Cheap Makeup For Us Broke College Kids

By: Natalie Oganesyan ‘22

We all know the struggle of trying to look good in college, especially when we’re low on funds and can’t afford Sephora brand products. I’m here to let you know that there are good makeup and skincare products that are effective, inclusive, and cheap! Here’s a go-to guide on affordable makeup when you’re balling on a budget.

FACE:

Concealer

NYX HD Photogenic Concealer Wand - $5.59 at Target and as low as $2.50 at Walmart! This concealer is creamy and medium coverage. It’s very comparable to the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, a higher-end alternative. It also has a great range for a wide variety of skin tones!

Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Full Coverage Concealer - $7.00 at Ulta. As the name implies, this concealer is heavy duty and full coverage! It’s great for covering under-eye circles and blemishes. I also tend to use this all over the face as a quick foundation replacement for when I’m feeling lazy and don’t want to do a full base. It comes in 24 shades.

Foundation

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream Skin Perfector - $7.49 at Target. Even though it’s not a foundation, I find that this BB Cream is perfect for everyday use, particularly if you’re just trying to even out your skin tone or balance out redness before class. It’s lightweight and hydrating but still manages to last all day. For reference, I have a normal skin type which tends to get oily in the T-zone and have worn this for upwards of 8 hours with no caking or smudging!

Makeup Revolution Fast Base Stick Foundation - $9.00 at Ulta. As a college student, I know I often get lazy with my makeup routine, especially when I’m just trying to go to class and don’t need a full face. What I love about this foundation is the form it comes in. Because it’s a stick, you can use it in a variety of ways — as a foundation, a spot concealer, or a contour stick. It’s easy to just draw it on your face, blend quickly, and then be ready to go.

Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation - $5.49 at Target. This foundation is a tried and true staple in the makeup community. It’s matte, weightless, medium coverage, and lasts all day. I honestly don’t have anything to complain about — it’s a pretty solid foundation choice.

Contour

Wet N Wild MegaGlo Conceal and Contour - $3.99 at Ulta. I use the shade “Call Me Maple” to contour. This is definitely an optional makeup item and not necessary for an everyday kit. However, this stick is ideal for when I like to add a little warmth or bronzy glow to my look. It’s easy to just draw it on the hollows of the cheeks, blend out, and set with some powder. I will say, though, that this contour stick will unfortunately not work for darker and deeper skin tones.

Powder

Wet N Wild MegaGlo Contouring Palette - $4.99 at Ulta. This powder duo in the shade “Dulce De Leche” is honestly such a staple in my kit. It’s perfect for setting under the eyes and contouring. I have already hit pan on it and don’t think I’ll be purchasing another powder other than this one for a while. My only gripe with it is the lack of shade ranges. As a drugstore brand, Wet N Wild is hit or miss when it comes to inclusivity. This duo only comes in a slightly darker shade called “Caramel Toffee” for medium skin tones.

NYX #NoFilter Finishing Powder - $6.00 on their website. This powder is a great, lightweight powder which is perfect for setting all over the face. It comes in a wide variety of shades and never oxidizes the foundation under it.

Ben Nye Neutral Set Colorless Face Powder - $7.00 at Camera Ready Cosmetics. Ben Nye is a well-known brand which is often used for theatre makeup. It’s heavy-duty which is perfect for people with oily skin. It doesn’t have flashback and has a wide variety of tints for all skin tones. It also comes in a huge bottle which will probably last you your entire life.

Milani Baked Blush - $7.99 at Ulta. This blush is wonderful because of its formula. Since it’s baked, it has a slight luminosity to it which can produce a highlighting and a blush effect in one. My favorite shade is “Luminoso” and I’ve found that the shades “Bella Rosa” and “Red Vino” are particularly beautiful on dark skin.

Wet N Wild MegaGlo Loose Highlighting Powder - $5.99 at Target. This loose highlighter honestly changed my life. It comes in three beautiful shades and all of them are blinding as hell. It comes in a large container so it will last you a while, and you only need a little bit to get a nice glow. It’s one of my favorite drugstore finds. My only gripe with it is that, since it’s a loose highlighter, it can get a little messy.

Makeup Revolution Soph X Revolution Highlighter Palette - $12.00 at Ulta. Even though this palette is upwards of ten dollars, I had to mention it. With eight shades it’s a bang for your buck type of item. It has all your staple highlighter shades with some added fun colors for more editorial or going out looks. The shades are buttery and smooth. It’s definitely one of my favorite highlighter purchases by far.

