What’s the cheapest beauty product in your go-to routine right now? Share!
Jack Black Lip Balm, which isn’t even cheap by lip balm standards. Otherwise, cotton swabs/cotton pads from the drugstore, which are used most days. I regularly reach for Sephora’s eyeliners and L’Oreal Silkissime liners, too.
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NYX slim lip pencils. Pale Pink is my go-to lip liner, and I also love Auburn, Black Berry, and Y2K.
Oh goodness yes! When I wrote my comment, I forgot those! They are my absolute FAVORITE lip pencils period! Got quite a large stash of them. They last like IRON.
Elf under eye setting powder!
Despite all promised-to-deliver formula mascara, I still stick to my all time favourite Majolica Majorca. It’s the best for my liking and reasonably priced!
Garnier’s makeup remover wipes and Sephora’s waterproof eye makeup remover. And I use Blistex lip balm every night because it really helps keep my lips from flaking.
Either my Cover Girl Ready Set Gorgeous foundation or my Maybelline Fit Me Matte+Poreless powder. I think I bought them both on sale and they were pretty close to the same amount.
Probably the deluxe sized sample of a Sephora mascara I’m using. I like it! But I have a lot more to get through too haha
Has to be a skincare item… I switch up my makeup too often for anything to be considered a “go-to” item. Hmm…. probably Aquaphor!
Jordana Fabuliner liquid eyeliner pens! They work as good or better than high end eyeliners. And the best part is they cost $2.99. I have black and brown and use them just about everyday.
I use these almost everyday:
*ColourPop -$5 shadows that stick like crazy to my oily lids and beat the pants off some HE brands
*ColourPop – $5 lippies and lipliners that can hold their own against brands that cost 7x more
*ColourPop blushes – $8 – awesome colors that stay on my teflon cheeks
*Elf kabuki face, powder, and cheek brushes – $3-$5 each – they are soft, hold well after multiple washings, and small enough for my petite face
*Wet N Wild Reserve Your Cabana Bronzer – $4 for a huge pan that will last me +10 years. The only bronzer that I found that’s light enough and cool enough for my face.
*Wet N Wild Fergie Take the Day Eye Primer – $5– one of only 2 primers that work on my oily lids
*BH Cosmetics Party Girl Eyeliners – $5 – one of the few eyeliners that will stay all day on my oily lids
*Shea Moisure Raw Shea Soap – $5 for a huge bar that lasts months. HG for me -I take 2 hot showers a day, and this leaves my skin super soft and clean, not dry
The Fergie primer works?? I will have to try it because the only ones that work for me are Nars and Laura Mercier but they are $$$. Thanks : )
Yes, it works great on me! And worth a try since it’s so cheap, keep your receipt, most drugstores will accept returns. The other one that works great for me is Bare Minerals 5-in-1 Advanced BB Cream in Linen ($ 18) and it doubles as concealer too since it’s close to my skintone. I tried UD (4 different versions), NARS, Elf, Smashbox, Maybelline Color Tattoos, MAC Paint Pots, Lorac, etc and they all creased on me, and they all cost a lot more. Wish I had known sooner
The Fergie primer works on my oily lids. I think it’s the best drugstore primer I’ve tried. I’ve heard Milani’s is good, but haven’t yet found it to try it. (I usually use Too Faced or Urban Decay.)
Probably chapstick which I use at night and under lipstick. It’s real Chapstick but I found some three packs of clearance a couple of years ago and stocked up so I paid like a quarter a tube.
For make-up, probably mascara which is a drugstore brand. Almost everything else is higher end.
black & gold brand cotton circle pads – a whopping $1.50! use ’em everyday 😀
Not counting disposable applicators… a 3 dollar e.l.f. mascara. The brush is similar to Benefit’s They’re Real, which is why I love it so. it’s a decent formula, for me, that helps define my lashes better. It’s not terribly thickening or lengthening, but I like it for a quick sweep before running errands.
Are we talking makeup strictly, or everything/anything beauty that we regularly use?
If it’s the latter, then the ghee I use as an occlusive at night to seal in all my other moisturizers is probably the cheapest thing at $10 a jar based on how much I use vs other products. It’s such a rich oil the tiniest amount more than adequately covers my whole face. Maybe I should upgrade to better ghee though…
My Foundation! Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation!
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind does not crease on me. I use my Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer and Nars Radiant concealer interchangeably and although both are nice and very long wearing, they’ll crease a little, specially the Nars one. The Maybelline one DOEST NOT CREASE AT ALL. It’s def what I use for a first date to avoid looking like I have makeup on haha. 😛 I woke up like diz, duh.
