A lot of affordable makeup is pretty fantastic, and I don’t spend enough time talking about it. So for May, I’m dedicating the entire month to posts about products under $20. I wanted to start with the under $10 products at Ulta that you might throw in your cart just to hit free shipping, but that I would happily buy anyway because they’re really that good. I also did a quick affordable bronzer check at the end because I tried three from Ulta (and don’t use them very often). In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.
Maybelline Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner in Gone Greige ($8.49) – This color is really special. On me, it reads like a cool brown with a purple-gray undertone, which is exactly the kind of lip liner color I am always looking for and almost never find. It gives definition without looking out of place and goes so well with the lip products I tend to reach for. The formula has a little time to blend, and then it really stays put. I also love using it with lip products that run a little too warm because it helps cool everything down.
NYX Butter Gloss in Blueberry Tart and Marshmallow ($6) – The NYX Butter Gloss is one of my favorite gloss formulas and has been for years, but these two shades I’m especially excited about. They’ve been so useful for cooling down lip products that pull orange or yellow. If something is really orange, I use Blueberry Tart, and I always get the most perfect shade no matter what I’ve mixed it with. If it just needs a little help or is weirdly yellow, I use Marshmallow. Marshmallow is also so pretty with my olive skin on its own. It’s a really special cool milky muted lilac I don’t see very often. The formula isn’t sticky, feels nice on the lips, and wears better than a lot of glosses that are way more expensive. I think they actually moisturize and nourish my lips too, unlike a lot of lip glosses/oils.
ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Ritz ($7) – This is one of my all time favorite one and done eyeshadows. The sparkle, wear time, and overall effect are right in line with my more expensive shadows; I wouldn’t be able to tell that this was as inexpensive as it is. It reminds me a lot of Urban Decay Space Cowboy, just with a sheerer base color. Even with that, it has such a beautiful wet-look sparkle that I can get away with wearing this alone or layered over matte shadows as a topper. The formula is super easy to use with a finger or a brush, and I find I get less fallout than with other similar glittery shadows. I keep thinking of buying other shades since I love the formula so much, but I know I’ll reach for Ritz every time.
NYX Buttermelt Pressed Powder Blush in Butta With Time and For The Butta ($11) – I really like this formula. These are super pigmented, but they blend easily and don’t feel as difficult to work with as some other super pigmented powder blushes. That said, if you want a super subtle flush of color, I don’t think you’ll appreciate these because they really are pigmented. Butta With Time is a bright, warm (but not too warm) pink, and For The Butta is more of a rosy mauve. Now that I’ve gone back and tested them side by side again, I actually think I like Butter With Time more right now because it wakes up my face and fits with the warmer weather. For The Butter feels softer and moodier, and I can already tell it will be perfect for the fall and winter. *I know these are actually $11, but I can almost always find them on sale, so I decided to include them anyway.
Essence Soft Touch Bouncy Blush in Roses in Berry ($5.99) – This has that blurred, soft matte-satin, bouncy cushion blush formula that is my absolute favorite blush formula. If I didn’t know this was affordable, I would totally think it cost way more than it did. I do think some of my more expensive blushes have more nuanced shades, but this formula is definitely just as good. On me, this berry shade is almost a little too red, but if I use a light hand, it gives a really pretty fresh pop of color that doesn’t go orange. This is especially pretty for spring and summer, and I think I would also have loved Electric Peony. Like with the NYX blushes, these are pretty pigmented and a little goes a long way.
Trying affordable bronzers: Milani Baked Bronzer in Amalfi Glow ($12.99), Essence Soft Touch Butter Bronzer in 10 Whipped Buttercup ($5.99), and NYX Buttermelt Bronzer in Deserve Butta ($11) – I actually like something about all three of these. Milani Baked Bronzer in Amalfi Glow and Essence Soft Touch Butter Bronzer in 10 Whipped Buttercup are both super easy to blend and build up, with Milani being glowier and more believable as a bronzer on me and Essence looking softer and more matte. The NYX Buttermelt Bronzer in Deserve Butta gives the prettiest sunkissed effect but is also the most pigmented and the closest to going too orange. All three still run warmer or just more yellow than my ideal bronzer tone, so this is one of those categories where the formulas are improving faster than the shades for my undertones. I might try NYX Buttermelt Bronzer in All Butta’d Up, though, because I like the formula and that shade looks rosier. Based on the swatches, the Milani and Essence shades I got are the coolest options in their ranges. I also included the Gucci Bronzing Powder in 01 for reference in the swatches.
What other products would you like me to review? Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog and some products may have been gifted, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.
Makeup and Skincare Reviews 