While I love to try new things with my makeup and I am constantly purchasing new products that catch my eye, there have been quite a few products that have survived the test of time and have stuck with me for multiple years. These aren’t just products I use because they are what I’m used to, they are products I use because I have to. They always work for me, and they are a staple in my makeup bag for every occasion.
Foundation
My Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation is my ultimate holy grail foundation, and I will never stop re-purchasing it. I have combination skin that often is more on the oily side, and therefore I tend to reach for a trusty matte formula to lock everything down. Having struggled with acne, redness, and dark spots on my face since being a young teenager, I’ve always tried to cover everything as much as I possibly could to boost my confidence. That lack of confidence in my skin carried with me into college, and when I came across this product in a YouTube video about three years ago I picked it up at my local Macy’s and knew I would never go back. This foundation is the perfect amount of full-coverage and makes my skin look flawless. It also never creases on me throughout the day, holds back all of my oiliness to keep me from looking too shiny even after a full day of work and classes, and is so easy to apply with either a brush or beauty blender. I have also found that it does not look overly matte and I can use less for a more sheer and natural look on days where I do not need as much coverage. Lately I have been trying other foundations as well for different occasions and finishes (keep an eye out for a future review on these), but I still recently re-purchased this foundation when I ran out as it is my go-to for a flawless complexion.
I am in the shade Warm Vanilla (2W0) and you can learn more about this foundation here.
Face Primer
I have to give a shout out to both of these products. Both of these are amazing primers, and they make my skin so smooth and my make up always goes on beautifully over them.
My Tarte Poreless Matiffying Primer does exactly what the name suggests. As soon as I glide it onto my face, it instantly starts taking care of any shine and reducing the look of my pores. It holds up all day to help keep my oils from coming through and keeps other products from settling into my pores. This is a primer that I will continue to re-purchase and use for any and every occasion.
Learn more about the Tarte Poreless Mattifying Primer here.
Now for the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Luminizer Primer. This primer is something that I received in my BoxyCharm subscription box and is definitely something that I will re-purchase. Having combo/oily skin, it is really hard for me to use “luminous” products for the more dewy and natural skin look that people love because my face normally gets too shiny throughout the day while using them. However, this primer gives me that beautiful glow-from-within from under my foundation and fills my pores, leaving my skin looking smooth and beautifully prepped for my other products.
Learn more about the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Luminizer Primer here.
Eye Primer
Alright, let’s talk about some REAL ride-or-die products. I have used my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion under my eyeshadow for about eight years now, and I will never use anything else. I have never ever had my eyeshadow crease on me when I’ve used this primer underneath. When I first started playing around with makeup in junior high and high school and applied eye shadows for the first few times, I noticed I would get horrific creasing on my eyelids. After doing some research on which products to try to get rid of this issue, I stumbled across this and have never turned back. You can always find this product in my makeup bag, and if for some reason I forgot to pack it I either go out and buy more from the nearest Ulta or Sephora or I refuse to wear eyeshadow. It’s that serious of a holy grail for me.
*Note: Even though it is marketed as “shades”, the formulas are actually different. The only one that works for me is “Original”.
Learn more about the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion here.
Concealer
This is a product that YouTube made me buy, and I am so happy it did. A year ago I saw a ton of reviews of Tarte Shape Tape Concealer popping up, and decided it was worth the investment to try a new concealer. This product is an amazing full-coverage matte concealer that hides literally anything. It covers up blemishes and under-eye darkness seamlessly, and it never creases on me. I know that most people apply their concealer over their foundation, but I actually apply mine under my foundation. I have tried it both ways, but I personally prefer the look of it under my foundation as I don’t like a super bright under eye look on myself. In fact, I use this product so sparingly just to cover what I need it to that this is the same tube I purchased a year ago. I do think that this shade is a little too light for me as I had originally planned to attempt to use it for highlighting, but it definitely does the job for covering blemishes and applying it under the foundation makes the shade not look as bright. When I run out of this shade, I will definitely re-purchase this item in a shade more matched to my skin-tone as I use it more for spot-concealing rather than highlighting.
The shade pictured is Light, and you can learn more about this concealer here.
Highlighters
I am all about the glow in my looks. I love highlight, and cannot do my makeup without it. They just add such a pleasing element to my makeup, and I find myself reaching for different colors all the time to experiment with different looks. I use highlight on the tops of my cheekbones, lightly near my temples, on my nose, and in the inner corner of my eyes.
The Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit by Anastasia Beverly Hills is an absolute must-have for me, and I always take it with me on trips because it has such a variety of different shades that almost all work for my skin tone. There are two darker golds that are a little too dark for me unless I get super tan, but I use those as eyeshadows sometimes.
Sadly this palette was limited edition and is no longer available. However, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Sun Dipped glow kit does have some similar shades, and that can be found using the same link for the Moonchild palette below.
