The $20 Make-Up Challenge

As a lover of youtube makeup guru videos I watch them daily and over the past few months I have continued to see the popularity of the $20 dollar makeup challenge grow. I began to wonder if this was something I could pull off - although I do love elf products most of those I love are found in the $3 so this forced me to think outside of the box and pick and choose which products I could recommend for a grand total of $20.

The objective, complete a full face of makeup you would actually wear for $20 or less (excluding sales tax) - seems easy enough right? Wrong - you never realize just how much money you spend on makeup until you are faced with the choice of only spending this amount and it also makes you appreciate those who seem to look flawless with the tiniest budget. 

This is every product I used on my face

Products Used and Prices!
Foundation: Maybelline Fit Me $5 at my local Wal-Mart

Setting Powder: Cover Girl Translucent Loose Powder in 110 Light - $4 at my local Wal-Mart

Powder Brush: Essentials total face brush $1 found HERE

Blush: E.L.F Studio Blush in Candid Coral - $3 found HERE

Blush Brush: Essentials Blush brush $1 at found HERE

Eye Shadow: E.L.F Brightening Eye quad $1 (many colors to choose from I used Nouveau Naturals) found HERE

Mascara: E.L.F Defining Eye Mascara $3 found HERE


And this is my finished look (be warned it's a horrible picture because the lighting in my house stinks for picture taking BUT my makeup actually looks great in real life and I've worn the exact same look 3 days in a row!

Beauty On A Budget!

I wanted to take a few minutes to add a little personal input! For those of us out there who love makeup but don't have an endless budget it seems like we're always forced to choose between what we want and our wallet so I wanted to add a few little tips & items that can help you to get the best of both worlds.

#1  Save money where you can! - stores like Big Lot's/Odd Lot's -Gabriel Brother's and many other "outlet" store's  often have buy outs that include high end brands I recently found some LORAC baked blushes at an outlet store for $3 - and yes I stocked up, although they only had 3 colors I bought 2 of each which was still cheaper than the price of one of those in a high end store! - (buy outs are generally a limited selection of items that a company over produced they generally sell them to these stores at barely over production cost just to keep from loosing money on them and they send the value on to you - they are by no means "old" products as 90% of makeup doesn't begin to go bad until the moment air hits it!)

#2 Don't forget the little guy's - companies like E.l.f and coastal scents are highly under rated - yes, they do have some crap products like E.l.f's  foundation (save your time and money and completely avoid it unless looking like an oompa loompa is your thing) BUT they do have some great products and of course you know I'm gonna leave a list!

#3 Beauty Boxes - So, they're the new "trend" but they've became so for a reason! Each month you get a "sample" and sometimes a full size of 5 high- end beauty products for $10 and free shipping Brand's I've seen have been too faced, NARS, Benefit, stila, bare minerals, beauty blender and tons more! My top 3 boxes are: 

#1 Birchbox  - #2 TheLookBag   #3 Glossybox 

#4 QVC - Everyone has heard of QVC and most people used to think it was nothing but old ladies with nothing to do just sitting and watching hours and hours of tv buying overly priced items. This isn't so any more! QVC has come a million miles and they now offer a ton of high end brand cosmetics at discounted prices (often much bigger containers that are cheaper than the original size than buying from a companies store - you can also check out their website daily for their "today's special value" which is sometimes makeup at an extra good deal!

#5 Ask for a tester - Tester's are just sample size products that are sometimes free other times they're $2-$5 but they will give you a clear indication on whether you like the product enough to actually put down the money on it - especially if you get it for free or just a couple of bucks it's not going to break your heart to throw it away if it sucks badly! (If a company refuses to give or sell you a tester then take your money else where - remember it's your money that gives them a job!)

#6  Compare prices online! - Most times it's anywhere from $5 to $10 cheaper to find the things you want online through Amazon, Ebay or directly from a company's website than it is through your local department store or through Sephora! 

