My 1,000-peso haul at the Dollar Store
We’re all beauty bargain junkies here in Project Vanity. While we undoubtedly swoon over beautiful luxury cosmetics, nothing quite beats the high of scoring cheap makeup that turns out to be a steal. Where better to hunt for these hidden gems than the Dollar Store? I checked out the branch in Ali Mall, Cubao and came out with nine (!!!) products in my bag for just P1,000. Check out what I got from this budget haul!
Face Products: P367
I challenged myself to buy a full face worth of makeup with just P1,000 pesos but sadly all of the remaining liquid foundations on display were far too dark for my complexion. So I settled for the She All In One Concealer in Vanilla (P89) and the L.A. Colors Mineral Pressed Powder in Sand (P149) for my face base. To blush, sculpt, and highlight my features, I scored a four-pan She Bronzer Palette (P129) with two blush shades, a highlighter, and a bronzer! It swatched beautifully on the back of my hand though the bronzer shade was more red and glittery than I would prefer.
Clockwise swatch of the She Bronzer Palette; the L.A. Colors Mineral Pressed Powder comes with a puff for application
Eye Products: P257
I picked up Beauty Treats 12-pan eyeshadow (P99), L.A. Colors Grafix Eyeliner in Purple (P59), and She Eyebrow Gel in Black (P99). I couldn’t find a black liquid liner so I’m thinking this eyebrow gel might work as a two-in-one product. Your girl has to hope cause this violet eyeliner ain’t gonna cut it. It just wanted to move every time I went in for a second layer.
My eye makeup haul; swatches of the eyebrow gel and purple liner
Swatched by column. There were more dud shades than good ones, TBQH.
I wasn’t allowed to swatch the eyeshadows as well, so it wasn’t until I got home that I was able to try the formula. I got excited about the cool-warm shade selection and the price, but not gonna lie, the formulation felt downright terrible at first try. The poor pigmentation, chalkiness, and patchiness is apparent in the swatches. For the same price, I recommend getting a Daiso quad instead.
Tools, Lashes, and Lipstick: P327
I wanted to go the extra mile by purchasing cheap beauty tools for application. That turned out to be a bad decision because this Princessa Six Piece Tool Kit set me back by P99, and I definitely got what I paid for. These are cheap, fraying, scratchy brushes! Run the other way and get one sulit elf brush instead.
These are supposed to be brand new brushes but they look more beat up than Manny Pacquiao
The L.A. Colors Lipstick (P99) and Revlon Double Wink Eyelashes (P129) didn’t look half bad though. If all else fails, I’m counting on a nude lipstick and falsies to save the day.
Nude lipsticks and lashes don’t ever fail, right?
Final bill: P951! Given my usual makeup budget, I was kinda shocked to not have gone over and still have change to spare. A thousand pesos can’t even get me an eyeshadow palette at Sephora but I was able to stretch to cover all my needs by shopping at the Dollar Store. Is it worth it though? Watch out for our face test soon!
Have you ever tried makeup from the Dollar Store? If you have amazing finds from there, do let us know about them in the comments!
