Foundation: I think the ultimate foundation at the drugstore for any skin type is the L'Oreal True Match foundation. Mine is in the shade Creamy Beige, but there are lots of different shades and undertones for you to pick the perfect colour for your skin. It's really easy to apply and really easy to blend in with barely any effort, while still looking liek you put in a lot of work.
Concealer: In my opinion, Maybelline is a queen of the drugstore concealer world. They just do no wrong and bring out a concealer for everyone. I'd have to say though, for a beginner, I'd go with the Maybelline Fit Me concealer. The texture of it is good for both under the eyes and for spot concealing, and it's not targeted for anything specific such as under eye circles.
Powder: This should come as no surprise, but my absolute favourite powder is the Bourjois Healthy Balance. I use this almost every day to set my makeup. It's just a beautiful, lightweight powder that just keeps foundation on the skin without looking for feeling overly cakey or heavy.
Brows: Brows at the drugstore are a tough one. Most of them really just don't have the lasting power or the right tone for brows to look natural. I quite like the Sportsgirl Pencil It In brow pencil. However the pencil is quite soft, so you'll either need to use a light hand, or really abuse the spoolie on the other end of the pencil to comb through the brows to distribute the product and make them look a lot softer and more natural. Also, unfortunately the product only comes in one shade, so someone with really light or really dark hair probably can't use it, unless they like more neutral brown brows.
Eyeshadow: The drugstore is a haven of different eyeshadows for you to pick and choose from. I think though, that as a beginner, it's easier to choose a palette that already has the eyeshadows laid out. I like the L'Oreal Color Riche eyeshadow quad in Absolute Taupe. It has two really nice matte shades to add definition to the eyes, and two cool toned shimmery shades to highlight and emphasise them.
Eyeliner: Of the three different types of eyeliner I can think of (pencil, liquid and gel), I think pencil is the easiest to work with and the most versatile. I think the Chi Chi Stay On eyeliners are a great place to start because they're cremy and pigmented, which makes them easy to apply, and they don't drag over the lid either. They're also quite blendable if you work quickly to make a smudgy, lived-in look. Also, it comes in an amazing range of shades, with some of them running metallic and some of them being matte. What I love most though is that they come in twist-up form which means you never need to sharpen them, but if you like your liners to come to a point, it comes with a built-in sharpener at the bottom which you can detach and use
Mascara: I feel like mascara is a very personal thing. I may like a mascara, but someone else may hate it. In saying that, there is a bucketload of different types of mascara in the drugstore, aimed at volumising and lengthening the lashes. I've recently started using the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara and I thoroughly enjoy it. It's more of a volumising mascara than a lengthening one, though it does do a little bit on the front. It has curved plastic bristles in a sort of spoon shape to cup and hold the lashes - I think it's supposed to help curl them. What I particularly like about this mascara is that it adds nice volume without clumping the lashes together like other volumising mascaras tend to do. That, and the packaging is a really pretty pink. What more could you ask for?
Cheeks: As a beginner, I barely knew what bronzer, blush and highlighter even were, and starting out with one of everything is a little excessive. Of the three, I think the most important one is blush, because the foundation application generally leaves the skin looking really flat and washed out. Also, a shimmery blush can double up as a highlighter as well. The one I like is the Maxfactor Creme Puff blushes. They're supposed to be dupes for the Hourglass Ambient lighting blushes, and they come pretty close. They add a nice flush of colour over the cheeks, and it's quite a hard powder, which makes it really hard to overdo. The one I have is in the shade Lovely Pink, but they come in a nice variety, from a peach to a nice mauve colour. All of them have a highlighter shade marbled through them to add a glow to the cheeks as well.
Lips: Lipsticks may be my one true love. There is a heap of shades and finishes to choose from, even within the same line. I've picked the Chi Chi Viva La Diva lipsticks because they have a very comprehensive range of colours in an equally impressive variety of finishes. First off, let's look at this packaging. It's quite extravagant and eye-catching, but I really like it. I like how the base of the package shows the colour of the lipstick, and it also twists open to reveal a little pot of more lipstick. I know right?! They apply really nice and smoothly and have seriously amazing pigmentation. The matte colours can be a little bit drying, but that generally comes with the territory.
