Have you ever noticed that there are a few products in your makeup stash that you keep repurchasing over and over again, or maybe you've hit pan on months ago but you're still trying to scrape the last little bit out before going out and buying a new one?
These are my picks for that exact scenario. These are 10 products that I can't seem to live without and that I seem to reach for far more often than some of the other products in my collection.
Meet the mascara of my dreams. I think I've gone through a million of these because I've never met a mascara that I like more. The brush on this is very small and has very small rubber bristles. A rubber brush means that you get plenty of flexibility during application and small bristles allow you to get every last lash without it getting messy whether you're applying to top or bottom lashes.
There are several other versions of this mascara but I always seem to just grab the original as it has never failed me. I purchase this in "blackest black" and "brown black". The formulation is on the wet side but not super runny and I've never experienced any clumping or flaking during the day. You can purchase this any any drug store or beauty store averaging around $10.
I'm a huge fan of urban decay and I own several of their palettes, but the one I use practically every day is the Naked 2. The color selection on this bad boy is great, providing you with the opportunity to create hundreds of different looks.
My favorite colors are Booty Call, Tease, Pistol, Verve, Suspect, YDK, and Busted. Included with the palette is a great brush, and the quality of the shadows are wonderful. The only downside to a couple of the colors, like Chopper, is that it's a bit glittery, so there's a higher chance of some fallout, but considering it's Urban Decay, and it is a higher end brand, the fallout isn't all that bad. My tip for working with shadows that have glitter or fallout is: do your eyes first and then put on foundation. That way if you do have to do some cleanup, it's easy to just wipe a makeup wipe on wherever it landed and you don't have to worry about ruining your foundation or going back for touch-ups.
Urban Decay Naked 2 can be bought at Beauty Stores or Department stores for around $54.
I've had a hard time wanting to go back to lip glosses or lipsticks ever since I've tried wet lip stains. I've bought 5 or 6 of these from L'Oreal but my favorite is Endless Red, mostly because it works all year round. The color on this is a blue toned red, and it applies with a tear drop tip.
It applies cold and wet, but sticks nicely to your lips and doesn't budge throughout the day. Simple touch-ups may be necessary after eating or drinking but nothing like the complete reapplication process of a lipstick. Oh, and it doesn't get everywhere, so no color trails on glasses or cups.
Although it does look a bit pinkish in the packaging, it does come out a true cherry red when applied.
L'Oreal lip stains can be purchased at any drugstore and are roughly $9 a tube.
This has been a favorite primer of mine for years now. I have never once had any issues with fallout or creasing with this product. Mind you, I've never had a problem with oily lids, but I have had creasing with some shadows using a different primer (or no primer), and this one puts other primers in their place.
It may not seem like you get a lot of product in this tube, but a little bit goes a long way. The color of the primer is a nude shade, and blends out smoothly and disappears in a clear cream. I highly recommend trying this out if you've EVER had an issue with shadows creasing on you. This works with paint pots (cream shadows) and powder shadows.
Urban Decay Primer potion is sold at any Department store or beauty store for roughly $20 a tube. The price may seem a little steep for the size of the container, but a little bit truly goes a long way and will last you all day.
Whenever I don't know what blush to wear, this is my backup plan. Dandelion from Benefit never seems to fail me as it is the perfect baby pink, This is another shade that works year round, and gives you a natural flush, or can be a bit more dramatic as it has build-able coverage. I hit pan on this many moons ago, and it will take me a long time to run out I presume.
The finish on this is matte, although it does have a slight gold sparkle mixed in that isn't very noticeable once applied to the skin.
Benefit Dandelion can be purchased at any beauty store and some department stores for around $28-$30.
