In the bag!

I was killing some time on YouTube yesterday, and I came across a bunch of videos where girls showcase their makeup collections. At first I was all, "Cool, I like makeup!" But then things took a turn for the weird. You know those plastic stacks of drawers that most people use for holding craft supplies? FULL of makeup. One girl had a drawer collection just for eyeshadow.

Comparatively...

That's all I got. (Edit: forgot to toss in the lip balm I keep in my purse. My bad.)

After I saw these videos I got to thinking: you definitely don't need hundreds of products if you buy a handful of great ones instead. Even if you shell out for a couple of pricey items, you're still coming out ahead of the gals who hoard eyeshadow palettes. So today I have some of my faves to share, starting with the least expensive and working my way up.

If you're a frequent Target shopper, I bet you've seen this little guy:

ELF clarifying pressed powder. It's nice for days you don't need a lot of coverage, and if you apply it with a smaller brush, it makes a good eyeshadow. And it's only $1. (Holla!)

This is my newest discovery:

Gigantic packaging aside, it's great stuff. Because Organic Wear has more natural ingredients, the texture is a little different than regular mascara. It keeps my lashes softer, and I never have any of those bits that flake off toward the end of the day. Plus, it only set me back $9.99, which is about how much I expect to pay for the good stuff anyway.

This twofer is actually a $15 sample pack from the checkout line at Ulta:

It was pretty convenient because I couldn't decide if I wanted to try the Tarte blush, or skip right to bronzer since it was almost summer. It turns out: both are awesome. (If you're not familiar with Tarte, they make "high performance naturals" which means they don't use parabens, sulfates, etc. in any of their items.)

And finally, this has been a staple for about five years:

Bare Minerals provides as much coverage as you need and since it goes on dry with a brush, there are never any lines to worry about. And like the pressed power above, it also makes a super eyeshadow (noticing a pattern?). Unlike the pressed powder, it's $25, but I only need to replace mine every 10-12 months, so it's not a frequent purchase.

If I were a celebrity, I'd totally endorse all of these. Do you have a favorite makeup product? Tried anything new lately? Have you seen those crazy makeup videos, too? I just... wouldn't they rather fill up that space with cardigans or scarves?! I'm baffled.