I am a firm believer in quality makeup, which means a large sum of money spent on makeup that runs at high price. Sometimes I do not wish to spend a lot of money but the way makeup sets with your skin, the appearance of it and how it compliments your skin and overall facial appearance makes it all worthwhile. I have found ways around paying fortunes of money for makeup by exploring all brands and one of my favorites is NYX. This brand is one of my holy grails, especially their wide variety of matte liquid lipsticks. I am still a sucker for expensive brands such as Too Faced, Urban Decay, Anastasia Beverly Hills, or Becca but NYX is such a great alternative to some expensive products. I am going to list just a few of my all time favorite products below.
- Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer
This is my favorite bronzer, for several reasons, I actually use this to contour with. This bronzer has the perfect matte finish and when using a shade darker than your skin tone it provides the perfect shade for contouring as well! Not only can you create a flawless contour, your face will also smell like chocolate and I absolutely love to have a sweet smell activating my senses.
2. NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream, Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick, & Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipstick
If you love Matte finished lips as much as I do, these three different Matte finish lip lines will have you drooling! I absolutely cannot get enough of these! At the low prices of $5.99-6.99 these are must haves in your everyday routine. There are many different ways these three different formulas can be worn. The soft Matte lip cream is perfect to be worn on its own or over a lip pencil or lipstick. The liquid suede lipstick is a highly pigmented formula that doesn't dry your lips and in my opinion is best on its own. The lip lingerie is a line that I absolutely love due to my favorite colors being nudes to browns for special events. This formula can cause dryness to your lips so it can be worn over a hydrating lipstick if you wish but I wear it own it's own.
3. IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Concealer
I have this concealer in the shade neutral medium and it's the travel size but I love it! I am a guru to try the sample sizes of different brands of makeup to determine if they're worth the full size and price! This is a very thick, full coverage concealer that is perfect for "baking" or special events. I do not use this for everyday wear because it's too thick for everyday use in my opinion but I absolutely love to use this for "baking" my face or special events such as my sister's wedding or cheerleading competitions.
4. IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream Moisturizing Super Cream
I have the MOST dry skin in the entire world and I cannot stand to have a flawless finish and then look by my nose to see cracking. I have recently found this cream and I purchased it in the travel size that was $16 and I do not regret it one bit! This cream definitely abides by the rule "a little bit goes a long way" which is not a bad thing because I do not have to use very much to have a fully hydrated face. Do not sell yourself short when it comes to skin regimes, properly moisturizing your face before makeup application creates a more flawless and creaseless finish.
5. Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation
This foundation can be seen as a pricey buy at $44 but when you want full coverage with a hydrating formula, it is a must have. I absolutely love this formula, I received a sample of it when I made another purchase online at Ulta and I have sworn to it since then! I have always used cheap foundations because I do not wear it that often, I generally just wear powder foundation but this foundation is worth the buy. Do not worry, if you have oily skin versus having dry skin, Becca also has a foundation for you: Ultimate Coverage Complexion Crème at the same price of $44.
6. Urban Decay Naked Palettes
If I couldn't say enough how much I still love my naked palettes, I am now! These four eyeshadow palettes are to die for, as I've progressed in my makeup techniques I am now reaching out to more colorful eyeshadow palettes. These are perfect for beginners (even better are the Naked Basics 1 & 2 for beginners) and for people who love to achieve any smoky look for different colored eyes. I love every one of these palettes but my favorite is Naked 3 due to the fact I have hazel/green/golden eyes and the rosy, gold shades in this palette accent them best. If you're a lover of smoky eyes, the Naked Smoky would be one of your first choices due to the cool grey tones and some metallic shades for accenting. Each palette is around $52 but they are very much worth it in my honest opinion.
7. NYX Cosmetics Hi Definition Photo Concealer Wand
For my everyday concealer use, NYX Hi Definition Concealer is my all time favorite. This formula is perfect for covering up blemishes and evening skin tones with the correct shades. I have recently purchased this concealer in the shade "fair" to use as a liquid highlighter on my face and it works very well. These babies run at a fair price as well, $4.99 and you have the correcting colors you need! The main reason I love NYX is because I can purchase many of my favorite products at my local target and I do not have to make a trip to my nearest Ulta or Sephora (which is over an hour away).
8. Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kits
All glow kits are featured above, except the newest edition to these beauties Anastasia's Ultimate Glow Kit. I have only recently gotten my hands on these beautiful kits and I have only purchased "Sun dipped" and the newest, "Ultimate Glow Kit". I have not had much time to practice and experiment with them, but for the two times I have, these are incredible. Each kit is suited to different skin tones to properly accent the person who is wearing these beautiful kits. The newest kit, "Ultimate Glow" I have found that the colors work perfect for eyeshadow as well with beautiful metallic textures. I intend on purchasing the rest of the kits soon and my first one will be "Moonchild" that creates a beautiful luminous appearance.
9. Rimmel Scandaleyes Curve Alert Mascara
I have tried so many high-end mascaras over the past few months, from Tarte to Too Faced. Although many of the brands and kinds I have tried are amazing, I used this mascara once from my sister's makeup bag and fell in love. I recently used her mascara and now feel no need to search any longer for mascara. I am sure here and there I will still purchase an expensive mascara to switch up my tubes but for now I will be sticking to this. This mascara creates the volume, length, and curve every girl wants to see in her eyelashes and I cannot get over how amazing it truly is!
10. Beauty blender Sponge
While most will swear by the original "Beauty Blender Sponge" I do not mind using dupes in comparison to this high-end brand. A month ago, it was time for me to find a new sponge, so I headed off to my favorite store, TJ Maxx to see what they had. I found this beauty blender that was so incredibly soft and perfect for only $4 and I haven't been disappointed since. There are many upsides to finding alternatives (dupes) to different brands of makeup and there can also be some downsides. While I have found more pros than cons, I will continue to spend where I wish and save where I can. The dupes to the original makeup sponge can be beneficial, some of the shapes can be used for more precise use, for heavier coverage, or better grip! I do encourage you to try out different dupes you find on Pinterest or the internet because more often than none, you won't be disappointed!
I hope whoever takes the time to view this article tries some of the products I have listed! Rest assure you will certainly not be disappointed with NYX Cosmetics, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Too Faced, and many other brands! Be sure to use some of my money saving tips and happy makeup shopping! For more makeup or brand buying tips, leave comments on the article commenting section or feel free to message me!
