Glam on a Budget | Drugstore Prom Tutorial

Hey guys! Today I wanted to do a Glam on a budget makeup tutorial for you guys.  I wanted to make this look drugstore, because I know a lot of people have special events like prom to go to, but don’t necessarily have the money to spend on those high end products.  I know this because for a long time I didn’t have the money to spend on high end makeup products.  My best bets for makeup I could afford came from the makeup isles of Target, and even then it was iffy.  So today I am going to go through this tutorial, and let you know what makeup products are the best for the price, so that you can feel beautiful at whatever event you attend without breaking the bank.

This is the look I’m going to be showing you guys and it’s just a really pretty pink smokey eye that is easy for anyone to accomplish!

First we are going to start with Maybelline Color Tattoo in “Inked in Pink” and just use our fingers to apply this all over the lid, trying to keep it out of the crease.  Maybelline Color Tattoo’s are really great cream shadows from the drugstore.  They stay on a really long time and works really well either alone, or as a base to other shadows.

Maybelline Color Tattoo: Inked in Pink

Eyeshadow is probably the thing I have the hardest time with finding something I like from the drug store.  However, there are some that are significantly better than others.  As I said before, the color tattoos are great if you are looking for a cream shadow or a base for your shadow.  For powdered eyeshadow, Wet n Wild is a really great way to go.  I find that they tend to be decently pigmented and come in a lot of cool colors.  I have also heard really good things about the loreal infallible eyeshadows as well.

In this tutorial we will be taking the 8 pallets from Wet n Wild in the colors Comfort Zone and Petal Pusher.

Comfort Zone

Petal Pusher

We will start by taking the orange toned eyelid color from Comfort Zone, and apply it in and above the crease to act as a transition color.

Next we will take the medium reddish purple eyelid color from Petal Pusher, and use that in the outer half of the crease and the outer V of the eye to begin deepening the look in preparation for the smokey eye.

After that take the medium pink toned purple eyelid color from Petal pusher and use it on a fluffy brush to blend out the shadow above your crease.  Remember to stay away from the browbone, so we don’t get a muddy highlight later.

Now apply the lightest color in the Petal Pusher pallet as a browbone hightlight.

When that is done it is time to start smoking this look out.  Take the dark purple shade from Petal Pusher and apply it in the very outer V of the eye. I went ahead and extended the outer V out a bit to enlarge the look of my eyes, but this is totally personal preference.

Make sure you blend a TON to make sure this look has no harsh lines.  This is a super important step to any smokey eye.

You can darken up this look as desired, but always remember to start lighter and slowly work your way darker.  It is better to have to apply darker shadow, then to have it be too dark and have to start over.

Now it’s time for primer and foundation.  For primer there are a ton of great drugstore options, so I’ll just tell you what to avoid.  Stay away from anything luminous or glittery.  When you are going to an event where pictures will be taken you do not want to look like you have shiny or sparkly skin.  Keep it matte.

As far as foundation, if there are pictures or dancing involved, make sure you get a matte long-wearing foundation.  This will ensure you don’t look sweaty or shiny throughout the night.  Some great options for foundation are L’Oreal infallible Pro Matte Foundation or Covergirl Outlast 3 in 1 foundation.  They both have a great finish, and will stay on a long time.  I used the L’Oreal Infallible Foundation for this look.

After you are done applying foundation you are going to need concealer to conceal any blemishes and highlight your face.  Try getting a concealer just slightly lighter than your skin tone so you can use it for a highlight. For this a liquid concealer works the best, so I would try to stay away from andy stick concealer (harder to blend).  I have used Maybelline Age Rewind in the past and loved it, and I used Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer for this tutorial.

Apply the concealer in 2 big triangles underneath your eyes and then drag it up you cheek bone.  This covers dark circles a TON better than dotting it under your eyes.  Apply it to the high points of your face (middle of the forehead, along the bridge of the nose, on the cupids bow above the lip, and on the chin).  This makes you look like you are glowing 😀

After, make sure you set the concealer with a setting powder that is as light as your concealer, or translucent.  I have been loving Rimmel Stay Matte powder lately, and it’s what I used in this look.

Next comes contouring and for this you are going to need a matte bronzer.  Make sure it has no shine or sparkles to it, and it’s best if it is more of a cool or neutral tone than a warm tone.  NYX makes a matte bronzer that is great and that is what I use in this tutorial.

Apply this right below the cheekbones, at the temples, along the hairline, and beneath the chin.  This really helps your features to pop, but make sure you use a light hand so you don’t overdo it.

Next it’s time for blush.  Blush is something that is super easy to find at the drugstore.  Most everything works, it’s just about applying things with a light or heavy hand depending on how pigmented it is. For this look I used the ELF studio blush pallet in the left bottom shade.  Make sure you use a light hand with this because it is very pigmented.  And just apply to the cheekbones and apples of the cheeks.

After you have applied blush take the same powder you used before and use it to buff all of the other powder products in.  You should be using circular motions with your brush and just a little bit of powder should be enough to buff the whole face.

As far as eyeliner, I’ve found that gel is the easiest to apply for me.  In this look I just lined the upper lash line and gave it the teeniest tiniest little wing to extend the eye, while keeping the classic un-winged look.  I used NYX jumbo eye pencil in this look, but any gel liner will do.

Next it’s time for mascara.  There are a ton of great mascara’s at the drugstore, but my current favorite is L’Oreal Miss Magna Mascara.

Finally, apply a light nude pink lipstick.  I used Mac Speed dial for this look, but Revlon Color Burst in Carnation is the same color and would work great for this look.

That’s it! You’re done!  Hope you enjoyed this tutorial, be sure to watch my Glam on a budget | Drugstore Prom Tutorial on my YouTube channel if you want to see this look applied in detail.

Here is another Birchbox unboxing for May 2015, feel free to check it out 😀