Go-To Face Makeup Products: Drugstore Brands
- Kiara Coronado
- Apr 8, 2019
- 4 min read
As a makeup artist, it's important to know what's good and what's not. Not everyone is willing to break the bank just for a new product, while some people are scared that drugstore brands might actually do more harm than good. After several years of testing out products, here are my reviews on some great drugstore brand products that will help your complexion and your bank account.
Primers
All Skin types: Honey Dew Me Up Primer
My all-time favorite drugstore-brand primer by far is NYX Honey Dew Me Up. Doubling as an oil serum, the primer works whether or not you're wearing makeup. And yes, you read right. It's an oil serum that works for all skin types. It's important to note that if you have oily skin, you're skin is simply protecting itself against dehydration by producing way more oil than is necessary. The best way to combat that is by lightly using an oil serum to hydrate your skin.
Honey Dew Me Up has hyaluronic acid, which helps alleviate dehydrated, red, irritated skin, as well as reduce the appearance of fine lines. With honey as one of the central ingredients, it also helps treat acne and rosacea, while also adding a healthy, natural glow to the skin. Since matte is still so prevalent, the product also adds a soft glow through the use of gold flecks. And it smells amazing.
Color Corrector
Palette: NYX Color Correcting Palette
Occasionally, we need color corrector to fix up little mistakes on our skins, such as blemishes and pimples or bruises. It's easier to grab a palette when there are several things that we may need to fix, as opposed to individual containers. What's important to know is how to correct.
Yellow: Bruises and dark eye circles (purple areas)
Green: Blemishes and pimples (red areas)
Purple: Discolored areas or healing bruises (yellow areas)
Peach: Discolored areas or under-eye brightening (blue or gray areas)
As for the last two, if you have the right skin tones, it can be used as either contour or as concealer.
Individual Containers: L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer
These concealers are hyped up for a reason. They're all under $5 each and they are so pigmented. I suggest using a little color corrector, blending it in with your finger, then concealer, foundation, concealer. It will keep any imperfections hidden. I am absolutely in love with my green color corrector, which I use to hide my red/pink areas almost daily, and it has so much product.
Foundation
Dry-Skin, Combination Skin, or Normal Skin: Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation
The Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation is absolutely amazing. Paired with the right primer, I would even suggest this for combonation skin because it's better to err on the side of too dewy, which can easily be fixed with the right setting powder and setting spray, as opposed to too matte, which isn't so easily fixed for dry spots. It's a hydrating foundation that, despite being dewy, doesn't feel heavy on my skin. Not to mention, it also has SPF 18.
Oily-Skin: Covergirl TruBlend Matte Made Liquid Foundation
My skin tends to be normal leaning towards dry, so I haven't used this in the past few months because matte products don't work well on people with dry skin. That being said, I have used this foundation, and, with a litl e bit of setting powder, it actually looks very beautiful. It's got a great, buildable to full coverage, and, while it's matte, it doesn't feel very drying, as I've noticed most matte foundations do.
Concealer
Dry-Skin, Combination Skin, or Normal Skin: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer
Though the color variety isn't as vast as that of the foundations, the formula works wonders on hiding imperfections since it's highly pigmented while avoiding dehydration because Goji Berries, with which this concealer is infused, hydrates the skin through amino acids and vitamins, allowing the skin to also improve in elasticity.
Oily-Skin: NYX Can't Stop Won't Stop Concealer
It's NYX's most full coverage, most matte concealer, and it really does cover up imperfections beautifully. For normal or combination skin, I would suggest only using it where necessary.
Contour
Powder: NYX Highlight & Contour Pro Palette
The powder contour palette at NYX is absolutely the best contour palette I've ever used. It's got great pigmentatin with very little fallout, and the variety of colors makes it easy to blend and find the perfect color for each individual.
Cream: NYX Wonder Stick Contour Stick
I cannot stress enough how easy this is to use. Because I'm so fair, it's very hard for me to find a decent cream contour, especially in a stick. I've used this product on a variety of clients, from women with very fair skin like mien, to women who fall in the middle of the spectrum, to women with deep skin.
Bronzer & Blush
ELF Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder AND ELF Aqua Beauty Blush & Bronzer
Both of these products are amazing, and I recommend both of them together because, together, there's a bit more variety of color. I love the pigmentation of both the blush and the bronzer in either of these palettes. The best part is that you're getting two products for the price of one, and you're getting great quality products as well.
Translucent Powder
NYX Can't Stop Won't Stop Setting Powder
I mostly use high end setting powder because I'm very particular about there being too much talc in the formula. The Can't Stop Won't Stop Setting Powder has none, and it does an amazing job at setting and baking. There's a great variety of colors beyond just banana powder and translucent powder, and I love the texture of the product because it doesn't feel like every other drugstore setting powder I've used.
Setting Spray
All-Skin Types: NYX Bare With Me Prime, Set, Refresh Multitasking Spray
This is a new product from NYX and I've only used it a few times, but NYX kills it with setting spray. My makeup last all day, and it's so hydrating as well. It's infused with both aloe vera and cucumber water, so it helps reduce sensitivity and redness while hydrating and soothing your skin.
Disclaimer: This blogpost was not sponsored by any of the mentioned companies. This blogpost includes solely opinionated content, and, if I should come across products that are better, in my completely honest opinion, then I will update my blog with a new post featuring any new content.
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