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How I’m Going to Replace All My Makeup for Under $70

  November 9

This post may contain affiliate links.

Early this morning, I went to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer, and I noticed I somehow put my entire makeup bag into the washing machine. Literally, my whole bag of makeup with my brushes, foundation, mascara, eyeshadow, and even some nail polish went through a heavy wash in the washer (as if I have any load that doesn’t require a heavy wash.)

I guess last night as I was throwing in the last load, I just dumped the whole laundry basket in the washer without looking to see what was in there. Sometimes I use laundry baskets to move things around the house, so I might have put my makeup bag in a basket intending to bring it upstairs to my office but instead I put a lot of dirty clothes on top of it and buried it. Then, in a stroke of genius, I washed the whole basket, makeup and all.

May it rest in peace.

Good Thing I Use Drugstore Makeup

In a previous life, I would have been extremely upset. I used to spend a lot of money on makeup. The mascara I used to buy was $25. The foundation I used to buy was $20+. However, over the past few years, I started trying out some drugstore makeup products, and I honestly found that a lot of them were comparable.

Last Christmas, I needed some new makeup, and I wanted to try out new products. So, I started watching a ton of YouTube videos of makeup experts, and I found that they have a lot of videos on drugstore makeup and even drugstore makeup called “dupes” which means “duplicates” or “super similar to this really fancy and expensive makeup.”

After watching several videos, I made a list in Amazon of the makeup I wanted, and that’s what hubby bought me last Christmas. I don’t wear makeup every single day since I work from home, but since last Christmas I’ve only had to replace foundation, mascara, and a new lipstick here or there just for fun. So, the makeup I chose really lasted…. you know, until I decided to put it all in the freaking washing machine.

Replacing All My Makeup

I guess the great thing about buying all my makeup on Amazon is that I had a list of everything I use, which is actually not a lot of things. As I went through it all this morning and re-added it to my cart, I thought it might be a good thing to share with you since the 9 main products I use regularly only added up to just over $65 all together.

Since the hubs and I each get $100 allowance every month to use as we please, I was able to buy everything with my allowance without hurting my regular budget. Plus, I had room to spare for the rest of the month!

I put a link to the makeup I use below. I have to say my favorite and the most surprising product that I love the most is my e.l.f. eyebrow kit. I used to think e.l.f. makeup was ultra cheap and not worth it, but I have very thick and long eyebrows, and this super inexpensive little kit makes them look all kinds of amazing.

I also really like the lipstick/lipgloss that I use. Have you guys ever heard of Lipsense? It’s a MLM company that is getting kind of popular with lipstick that lasts 12+ hours. It’s super expensive though at $25 per lipstick. I don’t know how well it works because I won’t spend that much on lipstick, but I found a similar product for under $10 from Revlon called Overtime lipcolor. You literally have to use a makeup remover wipe to get it off at the end of a super long day. And you can smooch your kiddos without having it come off. It’s some sort of lipstick voodoo I think.

I even sent some to my sister because she is currently doing residency interviews since she graduates from med school next year. Residency interviews usually last the whole day and include tours of the hospital and tons of talking, so I sent it to her and she said that her lipstick lasted all day throughout the interviews without having to reapply it. Like I said, all sorts of magic voodoo awesomeness.

Anyway, should you need new makeup or want to try a newer inexpensive product to replace something fancy you use, below is everything I wear and will be reordering thanks to my own dumb mistake. If you do buy something new for yourself,  try not to dump it all in the washing machine like I did. 😉

Maybelline New York Fit Me Matte Foundation Makeup

e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit

Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer

BS-MALL(TM) Makeup Brushes Premium Makeup Brush Set 

Maybelline New York Eye Studio Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner

Milani Baked Blush, Luminoso

Revlon Colorstay Overtime Lipcolor

e.l.f. Prism Eyeshadow

L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Original Mascara

What’s your favorite drugstore makeup? I’m always looking for new things to try!

