With all the makeup products out there, it can be hard to know which ones are worth the money. We’ve compiled a list of our top favorite affordable makeup products to take the guesswork out of your decision. From primers and foundation to blush and false lashes, we’ve got you covered with amazing products with a wallet friendly price tag. Whether you’re in need of new makeup, you’re just starting your makeup collection, or you just love trying and learning about new makeup, read on to see which ones made our list and why!
Makeup trends come and makeup trends go, but one thing is for sure — if you find an amazing product, it’s perfectly acceptable to stick with what you love and repurchase that product over and over. Here are our top faves in affordable makeup that we constantly reach for that also have great reviews from tons of others. We know everyone has their own style and personal preference, but we highly recommend trying these products!
Primer
Nivea Men Aftershave Balm
We know what you’re probably thinking… men’s after shave? As a primer? YES. Successful YouTuber Nikki Tutorials made this product famous as a primer when she announced it in her April Hits and Oh God No’s video in 2015. It became a phenomenon that swept the YouTube beauty community, and many makeup artists now swear by it. The second ingredient in the balm is glycerin, the key ingredient that helps foundation stick. The trick is to apply your foundation while the balm is still tacky, so it will grab and hold onto your foundation. This will ensure your makeup will stay on all day without budging or melting off. If you don’t mind the masculine smell, Nivea Men’s Aftershave Balm could be life changing to your beauty routine!
Foundation
L’Oreal True Match Lumi
L’Oreal True Match Lumi gives a beautiful, luminous finish with medium, buildable coverage. It’s the perfect foundation for a dewy skin look. True Match Lumi comes in 2 different formulas — liquid and cushion. This foundation is lightweight with 40% water to hydrate the skin, but still has great coverage. It evens out your skin tone and makes you look luminous without looking greasy. It’s great for all skin types, and it comes in a variety of shades so you can find the perfect match for your skin tone.
Concealer
NYX Gotcha Covered Concealer
This creamy concealer is easily blendable and offers full coverage to hide imperfections, dark circles, and uneven skin tone. This waterproof formula is highly effective so you know it’ll last through your beach day or all-night dance session. Infused with coconut oil, this concealer is creamy and won’t give you “crepe skin” or dry you out. Try NYX Gotcha Covered Concealer in any of their 20 shades to get beautiful, flawless looking skin.
Pressed Powder
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
The Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, depending on the color you get, can be used as a foundation and as a powder. It offers eight shades, including transparent, so you can build up the color or simply use it as a setting powder over your foundation and concealer. It offers long-lasting matte coverage, and we like to use it to keep the shine at bay. If you have oily skin or prefer a powder over a liquid foundation, try this powder in a color that matches your skin to even out your skin tone and cover blemishes. When used as a setting powder, it prevents your concealer from creasing and keeps your foundation from melting off your face. Using natural minerals, Stay Matte is an oil-absorbing powder that will give you a flawless looking complexion. You can use this on all skin types to achieve a shine-free foundation that doesn’t settle into creases.
Loose Powder
RCMA No Color Powder
RCMA’s No Color Powder is a multipurpose powder that can be used on all skin types. This powder can be used to set or “bake” your under eyes after applying concealer to prevent creasing, or set your foundation to make it last all day. Since it is colorless, this powder can work on many skin tones and helps keep your skin looking smooth and your makeup looking fresh. You can apply this on your eyes as a base before you put your eyeshadow on, and it will help everything blend easily. You can also use this right under your contour to sharpen up your cheekbones for a more intense and structured look. This amount of powder will last such a long time, and its plastic, flip top bottle won’t break or make a mess in your makeup bag.
Blush
Milani Baked Blush
Our favorite Milani Baked Blush is in the shade Luminoso — a beautiful shimmery peachy color. The shimmer is nice and fine, giving a beautiful, subtle highlight on your cheeks without having too much glitter or chunky sparkles. The peach shade suits so many skin tones and is versatile enough to go with any makeup look. Whether you’re looking to give your bare face some life with a little peachy color or you’re putting the final touches on your full glam makeup look, Luminoso has you covered. This richly pigmented blush is buildable and blends in beautifully with your makeup to give you just the right pop of color for a natural looking flush on your cheeks.
