† 4 (& 1/2) Drugstore Products Infinitely Superior to More Expensive Stuff

This is not me embarking into a new phase of beauty blogging, for the record.  This is me wanting to be sparkly all the time but having a non-sparkly budget for sparklefication, therefore faking it til I make it only to realize I've more or less made it all along.

Wait, what?

Stop paying so much for beautifully packaged cosmetic products when you really should be saving that money for tacos. (Unless you have the dollas to spend, then buy whatever you want.) Cheap it out and buy this stuff instead.

1. Jordana Mascara

You can get this at Walgreens for $2.99, or from Amazon for 1.99, and bam, insta-lashtastic. My only complaint with this is that sometimes it makes your lashes so long it actually weighs them down and they lose curl, but it's va-voom enough that you probably don't even have to curl your eyelashes in the first place. I don't anymore; I don't even know where my eyelasher curler is right now. Also, can we talk about how much eyelash curlers look like medieval torture devices? That you apply to your EYEBALL?

2. Wet n Wild MegaLiner

If I only got to take one product to a deserted island, it'd be eyeliner. Wet n Wild makes this super smooth liquid eyeliner for a pocket-breaking $2.00. Note that it is kind of smudgey, but that makes it easier to get off and to fix when you end up with accidental lines across your face. If you have a swift, practiced hand, go for the expensive products that never move again once they're on your face, but if you're still trying to figure out what goes where.... MegaLiner. All the way. 

3. Almay Clear Complexion Makeup

This is so far into too-good-to-be-true territory that I keep buying more expensive foundation just because something that's $40 a bottle HAS TO BE better than something that's under $5 per bottle, RIGHT? If it's true, I haven't found it yet. I'm looking at you, Marc Jacobs, MAC, bareminerals, Kat Von D, and everything else inside Sephora. Almay gives really clean coverage, no caking or feathery lines, no oily finish, and has never made my super temperamental skin breakout. I will go down with the Almay ship, and I'm sorry I ever doubted you, little makeup bottle.

4. Cover Girl Outlast

I've written about my love for Cover Girl Outlast a bunch of times now, ever since rocker girl Emmy Wildwood introduced me to it. You put it on and it stays on, end of story. It doesn't go anywhere. Red lips all day, not red lips for an hour in the morning and then red lips all up on your coffee cup and not your mouth. Amazon's got it for $7.00 in a whole range of fun colors. It's that easy.

4 1/2. Hairspray

This only counts as half because everyone already knows about it, right? Hairspray, the ultimate makeup setter. Please don't ever buy expensive stuff to keep your face on all night. I've had conversations with professional makeup artists that went like, "when should I use something specific and when should I just use hairspray?" and ended with "basically just use hairspray all the time." 


Note that no one's paying me to say any of this; I really use all these. (But if you want to pay me to say something, I'm available. I totally need a day job.)

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