Is "cheap" makeup just as good?

I was at Forever 21 over the weekend and noticed that they now have a HUGE beauty section.  Everything from makeup, makeup brushes, nail accessorires , makeup bags, mirrors, etc.  They had everything.  So it got me thinking.  How bad can this stuff really be? Prices seemed to range anywhere from $1.00 to $5.00.  So with the help of my friend who was with me, we hunted down wearable colors.  Here’s what I got:

First Impressions of the makeup when I took it out of the package was that it wasn’t that bad! The blush is a really pretty light pink color (even though the package called it coral) and it looked like it had a lot of sparkle in the package, but when applied it really didn’t.  The lipgloss is a little sticky when applied, but nothing horrible.  It does have a scent, but again, nothing bad.  It didn’t seem to last a long time, but not all lip glosses do.  The eyeshadow had really good pigment for being $1.80.  The first three colors had the best pigment, while the black shade wasn’t great.  It looks very dark in the palette, but when applied its barely a light grey.  When I used the eyeshadow I did have quite a bit of fallout, but when used with a primer, it lasted all day.

The packaging of the products is so so.  The blush comes in a large clear, plastic compact.  On the sides I can see glue and residue of the pink blush. The lipgloss and eyeshadow seem to be just fine though.  I will note that when I was at the store I dropped an eyeshadow and when it hit the ground it broke to pieces.  So be careful if you drop this product.

Here is my finished look.  Not too bad! My lighting for these pictures wasn’t great but I wanted to make sure I got a finished look picture while I could.  I did use my own foundation, powder, mascara and liner (which I forgot to include in the picture)  Next time I am in the store I will try to pick up more of the face products to try and do a complete look using their products.  I have to admit that spending under $10 for what I got, it’s pretty good! This would be an excellent starting point for teenagers to play with different makeup.

 I have to be honest and say that I thought I was going to be writing up a really bad review of these products.  So it just goes to show you that the amount of money you spend on a product doesn’t always mean it’s going to be good or bad.  Would these be the first products I’d reach for? Probably not, but that’s not to say I won’t ever use them again.  I was actually so impressed with the products I got, I plan to make a trip back and explore some of the other items they have.  Who can go wrong with a product that is under $5?? Good find.

Other Makeup Used in this look:
MAC Studio Fix Powder NW20
COVERGIRL Clump Crusher Mascara
Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner in Black
Sigma Brushes

SIGMA BRUSHES