstore: Wet N Wild

EVERYDAY EYESHADOW:
Best High End: Too Faced Natural Eye Pallette

Best Drugstore: NYX champagne and caviar pallette

LOOSE EYESHADOW:
Best High end: Bare Minerals (entire line)

Best Drugstore: Jesse's Girl Eyedusts

GLITTER:
Best High End: Urban Decay's midnight cowboy line

Best Drugstore: NYX candy glitter liner and cream pallettes

MASCARA:
Best High End: Buxom Lash mascara in black

Best Drugstore: Maybelline's Lash Stilletto and L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes

LIPGLOSS:
Best High End: Buxom and Bare Minerals lip gloss

Best Drugstore: Revlon super Lustrous lip gloss

BRONZER:
Best High End: Too Faced in Snow Bunny

Best Drugstore: Physician's Formula Happy Booster

NAIL POLISH:
Best High End: OPI (entire line) -> my favorite color is lincoln park after dark

Best Drugstore: Sinful Colors (avaliable at Walgreens)

MAKEUP BRUSHES:
Best High End: Merle Norman ( my foundation brush has lasted for 7 years!) and Kat Von D (sephora only)

Best Drugstore: E.L.F. ,Sonia Kashuk (Target for both), and Eco Tools

EYELINER:
Best High End: Urban Decay 24/7 glide on eye pencils and Buxom liners

Best Drugstore: NYX jumbo eye pencils, E.L.F. liquid liner, physicians formula shimmer strips liners.

MAKEUP SETTING SPRAY:
Only one and it's high end: Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray

FOUNDATION PRIMER:
Best High End: Bare Minerals Prime Time

Best Drugstore: L'oreal Magic Pefecting Base

PALLETTE:
Best High End: Urban Decay's Naked Pallette

Best Drugstore: Wet N Wild's color Icon pallettes *favorite is Lust*

PERFUME:
Best High End: Viva La Juicy

Best Drugstore: Britney spears circus fantasy

Another Wet N Wild Look - 'Lust' color Icon palette

This look is another from my new favorite cheap yet awesome makeup, Wet N' Wild. I had no clue how good their products were until recently as I'd always written them off being so cheap. After using great E.L.F. products, my eyes were opened to the world of good quality, budget friendly makeup that DOES exist. This look can be done with all drugstore products.

First, use a primer (any will do). I reccomend l'oreal's decrease for drugstore and Urban Decay Primer Potion for prestige. For most dark looks, I prefer to use a primer AND a cream base as I believe it helps my makeup to stick better without creasing. The above cream pallette is revlon's creme illuminance in seashells. I use the color to the far left but any color that matches your skintone will work. Apply the primer all over the lid and place the creme base on the lid and crease.

As I have mentioned before, the color Icon pallettes have one matte side (left) and one shimmer side. You can mix the two types of shadow up or stick with one. I am going to use the matte deep purple for my lid but use the shimmers in the look as well. Mixing of matte and shimmer produces a cool effect. Put the color highlighted above all over the lid with a clean eyeshadow brush. I'm using my favorite eyeshadow brush here, E.L.F.'s shadow brush ($1 at target and online).

Next, we will use the midtone shimmer highlighted above to put in the crease. This is a dark look (can you tell I like dark makeup?). When a dark color is used all over the lid, a lighter color needs to be used in the crease. This is the oppositive of an everyday, typical look. Such a look would call for the lighter color on the lid and the darker in the crease. Just go with me here though. :-) Use your crease brush to apply that color to the crease being careful not to go over too much of the lid color. Here, my crease brush is CVS's exclusive brand, essence of beauty. The essence of beauty crease brush is my favorite for detailed work because it's so small.

Next, we blend it all together (before the highlight color is applied so it doesn't look muddy). I am using Kat Von D's crease brush to blend. Make sure you use a fluffy brush that is clean for this. I love this brush for blending because it's soft and does it very nicely. To blend, first blend the crease color out towards the brows and then lightly blend the crease color in with the lid color; but, be careful not to erase your lid color.

Finally, we will use the lightest shimmer as a highlight right under the brow arch and in the inner corners of the eyes. blend this with a large fluffy brush. Here, I'm using Sonia Kashuk's eyeshadow brush (exclusively sold at Target).

It's eyeliner time. This week, I picked up a new purple eyeliner as I know I'll run out of my cherished Urban Decay soon. This is the physician's formula shimmer liners that come in a set of three. I am using the set for brown eyes. In the set, there is a black, a purple, and a brown variety. I'm using the purple variety here to line my lower lash line. You can skip this step or use a black liner if you prefer. I like purple because it's not as harsh with the dark looks and it brings out brown eyes well.

I love liquid liner, so I use it pretty much exclusively when I do dark eyeshadows. I feel that the liquid has a higher contrast against the dark eyeshadow and it lasts longer. Here I'm using my favorite liquid liner, E.L.F.'s liquid liner in black ($1 at target and online). You can use a gel or a pencil if you don't have confidence with a liquid liner.

Next, curl those lashes and finish off with mascara. I'm trying out a new one I just got - Rimmel's Glam Eyes. I do like it. It lenthens and seperates well which is suprising considering how small the brush is. I feel it has good precision though. See the picture below to see a picture of the actual brush.

Rimmel glam eyes brush. Not a bad mascara - it does go head to head with Maybelline's volum' express but I can't decide which one I like better. We'll have to see....

This is the overall finished look (whole face).

Just the eyes. You can see the two different colors here and the blending.

By the way, this look lasted for hours during class and errands. Primers work!! I also reccomend a makeup setting spray. I love Urban Decay's All Nighter spray.