I will begin with the most expensive item and work my way down from there. So, the most expensive recommendation I have for you is the Physician’s Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Jumbo Lash Mascara. This mascara retails for $9.95 and is available in 2 shades – Black and Ultra Black. It’s a good all-around mascara. It is NOT waterproof, so keep that in mind if you’re particularly teary eyed. It’s great for adding both volume and length without weighing lashes down or becoming crunchy.
Another item from Physician’s Formula is their Conceal Rx Physician’s Strength Concealer. This is one heavy-duty concealer, but it doesn’t look cakey and doesn’t seem to crease. The main drawback is the shade range – it only comes in “Fair Light,” “Natural Light,” and “Soft Green.” And yes, it literally is green! The green is for correcting redness, though I find it blends a bit too well to hide really deep blemishes. The flesh-tone shades are often perfectly fine for those, as well as under the eyes. Unfortunately there really is no shade for anyone much deeper than maybe a light-medium skin tone. If you’re fair enough to use this, it’s a great concealer that lasts quite well throughout the day. The retail price is $9.55.
Next up we have an eyeliner – the NYX Slide On Eye Pencil. These are very similar to the Urban Decay 24/7 Liners, but retail for only $8! They are available in 18 shades that range from pretty basic to pretty bold. You can smudge them at first, but then they set and stay pretty much all day. They also glide on beautifully – very smooth without tugging. Another candidate for this slot is the Milani Liquid Eye Liquid-Like Eye Liner Pencil, which is every bit as fantastic and basically the same price, but I chose the NYX because of it’s wide color selection.
Sticking with the eyes, we have one of my absolute favorite cream eye shadows, which are the Flower Beauty Color Play Crème Eye Shadows. These shadows have a really unusual mouse-like texture. They are quite pigmented, super creamy, blend like butter, and actually stay put relatively well (with a primer I have no issues). The packaging also just looks pretty! They used to have a larger shade selection, but they’ve narrowed it down to 6 shades, which are all pretty neutral. I think my favorite shade is a pretty reddish-bronze called “Awesome Blossom.” These retail for $7.98 and are exclusive to Walmart.
Moving right along, but sticking with the eyes, we have two eye shadow crayons. As best I can tell, the Milani Shadow Eyez 12 Hr Wear Eyeshadow Pencils and the Jordana Shadow Eyez 12 Hr Wear Eyeshadow Pencils are the same thing. Milani offers 12 shades in a variety of finishes that retail for $7.49, while Jordana offers 8 shades that retail for $2.99. Both are predominantly neutral with a few pops of color…and there is definite color overlap. They blend out to give the lids either a nice base for powder shadow or a sheer wash of stand-alone color that can be built up in intensity. They stay put quite well – my eyes always crease so I still use a primer and with that, they wear beautifully. My favorite, or at least most used shade, is probably Milani’s “Brown Deluxe.”
Next we have two types of blush from NYX. First are the NYX Rouge Cream Blushes. These are nicely pigmented, quite blendable and look beautiful on the skin. They can feel a tiny bit sticky if not set with some type of powder, but I find I don’t really notice it once it’s on my cheeks. The wear time for these cream blushes is pretty average. I typically can see them by the end of the day, just not as intense. They are available in 9 shades and retail for $6.
I also love the NYX Powder Blushes because they are also quite pigmented, wear beautifully and look lovely as well. There is literally something for everyone in the 24 shade range. These blushes retail for $5 and are absolutely wonderful!
Heading back to Milani – I swear there’s more brand variety available, these just seem to be my favorites! The Milani Color Statement Lipsticks (original and matte formulas) are absolutely wonderful! They are pigmented, true to color, stay put without being drying and have a decent lasting power. There are 27 shades in the original line and 8 matte shades to chose from. Again, something for everyone from the palest nude to the deepest burgundy-brown. Both formulas retail for $5.99.
Some of the best eye shadows that I have found in the affordable “drugstore” world are also courtesy of Milani. They are the Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadows. There are a whopping 29 shades that retail for $4.49 each. The shade range is wonderful (neutrals and colors) and I believe consists of 3 different finishes, including matte!!! Not only that, the mattes do not lack pigmentation and are not chalky!These are just plain powder eye shadows – there was a lot of confusion caused by the term “gel powder.” Apparently they begin as a gel that is somehow transformed into powder. They are a bit on the stiff side, but they have good color payoff, blend beautifully, last well on the eyes, and are not at all powdery, patchy or chalky.
Another inexpensive eye shadow comes from Wet n Wild. Their Color Icon formula is superb! You can find this formula in 8 pan palettes, 5 pan palettes, 3 pan palettes and singles! There is literally something for everyone in their shade range…though you may need to combine a variety of pan sizes to get exactly what you’re after to create a full look. Again, the quality is excellent, though some shades are better than others. All of the shades that I have tested are quite pigmented and blend pretty well. The shadows range from around $0.99 to I believe about $4.99 for the 8 pan palettes. Even if these shadows were triple the cost, they would still be worth every cent!
Finally, we have the wonderful Twist and Shine Moisturizing Balm Stains from Jordana. I absolutely adore these chubby lip crayons. They are comfortable, semi-sheer with buildable color, and wear quite well. They leave a bit of a stain behind that somehow manages to fade pretty evenly, unlike most traditional lip stains. There are 10 shades available for $2.99 each.
I guess that concludes my Top 10 Cruelty Free Products Under $10. It also means that it’s time for me to wrap up #BeCrueltyFree Week (it runs through March 15, but I’m taking the weekend off). I have had a fantastic time with #BlogForBunnies and am so thankful to the Humane Society International for asking me to help spread the cruelty free word. I wasn’t certain I would be able to even write a single post initially, but have surprised myself by posting every day this week. I hope you have enjoyed this effort to shine a brighter spotlight on cruelty free issues and I hope that you have taken something of value from all of the #BlogForBunnies posts from bloggers and vloggers around the world. Of course the efforts don’t end here. As always, I hope to continue bringing you cruelty free beauty info in a variety of useful, and probably not so useful, ways. J I hope to see you again very soon, and hope that you too have taken the Be Cruelty Free Pledge. Please stay up to date with the Humane Society International on their website and Facebook page, and I will be right here playing makeup guinea pig so that you…and the precious animals…don’t have to! J