Beauty lovers are often forced to reconcile having Chanel tastes on a CoverGirl budget. While brand recognition, expensive formulas and fancy packaging are all pros, there’s something to be said for cheap makeup. And by cheap makeup, we’re only referring to the price point, not the quality.
Truth is, there’s a lot of really good makeup available at your favorite drugstore or superstore. From texture-perfect liquid lipstick to pigment-rich blush and even anti-breakout makeup primer, you can stock your vanity with cost-effective cosmetics that could stand in as dupes for some of the luxury brands (just make sure to keep everything organized). But just like you wouldn’t plop down $30-plus for a single tube of mascara without reading some reviews, you shouldn’t pick up cheap makeup without due diligence.
With that in mind, we hunted down 12 cheap makeup products some of the top beauty bloggers can’t stop gushing about. And the best part is, every single pick rings in under $8. Scroll through the slideshow above for the cheap makeup products beauty bloggers swear by.
[ Next: 39 Drugstore Skin Care Products Dermatologists Swear By ]
Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #1
Manny Gutierrez (you know him as Manny MUA) has a truly addictive YouTube channel that boasts 3.3 million subscribers. His Instagram is up to 3.9 million followers, in case you were wondering. He’s partnered with beauty brands and loves to test out new makeup and give his unfiltered opinion.
Image: @mannymua733
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #2
Although previously affiliated with Maybelline, when Manny recently set out to review the line’s latest products, he made sure to clarify that this video review was non-sponsored. His reaction after trying the brand’s new highlighter was priceless and he wasn’t shy with his endorsement. "I would 100 percent without a doubt highly recommend purchasing this. This is absolutely amazing." It’s currently available at Target stores, just not online, but we’ve never needed an excuse to go on a Target run.
Maybelline FACESTUDIO Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter in 100 Molten Gold, $7.99 at Target
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #3
We tried to keep it one product for each beauty blogger, but Manny freaked out over this next product so much, we ended up breaking the rules. Maybelline’s creamy and super pigmented Color Sensational Vivid Hot Lacquer Lip Gloss got a rave review: "I was like kind of blown away with how beautiful I thought that one was. That is 100 percent Manny MUA-approved."
Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Hot Lacquer Lip Gloss, $7.99 at Ulta
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #4
Kathleen Fuentes, aka Kathleen Lights, is like the chill BFF you’ve always wanted who’s willing to share all her beauty knowledge. She also boasts 3.3 million subscribers to her YouTube channel and her Insta tally currently stands at 1.9 million. With her own brand of nail polishes (KL Polish) and brand partnerships, this beauty blogger's legit.
Image: @kathleenlights
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #5
Kathleen admits that she gets baked on a regular basis thanks to Milani’s highly pigmented and buildable blush. "It’s a beautiful, glowy, peachy-pink blush. It just gives your face life."
Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso, $7.49 at Target
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #6
There must be something in the water up there in Canada because makeup artist Sonjdra Deluxe hails from up north and she’s really slaying in the virtual makeup world. Her trademark glowy skin even led to a collab with Melanie Mills Hollywood. She’s got 1 million Instagram devotees and with YouTube videos featuring looks inspired by Rihanna plus "soft" unicorn makeup tutorials, she’s one to watch.
Image: @sonjdradeluxe
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #7
Her summer drugstore makeup breakdown featured quite a few must-haves, but her mascara pick kind of surprised us. Opting for CoverGirl’s Katy Kat version, the rising blogger testified, "This is actually really nice mascara."
CoverGirl Katy Kat Eye Mascara, $6.99 at Target
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #8
Karen Yeung likes to cover all the bases — fashion, beauty and lifestyle — but it’s her makeup game that really grabs our attention. From a back-to-school tutorial that takes just five minutes to testing out the yellow eyeshadow trend, she’s got you and her 1.4 million YouTube subscribers covered.
Image: @iamkareno
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #9
One of her go-to cheap makeup finds is Wet n Wild’s glam highlighting powder that boasts a pretty design right on the palette. And it looks just as impressive on your face. "I just can’t get over how pigmented and beautiful they are."
Wet n Wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder in Botanic Dream, $4.99 at Ulta
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #10
A former Birchbox employee, Deepica Mutyala’s video demonstrating how to hide dark circles with red lipstick went viral (it’s now passed the 10 million views mark). Since then, she’s become a Today Show contributor and has partnered with retailers like Sephora on how-tos.
