Archived Post
The Best Beauty Products Under $15 for Your Holiday Wish List
You don’t have to spend a lot to get a quality product, as long as you know where to look! 🙂 Here are a few of my favorite budget-friendly products to give and to receive this season. These are all permanent products! Any recommendations to share?
For more recommendations, I suggest browsing my past reviews by rating or seeing what products I’ve given the Temptalia Recommends designation. For a list of all my favorites, see the Editor’s Choice Awards.
Sleek Makeup Arabian Nights Eyeshadow Palette |
|
 |
|
| The palette contains twelve shades of smoky, muted, and deeper shades from beige to purple to black. Simbad’s Seas is one of the most gorgeous blue-purples I’ve ever seen. Full Review |
Where to Buy$11.99 at Amazon |
L’Oreal Infallible Silkissime Eyeliner |
|
 |
|
| It’s an incredibly long-wearing, richly pigmented, and creamy formula that goes on easily and really delivers amazing quality without breaking the bank Full Review |
Where to Buy$8.99 at ULTA, Drugstore.com |
Makeup Geek Blush |
|
 |
|
| This is one of the best budget-friendly blushes on the market, but more importantly, it competes with high-end powder blushes. The formula is nicely pigmented, silky and soft, and blendable. Favorites include: Bliss, Honeymoon, Love Affair, Spellbound. Full Review |
Where to Buy$9.99.00 at Makeup Geek |
Sephora Contour Eye Pencil |
|
 |
|
| Most of the shades I’ve tried have good color payoff in a single stroke, wear eight to ten hours on the lash line, and never drag or tug when applied. Favorites include: Fairytale, Girls Night Out, Good Mood, My Boyfriend’s Jeans, Snakeskin Dress, Sun Tan, Tiramisu. Full Review |
Where to Buy$10.00 at Sephora |
Makeup Geek Eyeshadow |
|
 |
|
| Why not build your own holiday palette? Whether you’re creating one for yourself or gifting one to a friend, it’s a lovely way to customize with quality shades. Favorites include: Barcelona Beach, Cocoa Bear, Corrupt, Country Girl, Drama Queen, Glaorous, Goddess, Homecoming, Moondust, Sensuous, Twilight. Full Review |
Where to Buy$5.99 at Makeup Geek |
L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow |
|
 |
|
| A long-wearing, richly pigmented powder eyeshadow with a budget-friendly price makes this a great option for giving and receiving. Favorites include: Amber Rush, Golden Emerald, Smoldering Plum. Full Review |
Where to Buy$7.99 at ULTA, Drugstore.com |
NYX Power Wicked Lippie |
|
 |
|
| It’s a muted, rosy mauve with subtle, warm undertones and a metallic sheen. It makes for a great shade to transition from fall to winter, plus the metallic shimmer gives it a holiday feel! Full Review |
Where to Buy$6.00 at ULTA |
Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids Lip Color |
|
 |
|
| For rich, bold color that’s comfortable to wear, long-wearing, and hydrating, Maybelline has an excellent option right here. Favorites include: Electric Fuchsia, On Fire Red, Shocking Coral, Vivid Rose. Full Review |
Where to Buy$7.49 at ULTA, Drugstore.com |
Oh yeaaah I almost forgot about Make Up Geek blushes! They’re awesome.
They are!!
What a great assortment of high quality but lower priced products that are every bit as good as those costing 2 or 3 times as much! How I wish Makeup Geek “stuff” was available in-store, for folks like me who need to see, feel, try, compare….
Totally understand the need to play first. It is fun to do so, and it is a good way to mitigate unnecessary purchases (both ones that don’t work well, but also just going, “Not THAT impressive!”). I believe they are opening a store in Sacramento, so maybe they’ll open more in more metropolitan areas in the future.
Totally agree about the L’Oreal Infallible shadows! Amber Rush is my favorite “all over the lid” eyeshadow shade! So pretty. I have been trying to get the Power Wicked lippie, but my Ulta didn’t have a display for the Wicked lippies…I might cave and buy it on line because I really “need” it!
Hopefully they arrive soon at ULTA!
This is such a great post and wonderful suggestions! Totally recommend both the Silkissime and the Sephora liners and the Sleek palette. I would recommend any of the Sleek palettes (I have nine of them and the quality is pretty consistent across them). Sometimes the matte shades are chalky, but the shimmer shades are consistently good.They’re on par with palettes that cost three times as much.
What are your top three Sleek palettes, Ginny?
That’s tough! If you want not-a-dud-in-the-bunch quality, I would say Bad Girl, Storm, and Sunset. Sunset looks wild, but the bottom row is totally wearable, and the top row are like fun accent colors.
But Arabian Nights and Vintage Romance have some fun autumn/winter colors, and I have a soft spot for Garden of Eden, b/c I love greens and mauves.
Sunset is the best one I’ve tried 😀
In surprised I’ve never paid much attention to the Sephora eyeliners. They look pretty nice! I need to order a few soon. Along with some NYX Wicked lipsticks when they pop up on Ulta
They’re nice and come in SO many shades!
Thank you for this post! I lust after the high end stuff, but I can actually go and buy some of this stuff!
No problem, Ada! 🙂 Do you have any favorites I’ve missed?
This made me laugh because I have all of these products, except for the Nyx Wicked lipstick. And that’s just because I haven’t been able to find them in stores 😛
Niiiice! 🙂
Great list! Taking notes
Thanks, Allison!
I really want to get some of those L’Oreal Liners.
They’re awesome 😀
I’m definitely putting in a Make Up Geek order during the holidays! 🙂
That’s great news! Can’t wait to hear what you think.
Thanks for the budget picks! Makeup is so expensive nowadays, that it’s nice to find affordable products that perform well or better. I like the NYX Extra Creamy Round lipsticks
There are some really great products out there at all price points, which is good news for our wallets!
All of these products are terrific. I am interested in getting my daughter-in-law the Sleek Bad Girl palette, as she is totally into greys. I love the Sleek products. We can only get them online in Aus.
Sleek is online only for us in the states, too!
Oooh, great list. I have most of these except MUG items and the Sephora liners. I recently ordered MUG Bitten while it was in stock, so I can try the brand out. I can’t wait for it to arrive.
Nice! 🙂
I recommend everyone to check ingot pigments, especially in colors 22 and 35. They are amazing(and under 15$)
Thank you, Mina!
BEST. This gift guide looks amazing, dude! I love the layout 🙂
Thank you, Rae! 🙂
Three Cheers for the Arabian NIghts palette and Simbad’s Seas! 😀 😀
I am loving my MUG blush (*really* need to get that review going >_<), and I would be all over the Silkissime liners (especially Green Ivy) and the Sephora ones if they came here.
I ordered some Nyx Wicked lippies the other day, and was tossing up about Power! In the end I decided that Revlon Icy Violet was enough for me for the moment, and focused on the greens, LOL!
So many great budget-friendly products these days! 😀
Love the Sleek products – they generally don’t disappoint. They are sensational for the price. I must try the L’Oreal products too.
They do a really good job if you like more pigmented products!
All of them are so amazing.. I am waiting for these L’oreal SIlkissme Liners to come to india.. Those Makeup Geek eye shadows and blushes look so prettyy!!.. <3