LOreal Lineur Intense Felt Time Eyeliner
$8.49 - walgreens.com
Times are tough and I know whenever I’ve gone out to buy cosmetics in the past, I’ve ended up spending over $100, just to get all of the basics. Now I may not seem like much of an expert, but after many years of applying my own make up (and also helping to glam up friends when they ask) along with the experience of working at Ulta Cosmetics for a little while, I definitely know a little about picking the right products. September is right around the corner, and now is the time to go through that make up bag of yours and get rid of everything old and refresh your kit.
Skin Care Regime
Skin care is so, so, so important because your skin is the foundation of your beauty. When it comes to a regime, it can get expensive since you need a cleanser, eye cream, moisturizer, and for some people prone to acne, toner.
When trying new products, you can get a lot out of a sample gift set. Things like cleansers usually don’t get used up all that quickly (as you don’t need that much to wash off your make-up) and eye creams usually come in small packaging as well. It’s a better value to buy several products in one kit rather than pay full price for the regular size, especially if you are trying something for the first time. Also Burts Bees makes some great toners that can be found on their website as well.
Includes:
· Radiance Face Cleanser (0.75 oz.)
· Radiance Day Lotion (0.25 fl. oz.)
· Radiance Night Cream (0.25 oz.)
· Radiance Eye Cream (0.14 oz.)
· Radiance Lip Shimmer (0.09 oz.)
Foundation
Mineral wear is a huge make-up trend that took the industry by storm when Bare Essentials released the Bare Minerals powder. Now I have tried Bare Minerals, but my biggest gripe with the formula is the price, and the fact that it can sometimes look a bit heavy, and also dry out my skin in the winter, as I have eczema flair ups every so often. The great thing about most mineral wear is that it is talc-free, and therefore less drying. It is also free of heavy waxes that might cause acne break outs. In my many trials of different foundations I have found a great alternative to the B.E. line for when I don’t feel like spending $40+ on replenishing my make up.
Physicians Formula makes some great products, all of which are hypoallergenic, meaning they won’t break you out, cause rashes, or trigger any allergies. It’s a bit lighter than the B.E. powder, and I find that the translucent powder, when applied over a tinted moisturizer, looks more natural sometimes than the B.E. powder as well.
Tinted Moisturizer
Tinted moisturizer is another very popular product that all of the cosmetic companies are trying to release. I have always liked the coverage of liquid foundation, but I find that it’s a little bit too cakey, covers my natural skin a little TOO much (along with my freckles in the summertime) and also tends to make my face look a little pasty, even with blush or bronzer on.
I have tried several different formulas, including pricier options like Philosophy, Shiseido, & Stila. Stila gave me the least amount of coverage and caused a burning sensation when applied. The color was also a bit heavy. Shiseido was less expensive, went on nicely and was easily absorbed, but also didn’t cover blemishes as much as I’d like. Then recently I purchased Neutrogena’s Healthy Glow Sheers & Healthy Glow Enhancer. The same week a sample of Philosophy’s new tinted moisturizer came with a purchase of their night cream, so I decided to test them against each other. After the last 2 weeks I’ve found both Neutrogena products just as good or better than Philosophy (which can be purchased for $20+). Don’t get me wrong, the Philosophy product is great too, but if you can save half the money by buying Neutrogena (which also has MORE product in the bottle) then why buy the high end brand?
Eye Shadow
I’m not much of an eye shadow wearer, I would much rather define my eyes with eye liner and mascara. I’ve used Urban Decay in the past for the occasional night out to create a smokey eye look, but other than that I have usually stuck with natural eye lids. Until I found Soina Kashuk at Target! Her eye palettes are amazing. Not only can you get four colors, but the colors are a mix between natural every day shadows and darker defining shadows. It doesn’t flake off, and it’s bold enough to be seen, but also look natural.
Eye Liner
When it comes to eye liners I’ve literally tested everything. Urban Decay, yup. Bare Essentials, of course. Boujouis, used to be my fave. Stila, you got it.
But out of all of them, I’ve stuck with L’Oréal as the top contender. And my favorite is the Felt Tip Liquid Liner. I get it in earthen rock because it’s a little more natural than straight black, although I dabble with black for special occasions. It don’t wear off. It’s perfect for cat eyes. It’s all I buy.
Mascara
Despite popular belief, mascara is the product you should spend the least amount of money on, because it’s the one you have to replace the most. You shouldn’t keep a mascara longer than a couple of months, even if it hasn’t started to clump yet, because a lot of bacteria grows in the tubes and can end up causing eye infections or allergies (even if you don’t realize or start tearing up.)
Luckily, L’Oréal also comes through wonderfully with their mascaras. They are all pretty great, but I personally have been in love with the Millions of Lashes product.
You can find it easily in its gold tube. When it comes to mascara, brown looks great and natural, but black really makes eyes pop, just be carefully to not too crazy if you’re wearing black liner as well.
And that's it! That's the basics. Eventually you might want to add some more fun to your bag, but now that you have the essentials, it should be a whole lot less costly to add a gold eye shadow, or some fun lip colors. :)