#7 Coupon Codes - I know people think when they see a coupon code for 10% off of a $30 product that it's only a $3 savings - but it's not if you re purchase that product alone 4 times a year (like foundation) you're already saving $12 that's enough for almost 1 full MAC eye shadow alone just for typing in a code and or doing a google search - OR that's getting you 4 elf mineral eye shadows (which I think are spectacular!)

#8 Look Ahead! - Even makeup goes through "seasons" you'll have spring, winter, fall and summer color's - if you run across something in off season that you love and it's on sale pick it up you will not find a better deal on any eye shadow/blushes (also look for deals close to the end of the season and stash it - if you don't open it AT ALL it will hold up until next year! Remember makeup doesn't begin to "go bad" until air hits it!)

#9 Look for kits - many times in stores like Sephora near the register's you will see the little 4-5 piece kits that will contain one or two travel sizes and one or two full size products for $25 - $35 inside those kit's just 1 of those full size products values at $20-$25 so for the price of one thing you're getting 3-4 (if you don't like the other stuff put it in a beauty bag for someone else at Christmas or their Birthday - and worst case you know not to throw down $30 on one item the next time that you hate!)

And Last but NOT least!

#10 Palette's - I've heard over and over "I don't want to buy a palette because I won't use the blush, or the lip color or something in it"....so what! Here's the deal, recently I saw a palette that had 20 eye shadows that I LOVED in it and a couple of blushes that I wasn't sure about and then a couple of lip colors that I knew I would hate. I looked at the price and I thought $39 seems like a lot for just those eye shadows then I looked at just those single eye shadows  which each were costing between $4.89 and $6.99. Although the eye shadows in the palette were smaller they were not THAT much smaller maybe by 1 or 2 grams the cost of the entire palette was $39 and if all of those eye shadows separately had been just $4.89 that and I only bought those 20 I still would have ended up paying $97.80 for just a gram or two more of each of them. I chose the palette - As it turns out I love the blushes and one or two of the lips colors, as I thought the rest were crap but it was still a great deal because I got the shadows I wanted at about a quarter of the price! (I also got about 2 month's ago E.l.f's coffee break special on the 3 palette collection for $33 which are normally around $100 sold separately and that was a steal!)

PS. I said I'd leave a list of products that I love from E.l.f so here it goes

#1 Mineral Eye shadow's ($3)

#2 Primer ($6)

#3 11 piece studio brush collection ($30) (Got this on coffee break special as well)

#4 Contouring Blush and Bronzer Duo ($3)

#5 Mascara Primer ($3)

#6 Conditioning Lip Balm ($3)

#7 Blushes (both studio and essential line) (some $3 some $2)

#8 Creme Eyeliner (I wear it EVERY day) ($3)

#9 Eyeliner & Shadow Stick ($3)

#10 Matte Lip Color ($3)

#11 Eyelid Primer (essential line $1)

#12 Makeup Removing Wipes ($3)

#13 Lotion Wipes ($3)

#14 All over Cover Stick ($1)

#15 Translucent Mattefying Powder ($3)

^ If you live in the US or Canada use the coupon code ECD2 to get 50% off all studio line makeup excludes brushes and accessories - no mineral line or essential line just the stuff in the black matte packaging! -that coupon code is almost always active, if it isn't when you try it you can wait another week or so and it will usually be back :)

Oh! and the 88 Warm Palette through Coastal Scents is pretty nice too but there is one on ebay just like it for like $5 cheaper that I keep hearing about I've yet to learn the name of it though :)

Let's Talk Pigment!

What is pigment?
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption.


Why is pigment used in makeup?
It is the process of light interaction with a hard substance that actually creates the coloring of your  favorite makeups!


How are pigments used in my makeup?
Most cosmetic versions of pigment  start as a fine dry powder. This is then added to a binding solution to essentially enable the intense color to stay on your eyelashes, eyelids, lips and more, depending of the product you are using.