And those are my picks for a drugstore starter kit! It's actually incredibly comprehensive and not so much of a starter kit and more like what I like most in each category. I hope you're liking drAUGUSTore so far and hopefully I'll have another (less rambling) post up soon!
Concealer: In my opinion, Maybelline is a queen of the drugstore concealer world. They just do no wrong and bring out a concealer for everyone. I'd have to say though, for a beginner, I'd go with the Maybelline Fit Me concealer. The texture of it is good for both under the eyes and for spot concealing, and it's not targeted for anything specific such as under eye circles.
Powder: This should come as no surprise, but my absolute favourite powder is the Bourjois Healthy Balance. I use this almost every day to set my makeup. It's just a beautiful, lightweight powder that just keeps foundation on the skin without looking for feeling overly cakey or heavy.
Brows: Brows at the drugstore are a tough one. Most of them really just don't have the lasting power or the right tone for brows to look natural. I quite like the Sportsgirl Pencil It In brow pencil. However the pencil is quite soft, so you'll either need to use a light hand, or really abuse the spoolie on the other end of the pencil to comb through the brows to distribute the product and make them look a lot softer and more natural. Also, unfortunately the product only comes in one shade, so someone with really light or really dark hair probably can't use it, unless they like more neutral brown brows.
Eyeshadow: The drugstore is a haven of different eyeshadows for you to pick and choose from. I think though, that as a beginner, it's easier to choose a palette that already has the eyeshadows laid out. I like the L'Oreal Color Riche eyeshadow quad in Absolute Taupe. It has two really nice matte shades to add definition to the eyes, and two cool toned shimmery shades to highlight and emphasise them.
Eyeliner: Of the three different types of eyeliner I can think of (pencil, liquid and gel), I think pencil is the easiest to work with and the most versatile. I think the Chi Chi Stay On eyeliners are a great place to start because they're cremy and pigmented, which makes them easy to apply, and they don't drag over the lid either. They're also quite blendable if you work quickly to make a smudgy, lived-in look. Also, it comes in an amazing range of shades, with some of them running metallic and some of them being matte. What I love most though is that they come in twist-up form which means you never need to sharpen them, but if you like your liners to come to a point, it comes with a built-in sharpener at the bottom which you can detach and use
Mascara: I feel like mascara is a very personal thing. I may like a mascara, but someone else may hate it. In saying that, there is a bucketload of different types of mascara in the drugstore, aimed at volumising and lengthening the lashes. I've recently started using the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara and I thoroughly enjoy it. It's more of a volumising mascara than a lengthening one, though it does do a little bit on the front. It has curved plastic bristles in a sort of spoon shape to cup and hold the lashes - I think it's supposed to help curl them. What I particularly like about this mascara is that it adds nice volume without clumping the lashes together like other volumising mascaras tend to do. That, and the packaging is a really pretty pink. What more could you ask for?
Cheeks: As a beginner, I barely knew what bronzer, blush and highlighter even were, and starting out with one of everything is a little excessive. Of the three, I think the most important one is blush, because the foundation application generally leaves the skin looking really flat and washed out. Also, a shimmery blush can double up as a highlighter as well. The one I like is the Maxfactor Creme Puff blushes. They're supposed to be dupes for the Hourglass Ambient lighting blushes, and they come pretty close. They add a nice flush of colour over the cheeks, and it's quite a hard powder, which makes it really hard to overdo. The one I have is in the shade Lovely Pink, but they come in a nice variety, from a peach to a nice mauve colour. All of them have a highlighter shade marbled through them to add a glow to the cheeks as well.
Lips: Lipsticks may be my one true love. There is a heap of shades and finishes to choose from, even within the same line. I've picked the Chi Chi Viva La Diva lipsticks because they have a very comprehensive range of colours in an equally impressive variety of finishes. First off, let's look at this packaging. It's quite extravagant and eye-catching, but I really like it. I like how the base of the package shows the colour of the lipstick, and it also twists open to reveal a little pot of more lipstick. I know right?! They apply really nice and smoothly and have seriously amazing pigmentation. The matte colours can be a little bit drying, but that generally comes with the territory.
And those are my picks for a drugstore starter kit! It's actually incredibly comprehensive and not so much of a starter kit and more like what I like most in each category. I hope you're liking drAUGUSTore so far and hopefully I'll have another (less rambling) post up soon!
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