Image: @deepicam
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #11
Deepica’s brows are #browgoals, so when she recommends a cheap yet effective brow product, we’re all ears. According to Deepica, L'Oréal Paris’ Brow Stylist Definer is "a great drugstore option for a brow pencil." So, we’ll definitely be adding it to our shopping list.
L'Oréal Paris Brow Stylist Definer, $7.99 at Target
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #12
The self-taught Maryam Maquillage not only has impressive skills, but she’s a ton of fun to watch. Plus, we can’t get enough of her travel diary vlogs. Her YouTube following isn’t as high as her Instagram account, so we’re putting the word out that her channel is worth the subscription.
Image: @maryamnyc
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #13
One of the tidbits we picked up watching Maryam is a cheap makeup find she discovered at New York Fashion Week. Maybelline’s Master Prime helps blur imperfections and doesn’t cause breakouts, making it prime for prepping your face for makeup. "I love it. It keeps my pores looking smaller, it keeps my foundation looking fresh," Maryam gushed.
Maybelline Master Prime by Face Studio Blur + Smooth Primer, $7.94 at Walmart
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #14
When cool brand ColourPop asks you to create your own lip shade, you know you’re at the top of your game. Beauty blogger and busy mom Ellarie partnered with the line on two lip products (maybe we’ll luck out and they’ll be stocked at Sephora in November). With a significant following on Instagram and a growing YouTube channel that sometimes features her adorable daughter, you should definitely jump on the Ellarie bandwagon, if you haven’t already.
Image: @ellarie
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #15
When it came to contouring, Ellarie was a cream-loving gal. That is until she discovered a powder from drugstore-staple CoverGirl that’s part of the Queen Collection. "I swore off powder contours for the longest time ... Because I couldn’t find a powder that I liked enough to use all the time. Until I found this one."
CoverGirl Queen Collection Natural Hue Mineral Bronzer in Ebony, $7.99 at Kmart
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #16
Estée Lalonde was born in Canada, but now makes her home in London. Being overseas gives her a unique perspective on brands from both sides of the pond. Her laid-back posts are engaging and make you feel like you’re just chatting with a girlfriend. That’s prob why her YouTube channel has 1.1 million subscribers.
Image: @esteelalonde
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #17
Estée loves Rimmel London’s eyeliner so much that she ran out of the brown shade and was working through the black one at a pretty good clip, too. Why the obsession? "I really like these because they’re like a gel eye pencil. Like they really glide on nicely."
Rimmel London Kohl Kajal Waterproof Eye Liner, $3.99 at Target
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #18
A rising star in the blogosphere, Habiba Da Silva designed a line of hijabs for all skin tones. And she definitely knows her makeup. We love the fact that she gets just as amped up about drugstore discoveries as she does the high-end stuff.
Image: @lifelongpercussion
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #19
One of her cheap makeup passions is the brand NYX. Particularly the brand’s liquid suede lipsticks that come in a rainbow of hues. "They’re super pigmented, the color payoff is amazing, the actual texture of them is gorgeous."
NYX Professional Makeup Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Sandstorm, $4.90 at NYX Cosmetics
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #20
Los Angeles-based blogger Jackie Aina was just enlisted by Too Faced to expand the brand’s foundation offerings. Not surprising since she has 1.5 million YouTube followers and 618,000 fans glued to her Insta. From product reviews to analyzing makeup trends that need to go, you can count on her for an honest take.
Image: @jackieaina
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #21
While she works on strengthening Too Faced’s foundation range, you can bet Jackie will be sporting L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer, which she also champions for its multipurpose formula. "These are also beautiful as foundation. I love, love, love these."
L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer in Fawn, $3.74 at Ulta
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #22
Leigh Ann of LeighAnnSays started her YouTube channel when she was in college and built up a following that stands at 793,000. From product reviews to giveaways to hair color tutorials and even a reverse engineered no-makeup makeup lesson, Leigh Ann keeps us informed and entertained.
Image: @leighannsays
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Cheap Makeup Beauty Bloggers Swear By #23
In her no-makeup makeup breakdown, Leigh Ann brightens up the inner corners of her eyes with Revlon’s glittery ColorStay Crème Eye Shadow in Praline while professing, "It’s sparkly, it stays on." That’s good enough for us.
Revlon ColorStay Crème Eye Shadow in Praline, $7.99 at Walgreens