6. SONIA KASHUK LUMINOSITY GLOW POWDER/UNDECTABLE LOOSE POWDER
I included both of these as one because they're pretty much the same thing... except ones a loose powder and ones a pressed powder. The loose powder is a bit more vibrant, and a little bit goes a very long way. I use the loose powder for nights out and the pressed powder during the day. The pressed powder I actually use as part of my every day makeup routine. I swirl a cheek brush in it and put it on the apples of my cheeks, the middle of my forehead up by my hair line, on the bridge of my nose, and on the point of my chin. These are areas where the natural light hits your face and it really brightens up your complexion: hence why I use it in the morning, it makes you appear more wide awake The loose powder I strictly use under my eyes as it gives off 10x more glow. Putting it in too many places on your face may make you look too shiny. Also on that note, loose powders can be a bit harder to control, so make sure you really tap your brush before touching your face.
Sonia Kashuk can be purchased at Target between $10-$13 dollars.
Retractable eye liners are my kind of eyeliners because I absolutely hate trying to sharpen an eye pencil. The shavings get everywhere and I can never quite get it to be a perfect point. Well, I don't have to worry about that with these guys. NYX has an array of colors for their retractable waterproof eyeliners for a great price. I typically only use black and brown but I like to put on grey every once in a while to stir things up.
The tip on these are fool proof because it's small enough to where you always have a perfect point, and all you have to do is twist the end with each use. The formulation is really good too. It doesn't budge thanks to being waterproof, but is also smudgable too, if that's the look you're going for.
NYX is sold at some beauty stores (I get mine from UTLA) and some drug stores for around $4.50 a pop.
Another staple in my every day routine is this guy. Now you might be saying to yourself, "Why the hell would you put green powder on your face?" This is a correcting powder, designed to hide and disguise redness. I used to have Rosacea on my cheeks for years, but thanks to finding a good moisturizer and changing my diet, it's pretty much gone except for a little bit around my nose. So that's where this comes in handy. I use a stippling brush every morning where I have any redness and BOOM it's hidden away for the rest of the day.
I've gone through many of these and it just never seems to disappoint me. I know that Physician's formula offers other kind of "correcting" powders, all of which I've never actually tried, but if they're anything like this one, then it's probably a winner.
Physician's formula green correcting powder can be purchased at most drug stores for around $13.
This product is an absolute gem. If you have any issues with dark circles meet your new best friend. Now, I don't have dark under eye circles, but I do rarely get more than 6 hours of sleep on average. My solution to brightening up my under eyes is right in this tube.
Twisting the end of the tube ejects a salmon colored cream that I put near the inner corner of my eye and spread all the way to the outside of my eye. I take a tapered off concealer brush and blend it in a triangle like motion. These come in three shades, (I buy fair) and highlight your under eye beautifully. No more shadows; no more dark circles. Seriously, everybody needs this in their make up drawer.
This can be purchased at drug stores for around $12.
This was probably the first highlight I fell in love with when I really started getting back into makeup. The quality is superb, it's not glittery, and it really does just give your cheekbones exactly what it states: a candlelight glow.
What's even better is that it's a duo, so you can choose if you want the champagne color highlight, or the pinkish hue, which looks good with pink blushes and daytime looks. I personally just like to swirl the two colors together and get a mix of both.
I must also add that you get a lot of product here. I've had this thing for a very long time and most of the chandelier is still visible. But what's also true about highlight (especially this one) is that a little goes a long way. I sweep this on with one small brush stroke and I'm good to go.
Too Faced candle light glow can be purchased from Beauty Stores and Department stores for around $30.
So there you have it! These are my top 10 holy grail products that have really made a difference in my makeup collection. What are some of your beauty staples?
XO-Angelle
bareminerals foundation is my all around beauty staple. Love seeing what your are.
ReplyDeleteI've actually never tried anything from BareMinerals before, but I've always wanted to check them out. Besides foundation (as I have a very hard time finding a porcelain white shade) what product would you recommend for me as a first time buyer?
ReplyDeleteI would do the starter kit. Since you get a light shade and a darker shade. Plus all the brush. That's how I start off 4 year go. No I just buy the light medium shade.
Delete