I talked about hyper pigments in my "High End vs. Drug Store - the facts" blog and so I wanted to explain a littler further on what a hyper pigment is. A hyper pigment is the cosmetic industry's way of saying a synthetic pigment. All throughout history pigments have been used for many things but up until just a few years ago they were all naturally occurring pigments such as ocher or iron oxides, Recently science has found a way to take those naturally occurring pigments and turn them into synthetic pigments or as they are known in the cosmetic industry - hyper pigments. Those hyper pigments are created by quickly oxidizing the chemical compounds in naturally occurring pigments, there is no need to worry though many times the oxidation is created by adding something as simple as vinegar and baking at extremely high heat until the color vibrancy desired occurs.


Many times I hear people talking about the pigmentation of a certain brand and they will say "it's not pigmented very well"  There is a reason for that, most drug store brands use natural pigments (also found in mineral makeup) where as high end brands use synthetic pigments (hyper pigments) Although both are chemically the same and neither is more harmful to the skin than the other natural pigments are much cheaper to "produce" because they are simply found in nature, crushed and then treated with other chemicals to render them clean and unharmful to the skin. Synthetic chemicals go through the exact same process with the added cost of oxidation which is why they are most often found High End Brands. Although small amounts of synthetic pigments are found in blue's, red's and green's from even drug store brands! I hope you now understand a little more about pigmentation in your cosmetics as well as the difference between natural pigmentation and synthetic pigmentation .

^Natural Ultramarine Blue Pigment

^Synthetic Ultramarine Blue Pigment

Coupon Codes for the week!

E.l.f Cosmetics (http://www.eyeslipsface.com)

This code isn't known by very many people but it stays active most of the time in the US and Canada - I just tested it and for right now it is still active!
50% off all studio line cosmetics (excludes brushes and accessories) Code: ECD2

This coupon I've yet to figure much about as I prefer the one above but this is supposed to be a 20% off coupon but I think it only works on the studio line as well - it is still active! Code: TAF20 

10% off sitewide (still active) Code: EGTENAZ

83 piece pallete for $3.50 on orders over $25 Code: 83piece

Macy's 
$10 off $75 purchase (expires May 31, 2012) Code: XJW562A992


Bobbi Brown 
Free Mini Lip Palette & Mascara with $125 (expires June 2, 2012)
Code: TREAT12

Walgreens 
$10 off $50 purchase (expires June 2, 2012)
Code: sitewide50

stila 
20% off + free shipping on ALL orders (Expires June 3, 2012)
Code: FRIENDS12


Sephora 
beauty deals:
http://www.sephora.com/beauty-deals?om_mmc=esv104035-GG&om_kwpur=341696039&ppc_crid=8264833817&site=us_search

High End vs. Drug store Brands - The Facts!

Hey! I decided to cover this topic because it seems that everyone who has a beauty blog has their own opinion about using high end cosmetics or drug store brands and almost always they are biast . I began the hunt for facts and I uncovered quiet a bit of information that may help you decide where to best invest your money and where to save!

I'll get straight to the point without wasting too much of your time. There are only a few difference's between high end makeup and drug store brands! Chemically they are all fairly equal as drug store brands are evolving into non-comedogenic and non-acnegenic - those features were once reserved for high end brands which was one of their attactive points. Packageing is almost always much more detailed and made of a finer quality than drug store brands (thus an area they save money in and pass those savings on to you) High end cosmetic brands are also known now for their hyper pigments and their top of the line researchers - which comes at a cost to you, drug store brands are almost always the last to get on the band wagon with the "new" thing (they often take a product from a high end brand and emulate it by changing a couple of the ingredients to get around patents as well as useing a "normal" pigment instead of a hyper pigment. Lastly, two difference's between high end brands and drug store brands will come as no shock to anyone - shades Drug store brands rarely have a wide variety of shades particulary when it concerns foundation - most carry between 10-20 shades while the vast majority of high end brands tend to have upwards of 50+ shades making it easier for someone to find just the right colors. Finally comes the name - there is a certain "zing" that comes along with names like NARS, MAC, and MakeUp Forever that many people can't seem to get past .

