How Do You Afford?...

[funylove]

HI EVERYONE It's me,the newbie. It's only my second post, so here I go. Hope I get a response.

ALRIGHT! So, I have been searching around MakeupTalk..and A LOT that I see is that people use a lot of really high end name brand makeup. AND I LOVE HIGH END name brand makeup, but right now I can't afford it. I haven't been able to have a job for two years since I have been so ill. (If I had the money I would buy some). Some people have tons of it. Are you makeup artists and you get the makeup? Or are you just able to afford it? I was always taught NEVER to ask anything about money to anyone, but this is just curiosity. And I would sincerely apologize if anyone took offense to my question.

It would be amazing if I could have half of the name brand makeup you girls have, but for now I'm stuck with mostly drugstore cosmetics except for a couple things(MAC, Clinique, Hard Candy) And I don't have any makeup brushes except ones that are completely worn out.:- Anyone in the same boat?

THANX EVERYONE!!! TAKE CARE AND SEE YOU ALL AROUND!

 

[NYAngel98]

Hey funnylove! I don't think I welcomed you yet... but I'm Janelle, from NY - it's great to meet you!

I have a lot of both drugstore and some high end makeup... I just buy a little here and there when I have some extra $ to play with. I have mostly Ulta and MAC... but you just have to find what you like. Sometimes a cheaper product is better than an expensive one!

I used to do hair/makeup (more hair) but most of my stuff I bought for me

 

[Liz]

i barely afford mine. lol. makeup is the only thing i buy. i don't really buy anything else. i live with my bf, so i don't have any other expenses.

 

[girl_geek]

We don't all have tons of name brand stuff! Almost my whole collection right now is drugstore brands (I used to use Prescriptives foundation and such but have since found drugstore products that work just as well)! I am a poor grad student so I'm sure not spending $13 for a single Mac eyeshadow when I get a Milani shadow for only $3 that's usually just as good! lol

If you're looking for inexpensive products that are great quality at a great price, here a few I recommend ...

• Milani eyeshadows -- great pigmentation, around $3 each
• Jordana eyeliners -- they're often less than $2 per pencil and have a very soft lead! They even come in some fun colors, their Easyliner in Sterling Blue is a bright turquoise!
• CoverGirl Professional Loose Powder -- keeps my oily face matte much better than even the department store brands I've tried!
• L'Oreal Endless 8-Hour Liquid Lipcolor -- the full color coverage of a lipstick, that won't dry out your lips!
• Almay Whipped Lipgloss -- a little sparkly for my taste, but great texture and quality!
• Sonia Kashuk makeup brushes, available at Target -- often 1/4 of the price of name brand brushes, and they're all made of natural hair and other great quality materials. You can get small brushes (like eyeshadow brushes) for around $5 and a large powder brush for $12 -- versus about $20 and $40-60, respectively, for name brands! You can also check out craft stores for brushes that would work with makeup!
• Mod Cosmetics eyeshadows, available online -- I haven't tried them yet (I plan to order some soon though!) but I've heard they are very similar to Mac!

Hope that helps! And welcome to MUT!

PS: All of my makeup is at least listed in my notepad, if not actually pictured. And I have reviewed everything except for a few of my newest products, so feel free to look around if you want some ideas! (Click My Notepad or My Reviews to the left under my avatar!)

 

[Suzy]

Some people are addicts and put all their money toward feeding their habit and end up broke too. I am a reformed makeup junkie

 

[nydoll23]

i am a makeup artist but really most of the makeup ive bought has been for myself

luckily my hubby really dosent mind what i spend on

 

[K*O*]

Welcome FunnyLove, I'm Karen from NY - nice to have you with us...The cheaper makeups are just as good as the expensive brands (sometimes better) - Don't let that sway you., if you know how to apply it correctly, you can pull it off ! Sorry you haven't been able to work in a couple years, hope you're ok???

 

[smallpuppy]

Since I live at home with my parents still..I don't have to worry about rent, groceries, etc. So the little money I make I spend it all in makeup! It's sad but I do have an addiction. That's why I am a broke college kid

 

[vanilla_sky]

I am a bit unreasonable with my money, whenever i have some $$$ i tend to spend it on make up or skin cosmetics, even though i know I should be saving for college and for future in general... so far my savings are almost not existing. so spending money on makeup is not very smart of me, but i just am soo bad at saving

you can see in my notepad that a lot of my cosmetics are drugstore though

just today i went to cvs and bought loreal eyeshadow (black - rich), navy loreal eyeliner, and two loreal lip pencils (they were 75% off), oh and maybelinne mousse blush, it was 2 $ off

usually i buy them cheap and on sales and once in a while I splurge on something in the department stores... especially when they have GWP going on, it is a good way to sample more high end products!

 

[tashbash]

Hey there and welcome to MuT!! I am Tasha from Missouri. Well, most of my stuff is Estee Lauder only because I used to work for them. I also have some Lancome and Elizabeth Arden just because I was friends with some of the MAs that worked for those companies so we would do trade offs. Other than that I use drugstore brands...(maybelline, l'oreal, cover girl). And girl_geek was right about the brushes, you can find some at art stores or even target for pretty cheap. So I splurge very rarely, but when I do, I am still sensible about it.

