testing dollar store makeup (tivoli and la colors)

Is it possible to find great beauty products for a whole lot less? Absolutely. As wonderful as it is to treat myself to items from Sephora every now and then, the drugstore, discount stores, and dollar stores are frequented far more often. So, it is nice to put dollar store products to the test sometimes! After all, fun beauty finds should be available for everyone who wants them. On that note...here are some mini reviews and a makeup look featuring dollar store beauty items from Tivoli and L.A. Colors. 

This little dollar store makeup haul includes two liquid lipsticks from Tivoli and a blush from L.A. Colors. Starting with the liquid lipsticks, these were from Tivoli, which is not a brand that I can recall trying in the past. There were a handful of colours to choose from, but I opted for the cool toned nude colour and the purple-pink colour. Both were fairly unique, which was intriguing, because I often like putting more unusual lipstick shades to the test. In terms of performance, these liquid lipsticks perform fairly well, but require a bit of building to achieve full colour payoff. It took two coats for the nude colour and three coats for the purple-pink colour. That being said, the liquid lipsticks dry down completely after application and last well. The colours are bold, beautiful, and affordable. Each one was $1.50 CDN. Though the packaging isn't anything special and the shades don't have names...this is an ultra affordable way to embrace colour. Plus, the colour lasts really well. 

As for the L.A. Colors blush? Obsessed. This one does have a name and it is called Sweet Cheeks. It is classic bright pink blush. Though the packaging is on the cheap side (this was also $1.50 CDN), it does include a little brush for application, which is a nice detail. I have been using this blush 80% of the time over the last three months or so. My routine is essentially to use a bronzer and then add this bright pink blush to the apples of the cheeks. It just works so well. The blush has a nice amount of pigmentation and the colour is perfection. This has become a real standout in my blush collection. And it is something that I expect will be in heavy rotation this summer. I am so glad that I took a chance and tried this dollar store product. 

Have you ever tried a dollar store makeup item? What do you think of these products?