Are you obsessed with makeup? Are you also, unfortunately, on a tight college budget? While Sephora is most likely out of most of our price ranges, except for the occasional eye shadow palate splurge, I am excited to tell you about one of the most affordable and equally good quality-wise alternative makeup havens: CVS.
If you have never been down the makeup aisle at CVS, you should. Go. Right now.
CVS sells so many makeup brands; from well-known ones like L’Oreal, Maybelline, Revlon and CoverGirl, to less well-known brands, like Almay and Physicians Formula.
I understand that there are some makeup products that us girls must have from Sephora, like the Naked 1, 2 and 3 eye shadow palates and the perfect stippling brushes, but I will tell you that most of my favorite lipsticks and blushes are from CVS.
Some of my favorites are Maybelline’s Deepest Cherry and SuperStay Enduring Ruby, CoverGirl’s Euphoria and L’Oreal’s Divine Wine. And there are sooooo many more. My favorite blushes are the L’Oreal True Match blushes. They last for absolutely ever and they have a beautiful glow without making your face look shiny and sparkly (my favorite is Spiced Plum).
Lipstick and Blush Swatches, Left to Right: Deepest Cherry, Enduring Ruby, Euphoria, Divine Wine, Spiced Plum.
I know what you’re thinking: all of these colors are basically the same. But it’s not true! Not all of these lipstick shades can be worn out to the same events or to class (actually, I wouldn’t recommend wearing any of these to class, at least not on a regular day).
- Deepest Cherry (1) is quite a bit more adventurous. It is darker and much more pink. I might still wear this shade out to dinner with friends (maybe apply a lighter coat—but be careful! Lighter coats tend to make the lipstick shade seem lighter on your lips).
- Enduring Ruby (2), while you cannot tell from this picture, is actually a mix between a lipstick and a lip stain. It is creamy and concentrated in color, but it does not come off without a fight. I have worn this shade to concerts and to a “night on the town,” meaning a night party-hopping through college dorms.
- Euphoria (3), a super hot pink shade, is the least versatile. It definitely screams “daring.” Euphoria is perfect for a night out with a sleek and sexy all black outfit or blue and white stripes (something sophisticated, simple, yet sexy and fun. But not too much fun! Let the lipstick do the talking). But, the place that I have been dying to wear this shade is on a mother-daughter “shopping and a Broadway show” trip to New York City.
- Finally, Divine Wine (4) is a classic red with some heavy brown undertones, making it the most sophisticated of all four shades. While I would totally wear it out to dinner with friends, I would also wear it to my major department dinner (where there will be lots of professors).
If you liked the short walk (metaphorical) through the CVS makeup aisle, make sure to read my next blog post in my Makeup in a College Budget series: Ipsy!