Have you heard the word Recessionista? It’s being bandied about these days as so many of us try to keep up with our beauty habits without breaking the bank.

Recessionistas are those resourceful ladies who refuse to let the failing economy interfere with their fabulous looks. They’re bargain hunters, they’re repurposers and they’re all-around smart cookies who keep themselves looking hotter than hot, even on a budget.

Thankfully there are plenty of great cosmetics companies offering fantastic beauty finds to all of us Recessionistas, and I’m thrilled to share some of them with you here. Take a look at where you can get the most bang for your beauty buck:

e.l.f. cosmetics – This generation’s answer to the 1980’s Wet ‘n Wild phenomenon, e.l.f. (which stands for Eyes, Lips, Face), is a bargain hunters dream. Here you can find entire collections for a fraction of the cost of a traditional makeup counter’s offerings. The e.l.f. site often features comparisons of their collection versus lines like Clinique at huge savings. It’s fun just to hop on and see what is available and how happy your pocketbook will be with the savings!

Furthermore, many of e.l.f.’s choices (single products, not kits) run around a buck a piece – seriously, that’s it. They often run lots of sales (be sure to get on their email list) and offer free shipping with orders over $75. Fantastic!

Drugstore.com – If you don’t visit Drugstore.com on a regular basis, you are definitely missing out.

Chock full of beauty bargains, Drugstore.com has everything from the latest and greatest offerings to the oldies and goodies. You’ll find greatly reduced prices on the very things you’ll find at online sites as well as big box retailers like Target and Wal-Mart. They also have shipping specials and other assorted offers here and there.

Mineral Makeup – Looking to save some cash, yet score quality products? Of course you are! In that case, I urge you to look no further than mineral makeup, the hottest trend in cosmetics. Nearly every single line offers some type of mineral choices, including bronzers, foundations, powders, eye and cheek colors and more.

The benefits of mineral makeup are endless. They’re naturally great for your skin and provide just the right amount coverage without a plastered-on feel.

Perhaps the greatest benefit, however, is that mineral makeup is generally found in loose form and very little of it is needed in order to deliver the results you’re looking for. Once you become used to applying minerals, you’ll soon find how much money (and time!) you can save by using these awesome products. And as I said, nearly every single cosmetics line on the planet now offers some mineral products, so finding what you need in any price range should definitely not leave you hard-pressed.

These are just a few ways to get your beauty fix without breaking the bank. Do you have any other ideas? If so, please share. And be assured, any time I come across a product I think will make your wallet sing, I’ll be sure to share it. Until then, give these tips a try.

Happy Budget Hunting!

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I received e.l.f.’s Super Glossy Lip Shine box set on Friday. I was so excited to give it a try, that I ripped open the package right there at the mailbox as if I was holding the candy bar with the Golden Ticket…much to the dismay of those also picking up their mail.

Sometimes the colors you see online are not exactly what they look like once you receive your product, however, e.l.f.’s Super Glossy Lip Shine colors looked exactly how they were presented online; I was thrilled. The set of 5 comes with one clear gloss that contains some shimmer, it’s apty named “Angel.” Then there are 4 variations of pink and mauve; Candlelight, Malt Shake, Pink Kiss and Watermelon. I honestly can’t decide which color is my favorite, as they all look outstanding on me.

And talk about shine? You can probably catch the glare of my shiny lips all the way over in California. I love it! What I really like about the shine, is that your attention is immediately draw to my beautifully colored glossy lips and away from the other flaws on my face. How can you not love that?

The color is superb, as well. Not only do the colors looks fantastic, but they wear easy and don’t appear to fade too easy. I am used to wearing thinner glosses, and e.l.f.’s Super Glossy Lip Shine is a little thicker than expected, however, I quickly got over that when I saw how long the Lip Shine lasted on my lips. I applied it the other night before going out to dinner and it stayed on through my drink, salad, appetizer, dinner and a few kisses on my boys. While, it was lighter in color and shine, it was still noticable on my lips and I was impressed with it’s durability.

e.l.f.’s Super Glossy Lip Shine also has an SPF of 15, so I am loving that I am protecting my lips from the sun while looking beautiful at the same time. The Lip Shine also comes in a grape vanilla flavor and scent. YUM!

For $5, I would have to say that this Lip Shine far exceeded my expectations! Love it! LOVE it!

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There are so many products by e.l.f. that I love. Their Hypershine Gloss, Moisture Care Lip Color, Super Glossy Lip Shine and Nail Polish Remover Pads to name a few. However, the Eye Makeup Remover is sadly not on that list of love.

The Eye Makeup Remover Pads come just as the Nail Polish Remover pads do, in a small disk of 18 round soaked pads. There is no heavy scent. When I first swiped the pads over my eyes, all seemed well, but it was when I had to push a little harder to remove my mascara that things became a problem.

What was in the pads seemed to lather up and drip off of the pad into my eyes. It felt just like soap and while it didn’t necessarily sting my eyes, it made them feel very uncomfortable.

Although it was only $1, I was still disappointed by the quality of this product since e.l.f. has had a good track record with me. I would just think that because this item is to be used on your eyes, all care would go into making sure it didn’t sting or burn your eyes.

Sadly, I cannot recommend this product. The hunt goes on for a good makeup remover (within my budget).

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At the top of the list would be mascara. I like both AVON’s Super Full mascara and Cover Girl’s LashExact. I have AVON’s in black and Cover Girl in brown. Both are amazing and my lashes would never look so gorgeous without them.

Next would have to be a powder to cover my uneven skin tone and that shine that is the bain of my existence. I haven’t yet found a long lasting powder that can keep shine under control, but I do like Urban Apothecary’s Supernatural Powder.

I also couldn’t live without a fabulous lipstick or lipgloss. Picking my favorite would be hard to do though. Products for my lips are the one thing that overwhelms both my handbag and my makeup bag. I think I have more than the average girl. I love long lasting color products such as Max Factor’s MaxWear Lip Color and SeneGence’s LipSense. I also love Besame’s Chocolate Kiss Enchanted Lipstick and Chocolate Lip Glaze. But then there is also tarte’s double ended lipgloss and e.l.f.’s variety of lipglosses, as well. Can I not forget Lulu Beauty’s Lip Lustre??

What about you? What are some products you absolutely cannot live without?

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Back when I purchased my Hypershine Gloss from e.l.f.,I also purchased their Moisture Care Lip Color. The packaging almost appears the same; separate chamber for gloss, you have to twist the tube to make it release from the chamber and so on.

What’s different about this product is that the tip is smooth and velvety and the lip color appears in tiny goblets for you to smooth across your lips. I purchased mine in Pink Lemonade.

Like the Hypershine Gloss, this product directed you to twist the tube 10-12 times before you would see the lip color appear on the velvet tip. However, I counted out my twists at 50 before I saw those tiny goblets of color. I applied the Lip Color and loved the texture and the taste. Who knew that Vanilla Mint could be so yummy?

The color looked wonderful on me and I admit that it did moisturize my lips as it claims to do. The color and shine also lasted through Chicken Noodle Soup followed by an ice cream cone (I’m pregnant, I can do those things).

If you can get past the first 50 twists, then I would say this Moisture Lip Color sure is a bargain and very pretty lip color for only $1.

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