 

[yshekam]

I agree, there are a lot of cheaper brands that are just as good as the expensive brands. Try Malani eyeshadows, you'll love them. NYX has great colors also (nyxcosmetics.com or you local beauty suppply store) Loreal has great lip colors and blushes. *hint Loreal and MAC, owned by the same company!! so the product are just as good. Also check ebay, you may find some good deals there. I am a Mac pro memeber so i get a good discount. But when you're obsessed with makeup like i am, name brand doesnt matter, price doesnt matter, if i see something i just have to have... I HAVE TO HAVE IT!!!

 

[Joyeuux]

Originally Posted by Trisha Hi there and welcome to MuT! x :icon_love
I am an MA for Stila and as Stila is a Lauder owned brand i get 65% off any EL owned brands.

I also dont buy many clothes and other stuff x

Similiar to Trisha, I work for MAC and get an employee discount on my makeup. Before that though, I had pro cards for both MAC and Stila. I honestly didn't start buying much makeup until 3 years ago, when I got into makeup artistry. As a makeup artist, I can also write off a lot of "supplies" come tax time and oftentimes get reimbursed for makeup purchases.
Also, most makeup companies give employees gratis (free product). I know here at MUT we have members who work for MAC, Stila, Estee Lauder, Benefit and Kevyn Aucoin.

I still wanna know Trisha, how do UK employees get discounts on anything Lauder-owned??? Oh well, perhaps it's a good thing, lol!

 

[Sofia]

Hi, my name is Sofia and I'm an addict.

 

[Jennifer]

i always wondered, too, but had no idea how to ask without asking how much a person made

i work full-time and i live with my mom, brother, and sister. i've been paying for my own things since i was 14 (i turned 18 in march), when i got a "serious" job (not just babysitting, but working in a restaurant), so i'm responsible with my money. i know how much to put aside for bills, clothes, food, school, etc. and whatever i have left goes towards makeup/skin/hair. i used to spend all this money on clothes, but i got into makeup and all that last summer.

 

[suzukigrrl]

Hi! It is great to meet you. I really can't afford it, but I love the high end brands so much. Sometimes I find great deals on ebay, and I'm a totaly freebie and discount junkie. Right now I'm trying to turn myself on to some drugstore brands. I've found some nice stuff, but I think I would rather have just a few items from the high end brands rather than ten tons of the less expansive stuff

 

[Eva121]

My boyfriend's mom works in a perfume/cosmetics store, where they sell brands like Chanel and Dior, so I get all my things from her. I get samples, which most of the time are the regular product with a little sticker on it "sample,not for sale",so not much difference there. When she gets a gift because they've sold a certain number of products, she'll sometimes give it to me too, when she knows I'll like it. I've got all my Armani perfumes that way lol, I told her I liked Emporio Armani once, and since then she's always given me the new fragrance.

But when I really want something new, I can also buy it, I can't expect to just get everything, right

And then she can get me a 30% discount. And when I do that, I always get a bag FULL of samples with my small purchase, like a l/g. omg, I'm so spoilt

but it's true, the cheaper brands can be great too, I buy eye pencils an lipglosses at Hema, for like 1 or 2 euros each, because they are amazing and they have great colors. You just have to try different products from diffrent brands, a bad eyeshadow from one brand doesn't mean all their products are bad. wow,long post

 

[Marisol]

Welcome to MUT! Look forward to getting to know you.

How do I afford make-up? Well, I work full time and besides MU and purses, I don't have any other obsessions so after I pay my bills, I allow myself some $$ to shop with.

 

[MacForMe]

Hi and welcome to Mut! I'm Lauryn from NJ, and one of those addicts that was mentioned before. I started really slow with my collection and yes, i did have some other high end items, but i swapped them away for MAC. Well, i tried a few other brands and just had such nasty reactions, that the items were tried one time and thats it. I always use a clean brush too, so i know that the reaction is the product. So, imagine all the stuff i have tried and can't use that remained 99% unused!

 

[monniej]

hi funylove and welcome to mut. everyone on mut is in a different stage of life. just because things are tight right now doesn't mean they always will be. i believe when you can do better you do. don't worry what everyone else is doing, just do you and that's great. p.s.- i only have 3 mac eyeshadows and no clinque or hard candy, so you're one up on me!)

Originally Posted by funylove

HI EVERYONE It's me,the newbie. It's only my second post, so here I go. Hope I get a response.ALRIGHT! So, I have been searching around MakeupTalk..and A LOT that I see is that people use a lot of really high end name brand makeup. AND I LOVE HIGH END name brand makeup, but right now I can't afford it. I haven't been able to have a job for two years since I have been so ill. (If I had the money I would buy some). Some people have tons of it. Are you makeup artists and you get the makeup? Or are you just able to afford it? I was always taught NEVER to ask anything about money to anyone, but this is just curiosity. And I would sincerely apologize if anyone took offense to my question.

It would be amazing if I could have half of the name brand makeup you girls have, but for now I'm stuck with mostly drugstore cosmetics except for a couple things(MAC, Clinique, Hard Candy) And I don't have any makeup brushes except ones that are completely worn out.:- Anyone in the same boat?

THANX EVERYONE!!! TAKE CARE AND SEE YOU ALL AROUND!

 

[Blondtgr]

Well I used to get a lot of cheap stuff, but now I'm definitely going for higher up stuff because I do think the quality can be a lot better(depending what you get, from what brand). I think it's better to get less of better quality than more of lesser quality. Now that I have this nannying job where I'm getting quite a bit more money than needed, I'm getting the basics from higher-end brands. It should last me quite a while, too.