If you’ve ever splurged on a $50+ eyeshadow palette just to only use like, two shades and then let the rest of the palette sit in the back of your vanity for years, you’re not alone. Sure, the palette is great quality, has good blendability, pigment, and is smudge-proof, but was it really worth the pretty penny that you spent on all of those eyeshadows, when you don’t even end up using the full range of shades? Not really. That’s why we’ve come up with a list of cheap eye shadow palettes that are just as good as the expensive ones, but like, a fraction of the price.
via Giphy
Read on to find out about the best cheap eyeshadow palettes that are just as good as the pricier ones and still completely in your budget.
Profusion Cosmetics Siennas Eyeshadow Palette, $10
One of the largest palettes on our list also happens to be one of the cheapest. With 21 different shades ranging from mattes, velvets, and shimmers, to nudes, warmer hues, and deep browns, the Profusion Cosmetics’ Siennas palette has it all — without sacrificing quality. Each shade is super blendable, goes on smoothly, and is true to the hue that you see in the palette. And at just 10 bucks, it might just replace a certain set of “unclothed” shades that you have sitting on your vanity right now.
Courtesy of Profusion Cosmetics
Milani Everyday Eyeshadow Palette, $11
Milani’s Everyday Eyeshadow Palette includes two matte and four shimmer eyeshadows to build and blend any look you could possibly want. There are eight different versions of the palette to cater to your go-to look, whether it’s a smoky, nude, or bright, colorful eye. The shadows themselves are richly pigmented so you don’t need to use a lot of it to create a look.
Courtesy of Milani
ColourPop Mar Pressed Powder Eyeshadow, $12
If you’ve never used a ColourPop product, then you’re missing out on makeup that is super pigmented and long-lasting for a cheap price. Not only does this palette contain nine pans of bronzes and rich teals that are perfect for a summer vacay lewk, it also contains a mirror. While that might sound like a minor detail to some, as someone who is chronically late and does her makeup in the back of an Uber more often than not, the convenience of a built-in mirror is life-altering. But if the mirror doesn’t sell you, the rich colors should. The palette contains El Rey, a metallic soft peach with gold pearl; Wild One, a metallic rich orange copper; Detour, a matte cobalt; Boozy, a metallic orange with gold pearl; Gridlock, a bright teal with silver and teal glitter; Sorbet, a matte peachy soft brown; Hwy, a satin sea foam green with a gold sheen; Top Down, a matte dark chocolate; and My Way, a metallic true vibrant bronze.
Courtesy of ColourPop
BH Cosmetics Aurora Lights Eyeshadow Palette, $18
If you’re extra AF and super good at blending your eyeshadows, then this palette is for you. BH Cosmetics, masters of creating affordable and extremely pigmented eyeshadow palettes, recently launched their Aurora Lights Eyeshadow palette as a part of their BH Galaxy Collection. The palette contains 18 different shades and while all of the high shine shimmers and bold shades are obviously anything but neutral, all of the colors in this all-star palette are suitable for everything from defining your crease and blending to lining and smudging. And at $18 for 18 shades, you’re only paying $1 a shade, so even if you don’t use each shade down to the pan, you shouldn’t feel too bad because the entire palette is still super affordable.
Courtesy of BH Cosmetics
NYX Full Throttle Shadow Palette, $10
If you’re looking for a small compact that you can throw in your purse on-the-go but still be able to create a multitude of looks with, NYX’s Full Throttle palette is your best bet. While the palette only contains four shades, the color payoff and blendability allows you to create a multitude of looks from a nude to a super bright, metallic one — all for just 10 bucks.
Courtesy of NYX
e.l.f. Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette, $10
To round up our list of cheap eyeshadow palettes, we, of course, had to include the notoriously inexpensive drugstore brand e.l.f. The pan contains a mix of shimmers and mattes to create multidimensional looks from nude and subtle, to bright and bold.
Courtesy of e.l.f.
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#BREAKING: This is not an alarm. This is not fake news. Happy! The super fetch makeup brand Storybook Cosmetics, known for using iconic stories (i.e., Harry Potter, Beauty and the Beast) for its inspiration, has officially announced their upcoming project: A Mean Girls-inspired eye shadow palette. How fucking grool.
The idea has been a longtime dream of theirs since they posted it on their Instagram account last October but after no updates for like, ever, (and seeing as the OG post was deleted), everyone assumed it just wasn’t going to happen as much as Gretchen tried to make fetch. Well, last week, the company posted an awesome teaser on their Instagram, confirming the collaboration and making true betches scream of excitement around the world.
So this is like, a really huge deal. This is worthy of inviting them to have lunch with us every day for the rest of the week.
Missy Maynard, cofounder of the brand, told Popsugar the eye shadow palette was one of their first ideas and the brand is excited to secure licensing rights. She admitted that they’re “total Mean Girls fanatics.” Fine, you can sit with us.