Essence Midnight In Paris gel eyeliner is quite cheap, I think $3-4? And it works quite nicely too! Wet n Wild Fergie eyeshadow primer costs very little and the quality is great, even makes some glittery shadows stay put and I NEVER get any creasing!!! Then there are my $1.99 Sinful and Sinful Gel-Tech nail polishes, FANTASTIC! Eos lip balm, but I may be trying something else soon, because while it’s good, I feel I now need something that moisturizes more deeply.
Depending how you look at it: L’oreal Anime mascara ($16AUD) is the cheapest individual product, the one shade from Stila In the Know I use as a brow powder ($62/10 = $6.2AUD) or pretty much any one of my brushes (most expensive was $14AUD some I traded for). Also cotton tips/Q-tips, to clean up mascara ‘mishaps’, which are pretty common on my bulgy eyes.
An Essence mascara. It’s pretty good though!
Maybelline Fit Me concealer. My under-eye circles are fairly light but since discovering it (via Jaclyn Hill I believe) I even reach for it on days I don’t wear foundation.
This is a great question and I’d actually love to read everyone’s answer for each product category (ie. eyes, lips, hair…)
Maybelline waterproof the falsies mascara. Or LOreal superliner perfect slim in black. I’ve used the mascara for years and always go back to it. And the liner is a really easy to use pen that’s really black. Neither are super cheap but they’re pretty much the only high street things I use everyday.
Catherine Arley Dynamic lipstick in Caffee Latte (2$). It’s surprisingly good for its small price. It’s a moisturizing light brown shimmer-free creamy lipstick with slightly warm undertones.
And my Gerovital Plant Sebo-reggulating (doesn’t actually regulate it, but it has good ingredients) moisturizer, 4$. It’s a Romanian brand.
That must be the Essence all about matte translucent powder!
Vaseline Lip Therapy!
Essence Matifying Powder.
Wet ‘n Wild Mega Liner (I use it to draw a tiny heart over the freckle under my eye, not for actual liner) or Wet ‘n Wild Mega Length mascara, which I really love for my bottom lashes and it’s only like $2-3.
The heart over the freckle is sounds so cute.
Aside from a mountain of indie loose powder product samples (eyeshadow, blush, highlighter, etc), probably Wet ‘n’ Wild eyeshadow in Brulee.
Probably Essence All About Matt pressed mattifying powder.
My elf eyebrow kit, rest is mid -high end with the exception of mascara because I wear lashes
Ironically, My answer is pretty much a ditto of Christine’s. Jack Black lip balms, pointed qtips are a staple for me. loreal and Sephora eyeliners are something I use regularly. Also, I use drugstore body lotion and body wash. I do carry a Wet N wild powder in my purse that I keep in there in case I forget the Guerlain. Sometime, I don’t like to take it out of the house.
I would have to say my ulta double sided eyeliner I got over the holiday season when Ulta had the five for five dollars holiday display.
Probably my Labello lip balm. It’s only 2 or 3 euro.
My Nivea lip balm. I love that little sucker and it’s less than $5
Agreed! I don’t know why anyone would use anything else.
While I don’t use it everyday, I have a Wet n Wild cherry red lipstick I got during a BOGO 50 and it came to .50. It’s my go-to red but I don’t wear it that often. For a use everyday the cheapest item I use is my NYX make up remover, ELF illuminating eye cooling cream ( not the true name, I’ve forgotten it!) both were $8.00
e.l.f. $1 eye primer — it works as well or better than all the high-ends primers I’ve tried.
I wish that one worked for me : (
Glad it does for you!
probably chapstick brand chapstick ! hahaha
Rimmel Color Rush lip crayon in Keep Mauvin’ – so pretty and was only $4 CDN!
My fingers are free! 🙂
This one makes me smile! I NEVER buy drug store cosmetics but on a whim in fall I picked up a few Jordana Moisturizing Balm Stains and I have been reaching for Gorgeous Peony on a fairly regular basis. Not only is this a product that only cost me $3, but it is also the only nude color I’ve found that looks decent on me!
Essence Lost-Lasting eye pencil in Hot Scorch ($3 CAD) and a couple of their gel liners ($3.50 CAD). I’m looking forward to trying their eye shadows, lipsticks, etc.
Wet ‘n Wild eyeshadow single in the shade ‘Brulee’. It was $1.99! 😀
Thanks to you I bought the cobalt blue L’oreal liner and I am seriously impressed. I have the most oily lids and it didn’t budge even without primer. Excited to get the teal and plain black one!
Either Nivea Cream or my essence Sun Club bronzer.
Milani delicioso pink blush is everything! Probably cost me $5 and it gives the softest pink glow I can’t get enough of. Plus its matte so its great for all occasions. What’s not to love?
