All Made Up: Bargain Beauty
February 21, 2009 Posted in Beauty
So if you are like me, you’ve been eating more ramen, wearing last year’s winter coat and squeezing every last drop out of the lip gloss tube. In these tough economic times almost everyone is tightening the belt and, sadly, our beauty regimens are one of the first luxuries to get cut. Penny pinching can be depressing, but finding small ways to treat yourself can really boost your spirits. There is a beauty brand out there the really understands this fact and could prove to be our savior!
e.l.f. – eyes lips face
It used to be that if you wanted dirt cheap makeup, you had to settle for Wet N Wild’s oddly colored crayon textured lipsticks. But what happens when a luxury beauty mogul gets fed up with beauty innovations only being available to people with loads of cash? Well…you get GREAT makeup for A DOLLAR. That’s right one hundred pennies will get you fabulous new makeup.
Scott Vincent Borba created a luxury skincare line called Borba. It was innovative, effective and everyone loved it, but good ol’ Scotty boy thought that it was unfair that only prestige (read: very pricey) brands could offer quality ingredients and innovations. So he decided to create e.l.f. – eyes lips face. The concept was to use very basic packaging, keep advertising costs down (no celeb endorsements) and pass the savings on to the customer. The result is a quality makeup line where most items are just a buck and almost everything is under five.
What’s the catch? Well, there are a couple. Sizes can be a little bit smaller than what you are used to and you have to pay for shipping, which can take awhile. So if you only want a few items, it’s probably not worth the order (paying $7 shipping for $4 of makeup is not too practical). Also, if you buy a product you don’t like, you’re kinda stuck. Unlike Sephora, which takes back anything and everything even if you used it already (really!) e.l.f. does not do returns. There’s always a down side, but e.l.f. makes their own versions of some beauty favorites. Here’s an example of how e.l.f could totally cut your current beauty budget.
Let’s say you are a fabulous makeup maven who uses Bare Escentuals Foundation ($25), Stila Lip Glaze ($20), MAC eye shadow ($14.50) and Lancome Mascara ($24). Just the basics leaves you with an $83.50 price tag.
The same look from e.l.f.
Mineral foundation – $5
Hypergloss – $1
Brighten Eye Color – $1
Earth & Water Mascara Duo – $1
Grand Total: $8
Of course you love your favorite beauty products and would never want to give them up forever, but e.l.f. is the perfect place to weather the economic storm. If there’s a daring new look you’ve been dying to try but didn’t want to spend the money on something pricey, or you are just looking to find more affordable replacements for your old staples, why not get a few girls on your hall together and place a big order? You can have a fun beauty night when everything arrives and enjoy even bigger savings, as orders over $75 get free shipping!
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Amanda says:
Sat, 21st Feb 20096:23 am
It might be worthwhile to check reviews on products you want to buy through e.l.f. on http://www.makeupalley.com before you place your order. The stuff on e.l.f. can be really hit-or-miss, some items are amazing and others ring home the age-old you-get-what-you-pay-for saying and leave you wishing you'd saved that dollar towards your weekend drink(s).
Alison says:
Sat, 21st Feb 20097:57 am
Actually, the Target near my campus carries ELF now and it's still a dollar for everything!
Arisa says:
Sat, 21st Feb 200910:12 am
you can buy elf products at drugstore.com with free shipping on orders $25+
Rilynne says:
Sat, 21st Feb 200911:22 am
You do get what you pay for here. The makeup wears off easily, isn't very good for your skin, etc. Be careful.
Gloria says:
Sat, 21st Feb 200912:38 pm
The makeup from ELF sucks really badly.
If you enjoy streaky blush and poorly pigmented foundation go for it!
you really do get what you pay for.
Regina says:
Sat, 21st Feb 20093:53 pm
The make-up may not be the best, but their eyeshadow brushes are excellent. And, only $1.
Liza - Grove City Co says:
Sun, 22nd Feb 20095:47 am
Amanda – GREAT suggestion! I love Makeup Alley. The rest of you girls I totally understand, the products can be hit or miss for sure. Amanda is right, check out the reviews on makeupalley.com before you purchase, especially since they don't have a return policy, checking out reviews is the best way to go.
Arisa, Thanks for the drugstore.com tip!
Regina – I agree their tools are really great, and you can't beat the price.
Christina says:
Sun, 22nd Feb 20099:28 am
I have to say I was so excited to try this and then 3/4 of the things I ordered were not in stock and I was told they would never arrive and I was going to get my money refunded, but not the shipping costs.
The shadows that I received broke within days, the powder was streaky and in a completely different shade than was on the website, the brushes keep shedding and are very rough.
Suffice it to say, you really do get what you pay for. I'm sticking to my high-end makeup, it's worth me cutting back in some other areas.
Alison says:
Mon, 2nd Mar 200911:32 am
A lot of my experiences with E.L.F have sucked. For inexpensive makeup that is actually good quality, I use mark. or NYX.
Alina says:
Sun, 13th Dec 20096:24 pm
I was really excited to try ELF makeup for things like mineral highlighter and eyeshadow to see if I would like them before spending a ton of money on the expensive kinds.
I threw out 3/4 of the things that I ordered from ELF. They're cheap and it shows. I feel like it's the kind of makeup only sixth grade girls would willingly use.
Moral of the story- I ended up throwing (literally) money away.
Don't buy ELF- save up for something better.
Kayla Block says:
Fri, 25th Mar 20115:38 pm
What's more fun than trying to find good makeup that's cheap, is finding good, brand name makeup that's discounted. Check out http://www.MakeupDealOfTheDay.com because they get in everything from Urban Decay to Estee Lauder to Smashbox and it's all discounted.