Makeup

16 Best Makeup Finds for $5 or Less

Save money with almost-free beauty products from brands like Avon

July 23, 2008 | by Charli Schuler | 91 COMMENTS

Highlighter: E.L.F. Shimmering Facial Whip, $1 TotalBeauty.com average user rating: 7.0*
Why it's great: "Buy this in every color and play with them. Eyes, lips, cheeks, mix it into body lotion, whatever. Every color comes out a little different; all of them smell sweet and look shimmery. If you have fine lines, it does tend to settle a bit, so watch for that, but as a highlighter/blush, it looks flirty and femme! -- corizotti, TotalBeauty.com member

Agree? Disagree? Write your review here.

*At time of publication

SEE NEXT PAGE: Bronzer: Bonne Bell Gel Bronze, $3.99

8 of 17

products mentioned

Wet n Wild H2O Proof Blending Eye Pencil

8.0

Sally Hansen Diamond Lip Treatment

7.5

mark Shimmer Tubes Hook Up Gel Blush

8.4

Prestige Lipliner

6.7

Blistex Silk & Shine

7.8

Sephora Powdered Liquid Foundation

6.0

E.L.F. Essential Shimmering Facial Whip

8.4

Bonne Bell Gel Bronze

7.9

N.Y.C. New York Color Color Wheel Mosaic Pressed Powder

8.2

Andrea Modlash Strip Lash

9.3

mark I-Mark Custom Pick Eye Shadow

8.9

Jane Lipkick Rich Color

9.2

E.L.F. Kabuki Brushes

7.8

N.Y.C. New York Color Thickening Mascara

8.6

E.L.F. Tone Correcting Concealer

7.2

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cool thank you

by brianna121791 Monday, May 13, 2013 at 01:48PM Report as inappropriate

I want to try the Mark eye shadow...along with just about everything else.

by jessielynn17 Monday, May 6, 2013 at 01:13AM Report as inappropriate

A nice roundup of inexpensive makeup. I might just pick up one of these to play with on my next run to the store.

by LindaDD Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 02:30PM Report as inappropriate

I want to try the Blistex Silk & Shine!

by Chris213 Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 07:01AM Report as inappropriate

lovely! i love a bargain but sometimes a low price makes me a bit suspicious. it's so good to have great products at affordable prices

by AstridB Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 05:28AM Report as inappropriate

I am desperately looking to find & purchase Mirabella Outshine lip gloss in the color "Candee." Can anyone help me?

by Timex Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 02:27AM Report as inappropriate

Who doesn't love saving money? Lots of good brands and items here. Thank you!

by GigiSD Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 09:30PM Report as inappropriate

Elf products are great for their prices.

by nursesuz77 Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at 07:37PM Report as inappropriate

Might end up trying some of these, especially elf and wnw.

by Lili04 Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 04:03AM Report as inappropriate

Love these ideas cant wait to go get these items

by kfloyd01 Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 01:39PM Report as inappropriate

I am amazed by elf's products!!! How can they make products that work so well for so cheap?! elf's Shimmering Facial Whip rates a special mention - a versatile product that works well in a slew of different colors, for just a buck.

by SallyS85 Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 08:16PM Report as inappropriate

ELF is a great cheap brand

by LittleBunny Monday, January 21, 2013 at 08:16AM Report as inappropriate

I need to try some of these, especially elf's concealer, Sephora's foundation, and Wet n wild's waterproof eyeliner. Have to try Sally Hansen's diamond lip trwatment too, sounds fantastic!

by Chantilly Wednesday, January 9, 2013 at 12:07AM Report as inappropriate

Love wet n wild

by LittleBunny Saturday, January 5, 2013 at 08:48PM Report as inappropriate

Nice

by EricaF123 Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 09:12AM Report as inappropriate

I love Wet n Wild. There are some real gems at drugstores.

by NillaButterfly Sunday, December 23, 2012 at 04:38PM Report as inappropriate

I some of the elf brushes. Some of them are pretty bad, but some of them are GREAT.

by LipglossandSpandex Saturday, December 15, 2012 at 09:04AM Report as inappropriate

e.l.f. products have been hit or miss with me but I can never leave Target without hitting that section!

by Amanda16 Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 01:19AM Report as inappropriate

Because really who doesnt like a good deal

by kimihavens Monday, November 5, 2012 at 09:41AM Report as inappropriate

These are just amazing! Nothing can beat the price for the NYC mascara!

by Cupcake900 Sunday, November 4, 2012 at 11:58AM Report as inappropriate

Interesting, but I am so wary of the drugstore items.

by robyne00 Wednesday, October 31, 2012 at 04:55PM Report as inappropriate

Is the Sephora powder foundation really under 5 dollars?

by laaauren Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 08:17PM Report as inappropriate

