The $20 Makeup Challenge!

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend.  I know I did!  I did LOTS of shopping, and have plenty of new material for blogging.  I'm so excited.

Today I wanted to talk about The $20 Makeup Challenge.  It's been circulating around YouTube a lot lately, and I've been meaning to try it myself.  So, while I was at Ulta this weekend, I decided to give it a try.

The rules of my $20 Makeup Challenge:
-The total retail price of ALL items (excluding tax) must be $20 TOTAL or under
-You must buy a FULL face of items, meaning you must buy at LEAST:

• Foundation
• Concealer
• Blush
• Eyeshadow
• Eyeliner
• Mascara
• Lip product

-You must buy from at least 3 different cosmetic lines (ex. Maybelline, Revlon, L'Oreal)
-You can only apply your makeup with tools that you've purchased.  So if you could not afford to put makeup tools in the budget, you're using your fingers!


So, I'm sure those of you with a particular proclivity for makeup hauls can appreciate that this is damn near impossible.  In fact, it's completely impossible to do at Sephora.  (No surprise there!)  But, after an agonizing 75 minutes at Ulta, I learned that it's also impossible to successfully complete the challenge at Ulta as well.  (That actually SHOCKED me.)

So...how did I accomplish the task?  I went to Target.  And here's what I bought:

To break that down, I bought:

• Two Elf brushes for $1 apiece.
• Rimmel London Extra Super Lash Mascara for $3.29.
• Elf Contouring Blush and Bronzer Duo for $3.  
• Elf Brightening Eyeliner in Black for $1.  This included a sharpener.
• NYC Smooth Skin Liquid Makeup Foundation in 679 Soft Beige for $3.04.
• Elf Tone Correcting Concealer in Apricot Beige for $1.
• Bonne Belle Liquid Lip Smacker in Dr. Pepper for $2.74.
• Maybelline New York Perfect Pastels Eyeshadow Duo in Shocking Seas for $4.34.

 I know what you're all thinking.  I failed.  The total for those products comes up to $20.41.  Well, if you use your Target Card, they automatically give you 5% off, which makes the total come to $19.39.  I know that's sort of cheating,  but since using a Target Card is not some obscure coupon and most people have the ability to get one, I figured it was legit.

And with all of these products, I was able to create the following look:

So, with some effort, it certainly IS possible to create a great makeup look on a budget.  I bet you're wondering what I thought of the products, so I'll give you a full breakdown.

• The Elf brushes:  I won't lie.  They absolutely sucked.  I actually prefered using the little spongy applicator that came with my shadows on my eyes.  The bristles were so cheaply installed on the brush that they actually were falling out all over the place upon use.  They were rough on my face.  These are probably a pass for me in the future, despite how inexpensive they are.
• Rimmel London mascara:  This was an ok product.  It did lengthen my lashes and gave me some volume.  It was on the clumpy side though.  And I absolutely hate the packaging.  Like, HATE it.  It almost looks like a permanent marker...and I know the packaging shouldn't matter THAT much, but this is just SO bad that it's hard to get past...  Nonetheless, I'd consider buying it again in a pinch.
• Elf Contouring Blush and Bronzer Duo:  This is so obviously trying to be the Nars Orgasm/Laguna duo.  And it's not.  It's fine, for what it is, but it doesn't hold a torch to Nars.  The bronzer is sort of a muddier brown and doesn't blend easily.  The blush is pretty, but neither product is particularly long-lasting.
• Elf Brightening Eyeliner in Black:  I LOVE this liner.  Like, seriously, love it.  Glides on super smooth.  Tightlines beautifully.  And is an AMAZING waterline liner...a rare find at any price.  It can be a little smudgy, so you have to be careful when applying it and use a Q-tip to get rid of excess.  But I plan on using this regularly.  Who would've thought?  A great liner & a sharpener for $1?!
• NYC Smooth Skin Liquid Makeup Foundation:  Another pass.  There is no dispenser or way to squeeze it out, and the bottle neck is super long, which meant that I was there trying to shake the foundation out of the bottle for 5 minutes (I wish I were exaggerating!) before any came out.  The product itself was fine and gave reasonable coverage.  It was not long lasting at ALL.  In 2 hours, the coverage was gone...and all I did today was housework.
• Elf Tone Correcting Concealer: The coverage on this wasn't horrible considering how inexpensive it was, but again, another product with no lasting power.
• Bonne Belle Liquid Lip Smacker in Dr. Pepper:  I like this product and will use it.  It's basically a clear gloss with a reddish tint to it.  Not sticky.  Tastes and smells like Dr. Pepper.  Moisturizing.  And has reasonable lasting power.  A great little product for under $3. 
• Maybelline New York Perfect Pastels Eyeshadow Duo in Shocking Seas:  The color of the shadows in this duo are gorgeous.  They're a bit brighter than what I typically use, but they're certainly fun!  The color payoff is pretty good.  There's virtually no run off with them, which is great.  They blend OK, but do leave a bit to be desired in that department.  (Granted, take that with a grain of salt because I was using shit brushes and an eyeshadow sponge.)  I do wish they lasted a bit longer, but I also couldn't afford an eyeshadow primer, so perhaps they'll be better with a primer underneath.

All in all, I would definitely repurchase the eyeliner.  I would probably repurchase the gloss and the eyeshadow.  And, in a pinch, I would at least consider repurchasing the blush/bronzer & mascara.

Do you think YOU could complete The $20 Makeup Challenge?