So. Makeup.

Makeup.

To be honest, I'm a little nervous about posting on this topic solely because I'm certain everyone I know will use it against me every time they're telling me I don't need more makeup. And maybe I don't. But we're going to pretend that I do because all the eyeshadows are so pretyyyyyyyyyyyy.

I mean, what was I supposed to do when this was only $3? It's Burt's Bees!

So, I got to start using some makeup when I was elevenish. I got some clear lip glosses, and then, later on, I got a cheap palette of colorful eyeshadows. Let us just say that I was... not spectacular at it back then. But who was at that age?

Obviously I don't have any of that makeup now, or else I'd show you, but I will give you a massive dump of photos of my collection later in this post.

So this is the main part of it. It's got a lot in it hehe.

The whole thing is basically full up.

And this is the rest of it. This basket is mostly hair stuff and misc., 

but the bigger makeup palettes live in here. Also a moment of silence

for the way I spelled blender.

I think what majorly got me obsessed with being really good at makeup was probably just major perfectionism. I got a $1 L.A. Colors liquid eyeshadow and I was really bad at it, so what else is there to do but practice until your eyeliner is so sharp you could kill your enemies with a single glance? The transition from just wearing eyeshadow and eyeliner to seriously wearing makeup was slow, and to be honest sometimes I'm just feeling lazy and I just put on eyeliner before I walk out the door. I wish I could say that deciding to go hardcore on makeup was decided by a single lightbulb moment, but it just kind of... happened.



However, I do think that a major turning point in makeup happened when I did my Maleficent cosplay. The tutorial I followed took me the better part of an hour to complete, and I didn't even do all the steps because I don't own any white foundation. But like! The girl was really good at makeup! And she taught me things like the difference between a cool undertone and a warm undertone! And there's more than one way to do lipstick!

Now, I'm by no means a beauty guru, nor can I even pretend to be. And I suck at doing makeup on other people. My most extreme makeup is always costume makeup, and outside of that I mainly avoid things like contouring because I feel like it makes bigger changes on my face than I care to see. But I do love makeup because it's so pretty, and I'm a big art person, so it's sort of like being able to wear art on my face.

 

A deer costume I did for work and a grey smokey eye that I thought looked pretty sharp.

So yeah let's explore my stash.

I hold e.l.f. personally responsible for enabling me. They have so many good-quality items for so cheap, and the rewards program and the constant sales only make it worse. Help me!

This is the best creme blush

This is the biggest and most expensive palette I own. I think it's knockoff Morphe.
 I got it on Amazon and it was $10. Yeah I'm cheap.

This is my favorite eyeshadow set! The picture didn't capture the sparkles but they are legittt

My collection from Wet and Wild, a brand I just rediscovered recently.

Wet and Wild doesn't have as big of a selection as e.l.f., but they do have good prices! 

Fun fact, I only just bought a beauty blender last month. I never used one before because I don't wear foundation, only concealer. I'm now wondering where it's been all my life.

The most high-end thing I have for sure. I mean it's ANASTASIAAAAAAAA. I got it at work(another enabler of my obsession, I've bought most of my makeup there), and it was on clearance for $5. A real steal, especially since I just looked it up and it would normally be 30!

And now, finally, a brief list of all the best places to get affordable makeup, as written by me.

• Marshalls and TJ Maxx. They have quality makeup from name brands for half the price it would be from individual retailers.
• The clearance section. Always check the clearance section. At Target, at Walmart, at Marshalls and TJ Maxx. You can sometimes get good stuff for only a few dollars.
• Dollar Tree. Yeah, diss it if you want, but they actually have some good stuff if you know where to look.
• E.l.f. My sole enabler. They have such good quality stuff for so cheap! And if you create an account you can start racking up them beauty points right away and get rewards money.
• Wet and Wild. They have around the same prices as e.l.f., but with a different and more brightly-colored variety.

So yeah, that's my makeup obsession. I'm still trying to get better every day. You know how it is, it never seems to look as great on camera as you thought it did when you looked in the mirror. But c'est la vie.

Are you a big makeup person? Are you going stir crazy without makeup in isolation? Let's let out our feelings in the comments.