There will be 12 shades in the palette, but there are currently no official names or pictures. If they know what’s good for them, expect to see “Army Pants”, “Glen Coco”, and “Pink Wednesday.” Maybe even “Mouse, Duh”. IDK, it’s like I have ESPN or something.
Write it in your Lilly Pulitzer planner and get ready, because we’re about to go (online) shopping, loser. This is a must-have for all Queen Bees because the limit does not fucking exist for our Mean Girls obsession. No official release date has been mentioned yet, but if it doesn’t happen on October 3, so help me god, I’m shoving weird nutrition bars down somebody’s throat.
We all know that feeling. When it’s 8am and you’re already late and probs gonna have to take the late train with every other psychopath commuter living in New York City and you realize it’s the end of the line for, like, every beauty product you own so you have to pull an Alicia Keys and tell everyone at work that your no makeup look is a political statement and not an act of karma for sleeping with that fuckboy last weekend? Oh, that was just my morning? K. But seriously, buying beauty products is the fucking worst. It’s time-consuming, emotionally draining, and if I have to see that sales lady at Sephora give me one more smug look at the checkout counter while I mentally calculate how much money I just spent, I will lose my goddamn mind. I did not sign up for this shit. But lucky for us that’s why drugstores were invented because someone somewhere realized that this betch literally needs someone to take her credit card away from her. Seriously. I cannot be trusted. So whether you’re a betch on a budget or just don’t want to give the check out lady at Sephora the satisfaction here are the 8 best drugstore beauty products that won’t have you breaking the bank.
1. CoverGirl Lashblast Mascara
Tyra Banks has been repping this product for the last 12 million seasons of America’s Next Top Model, which means it has the potential to make you look like a D-list model on a CW reality show, which is all I can really ask for in this life. #Blessings. Plus I trust any and all products endorsed by a woman who told me to “make hoe fashion.”
2. Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner
If you’re anything like me, then you know you’re nothing without your eyeliner. It’s the key element to my RBF game and also in discouraging people from asking me for directions on the subway. And while I want my eyeliner to look good I also want it to be easy enough for a toddler to use because tbh my tolerance for learning new things is really fucking low. Like, right down there with my standards for men (just trying to make you proud, mom!). So thank God for Revlon because this eyeliner is perfect for lazy betches like myself. Not only does it look good on every eye shape but it’s also long-lasting.
3. L’Oreal Paris Infallible Eye Shadow in Amber Rush
If you’re one of those who wakes up every morning and whispers to your reflection “WTF am I doing with eye makeup RN” then this eye shadow is about to become a staple in your morning makeup routine. It’s a soft, blendable eye shadow that leaves a major impact with minimal effort. Plus this rose gold shade is V popular right now and looks high-end AF even though it’s barely $10. And they say you can’t have it all.
4. NYX Cosmetics Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen
Supposedly it’s spring and my mother people are trying to tell me that it’s time to retire my dark vampy lip color in favor of lighter, more neutral shades; to which I’d just like to say:
As if this much pretty is designated to one fucking season. BYE. And there’s no lipstick I love more than Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream. First of all, it costs less than a shot of (bottom shelf) vodka so you know that’s a fucking steal. And second of all, this shit could outlast an apocalypse. Seriously. It could outlast me getting drunk on my couch after work watching morons make love connections fuck up on Are You The One: Second Chances or me tossing back vodka sodas like my life depends on it at the free corporate happy hour. So blessed. So moved. So grateful. Can’t believe this is my life.
5. Jordana Glow N’ Go
Finding the perfect highlighter is like trying to find a boyfriend on a dating app, which is to say, good fucking luck. But unlike on a first date when someone thinks that asking you to “split the bill” will actually get them laid (see, girls? Prince Charming really is only one swipe away!), being cheap when buying a highlighter can actually pay off. At under $5, Jordana Glow N’ Go is creamy, long-lasting, and subtle enough to make people think maybe you’re born with it.
6. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Concealer
Normally, I’m not crazy about concealer sticks but this is the creamiest, most-natural looking concealer I’ve used. It may or may not also be the only reason why people at work think I “stay home” and “act responsible” after 5pm because this shit is key to hiding hangovers from the attendance Nazis in HR. It’s the hydrating core that erases those four vodka sodas from the night before because no one, especially not that snitch Sharon, needs to know your fucking business.
7. L’Oreal Paris Hair Expert Extraordinary Clay Dry Shampoo
I’ve said it before, but dry shampoo save lives and L’Oreal Paris’ new clay dry shampoo is next fucking level. It uses clay to help absorb excess oil and is the reason I get up in the morning. Literally. It helps me to know that I can put off showering another day for a few extra minutes of sleep. It’s really the little things.
8. Essie Gel Couture Top Coat
Ugh. As if I needed one more reason to give Essie all my money, they just released a gel couture top coat and I am all about it. It gives your nails some extra shine while also extending the life of your at-home (probably shitty) manicure. But like, if you’re actually good at nails then this product is about to save you tons of money and from any awkward AF small talk with your nail technician.