Although, the differences may not seem like such a huge deal I decided to create a list to give you a guideline of some the "best" products for your face - particulary foundation. As far as eye shadows, liners, mascara's, blushes and "powder" based make ups go you will be fine with both high end or drug store but please do not get caught up in a name -the fact is while your high end brand's will have some better products there are drug store brands out there who will have products that are as good or better in some aspects!

Below I will leave a list of things to avoid in your cosmetics mainly your all over face primer as well as your foundation - there will be  number system to go along with this as well 5 means the ingrediant is severly comedogenic and EVERYONE should avoice them, 4 means it is very comedogenic and those prone to breakout's or who break out around their "cycle" should avoid those as well (only those who have perfect skin can use them) and lastly 3 means moderate comedogenic and these a pretty safe for those who have decent skin however yet again if you are prone to acne these ingrediants are more likely to cause it to flare - I didn't post ingedients that are rated and 2 & 1 because those products are safe for all reguardless of skin type they aren't likely to break you out. Also, for the sake of time I have been working on a list of foundations for each skin type etc but that list will take probably months to complete as I am having to research every ingrediant listed on the packaging - so expect to see that list hopefully by the end of summer!

Ingredients rated 5 (severly comedogenic):

Acetone

Algae extract

Carrageenan

Hexadecyl alcohol

Isocetyl stearate

Isopropyl isosterate

Isopropyl myristate

Laureth-4

Octyl stearate

Oleth-3

Potassium chloride

Red algae

Sodium chloride (salt)

Sodium lauryl sulfate

Wheat germ oil

Myristyl Myristate

ngredients rated 4 (very comedogenic)

Acetylated lanolin

Acetylated lanolin alcohol

Algin

Cetearyl Alcohol + Ceteareth 20

Cocoa butter

Coconut butter

Coconut oil

Disodium monooleamido PEG 2-sulfosuccinate

Ethylhexyl palmitate

Glyceryl-3-diisostearate

Isopropyl palmitate

Isostearyl isostearate

Isodecyl oleate

Lauric acid

Myristyl lactate

Octyl Palmitate

Oleyl alcohol

PEG 16 lanolin (Solulan 16)

PPG 2 myristyl propionate

Polyglyceryl-3-diisostearate

Propylene glycol monostearate

Sorbitan sesquinoleate

Steareth 10

Stearyl heptanoate

Xylene

Ingredients rated 3 (moderately comedogenic)

Butyl stearate

Colloidal sulfur

Corn oil

Cotton awws oil

Cotton seed oil

Crisco

D&C red #30

D&C red #36

D&C red #17

D&C red #21

D&C red #3

Decyl oleate

Dioctyl succinate

Ethoxylated lanolin

Glyceryl stearate LSLE

Hydrogenated vegetable oil

Isostearyl neopentanoate

Laureth-23

Mink oil

Myristic acid

PEG 200 Dilaurate

PEG 8 stearate

PG monostearate

Shark liver oil

Sodium Laureth sulfate

Sorbitan oleate

Soybean oil

Stearic acid: TEA

Sulfated castor oil

Sulfated jojoba oil

Wheat germ glyceride

Welcome!

After several years of reading blog's about Makeup and Beauty products and being completely amazing at just how much misinformation is out there I decided to give this a shot myself. Any product information that I post will be researched, I will also be posting updates on coupon code's that I come across that are functional and I will also try to review products. My wish is that everything you find on this blog is not only considered helpful by you but is truthful and not full of just my opinion! I would also like to say that 99% of the cosmetic's you'll see featured on my blog will be drug store brands and very rarely will I ever speak of high end brands.  - Jessica