$40 Green Makeup Challenge

One of the things I first set out to do with this blog was to show that great healthy products can be found at any price point.  Higher end brands are wonderful and I'd want to say otherwise, but I hear from so many people that they can't switch to natural/non-toxic products because of the financial cost involved, something that I rarely think is actually true.  

Yes, natural products cost more, but they don't have to cost a lot more.  

With that in mind, I decided to do a spin on the $20 Makeup Challenge that used to be so popular on Youtube.  If you aren't familiar with it, it basically involves shopping for a full face of makeup for under $20.  For the green version, I've upped the budget to $40, which I think is reasonable.  It's high enough to make the whole thing possible, but low enough that it's still a challenge staying under budget.  

I also didn't go shopping just for the sake of the challenge and instead opted to use things I already had.  These are tried and true products for the most part, not items I picked up just for the challenge or because of their inexpensive price tag.  



It all came together pretty well as a simple, everyday kind of look.  Not actually all that different from what I'd wear on an average day, pulling from my entire makeup stash. 



And, now for the price breakdown of everything I used.  To make things extra difficult, I limited myself to full and mini sizes - no samples - but those are, of course, another great way to try things on the cheap. 

Honeybee Gardens Pressed Mineral Powder in Geisha $9.34
Alba Fast Fix for Undereye Circles $4.79
ELF Mineral Eye Brightener $1.99
Brija Cosmetics Blush in Regulation Hottie $5.50
Shiro Cosmetics Eye Shadow in Housewife and Homunculus ($3.50 x 2) $7.00
Physician's Formula Organic Wear CC Curl + Care Mascara (after mail-in rebate) $5.99
Silk Naturals Kisser Slicker in Berry Crush $4.50

TOTAL: $39.11

My budget ran out without an eye primer, so I ran a smidge of the Fast Fix for Undereye Circles across my lids instead, which actually worked surprisingly well at keeping everything in place all day.  I slightly missed having an inner corner highlight and some kind of brow product, but I still think it worked out well, all said.  My only other issue was the CC Mascara, which I'm not a fan of, but Physician's Formula has other Organic Wear mascaras that are the same price and much better.  

I've tagged a few people on instagram, but I'd love to see anyone + everyone join in and share the love for affordable green beauty!  If you do participate, make sure to leave a link in the comments so I can check it out.  

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8 comments

  1. I love Silk Naturals! Their lipsticks are cheaper than most drugstore lippies in Canada. I've never tried Shiro but my favourite indie mineral cosmetic companies are Fyrinnae, Hello Waffle (Canadian, woot!), Baroque, and Morgana Cryptoria.

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    1. Silk Naturals prices are the best! I slowed down my indie makeup buying when my eye shadow stash got out of control, but I'll definitely check those ones out. This is the first I've heard of Baroque, but the rest are companies I repeatedly hear great things about :)

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  2. Love the idea of that Caitie (: ! And you look great!
    I think here in Germany there are a lot more affordable green beauty brands (we have alverde, Alterra and Terra Naturi as super cheap drugstore brands) and several others that are quite affordable like benecos, lavera and Sante (: . I think with those even a 20€ challenge would be possible (: . And their make up is quite good as well, especially alverde! So the switch might be a bit easier here or at least cheaper x) . Greetings from Germany <3 .

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    1. Thanks! It's great you have so many affordable options in Germany :) I've seen Alverde and Terra Naturi on some European blogs and they always look great. We do get Benecos, Lavera and Sante here, but the prices get a considerable mark up I think. Benecos is pretty reasonable, but Lavera and Sante tend to run mid- to high-end prices here. I understand the exchange and duties/taxes etc., but it's still so funny how that works! If I'm ever in Germany again, I'll definitely make a point of checking out the drugstores :)

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  3. Awesome Caitie, you did a fab job! And challenge accepted, can't wait to start working on this ;) xx

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    1. Thanks Liz! I can't wait to see what you come up with :)

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  4. I will certainly think about it and hopefully come up with something good :)) Love this idea! :) xx

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    1. Thanks Jana! Can't wait to see what you come up with :)

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