I haven't tried any of these yet. Now I might have to check them out!!!

by Chris213 Sunday, September 30, 2012 at 11:54AM Report as inappropriate

Going to the drug store this afternoon - saw these just in time!

by schien Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 12:24PM Report as inappropriate

Definitely trying some of these!

by michellefuentes Saturday, September 1, 2012 at 05:03PM Report as inappropriate

Will look for products!

by heidihannibal33 Monday, August 27, 2012 at 11:21PM Report as inappropriate

Very easy to afford these products.

by andyv1217 Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 10:11PM Report as inappropriate

This is fantastic! Most of these products were rated 9 or 10 by TB reviewers. No excuse not to look great is there?

by alictasia Monday, July 9, 2012 at 06:06PM Report as inappropriate

I love to get beauty products for a steal. Thanks for some great suggestions. NYC and ELF are usually good for the money, you have given me a new shopping list for the drugstore.

by tonyadiamond Monday, July 9, 2012 at 05:15PM Report as inappropriate

I love how you can get almost all of these products at Target! ELF things are almost always amazing for the price.

by GingerDrink Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at 11:45AM Report as inappropriate

I love finding great makeup products at discounted prices. There was a time when I would only wear department store makeup but I have found some great drugstore that is better quality. I'm all about saving money now.

by MssDani Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 02:06PM Report as inappropriate

I love ELF products. I already love the facial whip and I'm definitely going to pick up the concealer.

by VV001 Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 05:49PM Report as inappropriate

Great ideas!! I use about half these products now and can't wait to try the rest!!

by WhiteXRoses88 Sunday, May 27, 2012 at 09:54PM Report as inappropriate

Thr ELF facial whip looks like a good idea

by Only1KimmieD Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at 12:12PM Report as inappropriate

These products look wonderful! I have tried a lot of them and will still buy them. I really want to try the Mark eye shadows.

by SummerOrchid Tuesday, May 1, 2012 at 10:35PM Report as inappropriate

Have been wanting o try the Sally Hansen lip gloss but, I am not sure if it actually ives the high shine like they say. Has anyone here tried it??

by brendalea Monday, April 30, 2012 at 04:43PM Report as inappropriate

I am not to fond of the wet and wild eyeliners. They do not go on even if you light them with a lighter! LOL! Look forward to tryng Mark and Elf producs.

by brendalea Monday, April 30, 2012 at 04:26PM Report as inappropriate

love love love these products! I've tried some of them back in high school and they stuck with me. Though I didn't know Jane was still in business. I haven't seen that product name in forevever!

by cuteAsAbutton Friday, April 20, 2012 at 11:24AM Report as inappropriate

NYC NEW YORK COLOR COLOR WHEEL MOSAIC PRESSED POWDER, absolutely love this product and sooo cheap!

by Jonealle77 Monday, April 16, 2012 at 03:38PM Report as inappropriate

I surprisingly don't own any of this and I'm all for frugality!!

by yestfl Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 05:43PM Report as inappropriate

I love the Shimmering Facial Whip!

by MissXu Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 07:58PM Report as inappropriate

I love finding good discount products to go with my fancy finds.

by beautybody Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 06:50PM Report as inappropriate

I'm super excited to try some more ELF products.

by VV001 Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 11:19PM Report as inappropriate

Looking forward to trying the Mark eye shadows, but elf? I have their concealer, and it does absolutely nothing. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to spend money on their facial whips and other cheap products either, even if they are only a dollar. Not really sure if this article was helpful. I'm kinda thinking they only listed these just because they're under $5, not because they actually work. Not including Sephora and Mark, I've always had good experiences with them. Very excited to see Sephora actually selling something for a college students budget..

by mrselliott08 Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 06:22PM Report as inappropriate

But what if I want to look like a clown?

by volta Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 11:56AM Report as inappropriate

elf shimmering facial whip will leave you looking like a sparkling clown.

by eatinglipstick Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 11:24AM Report as inappropriate

awesome.. love it

by shadsha Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 08:59PM Report as inappropriate

I don't think it's fair to include products that have under 30-40 reviews into such articles. Having one good review shouldn't give something a spot in "the best" list... Otherwise a good article with viable inexpensive products.

by venenumletalis Monday, March 5, 2012 at 01:47PM Report as inappropriate

love elf, recently discovered nyc! wet and wild always a favorite

by emilyvonrosco Saturday, March 3, 2012 at 01:25AM Report as inappropriate

Interesting....pretty cool :)

by maya_brannan Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 06:16PM Report as inappropriate

i love how 3 of elf products are on this list since i'm a fan of elf makeup at the moment...

by ruby_chang Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 11:40PM Report as inappropriate

I don't like Salley Hansen or NYC but anything by MARK is nothing short of amazing, MARK is so cheap and so good. It may not compare to my Too Faced Products but if you're on a budget, get it.

