Lately, there have been a couple of fab makeup goodies on offer at the drugstore. Yes, yes, I know a drugstore, is technically a pharmacy in South Africa, but let’s be honest, who wants to read about pharmacy makeup!? Drugstore sounds so much better, and I’m sure you gals know what I’m talking about, either way!
So, let’s get started shall we?
Favourite Drugstore Picks For The Face…
First up, my favourite drugstore foundations, concealers and primers.
I absolutely love the L’OREAL INFALLIBLE 24H FOUNDATION. The coverage is amazing, the texture is great and it lasts pretty much, all day long! The only problem is that even though they have a wide shade offering, I find my best fit to be a combination of Honey and Radiant Sand. I use Radiant Sand in the center of my face and Honey around the outer edges and then blend, blend, blend! My favourite way to apply this foundation is with a damp beauty blender.
REVLON recently launched their COLORSTAY 2-In-1 compact makeup and I think it’s another winner! I remember using COLORSTAY way back when and this new compact is great! COLORSTAY has always been a fab full coverage foundation, but the compact foundation is even more “full face” and since it is a cream formula, you can easily build it up to your heart’s desire. Full coverage foundation, plus a matching concealer in one. Perfect for on the go makeup!
Another foundation I recently tried out is, COVERDERM VANISH makeup. On me, this foundation is not full-on coverage, but man oh man does it cover redness like a dream! If you suffer with redness, you need only a small amount of VANISH foundation to normalise your skin tone and give you a flawless face. I like that when applied, it looks and feels like skin and it stays put! I did find that on my pigmentation areas, I needed more concealer to cover up properly, but all in all a fantastic foundation for getting your skin tone nice and even without looking like you’re wearing too much makeup. Plus it’s oil free, waterproof, has an SPF of 15 and it’s hypoallergenic.
In terms of drugstore concealers, I ‘d say the CATRICE CAMOUFLAGE CREAM is one of my faves. I do have a bit of a love hate relationship with it, in that when my skin is dry it tends to crease more than I’d like, but when my skin conditioning is normal, it works wonderfully, especially under the eyes. A small amount is all you need and the best way I’ve found to use this concealer is by dabbing it on my “problem areas” with my finger and then giving it a good few minutes to set. If I feel like I need more coverage, then I’ll go in with a second application.
REVLON PHOTOREADY PRIME + ANTI SHINE Balm is another one of those great, all in one drugstore products. It blends into the skin really well and creates a perfect base for you to apply foundation. I wouldn’t say that it reduces shine too much, unless you apply it over your foundation in your shiny areas (like the T-Zone, or for me, the nostrils), but the trick with this one is to dab it onto the shiny areas when they start shining – as you would when you powder your nose. As someone who doesn’t like to use powders, I love that it gives you an almost powdered effect sans the peach fuzz.
Favourite Drugstore Picks For The Eyes…
Picking my favourite eye products was a tough one because you can honestly find so many fantastic, affordable options at the drugstore. Two of the products, the mascara and liquid liner, I didn’t have to think too much about, since they are part of my every-day makeup routine, but I wanted to find my best options for an eye shadow primer and a great brow product too.
The Wet ‘n’ Wild Proline Felt Tip Eyeliner is seriously, hands down, one of the most incredible, blackest-black, longest-lasting, just-mind-blowingling-perfect liquid liners on the planet! If you’re a regular here on StyleScoop, you probably know my holy grail liner for creating slick black lines is the Makeup Forever Aqua Cream. But it’s pretty pricey and since it’s a gel, it requires a little more “work” as you need patience and a brush. Felt liners have always been second best for me, but since discovering the Proline Felt Tip Eye Liner I now find myself reaching for this one every single day.
I’m not entirely sure how the Wet ‘n Wild one is so much easier to use than the other felt liners I have on hand, but it must have something to do with the applicator tip. It has a super fine tip that gradually thickens and it’s quite long, so you can draw your liquid lines on with precision and make them as thick, or as thin as you want. When I’m in a rush, I usually place the tip where I want my line to start, and as I start drawing, I rotate my hand so that the tip is on its side, and then slide it across my lid. It’s so easy and goes on like a dream, and the blackest-black, slickest-slick coating stays glossy and intense all day long!
As far as mascara goes, again there’s a ton of fab ones out there, but the one that I use every day and love to pieces is the L’OREAL FALSE LASH WINGS Mascara. Trust me, it is like nothing else you’ve ever seen! Best of all, it pretty much gives everyone who uses it, the longest, most defined, flutter lashes ever, and as my friend Irina said, “It’s Legit”!
The applicator is totally different to anything else I’ve used, and instead of a traditional brush on wand, it has a single sided comb with perfectly placed bristles, and a flexi head to give you the effect of tightlined lashes, even without eyeliner. What’s really nice about this brush, is that it works like a charm on the lower lashes too, since you can easily comb them through with a nice lick of mascara, instead of worrying about the other end of the brush poking your eye out.
