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What do you love about budget-friendly beauty brands?


What do you love about budget-friendly beauty brands? Share!

There’s usually less pressure to purchase in-stores, so you can shop freely. The price, obviously, is much kinder to the wallet so your money can stretch further. A lot of brands are carried across multiple drugstore retailers, so usually finding the brand isn’t the hard part.  You can also try something new without breaking the bank, which is great for a more trendy color or product – or even one you know you won’t wear often.  They’re additional competition for other brands, both on the same price point as well as higher-end, which (hopefully) makes everyone better.

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Jessica Avatar

I love the sales and the ability to try new trends at a reasonable price before I take the plunge into a pricier brand. Of course, there’s also the chance that a drugstore brand will work SO well that I don’t even need to bother with a higher-end brand. That’s always a nice surprise too! 🙂

jaime jaI'm Avatar

i will tell you, the last several months, a laaaaarge percentage of my cosmetics have been drug store/lower price point except for a few hgs that are high-end/ dept store brands. many of them are just flat out really great quality. a few of my fave cheapies are: rimmell matte lipsticks and paraben free mascara, revlons lipstick, glosses and eyeshadow quads (hg), ruby kisses eyeshadow primer and banana powder, m.o.m and tap

Ally Avatar

what do you recommend for eyeshadows from Revlon? They have some great looking quads but I am so hesitant to get a quad that may only have one good color :-(. Ben Nye banana powder is also fantastic. Love Revlon lipsticks, lipglosses and foundations. Have not found a mascara that tops L’Oreal Voluminous mascara. NYX single eyeshadows are great, especially the mattes and they make an amazing matte bronzer that is so soft and buttery. NYC sunny bronzer is a staple for me.

JAIME JAI'M Avatar

I have 2 in particular that I like to use: decadent and enchanted. Decadent is more pinky nude shades with a brownish plum shade for your crease. I rock that for a more natural look. Enchanted has 2 gray shades a pink nude for a hightlight and a deep shimmer green with veeeery smalls flecks for crease..this one make a really pretty smokey eye as the green almost looks black. ..I think the shades would be universally flattering on dif eye colors and skin tones…hth!

Madelyn Avatar

I love the fact that I can try lots of new things and not feel horrible. Also, some great brands are non-animal tested, which is all I buy. When I find a budget brand that is non-animal tested with great pigmentation I feel like I hit the lottery! :>

Altea Avatar

One thing I love about budget-friendly beauty brands – at least about those I can find around here – is that they generally dare more colourful looks than their high-end counterparts, so even if I am more on the expensive side when I choose a product, I love to watch budget counters for inspiration

KaseyCannuck Avatar

There are some fantastic gems that won’t make the wallet cry and whose quality is the same as we would expect from the high end brands. L’Oreal Infallibles, Revlon lipsticks, Maybelline Colour Tattoos, and NYX eye pencils come to mind, just to name a few. Also, being able to browse without a SA hovering is a gem unto itself!!

Mimielle Avatar

The formulas and color range, depth and variety of finishes and quality of ingredients of so many have improved so much. Lines have expanded to include primers, sets harmonize colors or match them in the line better. seasonal colors are released more, advertising and product info is better. Return policies have become much mord liberal at Walgreeens, Walmart and Target. I return snything i do not like. The reasonable price lets me splurge on a color I might just wear a few times or a highlighter or bronzing powder I can be lavish with. A dupe lets me test drive a color or effect to see if I want to splurge on the high end version. I still prefer department store and specialty brands but I will look at new products in the drugstore and try to stay informed enough to try the stellar performers.

Vanessa Avatar

I love how efficient I feel when I find a budget product that lives up to my high expectations. I feel like I’m playing a board game or computer game, and I’ve found some magical fairy potion — perfect in every way! 🙂

(It’s also good to know that if I break it or lose it, I can just run round the corner and buy another one.)

Geneva Avatar

The ability to experiment a bit more with colors and textures. Being able to browse without the expectation of making a purchase and not feeling like you’re disappointing the person who probably makes commission on their sales.

Sierra Avatar

The cost, no pressure to buy, and sometimes they’re even better than the high-end brands! If an eyeliner or lipgloss or whatever doesn’t work for me, I just give it to my little sister, so it’s not a waste of money. For example, I’d much rather pay $1.99 for a nail polish from Sinful Colors that lasts for 7-10 days than $18 for a bottle of Illamasqua nail polish that literally doesn’t even last a day before it starts to chip on me.

