I’ve been testing a ton of affordable makeup lately that’s been really impressing me. These are products I’m happy to reach for just as much as my more expensive makeup, and a couple have become every day staples. And I love finding an affordable makeup product that actually works with my undertones! There will be a few more of these before the end of the year – the under $20 makeup is really great right now. *There are no blushes in this one because I’m reviewing all the blushes I bought in 2026 (sort of – no spoilers!) in a post coming up very soon.
In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own. Swatches are under a ring light to show true to color (photo #1) and then standard lighting to show the formula a little better (#2) for all the products.
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky Tubes Tubing Mascara in Very Black – My lashes are incredibly straight, barely visible, and notoriously difficult to keep curled. Seriously, I spent months testing mascaras because I really only do well with tubing mascaras, and so many of those are way too heavy and weigh my lashes down. And I have to tell y’all – I finally found a tubing mascara at the (American) drugstore that’s actually good! Someone actually happened to comment on my tubing mascara post that they were surprised this one wasn’t on there, and it’s literally just because it hadn’t launched back then. This mascara gives my lashes length and volume without feeling heavy and wears well all day without flaking or smudging. It does also actually come off in tubes. Sometimes I recurl after the mascara has completely dried to help my lashes along, which is something I often need with mascara anyway because my lashes are so tricky. Otherwise, this has worked super well for my lashes, and I’ve already repurchased it.
Morphe Micro Brow Pencil in Chocolate Mousse – I’M THROWING OUT ALL MY EYEBROW PENCILS! Okay, I will use them all, but after that, I’m just rebuying this one. Roughly 25% of one of my eyebrows is missing, so I actually fill in that eyebrow and essentially remake it every single day. I can recreate that part of my eyebrow in seconds without it looking obviously drawn on – it looks like I just have a regular eyebrow. It’s also long-wearing even if I don’t use brow gel. Chocolate Mousse is also a really great deep black brown for my hair color. The only thing is that the tip of the pencil is super tiny (which is great) but don’t twist it up more than you need to or it might break off. Seriously, I cannot believe how amazing this brow pencil is, and I’ve tried so many brow pencils.
ColourPop Jelly Much Gel Eyeshadow Stick in Forever Friday (Ulta, ColourPop) – I can’t even remember why I decided to pick this up, but I’m so glad I did. This is a super fun eyeshadow stick that I have been happily wearing alone and as a topper a ton lately. Forever Friday is a beautiful sheer pink with multicolored sparkles that is actually very sparkly. The base layer stays pink on me rather than pulling orange, but there’s very little base pigment, so you can easily use this as a topper. It also does build up easily if you want a bit more of that pink and more sparkles. The formula isn’t gritty despite all the sparkle, and it’s really easy to apply directly from the stick. I’ve tested this on 14 hour makeup days, including workouts, and haven’t had any fallout or disappearing shadow. I honestly just love this because I love 1) easy makeup 2) sparkly. I’m worried that this would dry out really easily so I’m going to make sure I keep the inner cap on so this lasts as long as possible.
ColourPop Jelly Much Gel Eyeshadow Stick in Forever Friday, Morphe Shapelifter Micro Contour Stick in Structured, and Westman Atelier Contour for reference
Morphe Shapelifter Micro Contour Stick in Structured – I’m so excited to be able to share another fantastic contour stick that isn’t orange and that I can actually use as a contour. Structured is a beautiful cool green-grey taupe that convincingly creates a shadow-like effect on my skintone. It’s still very rare that I find a contour that isn’t actually just a bronzer on me, but the formula is also really great. The formula is very creamy and blends out really easily with no harsh edges. It does set quickly, so I recommend working on one area at a time unless you’re confident you’re going to move super quickly. Because of how it sets, it lasts really well – it survived a 2 hour workout after running around after my toddler with no powder or setting spray to help it.
Peripera Mood Blur Balm Sticks vs. CoverGirl Clean Fresh Yummy Blur Lipsticks – I’m combining these into one section because they are both blurring lip balms that give a very similar effect and at least one of you has asked for a comparison. They have very similar wear time and are similarly comfortable without being drying. The Peripera formula feels much lighter and almost weightless while the CoverGirl is thicker, heavier, and gives a stronger color payoff. CoverGirl also has a noticeable fragrance, which doesn’t bother me, but the Peripera is a good choice if that’s something that’ll be an issue. I honestly love both of these formulas, so it just comes down to the shades.