For brows, my Drugstore pick would be L’OREAL Brow Artist Sculpt. Again, L’OREAL has nailed it with a totally unique applicator that makes using this product, an all in one brow product! The single sided applicator starts off with a flat edged tip; for drawing a precise brow shape, and then just below it, a spoolie brush so you can comb it through. The benefit of this all in one system makes it easy for you to draw and shape your brows before the product dries, and doing so without having to switch your tools.
It’s pretty genius if you ask me! However, if you’re new to the whole brow game, I’d be wary about getting into brows with this product as it’s quite liquidy. I would suggest you wipe off the product on your first application, so that you get the minimal amount of product on your brows and rather get a feel for how it works. But once you’ve nailed the application, you’ll love this product. It draws, defines and fills your brows like a charm and the gel-like texture ensures your brows stay in place all day long!
And lastly, an eye shadow primer that works just as well as the premium brands is Wet ‘n’ Wild PhotoFocus Eyeshadow Primer. To be honest, I’ve only found success with 3, high end eye shadow primers (Urban Decay Primer Potion, SmashBox 24h Photofinish Eyeshadow Primer and Benefit Air Patrol), and IMO, this one is just as good!
Since I do have greasy lids, I’m the ideal candidate for an eyeshadow primer. If I don’t use one, my eye makeup, no matter what brand I use or how much time and effort has gone into blending, ends up looking warn and pretty much all over the place! With Wet ‘n’ Wild PhotoFocus Eyeshadow Primer my shadow stays put, it pops and my blending is actually noticeable. I was super impressed with this affordable product that does the trick. You only need a teeny amount so it will last you for ages! Oh, and if you don’t have greasy lids, an eyeshadow primer will still help your shadow to pop and last all day long, so definitely worth checking it out!
Favourite Drugstore Picks For Lips & Blush…
Finding your perfect lip colour and blush at the drugstore is a personal choice. Generally, I like wearing pinks and nudes on my lips and for blush, I always go with something soft and glowy. So instead of picking favourite colours, I thought I’d rather pick out my favourite formulations of lipsticks and blushes, since most of these come in a variety of shades.
When it comes to lipstick, I want something that lasts! I get that it wont last all day long! I’m realistic, but still, I want something that will at least last for a couple of hours, but most importantly, have a nice looking wear down.
For a nice matte stain, I love L’Oreal Infallible Matte Max (mine’s in the colour Oops I Pink It Again). They are so easy to apply, you could do it in the dark! They come a fun range of colours – there’s also a purple called “Gotta Feeling” which is just plain gorgeous – but I have no idea what I’ve done with mine! When I use these, I get about 3-4 hours wear, and even though it’s not that long, I still love the vibrancy of the colours and that they wear down nicely without drying my lips.
A great drugstore matte lipstick that lasts surprisingly well and again, doesn’t dry out my lips is Maybelline’s Color Sensational Matte Lipstick (mine’s in the colour Rose Rush). It’s a little creamer in the application compared to the L’Oreal Matte Max and saturates my lips with gorgeous colour that looks fresh and pouty. On my lips it lasts for about 5 hours – which is pretty good and the texture feels nice and lightweight.
Then onto something more intense – the Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor (not sure of my shade since the label has peeled off).
This is an extremely colour saturated lip product that gives you high definition lips. The formula is a lot more liquidy than the other two products mentioned, so you’ll want to make sure you’re precise with your application, even though the applicator is rather nice to use.
On dry lips, you might want to apply a thin layer of balm before applying it, so that you get that even finish, but overall a great product!
I definitely want to get my hands on some of the nuder shades of this product since I think it gives the lips a nice colour tone, even when it wears down. In terms of longevity, it lasts on me for about 5 or so hours, and I like the wear down, because even though it doesn’t stay liquidy, it still leaves a nice stain of colour on my lips.
And lastly for colour, blush! I’m not a huge blush wearer, so when I do wear blush, I want it to be as subtle as possible – nothing too intense, and so that’s why I love MAYBELLINE FACESTUDIO Master Blush (mine’s in the shade Coral Fever). The texture is super fine, so it applies flawlessly on the skin and leaves it looking perked up and glowy without looking like you’ve got clown cheeks. The packaging is also super cool, with a slide-up-and-across lid, making it compact and easy to throw in your makeup bag.
Favourite Drugstore Treat…
I couldn’t do a drugstore feature without mentioning one of my favourite drugstore treat brands, Cettua. Earlier this year, they re-launched their packaging, making them even more fun and cuter than ever, but the thing I love about these is that they are compact and really work wonders. To me, they are like mini-facials that I like to have on hand for when I need a quick pick me up for my skin!
I’ve just run out of my Cettua Half Moon Eye Patch masks, which worked so friggin well and currently loving the Cettua Charcoal Nose Strips – which help to remove blackheads and oil from the pores. The Nose Strips, and most of Cettua’s products come with a few sachets of individually packaged masks or strips. When I travel, I love stashing a few varieties in my toiletry bag because you never know when you’ll need a skin boost and you can have a quick facial in your hotel room!
Have you used any of these products? I’d love to hear what you thought (and your favourite colours), so let me know in the comments below. Also, let me know what drugstore products have you raving at the moment…
xo
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