Full Face of Affordable Makeup

There are thousands of brands to choose from when it comes to buying makeup. However, there are so many things to consider when looking for a product that will work for you. Does the product work better with certain skin types? Is it as pigmented as you want it to be? And the most important to many people: is it affordable?

I am a lover of drugstore makeup, and being a college student myself, I have found a wide variety of makeup that is both affordable and works for me. I've compiled a list of my holy grail makeup products that you can buy at a reasonable price.

Skincare

Before you start any face of makeup, you have to make sure that you are taking care of the base. Remember, your makeup will only look good if you're taking good care of your skin, too!

Before heading out for the day, you should always ensure that you are wearing some sort of SPF on your face (if your foundation has SPF, you're set!).

For moisturizer, I use the Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Control Moisturizer ($7.79 at Walgreen's). While I haven't noticed a ton of improvement in my acne, it does smell great and feels great on the skin, without leaving your face feeling oily! I use it every time I wash my face, and especially before my makeup.

Note: Even if you have oily skin, make sure that you are moisturizing! Your skin is oily because it produces a lot of oil. Using moisturizer helps to control the oil that your skin is producing.

Foundation

When it comes to buying foundation, you must know what type of skin you have. Do you struggle with dry patches on your face? Or do you have really oily skin? Or is your skin in between, just getting oily in the T-zone? Finding out what type of skin you have is crucial in finding out if a product works for you.

As for me, I have very oily skin, so if I am not careful about what products I am putting onto my face, I will end up with a face that just looks wet within a few hours.

Personally, when it comes to foundation, I have only found a couple of foundations in store that work for me.

If I need to get foundation immediately and can't wait for it to ship to me, I will purchase the Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Foundation ($4.39 at Target). This foundation has good, buildable coverage. Maybelline also makes a dewy version of this foundation for those with dry skin.

My current favorite foundation is the new Colourpop No Filter Foundation ($12 on Colourpop's site). They have a great shade range, and the foundation works for my skin beautifully. It has great coverage, and stays really well throughout the day. This is a matte foundation, however, so it may not be as rewarding for those with dry skin (I have heard some people with dry skin love it, though!).

Concealer

Concealer is a huge staple for a lot of people. Occasionally, when I'm having a good face day, I will just pop on a bit of concealer under my eyes and call it a day! Because it is so important for so many, I have several products that are great for different skin types.

The Maybelline Fit Me Concealer ($5.29 at Wal-Mart) is a great concealer for both oily and dry skin. It has buildable coverage, much like its foundation counterpart. It leaves skin looking dewy without being too oily or thick.

The Colourpop No Filter Concealer ($6 on Colourpop's site) is a great, affordable concealer for a low price. It has incredible coverage, but watch out, because it does dry down VERY fast which makes it hard to blend.

I know what you're thinking: two products from Maybelline AND Colourpop? But trust me, these makeup products are both part of my everyday makeup routine.

Another great concealer is the Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer ($6 at Wal-Mart), but it has a very oily formula, so a little goes a long way. It's my favorite for covering up blemishes. Overall, though, I believe that both the Glamoflauge Concealer and Foundation are both meant for dry skin, because of its formula.

Setting Powder

When you have oily skin like me, setting powder is a non-negotiable. If I do not set my face, my base seems to feel like it just slips right off throughout the day. While there are plenty of expensive setting powders, there are also great finds at an affordable price that not only hold your makeup all day, but do not have a great amount of flashback.

The brand e.l.f. has become well known for being a cheap brand that is found almost anywhere. However, I have not enjoyed most of their products that I've used. One thing I did like though, was the e.l.f. High Definition Setting Powder ($6 at Wal-Mart). It sets your makeup well, but beware of flashback when taking pictures.

My current favorite setting powder is the Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder ($5.97 at Wal-Mart). It sets my makeup beautifully without looking cakey, even though it does kind of smell like old grandma (no offense, mamaw). I have not noticed any flashback while using this powder, and it lets my makeup last all day.

Highlighter

Highlight before blush? YES. Sometimes, when I find an amazing, reasonably priced highlighter, I will get a weird shadow on my cheek after applying it. While it looks great when I turn my head to the side, looking at me straight on will look strange, so I tend to apply my highlighter before my blush so that the blush covers up the shadow.

That being said, my favorite highlighter for months now has been the BH Cosmetics Blacklight Highlight ($10) or the Spotlight Highlight ($10). Both of them are found on the BH Cosmetics site. While the Blacklight Highlight is beautiful, the shades in it seem to be geared toward fair skin tones, but the Spotlight Highlight works for all skin tones. These are both incredibly stunning and perfect for any makeup look.

If you're wanting more of a soft glow, the Physician's Formula Mineral Glow Pearls ($8.69 at Target) is a beautiful, subtle highlighter. While it is beautiful, I felt like I had to really dig my brush in, or apply it multiple times to get the full effect.

Blush

Blush is such an essential part of a makeup look for me. I have a lot of redness in my face, so when I am doing my makeup, it is nice to be able to have control of where my redness is.

Some great blushes include the Maybelline Fit Me Blush ($4.99 at Target), and the BH Cosmetics Nude Blush Palette ($6 on BH Cosmetic's site). The BH blush palette has 10 shades at an amazing price that would suit just about every skin tone. The formula is amazing and easily blend-able, and I highly recommend it.

Eyeshadow/Mascara/Brows

Eyeshadow is an amazing product because of all the looks that you are able to create with it. While your base makeup may look generally the same every time you do makeup, you can make a wide variety of looks with just eyeshadow!

One of my favorite affordable brands when it comes to eyeshadow is Colourpop. They have a wide variety of options on their sites! Anything from single eyeshadows, to palettes, to their signature Super Shock Shadows.

BH Cosmetics also has beautiful eyeshadows. They have palettes that contain just shimmers, and then some with just mattes. One honorable mention is their Take Me Back To Brazil Palette that contains 35 shadows for only $18!

*Morphe shadows are also incredible formulas! Most palettes have 35 shades for about $24!

Mascara is one product that is necessary in any makeup collection (unless you're a user of false lashes). Even if you like to wear light makeup, mascara is very important for looks!

One of my favorite mascaras is the Maybelline Volume Express Mascara ($5.49 at Target). It provides amazing length and volume and easily washes off!

For me, eyebrow products are not extremely important because of the fact that I was born with caterpillars on my face. I simply shape them and then apply some brow mascara. My favorite brow mascara is the NYX Tinted Brow Mascara ($4.89 at Target). It holds my brows in place without making them look too fake!

Lipstick

Lipstick is the best way to finish up any makeup look. My personal favorite formula of lipstick is the Colourpop Ultra Satin Lip ($6 on Colourpop's site). The Ultra Matte formula is super drying, but the Satin Lip is perfect for me!

Need help?

Look up tutorials on YouTube, and find reviews before you purchase certain products! Any time I buy a new product, I check reviews online to see what the majority of people thing. Remember, though: there is no right or wrong way to do makeup. Makeup is self expression, it is art. Create whatever you feel! There are no rules. Have fun!