Cheap or expensive, makeup is for everyone
“Darling, can you hand me that powder brush?” the mother asks from her high heels as her fascinated daughter watches admiringly. The little girl raises herself to her toes and runs her fingers over the ceramic handles, powder compacts and glass bottles splayed across her mother’s vanity before landing on the biggest and fluffiest. She hands it to her mother, receives a loving "thank you" and continues to watch her mother transform herself.
Many little girls are introduced to the beauty world through their mothers. We begin mirroring from the time we are toddlers, and we grow up wanting to be just like them. Watching our mothers prepare for a night out with red lipstick or slide on eyeliner before work seemed monotonous during childhood, but there always comes a day where it begins to spark interest.
I remember walking up and down the aisles of Ulta Beauty as a little girl, trailing behind my mother as she searched for her nude lip liner. I would rub the glitter testers on my arms and spray everything in sight all over my pore-less skin. Of course, the time when makeup is the least necessary is the time when it becomes the most intriguing. “But mom! All my friends are wearing it!”
Clear mascara was one of my first staples. I would swipe it onto my lashes in the morning, even though there was a no-makeup policy at my Catholic school, and feel like I was ready to take on anything sixth grade could throw at me. At the time, it was the only makeup product my mother allowed me to wear. I was completely unaware of the entire world of beauty that would demand my attention in the following years.
Soon came the interest in eye shadow. Then bronzer, lip gloss, highlighter, the whole nine yards. I had no reason to wear it and nowhere to be, but I would walk up and down makeup aisles for hours, wandering aimlessly until I found that perfect shade. But once I started trying things out and comparing different brands, I noticed a steep price difference between products that seemed quite similar.
Makeup, like clothing, shoes and all things lovely, varies incredibly in price. High-end makeup brands charge up to hundreds of dollars for a single makeup product, but brands from the drugstore can offer products under $5. Sometimes, a $10 bronzer can be just as pigmented and buttery as a $40 one, but how is a girl supposed to know when this is the case? Trial and error, and also YouTube.
First-year ISC major Lily Oels, like many other girls her age, discovered the makeup side of YouTube and has tried out some products because of it.
“I love Jaclyn Hill. She’s the only YouTuber I’ve watched, but I’ve tried some of her suggestions,” Oels said.
Jaclyn Hill, one of the most adored YouTubers with over 4.4 million loving subscribers, is a professional makeup artist who shares her favorite products and tutorials with the internet. Although she does discuss pricey items on her channel quite frequently, she has also made videos in which she lists some of her favorite drugstore products as well. Accompanied by the Jaclyn Hill stamp of approval, these products must be worthy of praise.
One of these products, the Maybelline Fit Me concealer, comes in at $6.99 as opposed to the highly-raved about Tarte Shape Tape concealer priced at $25. Although the Tarte concealer does offer higher coverage, the Maybelline concealer blends flawlessly and covers up everything you need it to without making you look overdone. Oels listed the Fit Me as her go-to concealer.
However, Oels did disclose that her absolute favorite makeup product is her Urban Decay highlighter. A pro-tip for creating a makeup routine without draining your bank account is to save up for a few pricier items that you are absolutely obsessed with and that will last longer and spend a little bit less on products you go through quickly. My suggestion would be to pick up drugstore concealers, foundations, powders and mascaras while spending a little more on eyeshadows, highlighters and bronzers.
Some products can even be used in a way that they were not intended to fit your personal demands. Second-year psychology major Noelle Dragon was sitting at her makeup table one day when she discovered an innovative way to repurpose an everyday product.
“I needed something to blend out my eyebrows, and I had a spare toothbrush in my bathroom, so I brushed it through my brows, and it worked great,” Dragon said.
Anastasia Beverly Hills sells an eyebrow brush for $18, but Dragon found something that works just as well for her for free. Makeup is a form of personal expression, and there isn’t a single path, or budget, required to be successful.
Do you want to spend $38 on a stunning highlighter for your cheekbones? Go for it. Would you prefer scanning the aisles of Target for a $3 one instead of getting pressured into a purchase at Sephora? That’s cool, too. And if you pick up a toothbrush along the way and can incorporate it seamlessly into your makeup routine, then make your younger self (and Jaclyn) proud.
