Beginner's Guide to Drugstore Makeup

Drugstore makeup can be very overwhelming, especially if you're new to the makeup world. I've come up with a little guide to help you find products you'll love at the drugstore.


Foundation and Concealer:
If you're new to wearing makeup, then I would opt for a light coverage foundation or tinted moisturiser. If you want more coverage, choose a higher coverage concealer. Remember, foundation is meant to even everything out whereas concealer covers and hides imperfections. My current favourite drugstore base is the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream. It evens out the skin and makes it glow. I have a full review here. My advice when searching for drugstore foundations is to take your time. The hardest thing is finding your shade so take time to check in natural light whether it's right for you. I'm working on a post on tips for finding the right foundation for you so stay tuned for that!

Blush, Bronzer, Highlighter and Powder:
You can find great blushes etc at the drugstore. In fact, the majority of blushes and bronzers I own are from the drugstore. Sleek Makeup are amazing for blushes; I own five! They are super pigmented, blend beautifully and are very affordable. For cream blushes, I think Revlon are pretty hard to beat. They comes in lots of colours and last well throughout the day, even on oily skin. 

Bourjois have a good selection of bronzers and they usually come in a few shades. I like their Chocolate Bronzer because it blends well into the skin and doesn't look muddy or orange. Highlighters are tough to find because they usually end up looking glittery or chalky. I like the Revlon Highlighting Palette in 'Bronze Glow' because it makes the skin look really healthy. These kinds of palettes are really useful to have in your collection; you can use them for so many different things. Soap and Glory do nice highlighters too; I'm currently on the hunt for their Glow All Out Luminising Powder.

Eyeshadows, Eyeliners and Brows:
When I was first starting out in makeup I thought I needed to own all Mac eyeshadows; I was wrong. Sleek do amazing quality 12 pan eyeshadow palettes for £10. To put that into context, one beautifully pigmented palette from Sleek is the same price and one eyeshadow from Mac!

In terms of eyeliner, Rimmel is fantastic. The Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajals are only £3.99 and perform better than most high end ones. When they say waterproof, they mean waterproof. The colours are intense too and before they set, you can smudge it and blend it to create a really smokey effect. I also really like Barry M for eyeliner. They do really nice Kohl pencils and come in lots of colours. Good brow products are one of the hardest things to find at the drugstore. If you can't find a good eyebrow pencil, then I recommend looking for a matte eyeshadow. Sleek and Natural Collection do matte eyeshadows and are very affordable. 

Mascara:
Mascara is something I always buy at the drugstore. I think it's because they dry up quickly and to spend £20 on something only to throw it away after 3 months seems crazy to me. Maybelline and MaxFactor do amazing mascaras in my opinion. 

Lipsticks, Lipglosses and Lip Stains:
Drugstore brands do lip products well. They have every finish you can think of in every colour. Rimmel do great lipsticks; I love their Kate Moss Matte collection and you all know I love the L'oreal Rouge Caresse Lipsticks. Revlon do very good lipglosses; I love their Super Lusterous lipglosses because they give a decent amount of colour without the stickiness. It's a win win situation! 

Drugstore brands also do great lip crayons. I've tried the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains which are perfectly fine but I love the Bourjois Colourboost Lip Crayons. They have a lovely glossy formula but still last well on the lips. The colours are very pigmented too. If you are after a liquid lipstick then check out the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipsticks. They are very long lasting and I'll be reviewing them soon!

Brushes:
When it comes to makeup brushes at the drugstore, one brand comes to mind, Real Techniques. They are amazing! They wash well, dry quickly and apply makeup beautifully. If you can find the brand Zoeva, then definitely check them out too. They are very comparable to Mac brushes. To read a full review of Real Techniques and Zoeva brushes, click here. 

I hope this post has been useful to some of you. I think when you're just starting out it makeup it's really easy to think that you need to spend more money to get good products. Truthfully, there are great products at the drugstore that are easy to use and do an amazing job.

Let me know what drugstore products you love.

Thanks for reading,
Avani
xoxo