Hashtags: makeup, NARS, MAC, beauty, skincare, foundation, lipstick
I love talking about makeup. As a beauty advisor, my favorite thing is recommending some of my favorite products to people looking for something new to try. Here are a few of my latest or staple products that I love recommending to customers.
The Natasha Denona Foundation came out less than a month ago, and many people are raving about it. My go-to foundation is the Maybelline Super Stay Up to 30HR Wear Lumi-Matte Longwear Foundation. Still, I absolutely love the Natasha Denona Concealer, so when I was browsing at Ulta and saw the foundation, I didn’t even think twice. I just knew I needed it, and that I would love it. I immediately shade-matched myself and took it home.
The next day, I could not wait to test it out and add it to my routine. I have oily/combination skin. I also have some acne scars and often have active acne, but it covered my scars pretty well. Even with product layering, it did not feel heavy on my skin. It stayed on throughout the day. I only had some difficulty with my nose, which is pretty typical for me since it can get oily throughout the day. Overall, it looks amazing after a few hours of wear with no touch-ups.
Something I can never leave the house without is a good lip combo. I picked up a few shades of the Mac Lipstick during this month’s 21 days of beauty because you can never beat getting two lipsticks for the price of one. One of my favorite shades is “Film Noir,” but I wanted something a little more red. Out of the shades I tried, I only kept one. “Guessing Game” is a gorgeous red shade that can fit many skin tones. As someone who enjoys eating and talking a lot, I prefer to use a lip stain. The Sacheu Peel-off Lip Stain in shade “MUAH-ve” is my go to. Layering “Guessing Game” on top gives me a long-lasting, beautiful, red lip. For added shine, I add the Mac Lipglass Lip gloss on top.
5 Makeup Products That are Actually Worth Your Money
I feel like my makeup looks unfinished when I leave my house without any highlighter. I’m incredibly picky about the shade I use, so it is the one product I never change. The first highlighter I fell in love with was E.l.f.’s discontinued Baked Highlighter in shade “Moonlight Pearls”. Since its discontinuation, I struggled to find something that lives up to it. That is until I saw the Revolution Beauty x DC Comics Universe Highlighter, specifically the Batman one. Unfortunately, that one has also since then been discontinued, and I am still holding on to what I have left. After going down many Reddit rabbit holes, Benefit’s Cookie Golden Pearl Powder Highlighter was highly recommended for those who like pinky highlighters. Unfortunately, it has golden undertones, and as someone who cannot wear gold jewelry, it was too golden for me.
Again, while browsing through Ulta, I came across the newly released Nars highlighters. The pinky shade automatically caught my eye, and after years of searching for one to replace my Revolution Beauty highlighter when it runs out, I can finally say I have found my new favorite highlighter. Recently, a customer came up to me looking for a pinky highlighter, and I’ve never been more excited to recommend a product to someone. She was absolutely speaking my language. I didn’t want to give her only one option, so I showed her a few, but just like me, she fell in love with the Nars highlighter.
TIRTIR’s Mask Red Cushion Foundation took the world for a spin when it became super popular a few years ago. I’ve wanted to try it for a while, but I did not want to go through the hassle of returning a shade if it did not match me. Unfortunately, the shades offered in Ulta stores are limited, and the two shades I’ve tried look either too orange or too yellow on me. Luckily, I was able to find a good match for their Glide and Hide concealer. It is super creamy and blends really well. The stick side offers good coverage, especially for the days I don’t want to wear foundation. Once you get past the obstacle of finding a good shade match, it is worth it.
Primer isn’t for everyone. I used it on and off for a long time, but I noticed that my makeup lasted longer when I had some on. Another thing that deterred me from using primer was pilling and my skincare or makeup products not mixing well with each other. I tried both the hydrating and matte primers from Milk Makeup, but they never worked for me, even when I adjusted my routine. I saw a TikTok of this girl raving about Maybelline’s serum primer, and I was skeptical because of my previous history with primers, but it truly is that good. I like to pat it onto my face after my skincare has settled into my skin, and wait for it to dry for a few minutes.
I could name many more products I love, but those are my current top five recommendations for customers looking for something new. If you’re not currently looking for anything new, I still recommend keeping these in mind for future reference. However, if you end up trying something, I hope you love it as much as I do!