Lady on a Budget: Best Beauty Products

Today I'd like to share my favorite beauty products of this past year. All of which are available for $10 or less! I don't know about you, but I struggle with the idea of spending gobs of money on a product that gets washed down the drain at the end of the day. So, these are my budget-friendly suggestions. :)

Clockwise, starting in upper left...

• Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula

This has so many uses, it's not even funny. Lip balm, leave-in hair conditioner, eye cream, eyebrow setting gel - it's the perfect all-purpose moisturizer. And it smells a little bit like chocolate. What more could we ask?

• Avon Glazewear Lip Gloss in Iced Pink

Recently, Avon switched to a different name for their lip glosses, now calling them Lip Glow instead of Glazewear. However, the good old Glazewear shades are still available at the outlet (discounted!). Iced Pink is a favorite of mine, a cool shimmery pink that goes with everything. Avon assures us that the new Lip Glow Aura is comparable to Iced Pink. I hope so!

• EcoTools On the Go Brush Set

The "big investment" on my list, at about $10 plus shipping. I LOVE using these brushes. Especially the angled eyeliner brush, as I like to apply a soft line of dark eye shadow rather than using an actual eyeliner pencil. Another good one is the EcoTools concealer brush (not in this set, unfortunately), which is more effective at covering blemishes than finger-blending.

• Avon Multi-finish Eye Shadow Quad in Chocolate Sensation

My everyday smoky eye palette. I tend to use shades 1, 2 and 4 the most. Shade 3 is a bit bronze-y for me. I appreciate the variety of finishes in this palette, from a pale vanilla shimmer to a dignified espresso matte.

• Maybelline Expertwear Eyeshadow Quad in Charcoal Smokes

This one is my special occasion/evening eye palette. It can be a very dramatic look with its shimmery silver base and plummy accent hues. As I mentioned before, I like using dark shadows as an eyeliner, and the sparkly black shade in this palette is perfect for that.

• Maybelline Volum' Express The Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara

Well that took long enough to say. :) Despite the cumbersome name, I really like this mascara. The last time I was picking out mascara, I was going to grab the pink-and-green Maybelline Great Lash when this leopard print packaging caught my eye. I was a bit unsure of the shaped wand, but this has turned out to be a new favorite. The curved wand helps to subtly open up the eyes, kinda like an eyelash curler. (though I'm not speaking from experience here. I'm still scared of eyelash curlers.)

The finished look

'Til next time,

Eva