Affordable Makeup Products Under $20 That Are Just as Good as High-End
I purchased the L’Oreal Infallible FreshWear Foundation earlier this year and fell in love with it.. I had been using it almost everyday until foundation-palooza started in Spring of this year. And then I abandoned it for fancier, flashier products. But I recently rediscovered it. I’ve been wearing it everyday for the last two weeks (minus my trip to NYC where I took my CoverFX PowerPlay foundation because the bottle is plastic and easy to pack - but I missed it). And it got me thinking about the drugstore and affordable makeup products that are a part of my collection and/or daily routine that I love and that I feel perform just as well - or even better in some cases- than higher end products. And everything on this list under $20!
From left to right: Milani Soft & Sultry Palette, $19.99; L’Oreal Fresh Wear 24hr Foundation, $14.99; L’Oreal Infallible Full Wear Concealer, $13.49; CoverGirl Exhibitionist Mascara, $6.59; Milani Hypnotic Lights Highlighter, $6.49; ColourPop Brow Pomade, $6.50
Milani Soft & Sultry, $19.99
How many times have I mentioned this eyeshadow palette on TMW? Too many, I know. But I can’t help it. It’s one of my favorite palettes of all time. The colors are beautiful and “wearable” (I think all colors are “wearable” but you get what I mean) and the formula rivals some of my higher end palettes. This is one of my “go-to” palettes when I can’t decided what I want to do or need something that gives maximum effect with minimal effort. And it’s under $20. Can’t beat that.
L’Oreal Infallible Fresh Wear 24hr Foundation $14.99
As I mentioned above, this foundation has become my go-to foundation. Again. I enjoy my higher end foundations but this one is just as good to me. It wear amazingly on my skin, has a nice natural matte finish and comes in a really great shade range. I’ve been really enjoying wearing this foundation in the colder, drier climate paired with a hydrating primer.
L’Oreal Infallible Full Wear Concealer $13.49
This concealer is the sister product to the Fresh Wear foundation. I enjoy using this for spot-concealing and priming my eyes. I have yet to find a concealer that I love under my eyes, but I like the full coverage look of this one and how it isn’t overly drying.
CoverGirl Exhibitionist Mascara $6.59
If you love Too Faced Better Than Sex, then you will love this mascara as it’s essentially a dead-on dupe. The first time I tried it, I hated it. And then the formula dried out a bit and I loved it. So much so that I bought a second tube when the first one ran out. I didn’t love it as much as I did the first time around, but that was mostly because it did remind me of the Too Faced one which I’m not the biggest fan of. If you prefer a wetter formula like that one this is a great affordable alternative.
Milani Hypnotic Lights Highlighter in Flashing Light $6.49
Another Milani product. I’m telling you - don’t sleep on Milani. They have fantastic products at great prices. This highlighter is…stunning. I have a weakness for peachy duochrome-y highlighters and this one is one of my favorites in my collection. It looks great on multiple skin tones from light to deep and it lays really nicely on the skin. You can apply thing for a subtle glow or layer it or wet your brush for a blinding sheen.
Milani Hypnotic Lights Highlighter in Flashing Light
ColourPop Brow Pomade $6.50
When Colourpop first came out with this pomade I didn’t like it. It was too soft and movable. I felt like I needed to set my brows with a gel to make sure they didn’t smudge or fade. But CP reformulated the pomade - along with their brow pencils - and now I love it. I go back and forth between pencils and pomades and I have been using this one a ton recently. It performs just as well as the Anastasia Dip Brow but what I actually prefer about this one is that I don’t feel like I have to use the lightest of touches to avoid applying too much product. My current routine (it changes constantly as I am trying to find my perfect one) is to outline the shape of my brows in pencil and fill in the inner part a bit and then fill in the brows with the CP pomade.
What are some of your favorite affordable makeup products? Let me know in the comments.