Black Radiance Pressed Powder - $4.79 at Target. Even though I’ve never personally used this bronzer, many lists for affordable makeup products for dark skin included this bronzer. Although foundations and concealers have made strides in the drugstore realm in including more skin tones and undertones, bronzers and contour powders for dark skin are still hard to find. According to reviews, this bronzer comes in many dark shades (from “Ebony” to “Rich Mahogany”) and runs deep enough for most dark skin and is buttery smooth.

EYES:

Morphe The Jaclyn Hill Eyeshadow Palette - $38.00 at Ulta. So this might not seem affordable, but, honestly, this is the only eyeshadow palette you’ll ever need. It has colorful shades and staple neutral shades for every day. The eyeshadows are extremely high quality and for 38 dollars you get a whopping 35 shades, equating to about one dollar per shade.

Juvia’s Place The Warrior Eyeshadow Palette - $20.00 on their website. Juvia’s Place is such a good brand, particularly in that they specifically make shades which flatter dark skin. For 20 dollars, you get nine extremely pigmented shades, about double the normal eyeshadow pan size. Both the mattes and the shimmers are wonderful. Even though this palette is especially great for the everyday college student because of its neutral shades, they have a ton of other palettes for those looking to explore more colorful eye looks. As a warning though, there’s quite a bit of fallout with the eyeshadows, so I would personally do an eye look before you go in with your base and foundation.

L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise - $6.49 at Target. Although I’ve found great mascaras at the drugstore that are cheaper than this one, I still feel like this is the best one. It’s an exact dupe for the Too Faced “Better than Sex” mascara. It lengthens while still volumizing. Personally, I only get the waterproof one because it holds the curl of the lashes better and is less prone to smudging.

Essence Make Me Brow Eyebrow Gel Mascara - $2.99 at Ulta. This eyebrow gel is great for everyday use when I don’t want to take the time to fill in my brows. It’s a tinted brow gel that is comparable to high end brands. I use the shade “Browny Brows” which is the darkest shade.

ELF Clear Brow & Lash Mascara - $2.00 on their website. This clear brow gel is super cheap and effective. It works just as well as high end brands. I use this to set my brows after I fill them in with my product of choice. Even though one side is dedicated for the lashes, I use both for my brows. My only gripe with this product is that once it starts getting old the gel starts coagulating and becomes less effective.

Morphe Micro Brow Pencil - $5.00 on their website. This is one of the cheapest and best eyebrow pencils I’ve found on the market. I personally use the shade “Mocha.” It’s creamy, easy to use, and fills in the brows naturally. What I love about this pencil is that the user can control how natural or how defined the brows can be depending on how much pressure is applied.

LIPS:

Wet N Wild MegaLast Lip Color - $1.49 at Target. This lipstick is so creamy, I often forget it’s a drugstore brand. It’s opaque, comfortable to wear, and won’t dry out your lips because it’s semi-matte. My favorite shade is “Bare it All,” which is a perfect nude brown-pink shade for me.

NYX Butter Gloss - $2.50 on their website. I am a self-proclaimed lip gloss fiend and, if I’m completely honest, this is one of the best — if not the best — lip gloss on the market. It’s hydrating and works in such a way where you can build up the layers to get the color payoff that you want. It also works perfectly when layered over lipsticks or other glosses. One of my favorite shades is “Madeleine,” a perfect brownish nude gloss.

Wet N Wild MegaLast Liquid Catsuit Lipstick - $4.99 at Ulta. Although I’m not a matte liquid lipstick fan, if you happen to be, this is one of your best bets at the drugstore. It’s more on the comfortable side of matte liquid lipsticks and lasts well while eating and drinking throughout the day. The only downside is that the darker the color, the harder it is to build up the lipstick color. Other than that, this lipstick is pretty great.

SKINCARE:

Milani Make It Last Setting Spray Prime + Correct + Set - $9.99 at Ulta. Although not a skincare product, setting spray is absolutely vital to my makeup routine. Because I always set my makeup so that it doesn’t crease or move around throughout the day, my makeup can end up looking a little powdery or cakey. Setting spray not only helps lock everything in place, but also helps blend everything together and takes away that powdery look so that the makeup just melts into your skin. This spray, in particular, is great for also ensuring that my makeup lasts all day.