L’oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer (mixed with sunscreen)- use every day.
Cover Girl + Olay concealer balm- use every day under eyes; discontinued unfortunately.
Milani Brow Tint pen- on rotation w other a few other brow products but I do reach for it quite often.
Almay Liquid Lip Balm in Truffle Kiss- HG, always in my purse; I definitely slap this on multiple times per week.
Maybelline The Rocket mascara – I like it better than any high-end $30+ mascara I’ve tried and if you watch for the buy-one-get-one free at most pharmacies it’s only $3.75.
Vaseline Rosy Lips lip balm – nothing else repairs and soothes my lips overnight as well as that one does!!
Non makeup: Cotton pads and cotton swabs from the Dollar Tree.
Makeup: Eos lip balm is the only thing I use every day; less than $3 USD. Frequently: E.l.f. Blush in Gotta Glow (TF Candlelight Dupe), $3; e.l.f Studio Baked Highlighters, $3; Studio Makeup Remover Pen, $3; Nyx Slim Line lipliner pencils, $3.50; bhcosmetics Waterproof Lip Liner pencils, on sale for $2.95-$3.95 ($5.95 regular price).
Baking soda, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, coconut oil, Ivory soap, baby powder, NYX blushes and eye shadows, L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara, Revlon and Covergirl lipsticks, Milani baked products and lipsticks, Elf eye shadows, Palladio tinted lip balm, Confetti $2 nail polishes, Revlon nail polish on sale, Garnier shampoos and conditioners on sale, and various fragrance samples. Yes it’s possible to look good and smell good – for a song!
What do you use the baking soda for?
A Milani lip pencil and Rimmel Kate lipstick.
The cheapest product in my go-to daily routine is my Chap Stick Moisturizing Lip Balm with 15 SPF. I use it to moisturize my lips before filling in my lips with a lip pencil and applying my lipstick.
Surprised no one mentioned this one yet!! Elf lip exfoliator! I use it daily. I keep one in my vanity & one in my purse. Also the essence midnight in Paris gel eyeliner (in my opinion) is a better formula then my Bobbi brown & a lot less expensive too!
Skincare-wise it’s a £3.50 pot of green tea cooling eye gel from Arran Aromatics – lovely on computer sore eyes after work. Otherwise I have to admit I’m a bit of a skincare snob and stick almost exclusively to Oskia and French pharmacy brands.
Makeup-wise its got to be my Naked 3 dupe palette from Makeup Revolution which cost all of £4 and is absolutely beautiful. Ok the packaging might be black plastic rather than rose gold metal but the shadows are really lovely, blend beautifully and last all day. I need their versions of Naked 1 and 2 in my life…
On a daily basis, my Caudalie hand cream. When I wear makeup, Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara for my bottom lashes.
Aside from cotton pads, I think the cheapest would be The Body Shop Aloe Calming Cleanser, which is a staple for me.
Aside from disposables like cotton balls, q- tips and such, the cheapest product I buy is probably waterproof mascara. I only wear it for carrying occasions and no other time. I often dispose of it with only one use.
Carrying should be crying. Weddings, funerals, births, etc. I save it for three months, just in case then throw it away until the next occasion. I have a terrible timekeeping waterproof mascara and lose too many lashes also.
NYX HD eye shadow base as a pretty close dupe for NARS smudge-proof eyeshadow base. & Maybelline’s Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser is a concealer that doesn’t budge without eye makeup remover.
* I misunderstood the question! The cheapest would be ELF’s lip exfoliator—it’s so much easier to use than all the others because it’s in a stick-form instead of a pot. Also have been using ChapStick in Cake Batter flavor consistently for about two weeks now 😉
inglot eyeshadow and gel liners.
i’m surprised no one mentioned nyx butter gloss because i love them.
Oh yesssssa! I love them too! I have Apple Strudle, Creme Brûlée, Angle Foodcake, Devil’s Foodcake, & Tiramisu on rotation lol
Angle? Angel! Lol
I would probably say my NYX lipstick that I got for 30% off – $7 and my Rimmel Match Perfection foundation for $10.
Hehe. A free sample of Too Faced eye primer. *^_^*
* I misunderstood the question! The cheapest would be ELF’s lip exfoliator—it’s so much easier to use than all the others because it’s in a stick-form instead of a pot. Also have been using ChapStick in Cake Batter flavor consistently for about two weeks now 😉
CO Bigelow lemon lip balm, it so moisturizing I use it under my lipstick and over it during the day to keep lipstick from drying out on my lips. I use NYX lip pencils everyday. I always go back to Palladio blush, it lasts all day and no matter the foundation (powder, liquid, etc. ) the color shows up.
