Best Cruelty Free Makeup For $5 or Less

Today I wanted to share with you my picks for the Best Cruelty Free Makeup for $5 or less. If you’re shopping for cruelty free budget beauty items, you may not know the best places to look. Never fear! You can find some great buys at Ulta, the drugstore, or online (my personal favorite place to shop!). This post contains a mix of press samples and products purchased by me.

Best Cruelty Free Makeup For $5 or Less

Eyeshadows
As you know, I have a dragon’s hoard worth of eye shadows. So of course, I’ve got tips for the best budget eyeshadows.

Colour Pop Eyeshadows – $5
You get awesome, full size eyeshadows for only $5 a pop! They’re almost all shimmery or sparkly. They work best if you tap them onto the lid with your finger or a very stiff synthetic brush. If you want a soft wash of color, you need to use a soft fluffy dome brush. See my review and more swatches.

Darling Girl Petite Eyeshadows – $2.50
Darling girl has samples, petite and full size eyeshadows. I like the petite size because it still gives you plenty of product for the price.

Silk Naturals Eyeshadows – $4.50
Silk Naturals offers full size eyeshadows for $4.50 and they even have a money back guarantee. Almost all of their eyeshadows are vegan. They offer beautiful colors, as well as vegan clones of popular brands including MAC, bareMinerals and Urban Decay.

Notoriously Morbid Mini Eyeshadows – $2.75
Notoriously Morbid offers a lot of great eyeshadows in samples, mini and full sizes. They also have a monthly subscription service called the Vanishing Cabinet, which I subscribe to. Some shades are vegan.

Fyrinnae Eyeshadow Mini Jars – $2
Fyrinnae eyeshadows come in mini jar and full sizes. They’re all vegan. You definitely need to check out the Arcane Magics. So many gorgeous multi-chrome shades.

Glamour Doll Eyes Eyeshadow Sample Jars – $2.50
Glamour Doll Eyes offer eyeshadows in various sizes. Check out Bunny Heart (a gorgeous rose gold) and their pretty teals and purples. Celestial Crow, Phyrra, and All Nighter are beautiful.

BFTE Eyeshadow Sample Jars – $2
Meteor Shower, Love Potion #9 and Emerald Bliss are stunners.

All of the brands above are available online. All of the brands below are available at drugstores (like CVS, Walgreens or Rite Aid) or Ulta or drugstore.com. Some are available at Amazon.com, but the price is often higher than Ulta or Drugstore.com

e.l.f. Studio Eye Transformer – $3
This is the best palette that e.l.f. has ever made. It gives you 4 opalescent eyeshadows that you can use for inner corner highlights or to layer on top of darker shades. LOVE IT!

Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadows $4.49
Milani came out with these gorgeous eyeshadows. I still can’t believe that these are drugstore eyeshadows. The overall quality is awesome. All shades are vegan except for Bella Rouge, Bella Purple, Bella Pink, Bella Rose, and Bella Fuchsia.

Nyx Hot Singles Eyeshadows – $4.50
Nyx came out with a ton of shades in the Hot Singles line. They all benefit from use with a primer. They have a lot of different shades offered.

Nyx Glam Shadows – $4.50
These shadows are super sparkly, so expect some fall out. I recommend using a sticky base like Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy or Darling Girl Glitter Glue, or  using e.l.f. Studio Makeup Mist & Set.

Nyx Nude Matte Eyeshadows – $4.50
These are useful workhorse neutral shades in a matte finish.

Jesse’s Girl Pure Pigment Eye Dusts – $4.99
Jesse’s Girl pure pigment eye dusts are pretty and they have some duochrome shades. You’ll definitely want to use an eyeshadow primer with them.

Jesse’s Girl Runway Collection Eyeshadow Trios – $3.99
These are cute little mini palettes. Check out my swatches.

Jesse’s Girl Mineralized Baked Powder Eyeshadows – $3.99
These are lovely mineralized baked eyeshadows. They’re more intense when applied wet.

Powders
e.l.f. High Definition Undereye Setting Powder – $3
This is perfect for setting concealer under your eyes.

e.l.f. mineral eye brightener – $3
Lots of ladies rave about this. Infused with Chamomile, Green Tea, Mulberry and Vitamins C & E to nourish, tighten and refresh under the eyes.

