SARAH GHIVIZZANI
After paying for food, gas, textbooks, and winter clothes (I thought this was Florida?), there isn’t much room left in a college student’s budget for makeup and beauty supplies. While it may seem like all the best products are upwards of $50, have no fear—there are lots of great (maybe better) ones that are inexpensive and can be found at your local drugstore. Here are my favorite beauty finds that won’t decimate your wallet.
Concealer: L’Oreal Paris True Match
Price: $8.86
L’Oreal Paris makes a great concealer that comes in a variety of shades to best match your skin tone. It’s difficult to find skin products that blend well and look natural when you have a skin tone that is either very light or very dark. Where most concealers seem to be made for medium skin tones, L’Oreal Paris’ shades range from fair to deep. Once you choose your skin tone, you then match it with an undertone: cold, neutral, or warm. There are 23 varieties in total to choose from, and each is SPF 17, so your face is protected when you’re in the sun. This concealer is very easy to blend, quick to apply, and won’t break the bank.
Mascara: Maybelline New York Great Lash
Price: $4.44
After trying dozens of mascaras, this one is hands-down the best. It doesn’t clump and comes in lots of different colors depending on your desired look. Great Lash makes your eyelashes look fuller and lasts all day and night, so you don’t need to keep reapplying. The brush is also the perfect size to minimize getting mascara on your eyelids.
Eyeliner: Covergirl Perfect Blend Pencil
Price: $4.44
Anyone who uses eyeliner knows the challenges of getting it to be the right shape. The cat-eye look has become increasingly popular, but requires a very steady hand and lots of patience. Most of us don’t have time to spend redoing our eyeliner over and over to get it just right. Covergirl Perfect Blend Pencil is easy to apply and won’t make you late getting out the door in the morning. It is very forgiving, so if you make a mistake when putting it on, smudging it with your finger erases it. For as easy as it is to erase, it’s surprising how long it lasts. It also has a blender end for an even better application.
Hairspray: Tresemme TRES Two Extra Hold Hairspray
Price: $5.99
This hairspray works well, and you’ll especially love it if your hair can’t hold a curl or can’t seem to stay straight. As someone with pin straight hair, I’d almost given up hope of ever curling my hair. The curls I’d spend an hour doing in the morning would be gone by lunchtime. When I use this hairspray, my hair looks (almost) as good at the end of the day as it did in the morning. The humidity in Florida makes keeping your curls looking good extra difficult, but this hairspray does the trick. It keeps your hair in place all day and doesn’t make it look sticky or oily.
Makeup Remover: Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes
Price: $3.65
When you’re ready to take your makeup off, I recommend using Simple-brand Cleansing Facial Wipes. They won’t irritate eyes or sensitive skin, and I can easily take off all of my makeup at the end of the day with a single wipe. Always make sure to remove your makeup before you go to bed to keep your skin bright and clear!
UF PRISM 