Five Best Bet Bargains

While it’s almost always true that you get what you pay for, occasionally you can get way more. Here are five inexpensive products and tools that are just as good as much more expensive brands.

1: e.l.f. Brushes - Consistently getting great ratings from users on review sites (particularly for their Studio Line), e.l.f.’s synthetic makeup brushes are available at Target and Walmart in addition to their website, which regularly has awesome sales like 50% off purchases of $35 or more. With single brushes starting at $1 and essentials sets starting at just $12, you can keep spares on hand and not have a nervous breakdown when your toddler uses them to paint a ketchup masterpiece on the kitchen floor. www.eyeslipsface.com/makeup/brushes

2: Maybelline Great Lash - A perennial favorite for over forty years, Maybelline’s Great Lash Mascara is like that friend you know will always be there for you even if you don’t speak for years at a time. That tried and true pink and green tube works like Dior Show or Lancôme without the matching price tag. Don’t bother with the brush, though - the mascara is indeed great, but there are much better applicators available.

3: Ulta Foundations - Ulta’s Mineral Powder Foundation gives you the same coverage as Bare Minerals, but you get more product for significantly less money, and their cream foundations are comparable to Palladio and another excellent bargain. (Never go cheap on your primer or finishing sprays, though. You’ll regret it.) Hot tip: All of Ulta’s foundations are on sale right now on the website. $5 foundation? I’ll take six. www.ulta.com

4: NYX Eyeshadows - NYX’s eyeshadows give the same brilliant coverage as MAC’s and come in comparable colors, but at less than $5 each for singles, you can afford to play with a whole spectrum instead of just a couple shades.

5: Covergirl TruBlend Minerals Bronzer - Covergirl’s TruBlend Minerals Bronzers give you the same easy to apply radiance as Too Faced, but at less than ⅓ the price. That’s something to glow about.