Madelyn Avatar

I feel the same way. Right now I have on a sinful color that has lasted 5 times longer than the last OPI I used. They have a good formula and lots of colors, which is really what brings me in.

patsyann Avatar

Well, the price, of course…..and the joy of finding something that works well for me and is of good quality. Also, the accessibility of drugstore brands…all big pluses for me.

lat Avatar

Obviously the price. But other than that, I love that there are always new collections coming out, either seasonal products or new mascara or foundation formulas.

Eileen Avatar

I’m not terribly interested in budget brands, but they’re great for experimentation when I want to try something trendy or outside of my comfort zone. It’s a great way to try a trend without feeling bad about the cash outlay if it doesn’t work out. If I do like the look, I’ll buy into it with a better quality product that I’ll get more pleasure using.

Tony Avatar

I find that although it is a better price its also more impulsive and you end up spending 50$ on random stuff that sits in your drawer for a year. When it comes to beauty items I think saving and spending on luxury brands is great as you invest in a few key items. Of course we all have our holy grail item mine is FIT foundation mixed with MAC face and body. But I will always invest in a few items I want to use instead if impulse items I may end up throwing out a year later.

GloriaKate Avatar

I like that I can try something new and be adventurous without worrying about how it will affect my budget. For example, I’ve been looking for a cost effective way to try out some contouring, but not knowing how it will work for me/the shades I need/if I will end up keeping it in my routine, I don’t want to spend a ton of money! Even if I know I can exchange or return it. I found a contouring kit by ELF at Target that was only $3! No guilt there, even if it doesn’t work for me.

Laura Avatar

I love that because they are cheaper I tend to experiment more. I would maybe try a lippie or eyeshadow in an outrageous or unusual colour if it’s cheap because I know that if I don’t like it, at least it hasn’t broke the bank. The quality of cheaper/highstreet brands has really improved in recent years too which makes me want to look more at those cheaper brands whereas before I’d’ve probably walked by.

Aubri Avatar

Price obviously, accessibility, availability of LEs. I found out about some LEs a month late and was still able to grab some up at my local Kmart. Try doing that with MAC!

doroffee Avatar

I like it how I can experiment with different colors, textures and products without wasting a fortune (especially on something that may not work out). And some products work just as fine as high end counterparts.

CeeBee Avatar

Price, especially when the quality matches or exceeds higher end brands. In New Zealand, even Maybelline and Revlon lipsticks are $20+ so as far as I’m concerned, they’re hardly budget.

I order NYX, Milani, LA Girl and Jordana products from the US and they’re incredible quality for the price paid, even with shipping costs on top.

LA Girl nail lacquers are $3 – $4 each and the quality and range they offer (esp, the Nude, Rockstar and Glitter 3D lines) are WAAAAAAAY better than paying $28 for a single bottle of OPI…

The Jordana Balm Stains are $3 a pop and better than Revlon – their new blushers are fabulous as well.

I love finding a fabulous new product that only costs a few dollars – which usually means I then go and buy all available colours, usually for the same price than I would pay to buy a single equivalent high end item.

Liz Avatar

I like that most DS makeup goes on sale very often. Every week either Revlon, L’oreal, Maybelline or Physician’s Formula goes on sale. That’s great. Most department stores exclude makeup purchases from their coupons. Sephora has events a couple of times a year, but that’s it. Also, a lot of the DS products offer good quality for the money.

Susan Dowman Nevling Avatar

I don’t often buy DS brands unless I happen to see something that catches my eye. I will occasionally but a lipstick particularly when trying to find a color I seldom use- like a Holiday red. Hard to get one the goes with my complexion. I will buy L’Oreal waterproof mascara because I rarely use it and throw it away after 3 months or so. I’m cautious when buying makeup from some of the countries who don’t have strict hygiene standards. I will also sometimes buy a brush from Ecco tools or Sonia Kashuk. I do buy makeup bags if they have a style and size I like.

Karen Avatar

Drugstore has a budget friendly price, frequent sales, convenience. The lower price makes it easier to try trends and toss things that don’t work for you.

Jan Avatar

Essentially – that they are everywhere so in a pinch, I can dive into a store and find something to get me through the day or evening. Typically, it’s something I like and use again and again.

There are times that I’ve purchased a product that worked differently and less successfully on me than expected (no testers). But after figuring in the lower price, I feel – overall – that I have come out ahead!

Quinctia Avatar

I think the best part is that, if I truly love a product, I can afford to buy any and every shade I would want.

Also, I am so fickle with most base products, I have to get halfway through a product before I form a real opinion. Even with a decent sized sample beforehand. So having an $8-12 foundation I didn’t like is a lot easier to swallow than the $30 ones I’ve bought and eventually decided I didn’t like.

Maggie Avatar

I agree with you. The first is especially true with things like nail polish or lipsticks–seems like you can never have enough. I feel the same way with base products.

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