How to Buy Makeup on a Budget

Every girl wants to be able to buy high quality makeup, but it can be hard to justify spending $36 just to buy one lipstick. Luckily, we have some tips to buy makeup on a budget, and get the best value for your money!

1. Set your priorities

Before you start filling up your cart at Sephora or ULTA, take a moment to answer these few questions:

What kind of makeup do I use most (contouring vs. complex eyeshadows, natural lips vs. bold lipsticks, etc…) ?
What features do I typically highlight (eyes, lips, eyelashes, etc…)?
What colors do I wear most often (cool vs. warm colors)?
What items in my makeup bag am I not willing to let go off or replace (staple foundation or mascara, etc…)?

Your answers should make it easier to determine which items you can allow yourself (or are willing to) splurge on, and ones that you can replace with cheaper options.

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2. Do your research

While Sephora is the makeup mecca, consider looking for small, independent brands offering high quality and affordable options (for a complete lists of affordable makeup brands, check out this article). Our current obsession in the LA brand ColourPop. Their eyeshadows are full of pigments and shimmers, all of it for $5 per pod. They also have amazing lippie stix, which are the perfect mix between a matte lipstain and a traditional lipstick. I bought one of their holiday sets and I absolutely love them!

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Out of all the affordable brands on the market, keep in mind that each has amazing deals and total misses. While we totally love e.l.f mineral shadows, we were not a fan of the loose powder. The Sephora brand has amazing lipgloss, but we can’t vouch for the mascara, etc… Before you buy, make sure you spend time checking out reviews, tutorials, Instagram pictures. There are a lot of articles out there on “What to buy and not to buy” for each of those brands, so make sure you do as much research as possible.

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3. NEVER pay full price

Between coupons, sales and rewards program, you should NEVER have to pay full price for an item. Make sure to check out Trendslove.com for 10% cash back at Sephora, 10% cash back at e.l.f., 5% cash back at ULTA on top of ANY existing coupons. So if you have a 10% coupon at Sephora, you can still get 10% cash back on top of the savings from the coupon code. NO matter where you purchase your makeup from, never leave the coupon box empty. At the very least, you will get a free deluxe sample. Also, it usually pays off to be patient – e.l.f runs coupons and deep sales every other week so if the ongoing offer looks a little weak, wait a couple days before you order. Make sure you create a profile and sign up for beauty rewards programs and make sure you are on everyone’s mailing lists to keep an eye for good offers!