Budget Beauty

As we are probably all too well aware, economic times are tough right now. When gas is over $4 a gallon and food costs are rising, many of us are looking to control our expenses and save money whenever possible. Luxury items like $25 lipgloss may seem entirely too indulgent. So what's a glamour gal to do?

Here's what I did. I went over to Ulta to see how little I could spend for an entire face full of makeup. This was fun! I bought all big name products from nationally available companies. I didn't resort to the cheapest of the cheap like Wet 'n Wild or E.L.F. (more on E.L.F. another time!). The prices I am listing below represent what I paid without considering tax or any store sales (Ulta has a lot of buy one get one free deals which would have made my total a lot lower).

So...how much do you think it costs to get a full face of makeup? Here are the results from my very unscientific study:

• FOUNDATION: Cover Girl Clean Makeup liquid foundation $3.99
• BLUSH: Cover Girl Cheekers Blush $3.99
• PRESSED POWDER: Cover Girl Clean pressed powder $3.99
• EYELINER: NYC Liner Pencil $0.99
• EYE SHADOW: Maybelline Expert Wear Eye Shadow Duo $4.49
• MASCARA: Almay One Coat Nourishing Mascara $7.99
• LIP COLOR: Sally Hansen Natural Butter Lip Shine $5.95
• TOTAL FOR THE FULL FACE $31.39

Less than $32 for a full face doesn't seem too bad in my estimation. However, I am a beauty blogger and spending a lot for products doesn't frighten me as much as it probably should. It seems like Cover Girl is the queen of the lower priced products. I couldn't believe that their foundation costs less than $4! I planned on foundation being my most costly item.

Of course, prices vary widely from brand to brand. Some drugstore brands have products priced at the same level or higher than their "prestige" or department store brand counterparts. If money is a huge concern for you, it really does pay to take your time and compare prices among as many brands as possible. Look for sales and stock up when your favorites are marked down.

More shopping resources:

• Click here for one of my very early posts from a few years back--it has great hints about whether you should splurge or save on cosmetics.
  
• Click here for information about makeup expiration dates and when you need to dump your old stuff for safety's sake.

I'll be using my budget products when I'm on vacation later this week and will let you know what I think of them. If you have a great beauty savings tip, by all means...leave a comment!