that $20 face I promised you

About a week ago, I wrote this post about my picks for the $20 face challenge that has been floating around beauty blogs. Well, I finally got around to doing a look for it and taking the pics. Here ya go (list of products and thoughts below pics):

(click to enlarge)

Products used: 

Wet N Wild Ultimate Sheer Tinted Moisturizer--$3.99

E.L.F. Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder--$3.00

E.L.F. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzer Duo--$3.00

E.L.F. Essential Eye Primer (not pictured because my dumbass forgot to grab it when I took these pics)

E.L.F. Essential Eye Brightening Eyeshadow Quad in Butternut--$1.00

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara--$2.99 (this mascara is quickly becoming my new holy grail mascara. it works JUST as well as my beloved Maybelline The Falsies Flared mascara AND I like the Jordana brush better because it's slimmer and easier to work with!!) 

Wet N Wild Silk Lipstick in 552A/Just Garnet (I erroneously listed this as Cinnamon in my initial $20 post)--$.99

E.L.F. Studio Stippling Brush--$3.00

E.L.F. Essential Defining Eye Brush--$1.00

Translucent powder is on the left, blush/bronzer is on the right. Eyeshadow quad underneath

The translucent powder is really amazingly good for the price. However, it is not truly "translucent.' It does have a beige color to it. That beige color just happens to match my natural skin tone. I applied this powder using the included sponge by swiping the sponge over the powder and patting it onto my face. 

The blush/bronzer is SO amazing. The blush is a gorgeous peachy tone with amazing gold shimmer in it. It's rumored to be comparable to the iconic NARS Orgasm blush. I can't afford no NARS so I can neither confirm or deny this rumor. All I know is I love it for what it is! The bronzer is MEGA pigmented so you need to use a very light hand. I literally just barely touched the brush to it and then blew on the brush before applying. 

The Butternut eyeshadow quad is quickly becoming a holy grail item for me. You can create SO many easy neutral looks with this little one dollar wonder. The darkest shade also works as a gorgeous eyeliner when applied wet (which is what I did for this look).

The E.L.F. stippling brush (left) is something I use every day to apply my blush. It makes it super easy to apply and blend color without accidentally OVER applying. The eye defining brush is another staple in my every day makeup routine. This brush is SO versatile. When it is dry, it is fluffy enough to use to apply and all-over wash of color. The angled cut and the pointed end is awesome for outer V/crease work and when you wet this brush, its angle sharpens into a nice point that I took advantage of for this challenge. I managed to get a pretty good, clean wing with this little brush for this challenge. 

Wet N Wild $.99 lippie!! Who doesn't love a good, cheap red? This one has an almost metallic finish which I happen to love. And the formula is amazing. Smooth, easy to apply and super pigmented. The only thing I don't like about these lipsticks is Wet N Wild only prints the names on the outer seals. Once you buy the lipstick and remove the seal, you're only  left with the letter/number gobbledeegook on the bottom of the label and that can make it hard to pinpoint and remember shade names.

So whaddiya think of my $20 face? Pretty decent bang for my buck if I don't say so myself!