Oh my goodness! I use the majority of the products listed here!! I love the Sinful nail polishes, but you can make them last up to two weeks with Rock base coat, and their top coat!! NYX Micro Brow (comparable to Anastasia), and Revlon Illuminance cream shadow in Not Just Nude!!! I love these so much that I ordered two more of the pallets, and I can’t wait to get them too!! They go on so easily, and last and last. I love every color, how often does that happen, and they last and last!! I use eye makeup lreadyaremover, skin care, and mascara (over Two faced), and I love Sleek eye shadows!! I could go on!! I use dupes whenever I can, which you have reviewed, or your readers have exclaimed about, because I hate to spend a lot on makeup, but I will, also if exclaimed about. I just go with looks that look good on me. I’m retired, and don’t go out a lot, and over 60, have great skin, no wrinkles, but I don’t stay out for hours and hours anymore, so I just want to look spectacular when I do. Oh, does Bare Minerals mineral foundation count??? That is my HG of HG’s!! It is absolutely the best ever foundation! I love this foundation, matte or luminous. This was such a good question, Christine!!
Not counting swabs, applicators etc. Essence gel liner for $5 which is great on my upper lash line. Outlasts all other pricier brands I have tried.
My Fragrance.net “free with every purchase” lip balm. As for makeup, the Stay Matte Rimmel Powder.
Maybelline Master Hi Light, Deep Bronze. Perfect blush, bronzer, and highlighter all in one amazing glow!!
Wet N Wild Coverall Liquid Foundation. This is the BEST foundation I’ve ever used and I’ve tried several high end foundations. It’s only $4!
My Elf Domed Blending Brush! I love it so much, super soft and only $1! I use it with my Mac brushes and I think it’s one of the best blenders I own.
The cheapest beauty product in my go to routine is everything expect for my brows. From L’Oreal True Match to L.A. Girl Pro Conceal to Ruby Kisses Mineral Pressed Powder to Maybelline Rocket Mascara and Essence XXXL Shine Lip Gloss.
A few people have already mentioned the Maybelline Age Rewind undereye concealer, and I heartily agree with that one – of course, using it over Bobbi Brown Corrector sort of negates the cheap factor, but that combination is the best I’ve found for my purple circles.
The relatively new NYX Proof It shadow primer is also working out really well for me. It’s the first inexpensive eye primer I’ve had consistent luck with, and it also hasn’t dried out my lids. Much more economical than the Nars, which was my previous favorite!
Annie nail polish and some other nail polish brands for 1 – 1.50 euro!
Probably the Sephora cream lip stains. I’m really digging Mandarin Muse right now. I also go through tons of Burt’s Bees lip balms. Cheapest face product would be the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation.
Maybelline Fit Me concealer
NYX Slim Lip Pencils are my go-to lip pencil for any look. They come in so many colors, they’re not expensive, and they get the job done perfectly!
maybelline dream fresh bb cream and flormar eyeliners
NYX Single Eyeshadow in Black. I use it to fill in my eyebrows.
If simply by price, its got to be MAC eye shadows in refill pans, MAC eyeliners and lip liners and The Body Shop Vitamin E night cream.
There’s:
Essence mascara (the orange tube)
ELF brushes
Wet N WIld bronzer
I’ve been using some drugstore lipsticks lately, and I’m trying to pan a Physician’s Formula Youth Code Powder so those are definitely the cheapest items I’m using
Eyebrow kit by Makeup Revolution.
I have an Elf highlighter stick of some kind. It’s perfect and easy and cheap as it gets.
I love LOVE L’Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black mascara and believe me, I’ve tried ’em all (I mean, really)! To be fair, my eyelashes are pretty decent to start with but it really gets every little lash and has a nice wet finish. Also, Avon tinted lip balm called Slick Tint in rosy wine that’s perfect for quickie color. It was only 69 cents! It tastes weird, though. There are a couple of Maybelline lipsticks I like (the 14 hour ones and another one in a see-thru red case in color 645 called Red Revival which is a perfect matte red for me and seems to stay on well). I can’t wait to try out all of your suggestions!
Most of my stuff is cheap right now!
The Elf Studio precision brush is amazing for applying gel eyeliner. Also the Elf small stipple brush for applying highlighter. I reach for my Elf four pan blush palette in deep quite a bit since receiving it. The colors have a high pigmentaation and are very nice. Wet n Wild nail polish in my current favorite color ‘Bite the Bullet and Rimmel stay matte powder in translucent. The Sephora Collection Precision Pore cleansing pad. It’s made of pink silicone and so nice for travel.