actually cheap summer makeup solutions

It's summer. Makeup melts off your face (especially with 100+ temps and humidity). Magazines have all sorts of tips and products you can use to prevent that from happening, but they're usually absurdly expensive.

So here's what I've found that's dirt cheap and will still do the job.


Primer

You should have a facial primer. Even if you don't wear any makeup over it, it still fills in pores and keeps your face from getting as shiny. And if you do put makeup over it, it'll stay longer and you'll have to use less of it to get good coverage. I resisted it for a long time because of the annoyance of an extra step, but especially in the summer, it's definitely worth it.

The problem is, even the drugstore brands are at least 10-12 bucks. Rimmel has one for about $7, but it's got a tint to it, and it only comes in one orangey color.



Solution: Claudia Stevens primer. It's five bucks at Sally Beauty Supply. It's not quite as nice a consistency as Smashbox's or Mac's primers, but it does the job.


Eyeshadow Primer

Again, I resisted for the same reasons: cost, extra step. And then I realized it's pointless to spend time putting on eyeshadow to have it disappear after an hour or two.



e.l.f. (available at Target) makes one for a dollar. And it works better than Smashbox (generally the upper level competition, though it's slightly less of a cult favorite Urban Decay's Primer Potion, which I've never tried. Both of those run about 20 bucks). Last night I put e.l.f.'s primer under black shadow, and it still had not budged after 5 straight hours of dancing - the last two at El Parador for salsa, when I (and everyone else) was sweating by the bucketful.

To sum up: good stuff. For a fucking dollar.



Oil Blotter Sheets


Again, e.l.f. For a dollar. You can normally get some for about five bucks or as much as twenty, but these seem to work quite well. I was especially impressed that it continues to keep your skin more matte afterward, as if you'd used a particularly effective powder.


Gel Eyeliner


Wins awards for staying put even after I washed my face. You could wear it in the pool and it wouldn't move. The Ulta website lists it as $9, but I got the smoke shade for $2 bucks the other day - I think they're switching out the packaging, so all the Ulta brand stuff is on clearance.

You do need an eyeshadow brush, but those are pretty easy to find for not much (I use Avon's, which was $3).


Benefit Feeling Cheeky Minis

Again, a cult favorite. But the full sized versions are $28 a piece, which is way too much of an experiment for my teacher budget. I've been using these travel-sized versions all summer, though, and they still haven't run out. The trio is exclusively at Sephora, and it's only $15. Put on one of the tints after your primer and base but before powder, and you get a really nice, natural glow. It lasts all day, and the colors are both perfect. They don't look makeup-y at all.

As lip tints, they're also really nice - they go on smoothly, and don't pool color in some areas more than others. Again, really natural looking, and they don't melt off your face like gloss and lipstick do in the heat. They seem to moisturize somehow, too. I still don't know if I'll put down $28 for the full size, but for $15, totally worth it. I get way more compliments on how I look when I'm wearing them.


Eye Gel

I started using an eye cream a few months ago, but in the heat and humidity, it was too much. Olay's Revitalizing eye gel is ten bucks (you never find any sort of eye cream for ten bucks), and protects your skin without feeling heavy or greasy in the heat (or making your eye makeup run).


Let me know if you have any other cheap, effective products, or if you try these and they work for you~

ode to eos

I'm sure you're like me and have long been on the search for the perfect lip balm. (It's always useful to flatter oneself that one's readers share one's interests.)

The good news is, I've found it. EOS's smooth sphere in five different flavors--three of which I've tried--is wonderful, and I continue to feel that way weeks after I began using it. The texture is light; there's no color and only a very slight shine; it's not at all sticky; my lips are lovely and soft and stay that way even after it's faded; and it doesn't leave any of that icky white residue (surely I'm not the only one who's experienced that). It's 95% organic, 100% natural, gluten-, paraben-, and petroleum-free. Honestly, it's nearly too good to be true.

Plus, the egg shape is endlessly entertaining. Even the material the egg is made of is pleasing to the touch, and it makes such a satisfying click when the top screws on completely (bonus points for making it nearly impossible to lose the cap).

I strongly recommend the honeysuckle honeydew flavor, although so far I've only found it stocked at Walgreens. If you're male (do I have any male readers? Google stats doesn't reveal gender . . . ) and not secure enough in your masculinity to handle fruit flavors, go for the sweet mint.

fluff & other nonsense

I figure a post on something as frivolous as makeup is much better than posting about how exhausted I've been this week.

I am, I confess, a bit of an impulse shopper. This is aggravated by Costco, with its tantalizingly low prices and the assurance that something you're considering will probably not be there the next time you stop by.


The Stila "Blockbuster Palette" at Costco was $20. Just for comparison purposes, the "Camera Ready Blockbuster Palette," with far fewer products, is $42 at Ulta.

It comes with 30 shadows, 12 lip colors (the three columns on the right), three blushes (it says one's a highlighter, but don't believe them) two bronzers, a nude lipliner and a black eyeliner.

Absurd, for that price. Of course, the applicators suck, but since I'm decked out with good brushes, it's not an issue. But all of the colors are wearable (at least on me) and very pigmented; additionally, seeing the colors near each other has somehow made me more creative in my application. The quality of the materials is quite good, much better than one normally gets in this sort of palette.

The biggest issue is that the thing is huge, and completely ridiculous to lug around; this means that there's no reapplication of lip color after you leave the house. Also, if you're not careful, bits of the powder get stuck in the lipstick (a clear design flaw).

It is, however, perfect for stage makeup.

There were still several of these available when I stopped by to check on Monday, if you're interested. It's definitely worth it for the price.


In the spirit of nosiness, thought I'd give you a peek into my makeup drawer. Admittedly, most of this is usually scattered across my side of the sink and not neatly put away--but the point is, it can be. This is just the stuff I use on a regular basis; there's a three drawer container underneath that holds things I rarely use (mostly stage makeup).

The heart-patterned blush at the top right is from the Happiness line Physician's Formula just released, and which I strongly recommend. Nice and bright and cheery.

The knee-high hose tucked at the bottom of the makeup bin is for removing stupid deodorant rubs, which I am forever getting on my clothes. It's much quicker and more effective than trying to erase them with water.

The clear bottle is the generic Frizz Ease I use on my hair. Yay cheap!

Additionally, Colin finally let me organize his closet. It's actually still mostly intact, too, even though these were taken a week or so ago.


Ahh, sweet frivolity.