Affordable Pencil Eyeliners

I'm going to do a mini review on all the pencil eyeliners I have tried (don't worry, I'm somewhat new to the eyeliner world, so there aren't a ton)! I decided to do this post for girls who are still trying to find a great pencil eyeliner :)

1. Ulta Collection Gel Eyeliner Pencil: These were the first eyeliners I ever tried and I have them in the colors Peacock, Majesty, Black/Brown, and Black Out. At first I really loved them, but now that I have experimented with other pencil eyeliners and gel eyeliner, I think they're pretty dry compared to the eyeliner I mention for #5. Don't get me wrong, I still love them, but they are definitely not the best out there. I don't think I would ever repurchase the Black/Brown and Black Out ones, but I would definitely repurchase Peacock and Majesty (yes, I do love colored eyeliner). Peacock is such a fun color to wear in the summer and Majesty is a fun purple. They also come in many other beautiful colors! $8.00 each at Ulta
2. Bonne Bell Eye Define in Espresso: I really like this eyeliner and it was very affordable- it retails around $2.50. The color is easily the best brown color I have ever tried- it's a beautiful dark brown with hint of plum (don't get me wrong, this is not a purple eyeliner, it's definitely brown). It's very creamy and easy to apply, great for a beginner!
3. Maybelline Line Express Eyeliner in Ebony Black: I honestly didn't like this eyeliner. The color is great and it's easy to apply, but it kind of ends up looking waxy, like a crayon. I also didn't like the smudger; it's more like an eraser. $4.97 at WalMart
4. Ulta Collection Automatic Eyeliner in Raisin: This eyeliner was great at first, but it started drying out after about a month. The color is gorgeous- it's a very wearable plum color that is very subtle. It's a little harder to apply and hard to get a thin line. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the "automatic tip", especially for beginners. $8.00 at Ulta
5. Ulta Collection Design A Line 12 piece eyeliner collection: My grandma gave me this for my birthday and at first I thought I was never going to use it- there was 1 black and 1 brown and the rest were crazy colors (like gold and orange). I'm really sad that Ulta no longer sells this because they are my favorite eyeliners now! They're extremely creamy and go on very easily and look absolutely flawless. They are so creamy that sometimes I blend them out and use them as eyeshadow. By far the best pencil eyeliners I've tried. Plus, who else has awesome, festive eyeliners for almost every holiday? Yes, I am wearing green eyeliner on today. 

Rank (1=Best, 5=Worst)

1. Ulta Collection Design A Line

2. Bonne Bell Eye Define

3. Ulta Collection Gel Eyeliner Pencil

4. Ulta Collection Automatic Eyeliner

5. Maybelline Line Express Eyeliner

Makeup Starter Kit

A new school year has just started, which means a lot of girls are starting to wear makeup for the first time. I decided to do a post about what I recommend for a makeup starter kit. All products mentioned will be drugstore products (with one exception). :)

Let's start with foundation. When I started wearing makeup, I didn't wear foundation- & I don't feel like this is necessary for a beginner. However, some girls might want to wear foundation to even out their skin tone. If you are new to makeup, liquid foundation might be a little tricky, so I recommend starting with a powder foundation. It may not have the coverage of a liquid foundation, but it is definitely easier and faster to apply. My favorite powder foundation is the freshMinerals Mineral Powder Foundation. It's a light coverage foundation, which is perfect for a beginner! I apply it with the puff it comes with & it works great! It retails at $24.64 and I get mine on Amazon.

Now for powder. Powder is also one of those products that a beginner does not need (in most cases). If you want to reduce shininess or have a little more oil control, a little powder won't hurt. I personally only use powder to set my foundation (including powder foundation). My favorite powder is the CoverGirl Smoothers Pressed Powder. It retails around $5 and I get mine at Walmart.

Blush. Blush is a great piece for a starter kit. I recommend starting out with a pretty natural blush. My favorite blush is the NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in Rose Glow. It retails at $4.99 and I get mine at Target.

Eyelid primer is another one of those optional products. It will help your eyeshadow stay on longer and help it stay in place. My favorite eyelid primer (believe it or not) is the E.L.F. eyelid primer! I get mine at Target and it retails at $1.00!

Now for eyeshadow. Eyeshadow is my favorite! I like a lot of different eyeshadows & palettes, but if I had to choose one eyeshadow product to be the only eyeshadow I used for the rest of my life (dead serious), it would hands down be the Bonne Bell Eyeshadow Box  in Cafe Classics. It was my first eyeshadow & I have used it almost everyday since I started wearing makeup. It has 4 beautiful colors that are great for a beginner (tip: if you are new to makeup, try to stay away from brightly colored eyeshadow & stick with the more neutral colors). They are amazing quality- very creamy, pigmented, and easy to apply. I have completely hit pan multiple times- & 1 will easily last me a year if I use it everyday, so that's saying a lot. I actually prefer them over any of my high end eyeshadows. Buying this product can be tricky. I used to buy mine at Walmart, but the drugstores in my area have recently stopped carrying them. :( I currently purchase mine online at drugstore.com. They retail at $3.37 in stores and around $10 online (including shipping).

Lastly, mascara. I love mascara almost as much as I love eyeshadow. I'm really picky when it comes to mascara & I will not wear waterproof mascara. I understand that mascara is a personal thing, so not everyone is going to like the mascaras I recommend. I like my lashes to look like falsies and have length and volume. I naturally have very full eyelashes, and I really like to make them pop. That being said, I am not going to recommend the cliche Maybelline Great Lash mascara because I'm not a huge fan of it. If you want to try it, go ahead. I have 4 other mascaras I will recommend to beginners because I love them!

1. My holy grail mascara is The Colossal by Maybelline. At first, it is a very wet mascara and it's a little hard to work with. After a couple uses, it dries up a bit & works like a gem. I get the 9x in any color. I'm not too picky about color. Seriously though- try it!! & it's great for beginners because it will come off easily if they mess up, but it won't smudge throughout the day. Retails at $5.94 and I get mine at Walmart.
2. Maybelline MegaPlush mascara. This is probably the easiest, quickest mascara to apply. I use it on days where I wear a small amount of makeup. It makes my lashes look very natural & it adds a good amount of volume and a lot of length. You don't have to build this mascara up a ton, which is nice. The only con to this mascara is it is a pain to get off if you mess up (& I'm talking about the non-waterproof formula!), so beginners might find it difficult to work with. Retails at $5.54 and I get mine at Walmart.
3. CoverGirl LashBlash Volume. This mascara is your typical mascara. Easy to apply, great brush, etc. Great for beginners! Retails at $5.06 and I get mine at Target.
4. CoverGirl LashBlast Length. This is very similar to the LashBlast Volume, except it adds length except volume. They both do a great job at separating my lashes and doing what they say they do. Nothing too special, but great for beginners. Retails at $6.94 and I get mine at Target.

*Target and Walmart will sometimes sell the mascaras I mentioned in 2 packs for like $7 or something like that. It's a great deal, so look for it the next time you're at Target or Walmart :)*

Finish your look off with your favorite lip balm or Lip Smacker & you're done!!

Let me know if you'd like a tutorial for beginners using the products I mentioned in this post!


***This is not a sponsored post.***