Beauty does not have to be expensive. I've tried a lot of different makeup brands over the past few years and the following by far top my "affordably fabulous list."
NYX
I have to give beauty YouTuber LustreLux credit for introducing me to NYX. When I first heard about it I literally went from store to store seeking out the brand's products and trying a bunch. My favorite product of theirs is HD eye shadow base - I use it everyday. As you can see by the photo below, it has seen better days. At $7 a pop, you really can't go wrong. It does an excellent job at getting me through the workday without having to reapply my shadow. Their eyes shadows I have tried are also quite pigmented for the price.
ColourPop
This is one of the newer brands I've tried and recommend the Lippy Stixs ($5 each), Ultra Matte Lip ($6 each), and any of their eye shadows. For $6 Matt Lip products, I was initially pleasantly surprised how long the color lasted. The shadows are soft and remind me of clay, however, I've found that using them with a primer is a must. Proceeds from shadows Puppy Love and Cat Nap go toward Best Friends Animal Society (nice gesture)!
BH Cosmetics
This is another brand I was introduced to by a beauty YouTuber - Carli Bybel. I had been hearing her talking about how great BH is and how she used the brand when she first started out with makeup because of the quality and affordability. Recently I had a chance to try her BH palette, pictured. My initial thought was: these are very pretty colors that match anything. Carli uses the palette ($20) for everyday looks. It's filled with enough shadows and highlighters that I can use it alone with my eye shadow primer, mascara, and BB cream (or foundation if you prefer). One small little con I did notice was that the shadow flew onto other parts of my face - so before applying shake off some of the excess shadow and don't cake it on the brush.
e.l.f
A few months ago I started seeing e.l.f being sold in what seems like everywhere - Wegmans, Old Navy, etc. which was quite exciting. For $50 or less you can do your entire face. I can personally speak to the brand's brushes, color correction products, lengthening and defining and mascara, and smudge pots. The smudge pots are my favorite; at $3 each they can be worn alone or my favorite way to wear them - as an eye shadow base. I've found that they are best applied with a finger. I wouldn't buy the mascara again but for a $1 I recommend trying it at least once.
What are some of your favorite affordable brands? Let me know on Twitter.