I read a lot of blogs too, and one name keeps cropping up - http://www.coastalscents.com/ They sell palettes of blush and eyeshadows, mineral makeup and lots of MAC-alike brushes for a very very reasonable price.

A friend recommended ELF (http://www.eyeslipsface.com/) a while back for cheap and cheerful makeup. While their makeup isn't the best quality in the world, most of the products retail for $1 each - so they make up for it in the prices and you can fill up your whole basket and feel like you got a lot for very little money. ELF also has a Studio range which is a little more expensive but apparently the quality is better. But for $1 a piece my eyeliners, lipglosses and cream eyeshadows will do just fine!
Hopefully my little haul will arrive at the beginning of next week and I can do a review of what I've got so far. Although - if things keep up like this I'm going to need a new makeup case! Right now my makeup is living in a small fishing tackle box - cheap, easy to clean and it has lots of little compartments for organization. I wonder if Bass Pro shop do industrial sized tackle boxes.....