Hi, everyone!! I apologize in advance for the all of the barefaced photos you’re about to see. This is the grossest I’ll look in front of you, I promise. Anyways, today I’m going to be sharing my favorite drugstore beauty products! I’m DEFINITELY not someone who is obsessed with makeup, spends a ton of money on it, or dedicates over ten minutes a day to doing it. Because of this, most of my makeup is simple yet effective, easy to use, and CHEAP. But just because you buy your makeup at Target instead of Sephora doesn’t mean you can’t still look good. There are so many amazing products you can find for under $15 that are nearly as good as high-end brands. The following products have been my ride-or-dies for the longest time and I thought maybe some other broke beauties wouldn’t mind knowing what I use. Disclaimer: I go for a very simple and relatively natural makeup look most days, so these products aren’t going to give you that glam makeup look. If you want that, though, comment below and I can do a post about creating a glam look with drugstore products!
First Product: Wet N Wild CoverAll Coverstick Concealer
I thought I’d do a little before and after for each product so you can get more of a feel for its effect. On the left, I have no makeup on. On the right, I’m wearing the concealer. Let me tell you, I use this product EVERYWHERE. I use it on blemishes, under my eyes, on my super red cheeks, and any other area that is discolored. It functions the same way a lipstick does; you twist it up and the product comes out in stick form. This is great because I don’t even need a sponge or applicator brush. I just roll the stick over anything I want to cover and I’m good to go. It cuts down on application time and the coverage is pretty decent for such a cheap, fast little product. You guys, this concealer is actually on sale right now at Walmart for $1.10! Can you beat that price? No, you can’t. So if you wanna try it out, you can find it here.
Second Product: Physician’s Formula Mineral Wear Talc-Free Airbrushing Pressed Powder
The coverage this powder gives is amazing. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without it. I hate having to wear foundation because as soon as it gets hot outside (which is always because Florida is never not hot), I sweat it off. The added layer of a liquid or thick powder foundation actually makes me more hot. Maybe knowing that I have makeup on my face makes me think I’m hotter, but I’m pretty convinced that layer does make a difference. This powder is so lightweight I forget I’m wearing it and, paired with my concealer, the coverage is beyond anything I got from foundation. I have quit wearing foundation daily and I’m not going back! It’s also so much faster getting ready without foundation :). Find my favorite powder here.
Third Product: Almay Intense I-Color Bold Nudes (Highlighter)
I’m not a highlight-crazed person like most girls these days, so I usually opt for a subtle glow just to make me look a little more fresh-faced. I think it’s so funny that out of all highlighters I could love, my favorite is a brow highlighter in a random eye shadow trio. I just can’t help but love the way this little highlighter is noticeable, but not too eye-catching. I get a pretty glow without looking oily or overly-fake. I apply it to my brow bone, cheek bone, inner eye, tip of my nose, and right in the middle of my upper lip. It’s very natural and perfect for an everyday brightening pick-me-up. This underrated highlighter can be found here 🙂
Fourth Product: Maybelline Clear Lash and Brow Gel
Let me start off by saying that my eyebrows are out of control. They will not stay in place all day unless I MAKE them. Funny story: in middle school I used to spray them with hairspray to keep them in place, but halfway through the day my cheap hairspray would flake and I’d end up looking like I had eyebrow dandruf. Ew. So when I found out there was a product that was made to tame my brows, I ditched the hairspray and never looked back. I’ve literally been using this product ever since. I use this gel to shape my brows into their desired form, let it dry, and I’m good to go all day! I should also mention that I have pretty thick brows so I don’t fill them in daily, but if you do fill them in and want to set your eyebrow makeup, this product works great for that too. This miracle-worker can be found here.
Fifth Product: Maybelline Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara
Are you seeing these results?! And this is only one coat! This mascara is INSANE. If I had to pick only one makeup product to use for the rest of my life it would be mascara, so it’s very important to me that I have a quality product. I’ve tried probably 50 different products, drugstore and high-end, and this one beats them all. It more than triples the length of my eyelashes, and it thickens them as well. I love the formula because it’s thick enough that it makes a difference, but it doesn’t clump (which is my biggest pet peeve and could probably make me cry tears of frustration). It’s also build-able so if you want longer/thicker lashes, you can apply multiple coats and it still won’t clump. I only ever want to use this mascara and I will stock up if they ever decide to discontinue it. I cannot recommend this enough, thank you Maybelline for changing my life. Find my favorite product in the ENTIRE WORLD here!
Sixth Product: NYX Whipped Caviar Matte Lipstick
I think we can all agree that finding a matte lipstick that isn’t drying, but lasts all day is one of the greatest challenges. You either have leather-lips for the day or have to reapply 700 times. I love NYX’s formula because it’s so moisturizing! But it also has a really quality, long-lasting color. Man, I’ve put it through some tests, too. It’s kiss proof, food and drink proof, rain proof, beach proof. At most I’ve had to reapply ONCE over the course of ten hours. My favorite color is Whipped Caviar because it’s got a really nice girly, rosy color to it but muted so it’s great for casual days. Find my go-to color here.
And that’s it for my favorite drugstore beauty products!! Of course I have a gazillion products that I like, but these have been my best friends for years. They’re not the newest products, but they can’t be my favorites-of-all-time if they’ve only been out for a couple weeks.
-Vanessa