Trying to wade through the thousands of makeup products and companies to find the best products can be a daunting task. The amount of red lipsticks that exist in this world could fill so many makeup bags. So in order to save you some time and hopefully some money, here are ten products I swear by that will help your makeup look its best.
1. Primer: Benefit Cosmetics, The POREfessional Pear Primer, $31
The moment my makeup routine changed forever was the first time I used primer. I don’t know what I did before it! I like using pore filling or pore minimizing primers as they tend to smooth out my face, but I also like primers that illuminate and make my skin glow. This primer does both at once. It is a new variation on Benefit’s award-winning original POREfessional primer that minimizes and smooths over pores while giving your skin a radiant finish. After trying primer after primer this one has found its way into my regular routine. Find it here.
2. Foundation: Maybelline, SuperStay Long-Lasting Full Coverage Foundation, $11
This product just hit shelves about a month ago, and if you are looking for full coverage at an affordable price, this is the foundation for you. Foundations can be tricky, especially if you don’t want to spend $40 or more. But this foundation is one of the most full coverage foundations I have ever found – even more so than some high end brands. Choose a shade one or two lighter than you usually would because it does oxidize a bit, but otherwise this is the best foundation for your buck. Find it here.
3. Eyeshadow palettes: Too Faced, Natural Love and Chocolate Gold Palettes, $59 and $49
I am an absolute sucker for Too Faced. I am pretty sure the first high-end lipstick I bought was from Too Faced. While I know there have been some issues in the past with the quality of their holiday palettes, these palettes are to die for.
The Natural Love palette has a great mix of matte and shimmer shades and works great on their own to make a more natural look or you can use them together with other more bold and colorful palettes to create a really dynamic look. For those bolder colors I highly recommend the new Chocolate Gold palette, also from Too Faced. It is a palette of 12 metallic shades and four mattes and the shadows are incredibly pigmented and smooth. These are higher end palettes but if you are willing to splurge they will help you make your eyes pop. Find them here.
4. Eyeliner: Kat Von D, Tattoo Liner in “Trooper,” $20
I admit, I often get compliments for my winged eyeliner. What people do not know is the literally dozens of different products and techniques I went through to figure out how to make my eyeliner ready to cut a b*tch. After trying eyeliner pencil, gel, cream, liquid, and felt tip, I finally landed on the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner with a brush tip. It allows for the most control to create the most crisp winged eyeliner. I usually fill it in with a cheap liquid black liner because brush tip eyeliners can dry out quickly, but for the cleanest winged eyeliner this will always be my go-to product. Find it here.
5. Blush: Nars, Blush in “Orgasm,” $30
This blush was handed down to me from my mom – not the literal blush, but using this blush. I am not kidding, it goes with every look. It mimics your natural cheek color while adding a gold shimmer undertone that just adds a hint of sparkle and warms up your cheeks. I’ve already gone through one pan and I will probably use this blush as long as I am doing my makeup. Find it here.
6. Highlighter: Anastasia Beverly Hills, Moonchild Palette, $40
I am a fan of the less-conventional highlighter. I am also a fan of a lot of highlighter. It is for both of those reasons that I love this palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills. I personally love palettes – for any makeup – because they give you lots of options for less money than buying every shade individually. This one has six different highlighter shades that are pigmented and not too glittery that work for every look. My favorite shade is probably Pink Heart, but Star is definitely also up there. If you want to try out some more colorful highlighter shades I would recommend either this palette or the Aurora palette, and if you look carefully and wait you can even find them half off sometimes. Find it here.
7 – 9. Lipstick.
There are just too many lipsticks and too many kinds of lipsticks to list just one, so I will be sharing my favorite nude, red, and bright/fun lipsticks to complete any look.
7. Nude lipstick: Huda Beauty, Contour and Strobe Lip Set in “Muse/Angelic,” $25
I just bought this a week ago and it is already in my top 5 lipsticks. It is not exactly a lipstick but rather a lip set – for $25 you get a full sized lip pencil, a deluxe sized liquid matte and a deluxe sized strobe cream (lip gloss.) It comes in five colors and this color is a great nude especially if you are someone like me who does not love wearing nudes. When you wear all three together the pencil darkens the corners of your lips while the strobing cream makes the center of your lips look bigger so your lips look fuller than ever. If you want to try this technique this set will not set you back too far and you get three great high quality products that you can also use alone. Find it here.
8. Red lipstick: Maybelline, SuperStay Matte Ink Lip Color in “Pioneer,” $8
Sometimes all you need to slay all day is a subtle nude eye and a bold red lip. This matte liquid lipstick from Maybelline is affordable and will stay on your lips all day. It is a deep red that is practically a lip stain and while you have to be careful applying it as it does not come off, it will last 24 hours if you want it to. Find it here.
9. Bright/fun lipstick: Colourpop, Ultra Satin Lip in “The Rabbit,” $6.50
I have had 9 am classes this semester which means I do not always have the time or energy to do a full face of makeup. This lipstick is a fun, bright color that will work on its own even with your hair in a messy bun. I especially love the blue undertone because it shines like you are wearing lip gloss without the stickiness. It is from the great brand Colourpop which is going to be carried in Ulta soon! I bought a second of this color before finishing the first on Black Friday because it might be my favorite lipstick. Find it here.
10. Setting Spray: Urban Decay, All-Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray, $32
When your makeup is finally done, you need something to keep it in place while you go about your awesome life. This setting spray does exactly what it is called – it lasts all night. The trick to setting spray, no matter what the brand, is to mist your face and then fan it to dry and set the spray. With this setting spray you are locked and loaded to have an amazing day/night and slay all day. Find it here.
If you have any products you can not live without, share them in the comments below!