Eyeshadow & Highlight
L’Oreal Infallible 24 Hr Eyeshadow
Let’s just start by saying it’s not called infallible for nothing! The L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow is not only waterproof and smudgeproof, it has a high color payoff and stays in place all day. The shades have some seriously intense color and can be used as more than just an eyeshadow. Use Iced Latte or Always Pearly Pink as a highlight on cheeks to give your face more structure and light, or try it on your Cupid’s Bow to make for an even more vibrant and metallic color. There are 12 shades to choose from so you can find one for every occasion, and they look beautiful on every skin tone.
Eyeliner
Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner
The Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Eyeliner glides on smooth for an easy application with a punch of pigment. This little pot will last you a long time — a little goes a long way. The smooth yet substantial texture of this product makes it easy to achieve a straight line and sharp wing. It’s not too runny like a liquid, but much more creamy than a pencil. It applies like a dream and is perfect for beginners and pros alike. Our favorite way to apply it is with a small angled brush to make a winged look, then going back in and filling in any empty spaces using the small brush that is supplied. This eyeliner is available in four colors — black, brown, eggplant, and charcoal.
Bronzer
ULTA Matte Bronzer
A matte bronzer tends to look more natural than a bronzer with shimmer or glitter, especially if you are using it for contouring. The ULTA Matte Bronzer is an amazing product to create the perfect contour or a bronzey, sunkissed glow. The ULTA Matte Bronzer comes in two shades — warm with yellow undertones or pink with cool undertones. This product will give a healthy looking tone to the skin and is formulated without parabens, gluten oil, fragrance, or sulphates. It gives buildable and blendable coverage so you get a natural, yet customizable application.
Mascara
Covergirl Bombshell Volume
If you’re looking for long, voluminous lashes without the heavy price tag, Covergirl Bombshell Volume by Lashblast is the perfect mascara to add to your collection. The double extend tube is a two-step mascara where you first build volume and then add length. Start by curling your lashes to prep them for the mascara. You’ll then begin with side one and apply a generous coat — the buildable formula allows you to apply more coats for thick lashes that don’t become clumpy; you don’t even need to let the coats dry in between. Finish with side two to add length to your newly voluminous lashes. You won’t believe how much lift and thickness you get with this mascara; it’s almost like wearing falsies without the hassle of lash glue.
Lip Liner
NYX Lip Liner
Really, any of the NYX lip liners are amazing, but we love the slims. With 50 shades, you’ll find a lip liner for every occasion and skin tone. The creamy formula glides on smooth, creating sharp, precise lines to contour and shade your lips. Not only can you enhance any lipstick by adding the liner as a base to your lips, you can also change the color of your lipstick depending on what color liner you choose to use. Add an orange toned liner to warm up any lipstick, or apply a blue toned lip liner to make your lipstick more cool toned. This formula is nice and moisturizing so it won’t dry out your lips. You can never have too many lip liners, and they’re so small they don’t take up much room in your makeup bag — so we say grab one in every color.
Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop Liquid Lipstick
ColourPop offers liquid lipsticks in a wide range of shades including subtle nudes to bold colors like green or black. Their weightless, creamy formulas can be purchased in ultra satin or ultra matte finishes depending on your preference. These lipsticks are highly pigmented and opaque for maximum color payoff. They also don’t dry out your lips like some liquid lipsticks do, making them a great long-wearing option.
Lipstick
Maybelline Vivids
If you aren’t into liquid lipsticks, Maybelline has you covered with their Vivid’s Lipstick line. They go on creamy, are highly pigmented, and feel moisturizing on the lips. It’s everything you want in a lipstick, in seven beautiful shades ranging from pinks to oranges and purple. If you’re looking for a bold, yet wearable pout, the Vivid’s collection has something for you.
False Lashes
Red Cherry Wispies
The best part about Red Cherry Wispy Lashes is their versatility. You can wear them with a glam, smokey eye to elevate a nighttime look, or use them as an everyday lash with a simple, nude eye and winged liner. These wispies look natural enough to wear with a minimal makeup look, giving your lashes length and volume without weighing down your eyes. The thin band can be easily hidden, making them a better fake lash than even the more expensive options. Use tweezers for an easy, precise application, and pair it with DUO lash adhesive to make them last all day.
That concludes this list of affordable makeup must haves. Did any of your favorites make the list? Be sure to share your favorites in the comment section below; we’re always searching for new, amazing products!
Looking for more on beauty and makeup? Be sure to check out our post 15 Beauty Hacks, Tips & Tricks or 5 Beauty Products You Didn’t Know Were Multipurpose.
Photo credits: Kristen Love
