The dollar Tree boasts the slogan, 'Everything's 1 Dollar!" a price that beats many, if not most, other stores price-wise. I've found, through some of my many expeditions in this store, that there are a lot of hit-or-miss items there. I decided to experiment with the makeup, and see if it is worth it. I put the items that I tested down below, with a detailed description of my opinions. Some of them are really good, while others...are not. It's worth it, to splurge for quality on these items.
L.A. Colors Eye Shadow Palette
Woman Showing Eye Shadow · Free Stock PhotoThis is hands down, my favorite makeup product from the dollar store. The palette I chose, 'Nude' has a lot of different colors that I really like, and that are easy to blend and merge so you can get a look like the image above. It's actually my favorite eyeshadow that I've ever owned, and it looks so good on. I love the palette because the colors are very easy to control the application of. It doesn't go on too thin, and if you add too much, simply brush it down a , it blends in. Applying the eyeshadow is easy and simple, too. It glides on nicely and doesn't clump. The one issue I have is that it smudges a little after a while. It's good for daily routines, just make sure you're glancing at your mirror every 2 hours or so, to catch it before it smudges, and blend around the edge with a finger or brush.
Colormates Mascara
Selective Focus Photo of Mascara · Free Stock PhotoThis mascara is not bad as a starter, or for practice...or for a dollar. But if you want it to look professional, I wouldn't recommend it. The mascara isn't a bad color and isn't a bad consistency. The problem is that it clumps a lot, and makes eyelashes look thinner than before. It's definitely not the worst product, but I wouldn't say it was the best either.
L.A.Colors Brow Powder
A bunch of make-up brushes · Free Stock PhotoI'll admit, I'm not the best judge of this product. I don't do anything to my eyebrows, and I'm not sure how to do anything to my eyebrows. HOWEVER, I can say that this product was not my favorite. The quality was good, as it didn't wash out easily, and stayed on for a long time. What I didn't like about the product was the fact that the two colors given looked fake. They didn't look like real colors. They also went on too thin to look natural, and too thick to look feminine. When I applied it, I Still like a guy. My eyebrows were thick, and looked painted on, even though my normal eyebrows aren't like that at all.
L.A.Colors Liquid Eyeliner
Eyeliner around eye
Liquid eyeliner is not my friend. I have a couple of different brands, and I still can't seem to get a straight line. That being said, I wouldn't recommend this product. My biggest issue is that it's too liquid-y. It doesn't drip, but the stick catches a lot, and then it pours off the brush into bumpy lines. I also don't love this product because the stick is uncomfortable, and has little control.
L.A.Colors Pencil Eyeliner
Finally, at the bottom, a product that I do not recommend at all. This one is much easier to use than the liquid liner, but I still don't love it. The pencil's product does not come off easily, so I end up pushing much harder than I would like to and feel safe doing. The pencil also, when wet, doesn't let any of the eyeliner out. You have to let it air dry before it will work again, which is really annoying when working the inner eyelid. The pencil is my least favorite product because it feels unsafe to use, is annoying, and never seems to work well.
As you can see, bargain hunting is no picnic. There are some obvious fails, but other products are pretty good. I'd use most of these again, but the bottom two, the eyeliners, I would say go to a higher-end store and get the quality that they would sell. Still, this was a fun experiment and pleasantly surprised me with the quality of the products. Follow the link here next week, and I'll show 5 products that I would NEVER recommend you purchase.