18 responses to “How I’m Going to Replace All My Makeup for Under $70

  1. Have you ever tried Rimmel’s long wear foundation? It’s called Lasting Finish 25H. It’s basically Revlon’s Colorstay makeup for 30% cheaper. I also use their longwear lipstick, which is similar to Revlon’s.

  2. Noticed something similar with other products as well. Got some pretty expensive tees for daughter from Lee Cooper (OK, on sale, but still expensive) and, after 2 washes they looked like rags. Yet the clothing we buy her from few local supermarkets here lasts a lot and we donate the items in almost perfect condition, even after washing them for 30-40 times.

    1. That’s so interesting! Yeah I definitely notice that certain brands are better than others!

  3. I use the same liquid eyeliner. I love Maybelline Falsies mascara. I mostly just buy foundation and mascara as I don’t wear makeup on a daily basis, and when I do it’s often those two things. I also got a lot of hand-me-down Sephora Tarte lip & cheek products from when my sister was minimizing. They are awesome buy I don’t think I’d buy them myself. A couple friends have given me eye shadow as gifts…not sure what that means, but I like the Victoria Secret Beauty Rush shadows.

    1. That’s awesome. I am always looking for a better mascara. I had one I loved that was the $25 version I mentioned in this post but they don’t make it anymore!

  4. I’ve fallen back in love with elf products, and I love their make up brushes. Honestly, I try to use the free stuff I get from Sephora whenever I restock my foundation and matte powders, so… I’ve been using freebies of eyeshadow primer from Urban Decay and a freebie of Clinique mascara 😉

    The only thing I’m loyal to is my semi-expensive foundation and matte finishing powder, both from Bare Minerals. My skin is super sensitive and picky, and if I use a liquid foundation, it’s break out city. I know. I’m turning 30 and I still occasionally look like I’m 15, and not in a youthful cool way. :-/

    Everything else though? Total drugstore buys, and I love it! 🙂

  5. This is a great idea. You should consider using only cruelty free options!

    Revlon, L’Oreal, and Maybelline all test on animals. Some AWESOME and affordable brands that are cruelty free are Elf, Wet n’ Wild, Sonia Kashuk (found at Target), Physician’s Formula, and Jordana.

    If you want to know all the cruelty free drug store brands, here they are: https://logicalharmony.net/which-drugstore-brands-are-cruelty-free/

    Here is a complete list that you can check out of cruelty free brands: https://logicalharmony.net/cruelty-free-vegan-brand-list/

    Best of luck!

  6. Makeup is one of those luxury expenses that needs to be cut whenever the opportunity presents itself. So many people spend *so* much money on these goods that it really inflates their actual price. Thanks for bucking the trend.

    1. Of course! I used to spend a lot on it but realized it just wasn’t necessary.

  7. As you have figured out, there is no correlation between price and quality when it comes to makeup. I use beautypedia.com to vet beauty products before I buy them. Unlike opinion sites, this one actually researches and tests products for value, safety and efficacy. It has saved me a ton of money, helping me sidestep products that looked good on the shelf but didn’t deliver on their promises. Some of the priciest products got the lowest rating. and many drugstore “dupes” got the highest. Go figure!

  8. Elf have some great products! I’ve only just discovered them but i’m loving their contour pallet (only $13!). I’ve never really contoured so thought i’d give it a go and it’s a great one for just starting out.

    I used to spend a lot of money on makeup and am gradually finding that cheaper products do the exact same look for so much less.

    Amanda

    1. Ooh thanks for the tip! I know; I’ve actually been really impressed with them. I really do love that eyebrow kit from them and it’s so cheap!

  9. Maybelline Colossal volume express is my holy grail masacara and I’ve tried several of the most popular expensive ones. They don’t compare! It’s $5.

  10. I am sorry to hear about your makeup bag in the washer mishap but I loved hearing how you can get makeup for cheap! Just like you, I love to watch makeup videos on YouTube and find dupes for expensive products that work and look exactly the same! I never thought of buying my makeup on amazon but it doesn’t sound like such a bad idea since that means I wouldn’t have to leave the house!

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