by howlATthemoon Friday, January 13, 2012 at 12:30PM Report as inappropriate

Yay for affordable makeup products! I love the elf products, most of the are hits, with a few misses!

by MissXu Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 04:36PM Report as inappropriate

I've been meaning to try wet'nwild products and seeing good reviews makes me les hesitant now. Thank goodness for good quality inexpensive make up :)

by jasmandermon Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 04:26PM Report as inappropriate

This is such a great article, sometimes good makeup is just way too expensive!

by sportimonki13 Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 09:19PM Report as inappropriate

great thank youuuuu

by Nicole2814 Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 03:25PM Report as inappropriate

what a great article! I hope to see more of these cheap & drugstore-related articles. Thanks

by tarynone Wednesday, November 30, 2011 at 11:39AM Report as inappropriate

love this

by MysticMeercat Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at 09:57PM Report as inappropriate

Very informative!

by andyv1217 Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at 09:52PM Report as inappropriate

Love Sally Henson lip products. I wanna try the Jane lipkick.

by Flicky_95 Wednesday, October 26, 2011 at 05:04AM Report as inappropriate

loved this article

by Angelamay14 Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 03:53PM Report as inappropriate

i love this article! thanks

by Mssaralee18 Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 08:54AM Report as inappropriate

Great article! I think I speak for everyone when I say we all love cheap products that work!

by gisellemarie Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 12:35PM Report as inappropriate

Thank you we all love finding CHEAP products that actually work! Another cheap recommendation: I have really liked ELF's "studio" line of face brushes. I hope to see more articles like this one!!!

by tarynone Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 04:10PM Report as inappropriate

This is so great! I love cheap but awesome beauty products, so this list just made my day. Definitely going to try the Wet n' Wild eyeliner!

by vfalkow Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 03:40PM Report as inappropriate

awesome! I would love to see more articles like this!

by Bon_Bon Monday, August 15, 2011 at 01:22AM Report as inappropriate

one of the best articles on here!

by vanillasummer Monday, August 1, 2011 at 03:31PM Report as inappropriate

Love this! Absolutely awesome article:)

by selma Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 04:46AM Report as inappropriate

mark is the way to go!

by MissPurple Monday, July 18, 2011 at 12:12PM Report as inappropriate

I am rating this article as a 4 star simply because no one apparently took the time to either update it frm lat year or to see if these products are still being manufactured, which may are just not (i.e. Mark hook ups gel blush is discontinued).

by jenn8779 Monday, July 18, 2011 at 11:06AM Report as inappropriate

I heard ELF was good

by vanillasummer Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 12:50PM Report as inappropriate

Why pay $50 bucks when you can the same thing for $5 and the same end result?

by Jhanooman Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 01:34PM Report as inappropriate

The mark i-mark custom shadows are decently pigmented, and I like that you can buy them individually. The ELF tone correcting concealer was disappointing though.

by LipglossandSpandex Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 09:44PM Report as inappropriate

nice article! love em!

by yckitsmary Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 02:31PM Report as inappropriate

elf is great, but some of their products are no good. It's definitely hit or miss.

by Sbalzer Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 02:41PM Report as inappropriate

I love that there are products out there for those of us on a budget. ELF is by far my favorite

by em90starz Sunday, March 20, 2011 at 04:30PM Report as inappropriate

love all of these products

by lelalu100 Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 01:01PM Report as inappropriate

yes! nice article

by naughtnone Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 09:35AM Report as inappropriate

I love the inexpensive suggestions!

by Mysterylady Monday, March 7, 2011 at 07:16PM Report as inappropriate

thanks!!! i am all about saving money!! but i dont like wet nwild that much.

by judyangel101 Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 06:32PM Report as inappropriate

love this! I'm so glad you featured prestige and wet and wild, both are great brands with not enough street credit.

by Bon_Bon Saturday, February 19, 2011 at 04:26PM Report as inappropriate

I just checked Sephora because that was such an awesome deal for foundation but they do not carry it any more! :[

by pynkNymphette Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 05:47AM Report as inappropriate

I am all about Wet and Wild products

by LittleBunny Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 04:17PM Report as inappropriate

Love seeing mark. and ELF make their way onto this list! Love their stuff!

by kayla_d_moore Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 05:18AM Report as inappropriate

ELF makes fantastic, inexpensive products. I have eye shadows, blushes, bronzer, brushes from that company and I think they are all good. Wet N Wild eye pencils are classic & so is the NYC color wheel. Great article!

by pynkNymphette Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 03:27PM Report as inappropriate

Now, THAT'S what I'm talking about! Some of us are struggling a bit in this economic downturn, and cheap (BUT GOOD) makeup suggestions are most helpful! Thank you!

by dawnrager Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 10:14AM Report as inappropriate