Guest blog submitted by Betsy_chen
Women, let's face it: It's tough being us.
Women are reported to be more "distressed" than men. I guess that could come from the fact that we women have so much to worry about compared to men. For example, we always have a tough time deciding what to wear, what color to splatter on our eyes, what to eat that doesn't kill our stay-slim regime, etc. We are also the privileged sex with more choices to choose from. Whether it's clothes, makeup, skincare, fashion styles; you name it, we have more of it!
As we move onward with times, women are dressing better and better these days. This seems to be the era where if you have untidily cut nails, unkempt hair or a plain face, people deem you as lazy and sloppy. Women can be made up from head to toe. From hair treatments (nowadays you seldom see women donning their natural hair), facials, manicures, spa treatments, massages, all of which swear to make you look and feel better.
So with so many things to do to make us look better, and plus with the recession, how does the modern women keep up that professionally clean image? We either spend that unnecessary money on salons or we could go D-I-Y!
Lately, all I do at home is experiment on cheaper products for the skin. So far, it seems to work. I swear by certain cheap and good makeup from drugstores and foods that are generally good for the skin. Some have been asking me, so here's what's in my makeup bag that is cheap and good!
1. Concealer:
L'oreal Touche Magique - It covers my under eye circles, just remember do not smudge, just dab.
2. Eye shadow primer: Use any brand, or just concealer. It makes your cheaper than usual eyeshadow stay better.
3. Eyeshadow:
Kate by Kanebo, Lavshuka, H.I.P by L'oreal - these are cheap but good, as they have enough pigments in them to make them easy to blend.
4. Loose powder:
Pigeon baby foundation - gentle on the skin and good coverage for occasional oil on skin. They have it in pink - for mild rosy glow, beige, and white. I use this to highlight certain areas on the face to create depth to the makeup.
5. Lip Gloss:
Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush! Buy the fruity ones, you will love them. I think it's $5 USD for 2.
6. Eyeliner:
Kate by Kanebo super extra thin liner in black. Very easy to use as its very thin and the brush is very controllable. I started with liquid using this.
What are some good products you've found in lieu of the expensive brands? Have you tried any of these? Do you think it's tough to be a woman right now in this recession?
5. Lip Gloss: Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush! Buy the fruity ones, you will love them. I think it's $5 USD for 2.
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Comments (19)
i love eye shadow primer! when i use it, my eye shadow stays on all day, rather than wearing off within a couple of hours.
I haven't tried any of the make-up that you listed above except Beauty Rush lipgloss-- which is amazing! gone are the days that I spend $14 USD on M.A.C. lipgloss. this one works just as good, and is even better in my opinion.
I've been a drugstore brand girl from the start though. I seldom go out and buy stuff from M.A.C., Sephora, department stores, etc. perks of having a super-cheap mother, haha.
the products that I recommend are:
Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer from Maybelline (does a good job of hiding both blemishes and dark circles!)
Revlon Golden Affair Sculpting Blush (pricier than most, but it has lasted me a good 3 years of daily use)
Mineral Power Finishing Veil Powder from Maybelline
Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal eye pencil (stays in place and doesn't smudge as easily as other brands do. goes on pretty smoothly)
Colossal Mascara from Maybelline (my eyelashes are both short and thin, so this one really helps with the volume factor)
I'm still on the search for a good drugstore brand foundation though. *sigh*
there are some really cute makeup tutorials on youtube featuring "budget" makeup.
check out NYC lipgloss tutorial/review
I absolutely love Victoria Secret lip gloss! Good pick!
VS lip gloss and the H.I.P. eyeshadow are definitely great (though I think the lipgloss is 2 for $10). I buy most of my products at Target, but anything that goes on and around my eyes I'll generally shell out more money. My eyes are incredibly sensitive, and a lot of the drugstore brands irritate them even when they're supposedly hypoallergenic.Â
@xiaosnowtenshi@xanga - the lipgloss are 2 for 10
or 5 for 20
I just placed my first Kate by Kanebo order a few weeks ago. I've been hearing a lot of good reviews on their products, especially their eyeshadows!
I like drugstore brands like Revlon and Maybelline. Revlon's ColorStay line is actually pretty good. It doesn't stay up to 12 hours like it claims but it does work for about 3 hours, haha. That's good enough for me.
Hm, Beauty Rush lip glosses are okay. They're too sticky for me, but the prices are reasonable.
can you tell me where you can find kate by kanebo products?
i wish i can do the same thing..
unfortunately i am allergic to some sort of chemical products in makeup so i cant just use any type..
my coworker let me try her victoria beauty rush gloss and i have to say they are super nice on the lips and not that sticky at all. I been usiing lancome juicy tubes for like 5 years (20 bucks a pop). The beauty rush gloss definitely competes with it in terms of comfort and color and smell.
@daedmz@xanga - Kate by kanebo is available in asia only I believe. If you are out of Asia, try this site :
http://www.joseibi.com/brands.asp?idCategory=408
@daedmz@xanga - I ordered my Kate by Kanebo products off sasa.com. They ship to the US and they're reliable since this would be my third order (but first Kate order) from them. They also have other Japanese brands there too =)
thanks for sharing...
NYX, Wet N' Wild, ELF. If you have an Ardene around, their makeup is SUPER cheap too, and not too bad for 2/$1 lip glosses. ;)
I got a 72 colour palette of eyeshadows from WalMart and for the price I got them at ($8 CAD), they're pretty amazing.
I haven't found anything new. Even before the recession, great products were available for cheap. I've been a uh.. what you now call "recessionista" even before the economy turned into a piece of crap.
Majolica Majorca
it has really good quality and lovely packaging
good post! i swear by drugstore make-up.
lip gloss - i like the VS gloss and i have some random ones from the drugstore. most of them are pretty good; i think lip gloss is one of the easiest products to be satisfied with from a drugstore.
eyeliner - REVLON COLORSTAY!! this stuff is amazing and stays on my waterline the ENTIRE day. many have found that it's superior to some high-end eyeliners.
eyeshadow - i think milani has the best drugstore eyeshadow. i like loreal hip as well, and i've heard good things about some of wet 'n' wild eyeshadow trios but i haven't tried one.
mascara - max factor lash perfection...enough said.
bronzer - wet 'n' wild's bronzers are superb. i've used them for years. there's also a shimmery loose powder bronzer from bonne bell that i like for layering over blush on occasion.
blush - again... MILANI. there's a loreal one that i like as well; it's sold in a huge gray compact.
Jane has some cheap waterproof mascara and mineral eyeshadow that will look good after an eight hour shift without needing to reapply the stuff. I also like the lip stain that Aerie has. It doesn't have quite the staying power of the eyeshadow but still does better than any lipstick I've tried. Lip gloss is good no matter where you get it. Black wet/dry eyeshadow is kinda the same way, and it works tons better than normal eyeliner.
covergirl lashblast is the best drugstore mascara ever. i can't spend close to $30 for lancome's hypnose mascara anymore!
ELF products are good, they're all one dollar. look up reviews on youtube. they sell them online @ eyeslipsface.com.
NYX eyeshadows are awesome as well :)
& rimell eyeliner.
I'm a MAC freak but i still use drugstore stuff cuz i cant afford MAC right now lol.