The day I realized that I did not have to spend a ton of money on makeup and makeup related items was a great day indeed. There are so many beauty steals and dupes out there. The best beauty steals can be hard to find, but here are my favorites.
Blenders: So I used to buy beauty blenders at Sephora, they are what’s the word…pricey! Seriously $28 for a sponge that blends your makeup? I bought ONE and since then have been consistently looking for steals. I have found one at Ulta that’s really great a well as a Target brand one. Honestly, I do not see a difference in application. But what I see a difference in is price. The ones at Target are around $5, meaning you can get 5 of them for the same price as the ones at Sephora. The one at Ulta is $4.99. I’m not saying the one at Sephora isn’t great, I’m just saying I would prefer to spend that $28 on makeup vs something to apply it. This is one of the best beauty steals I have found to date!
Brushes: Again, I am not someone who has ever understood the allure of expensive makeup brushes. The ones I have from the drug store work just as well as a set of fancy brushes I was sent. The main difference is the ones from the drugstore wear a bit quicker. But even a $40 makeup brush from a department store I have broke after 4 months. I personally love these from Ulta. I buy them again and again because they are not expensive and work great! They are a great beauty steal.
Makeup Remover: So sure there are tons of fancy department store makeup removers you can buy and I bet they remove makeup well. But I have been using the same L’Oreal makeup remover for over a decade! It’s wonderful and less than $7. It also lasts for a super long time. It’s eye makeup remover and once my eye makeup is off I use Neutrogena face wash or Dove bar soap to remove the rest of my makeup and they both work awesome!
Palettes: I have succumbed to the Palette craze and bought Tarte Palettes, Urban Decay, and Kat Von D. They are wonderful and I love them. You know what I also love? A fantastic Maybelline Palette I bought one day at CVS. It works great and was a fraction of the price. I find when I use it it’s a great sampling of the types of colors I love in my Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. It’s just a lot less expensive.
I splurge from time to time on makeup and makeup products but I also look for the best beauty steals when I can find them. Why spend tons of money on things you can find just as good for less?
I love the ELF make up brushes. The most expensive ones are $5. I never really splurge on make up but I won an Urban Decay palette and now I see why so many people rave about it.
Makeup brushes are a MUST in taking care of and replacing when needed. Its how your makeup is applied – how it looks… so I’m always all about that!
Karen | GlamKaren.com
I am totally with you on the confusion and aversion to expensive makeup in general, but especially the blenders and brushes. I never tried an expensive beauty blender, but I can’t imagine it does anything more magical than my $5 one!
As a person who frequents Sephora and Ulta, I love that you mentioned some less expensive options! I never wanted to buy blending sponges from Sephora because they are so freaking expensive. Because of that, I’ve been purchasing mine from Target for years and I have never seen a problem with the quality. Great post, Neely!
I’m always on the look out for a deal. I found that morphe brushes are cheaper than more but the quality is A+ and I always get my beauty blenders from TJMaxx!
My favorite cheap makeup is the Elf concealer stick. It’s not their cheapest one but it’s still cheap and I find it works better than others I’ve used. I should get a palette one of these days though, I always get kind of jealous when I see people have them and wish for one myself. Maybe I’d play around more with my makeup if I did.
Palettes and foundations are the only things I feel like I have to spend my money on to get a good quality. I own both of the Maybelline palettes and even though they are decently priced, I feel like they don’t stand up to the quality of my UD/Kat Von D palettes by a long shot. They are super chalky and hard to blend out for me!
Love the blenders and love my fat sticks from Clinique – I always have a least one in my bag when going out. Sadly we don’t have Target here in Germany – I miss it dearly! Happy Thursday, Neely xxx
The drugstore makeup brands have been stepping up their game recently. I love CoverGirl’s Outlast Primer. I’m interested in trying some of the new contour kits that are popping up.
I love a good steal! I use Cover Girl mascara and it’s just as good or better than some expense Mascaras I’ve tried! I had the worst clumps with Too Faced mascara.
I have seen some make up sponges at Ulta that I have thought about trying. I love my beauty blender but as you said it is extremely expensive! I got a make up brush set from BH Cosmetics for a great price. I use Burt’s Bee’s facial cleanser and I love it. Beauty steals are always great!
I know exactly the beauty blender at Ulta you are talking about. I bought it in hopes that I would like it so I wouldn’t be tempted to buy the beauty blender. I really like it!
I am with you girl! The price of some of these products make me dizzy. I never caved on the beauty blender. I always bought the store brand dupes. For brushes, I LOVE the Morphe line. They are high quality at a drug store price. Palettes are such a life saver! I am obsessed with the Maybelline palettes they are perfect dupes for UD. I always look for a drug store brand dupe before caving for a more expensive option!
Over the years I have probably bought every brand of makeup ever made–I don’t wear make up anymore but I still buy the basics. Maybelline mascara –the original one and the least expensive still works the best! I tend to agree that the less expensive brands work just as well as the more pricey ones!!
As someone who doesn’t have a lot of money to spend on makeup this is perfect. Thank you so much for sharing, particularly for newbies to the makeup scene like me!
When it comes to brushes and puffs, I definitely agree that there isn’t usually a need to spend a lot of money. However, cheaper cosmetics frequently have questionable ingredients. I prefer to splurge on all-natural, vegetarian friendly, non-animal tested cosmetics. They are usually a bit more pricey because they don’t have all the preservatives – but, like you said – if you don’t spend $$ on brushes, you can splurge on the good stuff.