NYX Dewy Finish Makeup Setting Spray - $5.95 at Ulta. This spray is perfect not only for makeup longevity but also for adding an extra glow or dew to my look if I feel that it’s looking a little flat. It’s also perfect for combatting overtly matte foundations and powders. This spray is also really good at refreshing makeup throughout the day.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes - $5.99 at Target. If you’re going to wear makeup, you’re going to need an effective way to take it off at the end of the day. While I use this product in conjunction with coconut oil (which I mention below) because I don’t feel like makeup wipes effectively take off ALL the makeup residue on your face, if I’m particularly tired or lazy I will just use these wipes as the bare minimum skincare routine and go to bed. These wipes are really efficient at taking off makeup as quickly as possible and with the smallest amount of effort.

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil - $4.99 at Trader Joe’s. Coconut oil is, I’ve found, the most efficient way to take off makeup. It melts waterproof mascara, shimmery eyeshadow, and matte lipstick with ease. It also hydrates the skin and feels great after a whole day of wearing makeup. I would recommend using about a teaspoon amount for removing a face full of makeup. I usually wash the oil off and then use a cotton pad to wipe off the excess. I follow this up with a makeup wipe. 

Alba Pore Purifying Pineapple Enzyme Facial Cleanser - $10.99 at Target. After I take off my makeup, I always try to cleanse my skin. This cleanser works really well with my normal skin which has both dry and oily areas. It also smells absolutely amazing and foams up really well. My only gripe with this product is that once you open it, you can’t really close it since it’s in a pump. To combat this, I often just put it into a travel-sized container if I need to go away on a trip. 

Unscented Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel Pore Perfecting Toner - $4.69 at Target. After I cleanse, I typically use witch hazel as a toner. I keep mine in the fridge which is perfect for de-puffing and calming the skin after the rigorous makeup removal process. I put witch hazel on a cotton pad and run it all over my face. Although not essential in the skincare routine, I definitely love using it and feel like it hydrates and purifies my skin after cleansing.

Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel - $3.60 at Walmart. Aloe vera is a good natural moisturizer which also combats breakouts and redness. Personally, I like the versions which are purely the gel and are unscented.

Hollywood Beauty Tea Tree Oil Skin & Scalp Treatment - $2.78 at Walmart. I use this primarily for breakouts or spot treatments. Since it’s an oil, I only use it at night so that it can really seep into my skin.

TOOLS:

Sonia Kashuk Makeup Blender Sponge “Marble” - $7.00 at Target. Out of all the makeup sponges I’ve tried — and I’ve tried a lot — this is one of the best ones. It’s super soft and blends cream and liquid products seamlessly. It’s also quite big for quick application but still has a small point for the inner corner of the eyes to blend out concealer. The sponge is, in my opinion, ten times better than the revered $20 Beauty Blender.

EcoTools Brushes - range from individual brushes from $5.99 to sets at $19.99 on their website. When I was first getting started with makeup, I only needed the bare minimum number of eyeshadow and face brushes. EcoTools brushes are great for beginners because they come in sets and cover all the basic shapes you would need to create a simple, everyday look. Their eyeshadow brush set, which has two dual-ended brushes at $2.99 at Target, is ideal for all skill levels of makeup.

Morphe Brushes - range from as low as $2 to $22 for individual brushes and sets from $20 to $165 for a complete kit on their website. Morphe has some of the best affordable brushes on the market. They have all types of brushes of all shapes and sizes for a wide range of makeup application techniques and styles. I have never personally bought a brush set from them because they are somewhat pricey and, honestly, I’m content with buying individual brushes to make my own unique brush kit. Some of my favorite brushes from Morphe come from their “Gilded” collection, which has a complete set of sturdy gold-colored brushes.

Real Techniques Brushes - range from individual brushes at $8 to sets at $20 on their website. Real Techniques has, along with Morphe and EcoTools, some of the best brushes on the market. They’re colorful, soft, and easy to use. One of my favorites is the setting brush, which is $8 on their website, for highlighting.

All of these are just suggestions for what could be included in your starter college makeup kit. None of these are by any means necessary to achieve a “good” makeup look. Makeup is first and foremost an art which is unique to the creative individual and how they choose to express themselves. Just because I like or use a certain product does not necessarily mean it will work with your skin the same way, so take these suggestions with a grain of salt!

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