Most people think that in order to look your best, you have to spend your entire life savings on all of your makeup. Thankfully, this is not the case. There are a few items that you should splurge on, but the rest you can get any brand, even from your local drugstore.
Let’s start with foundation or tinted moisturizer: definitely splurge. This is the most important part of your makeup routine. The right foundation can make your skin look unbelievably smooth but also glowing at the same time. It’s important to get the right color foundation because any darker or any lighter can call for a total disaster.
You want to get a color that matches your skin tone that way the foundation can make your face look as it does but elevated with smoother and brighter skin.
The worst is a foundation that’s too pale and washes out your face or a foundation that’s too dark that makes you look like your face doesn’t match your body.
Milk Makeup – Blur Liquid Foundation $40, this foundation is perfect for a night out. It’s not cakey but it definitely covers any imperfections
Trish McEvoy – Even Skin Water Foundation $58, this foundation is perfect for everyday makeup. It’s extremely lightweight and it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing anything on your skin.
Laura Mercier- Tinted Moisturizer $45, if you find foundation to be heavy and unnecessary then the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer is unparalleled. It moisturizes your skin all the while making your skin look smooth.
After your foundation is done, it’s time for concealer on your T-Zone – aka the area under your eyes and between your eyebrows. Concealer is what brightens your eyes. Good concealers don’t break the bank, but they’re not cheap.
It’s important to get a good concealer because it determines the way your contour is going to look and The two best concealers are the Tarte Shape Tape ($32) and Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer ($30).
After you brighten and conceal your under eyes, is the contour. For contour you can either use a creamy stick or powder. Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty contour stick is only $25 and is one of the best sticks out there. If you like a light contour instead then a powder contour palette would be best.
The powder contour gives you an airbrushed contour look, it’s perfect for an everyday look. These palettes tend to be more expensive but you get different shades of contour, so if you get tan you can use a darker contour, and even powder for under your eyes. Kat Von D’s Shade + Light Refilliable Face Contour Palette ($49) is a powder contour staple.
After contour is probably the most important item: setting powder. This sets your contour into place. If you had to splurge on one thing it would be this.
The Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder ($38) is worth every penny. It takes a while to run out and there’s no powder that sets your contour quite like the Laura Mercier one does.
After contour is bronzer and blush. You can buy bronzer from anywhere. It doesn’t even have to be name brand. All you have to do is get your shade at any drugstore and you’re good to go. Drugstores actually have very quality bronzers and blushes. Depending on how you like your blush, whether very rosy or very subdued, you can get whichever you like for under $10.
Most brands overcharge for their bronzer because of their brand name but it’s entirely unnecessary to buy a high end bronzer; they’re all the same for the most part.
$8
After that are your eyes: mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow. Mascara and eyeliner are both things you absolutely don’t need to splurge on, for example the Maybelline Great Lash Mascara is $6.40 and works as if it is $20. As well as the Revlon Color Stay liquid eyeliner ($4). Eyeshadow is where your money should go. Buying an eyeshadow palette can save you a lot of money down the line.
As well as, by buying a palette you get so many options that you can do a different eye look every day. The Urban Decay Naked Palette is a great palette for basic/neutral colors as well as colors for a smoky eye. The palette has a lot of range.
Urban Decay Naked Palette ($54)
Lastly, eyebrows. People are incredibly obsessed and specific with their eyebrows so getting the right brow pencil is essential. The Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil is worth the $24. It comes in a variety of shades. The pencil is angled perfectly such that when you apply it to your eyebrow you can put it on as heavy or light as you’d like.
The bristles on the brush are strong and really help you comb out your eyebrow, giving you that full yet neat eyebrow look.
So, as you can see, you don’t need to break the bank on every item of makeup. While you definitely need to spend money to get the good stuff, you don’t have to spend on every item of makeup there is.
It’s perfectly normal to have high-low makeup brands. So go forth and start shopping!