Elf is an awesome brand. I buy so much from them!! I really love it because I have a niece that likes to steal my makeup and because Elf is so inexpensive I don’t get that mad at her for it!
I love the ELF make up brushes. The most expensive ones are $5. I never really splurge on make up but I won an Urban Decay palette and now I see why so many people rave about it.
Beautiful palette colors. I buy mayballine the prices are good and I like their product.
I don’t wear makeup, but I do splurge on things like shoes and handbags. I never even really look at prices – if I want it, I get it 🙂
Makeup brushes are a MUST in taking care of and replacing when needed. Its how your makeup is applied – how it looks… so I’m always all about that!
Karen | GlamKaren.com
I am totally with you on the confusion and aversion to expensive makeup in general, but especially the blenders and brushes. I never tried an expensive beauty blender, but I can’t imagine it does anything more magical than my $5 one!
As a person who frequents Sephora and Ulta, I love that you mentioned some less expensive options! I never wanted to buy blending sponges from Sephora because they are so freaking expensive. Because of that, I’ve been purchasing mine from Target for years and I have never seen a problem with the quality. Great post, Neely!
I’m always on the look out for a deal. I found that morphe brushes are cheaper than more but the quality is A+ and I always get my beauty blenders from TJMaxx!
My favorite cheap makeup is the Elf concealer stick. It’s not their cheapest one but it’s still cheap and I find it works better than others I’ve used. I should get a palette one of these days though, I always get kind of jealous when I see people have them and wish for one myself. Maybe I’d play around more with my makeup if I did.
I can’t justify going broke on beauty items. I definitely look for the best deals (and good products.) I need to try the L’Oreal makeup remover!
I’ve been curious about those blenders so thanks for letting us know the Target one is just as good!
Palettes and foundations are the only things I feel like I have to spend my money on to get a good quality. I own both of the Maybelline palettes and even though they are decently priced, I feel like they don’t stand up to the quality of my UD/Kat Von D palettes by a long shot. They are super chalky and hard to blend out for me!
I love myself a great beauty steal! My fave cheapies that are great quality are Real Techniques makeup brushes and Nyx Cosmetics!
Love the blenders and love my fat sticks from Clinique – I always have a least one in my bag when going out. Sadly we don’t have Target here in Germany – I miss it dearly! Happy Thursday, Neely xxx
I love my make up!! I hate how fast it can add up and get expensive, Target is one of my favorite places to shop at.
I typically buy eye shadows and mascaras from Target but foundations are all Mary Kay, I have some eco brushes from Target that are amazing!
The drugstore makeup brands have been stepping up their game recently. I love CoverGirl’s Outlast Primer. I’m interested in trying some of the new contour kits that are popping up.
I love a good steal! I use Cover Girl mascara and it’s just as good or better than some expense Mascaras I’ve tried! I had the worst clumps with Too Faced mascara.
I’ve tried the Maybelline mascara it has a 3D volume. I also love applying contour on my face to look gorgeous.
I am not one to spend a lot of money on make up.. but I am starting to thing I need to change that!
I am all about finding beauty steals so I can spend my money on my holy grail, more expensive favorites!
I always try to find the best deals on makeup – I hate spending a fortune on it! I use the same makeup remover – works so good.
I have seen some make up sponges at Ulta that I have thought about trying. I love my beauty blender but as you said it is extremely expensive! I got a make up brush set from BH Cosmetics for a great price. I use Burt’s Bee’s facial cleanser and I love it. Beauty steals are always great!
There are things I like to splurge on, but I agree with the things that are great at a budget price too!
I know exactly the beauty blender at Ulta you are talking about. I bought it in hopes that I would like it so I wouldn’t be tempted to buy the beauty blender. I really like it!
I am with you girl! The price of some of these products make me dizzy. I never caved on the beauty blender. I always bought the store brand dupes. For brushes, I LOVE the Morphe line. They are high quality at a drug store price. Palettes are such a life saver! I am obsessed with the Maybelline palettes they are perfect dupes for UD. I always look for a drug store brand dupe before caving for a more expensive option!
I really need to try the BeautyBlender dupes because I am tired of spending so much money on a sponge that applies my makeup.
xoxo, Jenny
I don’t wear makeup but I use moisturizer and sun’s cream and pencil Kohl.
Over the years I have probably bought every brand of makeup ever made–I don’t wear make up anymore but I still buy the basics. Maybelline mascara –the original one and the least expensive still works the best! I tend to agree that the less expensive brands work just as well as the more pricey ones!!
As someone who doesn’t have a lot of money to spend on makeup this is perfect. Thank you so much for sharing, particularly for newbies to the makeup scene like me!
I’m with you on the brushes and palettes!
I LOVE Elf sooo much! It’s one of my absolute favorite makeup brands!
When it comes to brushes and puffs, I definitely agree that there isn’t usually a need to spend a lot of money. However, cheaper cosmetics frequently have questionable ingredients. I prefer to splurge on all-natural, vegetarian friendly, non-animal tested cosmetics. They are usually a bit more pricey because they don’t have all the preservatives – but, like you said – if you don’t spend $$ on brushes, you can splurge on the good stuff.
Elf is an awesome brand. I buy so much from them!! I really love it because I have a niece that likes to steal my makeup and because Elf is so inexpensive I don’t get that mad at her for it!