Hey collegiettes™! This fall we ushered in some new, quick beauty looks that can be done in less than five minutes. The products mentioned are great products with quality formulations, and are staples in my professional artist kit.
Navigating the drugstore for new items, however, can be a little overwhelming. With every season, cosmetic companies roll out new collections and formulas onto the market for us to experiment and find our “holy-grail” must-haves. This experimentation, despite the fun, can also dig into a narrow college student budget.
In an effort to help curb the cost, I’ve navigated through the aisles and brought to you some of my top picks for face, eyes and lip.
1. Revlon’s Nearly Naked Foundation is a great option for a natural to semi-dewy finish, light-medium coverage foundation that is almost weightless on the skin. It comes in sixteen shades, perfect to find your match.
2. NYX HD Studio Finishing Powder is invisible on the skin and leaves a beautiful, velvety finish. Be careful, however–the 100% silica formula will leave a whitecast in a camera flash.
3. Another NYX favorite, the Powder Blush range is vibrant and finely milled, meaning that the individual pigments are much smaller and look more natural when applied. This formula rivals many department store brands!
4. For photo ops, setting foundation or all-over wear, the L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Powder is a fantastic pick with shades to match your skin’s shade and tone. TIP: These powders can double as bronzer by picking a shade two darker and warmer than your own, and as a contouring powder two or three shades darker than your skin and a neutral undertone.
1. Maybelline Eye Studio Color Plush Silk Eyeshadow quads are pigmented and blend beautifully. Each is already color-coordinated, and great for travel. My favorites include Irresistibly Ivy, Coral Oasis and Give Me Gold.
2. These NYX Slide On Eye Pencils rival the infamous Urban Decay pencils, and come in 18 shades from staples to brights. Blend them out on the lashlines for a smoky look–they set and stay put for hours.
3. Maybelline’s Eye Studio Color Tattoo cream eyeshadows are some of the best on the market, drugstore and department included. Generally, they are packed with pigment and don’t smudge once set. Use them as a primer for eyeshadow to make an even bigger impact.
4. For bold, thick lashes, L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes contain small fibers that bind to your lashes to give a false lash effect without having to deal with actual false eyelashes. Contact-wearing beauties beware, however, because the fibers may irritate your eyes.
5. Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil is dirt cheap and does the deed quite well. Although only available in three shades, these pencils are almost universal. The brush on the cap is fantastic to brush out the beginning of the brow for a softer, more natural look.
1. Another designer dupe, the L’Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stains are almost identical to the YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stains (fun fact: L’Oreal owns YSL, so the formulas are almost dead-on). The formula applies like a lipgloss, but thickens and stains the lips for a long-lasting, flawless finish.
2. My holy-grail red lipstick (pictured) comes from the Kate Moss range of Rimmel London’s Lasting Finish Lipsticks. These formulas are some of my personal favorites, look spectacular on and are non-drying. From matte to frost, there is at least five that you’ll want to bring home. (See also: the Show Off Lip Lacquers are incredible)
3. Rimmel’s Exaggerate Automatic Lip Liner is another standout from the English brand. Unlike most liners on the market, these do not dry out your lips nor skip out on delivering pigment.
4. Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Glosses have been around forever for a reason–the nonsticky formula delivers beautiful color in every one of twelve shades.
Which budget beauty items can you not live without? Let us know in the comments!