As a professional hair and makeup artist, you have to keep your kit updated with the latest colors, products, tools, and accessories.
After six years in the industry, I’ve tried a myriad of bargain beauty products to see which ones actually work — sometimes as good as or better than high-end stuff.
My biggest secret? Dollar Tree.
The discount variety store isn’t anything like the dollar stores I grew up going to. For one, its products range from $1.25 to $7 (which its day-one fans don’t seem to love), and the chain is worth more than $30 billion.
But this expansion has also allowed it to stock some amazing hair tools and makeup items.
Here are 10 Dollar Tree products I swear by — both professionally and personally — that cost $1.25 each.
I always buy my wipes — beauty and otherwise — at Dollar Tree.
Dollar Tree stocks a variety of cleansing wipes, from antibacterial and baby to skincare and makeup removal.
Depending on the brand, I can usually nab a pack of anywhere from 10 to 40 wipes.
The store has the best affordable lash glue I’ve tried.
LA Colors’ lash adhesive dries clear, and it completely measures up to its more expensive competitors.
I swear by the product and have no problem keeping it stocked since it’s so budget-friendly at Dollar Tree.
I get my Vaseline at Dollar Tree.
Petroleum jelly is so versatile that I always keep a small tub in my makeup kit and personal toiletries bag at all times.
I use it to smooth out rough skin and hydrate lips, and adding it to almost any makeup product instantly makes it more blendable. I’ll even pat it on flyaway hairs or bangs to smooth out the look.
Although I feel like the tub has gotten a little smaller over the years, Dollar Tree has a cute travel-sized Vaseline. There’s also a much bigger B.Pure petroleum jelly for the same price that works well.
I love the lip oils available at the store.
B.Pure makes a green tea-infused lip oil that I’ve sworn by for a while now.
I like to keep an extra in my events kit just in case someone has chapped lips.
If I break or lose a comb, I know where to go.
As a hair stylist, I like to have a variety of combs with me at all times for teasing, defining curls, separating pieces, creating designs, and more.
Dollar Tree stocks so many great options for my kit that help me stick to my budget.
I can (affordably) pamper myself with weekly skincare masks.
I love using a weekly mask tailored to my skin’s needs leading up to a big event. Luckily, Dollar Tree has a rotating treasure trove to choose from.
It often carries brands like Freeman, which I’ve also found at Target and Walmart. The products smell good and are pretty effective for targeted results.
I always like to peruse the mask selection for myself and to gift.
I hydrate from the inside out when I want my skin to look its best.
Your skin’s hydration levels can drastically change how easy it is to apply different skincare and makeup products.
Like many hair and makeup professionals, I try to have canned or boxed water available for my clients. Dollar Tree sells cans of coconut water, and I’ve recently even seen boxes of Flow alkaline-spring water.
These affordable options are great in a pinch or when I don’t need to buy in bulk.
I can get most of my eye products at Dollar Tree.
Eye products that are applied near the eye need to be rotated out more frequently than nearly any other makeup or beauty item. Luckily, Dollar Tree has so many fun eyeliners, mascaras, and brow gels, so I can keep up with recommended “use by” dates.
I also like that it makes it affordable to pick up multiple colors to play with.
LA Colors is my go-to brand for liquid eyeliner. With a good base, it applies smoothly, and as long as I use setting spray after, it lasts just as well as any other eyeliner.
I can keep my kit organized with the store’s cotton sets.
The three-in-one set of cotton pads, swabs, and balls at Dollar Tree has been a game changer for me.
Adding it to my kit automatically improved my organization since these things were no longer loose in my bag. But it also made it easier to quickly fix any little mistakes.
Hair elastics always seem to be disappearing, so I stay stocked.
Elastics are a crucial tool if you work with updos.
Instead of just relying on a ton of bobby pins, I like to secure hairstyles with multiple elastics. The affordable options at Dollar Tree haven’t let me down yet.
The post I’ve been a professional hair and makeup artist for years. I swear by these 10 Dollar Tree products. appeared first on Business Insider.
