The last few weeks on a day to day sorta basis I’ve been wearing the same eyeshadow over and over again. Thats weird for two reasons. First reason is because whenever I buy a single shadow I always forget about it because it gets overshadowed by big palettes. Second one is because it’s a drugstore shadow. I’m not trying to sound like a snob, but to be honest 99% of the time drugstore shadows just don’t blow my skirt up.

However, there are certain formulas and certain items that I actually PREFER from the drugstore. It’s my favorite when I find one of those gems because not only are they awesome, but I don’t have to empty out my wallet to get them either. So I gathered up a few my favorite makeup deals and figured I would share the knowledge with you all.

The one and only makeup product that I use EXCLUSIVELY from the drugstore is mascara. I’ve dabbled in the higher end stuff, but none of it ever lives up to the higher price point in my opinion. Why spend 25 bucks on something when I like the drugstore version better? Specifically, I use Maybelline The Falsies waterproof in “very black”. I’ve been using it for probably five years now. We’re pretty much married.

I find that this gives volume and length, doesn’t clump and holds a curl. And it’s less than ten bucks sooooo yeah you can’t beat that with a stick.

Lately I’ve also been stumbling across all these fantastic, metallic-ish finish eyeshadows for really good prices. The first two pictured above are the Sephora Brand Colorful “Mirror” Eyeshadows in the colors Queen For A Day and Hollywood’s Calling. Both of them are super gorgeous colors with a ton of depth and dimension and a crazy high shine metallic finish. They aren’t the cheapest, but at $13 for .07 oz they are still a lot cheaper than comparable shadows from high end brands (which usually retail at around $20 for .05 oz) The only complaint I have about them is that they do have a fair amount of fallout during application, but I just do my under eye makeup after my eyeshadow and then it ain’t no thang.

The last color pictured there is L’oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush. That’s the one I’ve been wearing all the time, I even Instagrammed about it . . .
On top of being beautiful and affordable, it’s super easy to wear. You can glam it up or dress it down and it it goes with tons of different lip colors. It’s definitely made its way into the regular QuinnFace rotation. The formula in general is really great, so if you aren’t feeling the Amber Rush shade, still check out the other ones because it’s a very high end type of formulation at a drugstore price, so what’s not to like?

When it comes to lip gloss, you can’t find a better bargain than NYX. Both the Mega Shine lipgloss and the butter lipgloss are fantastic. A few that I use on the regular are Red Velvet Butter Gloss, Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Tea Rose and Créme Brulee Butter Gloss. (I didn’t swatch them in the right order, the swatches are Red Velvet, Créme Brulee and then Tea Rose. They aren’t lined up with the product shot, what a dumb dumb pop. Sorry)

Both formulas are not too sticky, kinda moisturizing and comfy to wear and have a huge range of awesome colors. For $5-7 they are totally winning.

Speaking of NYX, if you are looking to experiment with fun eyeliner color but don’t want to invest in expensive products, their liquid eyeliners are awesome. The first two swatches in that purty little photo above are the Studio Liquid Eyeliner in Extreme Blue, and the Crystal Liquid Liner in Crystal Silk.

The Studio Liquid Liners have insane color payoff. They are vibrant and super pigmented, they don’t have the staying power of some heavy duty waterproof formulas, but it’s not BAD either and they apply really smoothly and easily. The reason I like them so much is because I find that when I do spend a lot on a bright eyeliner, even if I love it I don’t get a ton of use out of it. With these I can do that and not feel like it’s a total waste.

The Liquid Crystal Liners are much more subtle, but also very versatile. On their own they can be used as a very ethereal line of glitter on the top lash line, a pop of shimmer in the inner corner, or layered over any other eyeliner to instantly make it look like a glitter eyeliner (which is how I usually use it) There are a ton of high end products out there that are very similar to this, but this is honestly just as good as any of those.

The last liner swatched there is the L’oreal Silkisssime Eyeliner Pencil in the Highlighter shade. This formula is almost as good as the Urban Decay 24/7 pencils( I said ALMOST, don’t have a heart attack) and thats really saying something because those are my all time favorites. I use this to brighten my waterline, and much like Amber rush it goes with a ton of different things. Something about this champagne rose pink is very versatile, but they also just came out with a bunch of new and interesting colors in the formula if that’s more your thing. There’s even a bright, jazzy cobalt blue that I saw at target the other day. Very niiiice.

Last but not least, if you need makeup brushes and you don’t want to spend a ton Real Techniques are the way to go. More than half of my brushes are from Real Techniques. They are soft, they don’t shed.. Honestly, is there anything on earth more annoying than a makeup brush that sheds? . . .of course there is, but you get the point.

Oh, and they are super affordable. The only thing I don’t love is that some of the sets come with some brushes that I don’t find any use for, like the brow brush. It’s just too thick for my taste. But even if I pretend the ones I don’t like don’t exist the sets are STILL a good value. I don’t think they have everything you need for an entire set of brushes (if you are going to do makeup professionally or if you’re just REALLY into doing your makeup) but you can get the bulk of what you need with good quality for a good price, and they have been coming out with new ones fairly often. Very helpful if you’re just starting out, or are on a budget.

That’s all the sweet azzzz makeup deals I can think of for now. Let me know if you have any awesome budget friendly favorites, cuz ya know sharing is caring. 😛