My favorite of all of these is the Peripera in Hip Brown. It’s a soft, wearable brown that doesn’t turn orange and looks so at home on my face. My second favorite is the CoverGirl in Romance Blur. It’s much more nuanced and muted than the Peripera in Mauve Peony, especially side by side on my actual lips. CoverGirl in Blur in Pink is a bright, warm watermelon pink that doesn’t really work on me, but if you’re looking for this kind of shade and couldn’t find it in one of these blurring formulas yet, this is a great option.
Morphe Signature Lip Pencils – The lovely members of my Substack chat told me that I absolutely had to try the shades Bubble Bath and Rock Steady, and they were right. On me, Bubble Bath is a beautiful cool purple-grey mauve that creates an incredibly natural lip-contouring effect that I can wear with just a clear gloss. Rock Steady is a deeper cool neutral brown-grey and also excellent for lip contour, but paired with a lip color vs clear gloss. It creates dimension without looking orange or overly warm.
And, like everything in this post, these are not just affordable, the formula is also great. These pencils have a great balance of precision and creaminess so they glide on without any tugging but also don’t smear all over the place. It’s also really easy to soften and blend the edges just enough without undoing any shaping work. These are less long-wearing than the Haus Labs liners, but last pretty well, and sometimes I just want something that’s going to last about the same as my lipstick. I ended up being so impressed with these, I picked up a set of 5 minis for $14 before any discounts, so now I have 7.
Trendsetter is a rich dark brown that is actually my third most-worn shade. I love using it to bring some nuance and richness to a shade that’s otherwise a little too bright or orange or coral, which happens to me all the time. Whipped is a beautiful terracotta that I use when I’m doing a warm on purpose or red-toned look. Honey is a light caramel brown that’s a very easy every day nude if you’re looking for this kind of shade; I will probably always reach for Bubble Bath though. Moon Sign is a neutral pink that doesn’t pull orange on me, even though I was fully expecting it to. Bite Me pulls quite orange on me so I haven’t used it much at all. If I wasn’t a reviewer, I’d have been very happy with Bubble Bath, Rock Steady, and Trendsetter, especially since these are only $7 for a full size.
SACHEU DoubleDown Lip Definer in Glossed Over – One of my very good friends asked me to review this, and I’ve never tried a lip liner and lip balm in one, and it was on sale. This is a really pretty mauvey pinky shade, and the liner + balm combo does work really well. It gives a soft blurred lip line without needing a separate liner or lipstick, and it’s super easy to apply. The formula is lightweight and comfortable, and it lasts pretty well for a hydrating balm type lip product. It’s very different from a regular lip liner, but if you want a very quick and easy lip look with one product I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve liked this. And if you’re particularly having a bad lip liner day and need to give up and start over, this is the perfect thing to use to fix everything.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Kiss Theory Lip Balm in Phantom (Sephora, Ulta) – I recently talked about the shade Figment, which I do love but it’s not exactly what I was looking for. This is the color I was hoping for. It’s a beautiful black balm that sheers out to a dark grey-purple shade, which is one of my all time favorite lip colors. If you’re new here (welcome!!), I’m always looking for the best Black Honey vibe for olives (Black Honey turns orange on me). I still really like the formula generally, but Phantom can apply a bit patchily like Figment did. I like to tap it on in a “bop bop bop” kind of way and then spread it out to get it into an even layer. If you want a perfectly even in one swipe situation, this is not the one, and I’m still searching for the perfect version of this shade. But I am really happy I picked this one up!
Anua PDRN Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Capsule Mist (Ulta, Yesstyle) – I have been seeing this spray everywhere and finally decided to test it. Turns out, it was going viral for a reason. I’ve been especially loving this mist now that the weather is colder and my skin feels so, so dry. I primarily use it over my makeup throughout the day when my skin needs more hydration. It makes my skin feel more hydrated and makes my makeup look freshly applied again without breaking all my makeup up or causing it to separate. I also love spraying this on when I’m not wearing any makeup at all. I think that if you have oily skin, this might be too heavy for you, but if you have super dry skin like I do, you will probably love it too. The mini is only $14 if you want to test it out, but the full size is $21, so just $1 over my limit for this post.
What’s an affordable makeup product you’ve tried recently that genuinely surprised you?
