It's Five Buck Friday! *does the running man followed by the cabbage patch*
Here are four awesome Nouveau-Cheap-approved beauty products that you can purchase for a whopping grand total of...five bucks. Seriously, you can buy them ALL for a total of five bucks (before tax) and to me, they're worth triple that price. I've been using all of these products for years now and I love them just as much today as I did when I first tried them. Let's get started:
NYC Ultra Moist Lipwear in Retro Red (retail: $0.99 at Rite Aid, Kmart, select Target and CVS locations) I've said it many times on this blog (and I even mentioned it earlier this week), but Retro Red is my favorite red lipstick from the drugstore and I've been wearing it for probably close to ten years now. It's a very close match for MAC Russian Red, and you simply just cannot beat the price. It's a lovely, opaque, true red with nice hydration and staying power. Also, if you're looking for a slightly more sheer, blue-based red, NYC Sheer Red is also fantastic. Emi has great side-by-side swatches of both here.
Sally Girl Connecting Eyeshadows (retail: $0.99 each at Sally Beauty stores or online, $0.94 each for Sally Members). I reviewed a few of these way back in 2009, and I still love them. These little connecting shadows make it easy to build your own palette, and for under a buck with your Sally card, they're surprisingly pigmented (of course they all work better with primer, as per most inexpensive shadows). They're not chalky or powdery--they're actually pretty buttery and smooth. I've had better luck with the shimmers (some of the mattes take a little bit of extra work and primer) but on the whole, I think these shadows rock and are a great way to experiment with color without breaking the bank. You can view/purchase all of the shades here (scroll down to the right side to view all shades).
Montagne Juenesse Crystal Honey & Passion Fruit Face Mask (retail: $2 or less at most drugstores). I've tried and reviewed many Montagne Juenesse facial masks over the years and they're all quite impressive, but my very favorite is the Crystal Honey & Passion Fruit Face Mask. Before you open the packet, you immerse it in hot water for a minute to get it warm. Then, you open it and spread it across the face and let me tell you, it's so relaxing I just about fall asleep for the entire 15-20 minutes that I wear this baby. This mask is paraben, gluten, dairy and nut-free, and it contains lots of great ingredients like honey, argan oil and aloe. But what really gets me is the fragrance--it smells amaaaaazing. Like passion flower and honey (I almost get a cotton candy note as well). Plus, there are Dead Sea salt crystals in this product, so when you remove the mask, you can also exfoliate your skin as you're rinsing. Lots of drugstores such as CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid carry single packets from MJ, but inventory varies so you'll have to hunt for this one (but I promise it's worth it). You can also purchase it here if you're inside the US where they are BOGO1/2OFF (same distributor as Alpha Hydrox skincare and Batiste dry shampoo and they offer free shipping on orders of $25 or more). If you're in the UK, you can purchase directly from the Montagne Juenesse website here (if you're outside of the UK, click here).
e.l.f. Essential Custom Compact empty 4-pan palette (retail: $1 on the e.l.f. website). I haven't seen this for sale in stores for a while but you might still be able to find it at Kmart if you don't want to order via the e.l.f. website. Anyway, WOW, what a sturdy, well-constructed little palette this is for just $1. Created to hold four of the the e.l.f. Custom Eyes shadows, I don't think anyone uses them soley with those shadows at this point since they can also be used for MAC eyeshadow pans (same size). Also, as I've mentioned before, you can pull out the plastic insert and glue a magnetic sheet to the bottom (you can get magnetic sheets and a hot glue gun at every craft store in the country for just a few bucks). If you do that, you'll have a completely DIY custom palette that will fit any of your eyeshadow pans, blush pans, etc. regardless of shape. For a buck, you can't beat it.
And there you have it, my lovelies. Five bucks, four awesome products for your Friday. Have you tried any of the products featured above? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Some of the products featured in this post were given to Nouveau Cheap for previous reviews.
For the e.l.f. compact, try Target. I spotted them at my local Target just a few days ago. (Is it weird that I drive across town to the "good" Target just to scope e.l.f. products?)
ReplyDeleteNot at all! I drive across town to the "good" CVS to get their makeup products! But then again, we're probably both weird! ;)
DeleteThe elf palette is a great deal! I've seen them at Target, which is where I picked mine up (they recently remodeled a bunch of Targets in my area and now they all carry elf instead of just select stores). I use it to hold my Urban Decay shadows too.
ReplyDeleteFor the e.l.f. custom palette, you can get magnetic sheets that have adhesive already on them. They are pretty cheap too!
ReplyDeleteI have a few of the sally girl shadows and I was surprised by how smooth and pigmented they were.
I've been wondering about the sally girl shadows thanks g ill have to check em out!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link! I love both of those lipsticks so much, and I also very much agree with you on the ELF compact - I have a couple!
ReplyDeleteG, I LOVE this new feature!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lippie ideas. Money has been real, real tight lately and I need a pick-me-up that won't break the bank. ;+)
ReplyDeleteI will have to check out the ELF compact, I've been eyeing a small z-palette for my hair pins but this may do the trick for a fraction of the cost!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this new feature :). I own Retro Red and Sheer Red, and I think I like Sheer Red a little better. But they're both great :P. And I have the ELF palette, but never would've thought to take out the insert! Thanks, G!
ReplyDeleteI cannot tell you how much I *love* this new series of posts! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteOh ya the elf magnetic palette is surprisingly well made, and pretty pearly white! I press my own shadows and put them in these palettes for gifts!!
ReplyDeleteThis I such a fun new post type! I love it! Do you think you could make a post on beauty rewards programs that are worth joining?
ReplyDeleteWow this is a really cool feature. I wish we had these kind of prices in Australia!
ReplyDeleteI just have to say how much I'm looking forward to Fridays now and your new series!!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why I never thought that the Urban Decay shadows would fit in the ELF compacts. Thanks for that tip!
Miranda - for bobbie pins, I use a small Altoids tin with a magnet on the bottom, or a repurposed tic-tac container. Much cheaper, and I didn't have to buy anything special to use it.
ReplyDelete