Sprays
e.l.f. Studio Makeup Mist & Set – $2.99
This is a great cruelty free dupe for MAC Fix +. It’s a versatile product that can be used many different ways, but it’s especially useful with eyeshadow. This is my most used product from e.l.f. When I’m feeling too lazy to reach for Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy or Darling Girl Glitter Glue, I reach for this. See my tutorial.

Mascaras
Milani Mascaras – $4.99
Milani makes a lot of different types of mascara and they’re all between $4.49 – $4.99

Brows
Milani Brow Shaping Clear Gel – $4.49
Great for holding your eyebrows in place

Milani Automatic Brow Pencils – $3.99
They cover your basic brow shades.

Lipsticks
Before I started blogging, I was a lipstick fiend. I owned a ton of MAC lipsticks. Now I own  more, but it doesn’t rival my eyeshadow collection.

Colour Pop Lippie Stix – $5
I’m really impressed with the Colour Pop lippie stix! They have A TON of gorgeous shades (see my reviews and swatches). Bunny, Grind, Scandy, LBB and Bull Chic are awesome. I’ll take one in every color! See my review and more swatches.

Silk Naturals Amplifying Lip Glazes – $4.50
These are lipsticks that pack the shine of a liquid gloss into a slimline tube. These are all vegan and gluten free.

Silk Naturals Lip Stains – $4.50
Sheer colors that last for hours without drying out your lips. Vegan and gluten free.

Silk Naturals Slick Sticks – $4.50
A moisturizing lipstick formula that’s vegan and gluten free.

Lip Pencils
Colour Pop Lip Pencils – $5
These all match with the Colour Pop Lippie Stix.

Milani Color Statement Lipliners – $3.49
These come in colors to match their lipstick line.

Milani Anti-Feathering Clear Lipliner – $4.99
Everyone needs at least 1 clear lipliner. Clear goes with everything.

Nyx Slim Lip Pencils – $3.50
I love these! They come in so many different colors. I like the formula too.

Nyx Retractable Lip Liners– $4.50
A convenient form, since they auto sharpen.

Lip Glosses
Silk Naturals Kisser Slickers $4.50
These are over 85% organic lip glosses.

Silk Naturals Black Label Luxury Lip Glosses – $4.95
These are creamy and PERFECT for dry winter lips!

Nyx Butter Glosses – $5
Very pretty, lots of shades available, and you can even find these at Target!

Lip Balms
Notoriously Morbid Coffin Kissers – $3
Lemon Pound Cake is my favorite!

Silk Naturals Lip Balms – $3.75
They have some nice flavors, and even a few caffeinated options!

Eyeliners
Nyx Retractable Eyeliner – $4.50
I have teal, turquoise, grey, white and black. The formula works pretty well on my lower waterline and the lower lash line.

Nyx Wonder Pencil – $4.50
This can be used on the waterline, for a matte highlighter, as a concealer or brow highlight, or a reverse lip liner.

Blushes
Silk Naturals HD Cream Blushes – $4.50
These are beautiful and they give a natural flush.

Nyx Powder Blushes – $5
So many beautiful shades available, and even a few contour shades.

e.l.f. Studio HD Blush – $3
Lots of pretty shades available in a pump formula.

e.l.f. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder – $3
Offered in several shades, powder and cream formula.

e.l.f. Studio Blush – $3
Gorgeous blushes, plus a NARS Albatross dupe!

Concealer
Nyx Concealer Sticks – $5
Available in a ton of shades, plus color correcting shades too.

Foundation
e.l.f. Studio Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 – $3
Available in a wide variety of shades (but unfortunately the lightest is too dark for me), this might be a great tinted moisturizer to check out.

Nail Polishes
Jesse’s Girl JulieG Nails Nail Polishes – $3.99
These come in so many different colors and finishes.

Milani Nail Lacquers – $4.99
These are a lot of fun. There are great one coat fast dry cremes, glitters and shimmers.

Milani Color Statement Nail Lacquers– $3.99
There are some really great glitters in this new line.

So what are your favorite cruelty free budget beauty buys for $5 or less? Let me know below!