This next palette was my first ever highlight purchase, and was also my first adventurous makeup purchase. Some people might see the colors of the Moonchild Glow Kit by Anastasia Beverly Hills and get worried about using these very different colors. However, I have found that the range of color and pigment allows you to make your desired look, ranging anywhere from toned down to very vibrant. These colors are all very pigmented and build-able, and I cannot tell you how many compliments I have received when wearing the Pink Heart and Purple Horseshoe shades. For anyone feeling like they want to step out of their comfort zone a bit with their makeup and you want to try something a little different, this palette is a 10/10 recommendation from me.
Learn more about the Anastasia Beverly Hills Moonchild Glow Kit here.
This compact contains a very light-gold, natural highlight. The Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in Champagne Pop is something I throw onto the high points of my face on days I want a very natural looking glow. This product is not an extreme glow, but is build-able to where you can get a more dramatic look with a few extra dips of your brush. This is a must have for weekend getaways for me where I just want to take a few products to give me a more natural, everyday look.
Learn more about the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighters here.
Mascara
I only use waterproof mascara as a personal preference because I have naturally very straight eye lashes. Every time I curled them and used a non-waterproof mascara, my eyelashes would straighten back out within an hour and it was very frustrating. However, one day someone recommended to me to try waterproof formulations as they hold the curl better, and I have not gone back to non-waterproof mascara since.
With that being said, I have used the Tarte Lights Camera Splashes Mascara for a few years now, and it has been a serious go-to. I love the thin wand to apply mascara to both my upper and bottom lashes, and the waterproof formula keeps my lashes long, dark and curled all day long.
You can learn more about this Tarte mascara here.
The L’Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise Waterproof Mascara is a recent purchase, but I have quickly fallen in love with it. It adds the perfect amount of length and volume to my eyelashes. I also think despite me getting the shade “blackest black” it still looks very fanned out and natural, but another coat can be added for extra bold eye-look days. The only downside to this mascara is that the wand is rather large and I struggle to use it on my bottom lashes, and therefore I still use the Tarte mascara on my bottom lashes even when I use this L’Oréal mascara on my top lashes.
You can learn more about this L’Oréal mascara here.
Lipstick
Last but certainly not least is lipstick. Lipstick is not an everyday thing for me, and most times I just throw on some chapstick and I’m out the door. However, there is one lipstick that I do not go anywhere without having in my makeup bag, and that is the Tarte Color Splash Hydrating Lipstick in the shade Beach Babe. Now, I went crazy and bought the collector’s edition with all of the shades of this formula, but Beach Babe is my tried and true nude everyday shade. This formula is so hydrating that it wears like a chapstick, but is full-pigment to give you the true shade of the lipstick in one swipe. While I also enjoy my occasional matte lipsticks, I do find that I personally prefer formulas like this because I can easily throw the lipstick into my bag and re-apply it throughout the day with no clumping or peeling issues that I have had with some matte lipsticks. I also enjoy the hydration that this Tarte formula brings, as I don’t take my lipstick off at the end of the day and feel like all of the moisture has been sucked out of my lips.
To learn more about this Tarte Color Splash Hydrating Lipsticks, click here.
Other Product Shout-Outs
These are products that I currently use every single day and have loved using, but plan on replacing to try new products once I run out. Keep an eye out for product reviews on new items this summer!
Tarte Amazonian Clay Matte Waterproof Bronzer
In the shade Park Ave Princess, this bronzer has been a staple for me to add some color and dimension to my face. I not only use this item for bronzing, but I also use it for days where I want a light contour as this shade is perfect to give the illusion of shadows on my face. This formula is also very smooth and blendable, making it easy to apply. I would definitely consider re-purchasing this product, but I have been itching to try a different bronzer for a little while now just to give other products a shot.
You can learn more about this bronzer here.
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush
I own several of these blushes, and have mixed feelings about them. I love the look of blush as it adds this natural elegant flush to the face that makes you look perky and alive. I have tried several shades of this blush including Captivating (bright peach), Paaarty (nude), and Exposed (nude pink). Of these three, I have definitely reached for Exposed the most as I like more of a soft natural look to my blush with a hint of color. I have enjoyed the formula of all of these blushes, and I think that they are super blend-able. The only downside of these blushes is that sometimes I feel the color pay-off on the cheeks isn’t great, and I find myself using more than I would like to get the pigment. However despite using more, I still have essentially full pans of all of these blushes. I would recommend these blushes, but would like to venture out to try some other brands and formulas as these were my first blushes I ever tried.
You can learn more about these blushes here.
Urban Decay Perversion Waterproof Fine-Point Eye Pen
This is a product that I just recently purchased, and have really been enjoying! It’s in this category just because it is relatively new to me, and I have not decided if this will be re-purchased once it’s empty or if I will try a different brand or formula. I find this product very pigmented and true-black, and every time I have worn this eyeliner is has lasted all day without moving or smudging. With the fine tip of this product, it is very easy to apply it precisely to wear you want it, and it gets in between the lashes very well for added dimension.
Learn more about this eyeliner here.