Please welcome my friend and neighbor, Makeup Artist Extraordinaire Amy Lynn Larwig! You might recall this fabulous lady fancified my face on my own big day. She’s absolutely fantastic at what she does and is one of the sweetest, most down-to-earth people I know. She’s also a fellow Dave Ramsey follower so she knows how it is to be on a budget and is sharing with us today some great tips for maximizing your makeup spread on the cheap. Take it away ALL!

Makeup can be really expensive and it is hard to determine what is worth spending money on. There are some key points to remember when standing at the cosmetics counter to help you avoid bringing home that hot pink lipstick you'll never wear that the sales lady talked you in to.

- Spend money on your everyday staple items. Your foundation goes on in the morning and stays there all day long. The rest of your face won't matter if your foundation doesn't look nice. Bad foundation due to color mismatch, being too heavy, or having an ugly finish is distracting from that gorgeous eye/lip/cheek color. Go ahead and suck up the $30, since it is something you wear consistently.

- Want to try that vibrant purple eyeshadow? By all means, go ahead! But buy the cheap version first. Don't spend $20 on a fabulous new Urban Decay color that you may end up hating. Buy the cheapy CoverGirl version first, and if you feel like it's going to work for you, then invest in the pricier one. ELF at Target has eyeshadows for $1 that are great for trying out new colors.

- Mascara isn't worth the money. I love DiorShow Mascara. It's $24 and it makes my lashes look oh so lovely. But mascara should be thrown out every 3 months to avoid bacterial eye infections. Pink eye = disgusting. So at $24 a pop, that's $96 a year on mascara! You can purchase great performing mascaras at your local drugstore for less than $8. Try Maybelline The Colossal or CoverGirl LashBlast.

- Brushes are going to save you money. Sponges seem cheaper initially. But sponges soak up the product, wasting it, and they don't leave a very natural finish. Brushes allow more control over your application and they don't waste your product. A good brush, when washed weekly and taken care of, will last your entire life. Besides, those little spongy applicators that come with the eyeshadow are equivalent to finger painting.

- Spend money on your skin care. You only get one set of skin. It is easily damaged and not so easy to repair. So take good care of it. The world of skin care can be overwhelming with products making endless claims. You want a quality product that is going to nourish your skin, not a drugstore brand that is comparable to hand soap. Take the time to research what products best fit your needs. Try different items and if they don't fit your standards, take them back! Origins and Aveda are good places to start and they will accept returns of any product that doesn't satisfy you. Sephora also has many lines to choose from and offers the same return policy.

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