I'm just wondering what products people like to use. If you use drug store makeup or high end. I personally use a mixture of both. Like I love Revlon's liquid eyeliner and I haven't found one I like better. I also love morphe eyeshadow palettes because they are beautifully pigmented.
I love makeup but I’m all over the map as far as preferences are concerned. I’m more into actual skincare and loyal to my skincare products. I don’t care what type of makeup you wear or how much, bad skin is bad skin. I also think that’s where most of your funds should be invested and that is where you should avoid being cheap. I’m just as happy bare-faced as I am fully made up, contoured and highlighted—it’s more or less of a mood thing for me. Never-the-less, I’m quite the collector. Make-up artistry paid plenty of bills for me as an undergrad. I don't like to waste my money or my time.
I’m picky about my brushes/Beauty Blenders sponges. I have a lot of them, but I’ve this 16 piece brush set that is 11 years old by Versace. I got them as gratis at a show. They are still perfect and I clean my brushes all the time. It is the best set of brushes ever. It’s my go to brushes. So if anyone has found something that good and durable to replace them, let me know—or some comparable flat face brushes.
I do like the Mac Stippling Brush. I’ll fight someone over that one.
I’m oily, so I look for color products that can endure and hold their pigment. I very rarely do priming unless I’m going to be front and center all day with no time for touch ups. But, quality stuff doesn’t usually require a lot of priming to endure. I have a lot of Mac color products—shadows, liners and lip colors. They are a sure thing. I also like their recycling thing they do, because of that I have almost every lip color--free. Make your makeup pay for your make up.
Lately my go to basic everyday thing is pretty simple with the illusion of high maintenance—takes me 4 min tops:
Lorac Thin brow pencils
Anastasia’s Brow Pro Palette and tinted brow gel
Lancôme’s Tient Idole Ultra 24 hr Makeup in my highlighting zone, applied with a makeup brush
Sprits on some Mario Badescu Rosewater facial spray
Lancôme’s Translucence powder and I’m set.
Lancôme has a nice eyelash primer and for every day I use their Defensils black mascara on my natural lashes because I wear contacts and I’m sensitive. I don’t like clumpy.
Mac lips pencil in Plum at my lips bow and in the corners for depth, over that my fav, Shiseido’s Perfect Rouge Tender Sheer. (I only have two tubes left and it’s on the final call list for that brand)
I highlight my eyelid crease right under the bone outward with Mac’s Embark shadow
I have two favorite Mac lip colors right now, Touch and Antique Velvet
I have Lancôme’s Juicy Tubes stashed everywhere and I love them. Just a dab is all you need or you will look like you have been eating fried chicken. Lasts forever.
I have full lips. I like them to look nice, but I don't have time for applying and reapplying lip color. I stick with what lasts but keeps them soft.
My “Glamour Girl” look is simple too:
I just love Anastasia’s contour kits. They are cool for the price. Seriously.
Anastasia’s liquid lipsticks are matte but moisturizing. I love an Ombre lip and I coordinate Mac lip pencils with the lipsticks for that. There is no bleeding. I love the combo.
Sacha’s Buttercup setting powder is a find.
Laura Mercier Translucent powder
Mac’s Finishing powder
All of those are great for that long lasting professional look. They don't give me that dough look.
I feel like I should add on to my original post and say what I use. I do use a mixture of drug store and high end stuff as I said before.
-I use clinique foundation and concealer
-I also use bye bye under concealer because I have horrible bags under my eyes and it works miracles
-Anastasia Beverly Hill Brow Wiz and also the Eyebrow Pomade
-Morphe eyeshadow palettes and I also have this lovely palette from sephora that is surpassingly pigmented
-Revlon liquid eyeliner
-I use two bronzers; One by Bahama Mama which I absolutely love and one by Pacifica
-My ultimate favorite highlighter is from Ofra, it is so amazing. I believe it's called "You Glow Girl"
-My setting power is also by Ofra
-I use so many lipsticks it's sad from MAC to Revlon to Sheisido
-As for brushes I use a wide spread from Morphe to no name brands
I also believe good skin means a good look so stay moisturized! Keep your skin healthy and glowing
Dept. store brands is what i go for. Any mid range brand which suits your skin is what you should chose. I used to doll up in my teen years, but after a skin doctor explained the effects of long term heavy use of cosmetics, i started wearing only lip gloss & an eyeliner.
Could anyone recommend a good foundation for oily skin? How about a good pore-reducer?
I like to get my make-up from Sephora. Right now, I use Bare Minerals powder foundation but I'm not getting the coverage I would like. Also, I have to shower a couple of times a day for work, so I'm looking for something that can hold up to steam.
I can share my favorite mascara ever. It's Buxom waterproof black. It holds up all day, even through the aforementioned showers.
Let me see....
Benefit
Too Faced
Urban Decay
I just started using It products. They are good
I use Too Faced Born This Way foundation. I'm not sure how it is for oily skin
I suggest Benefit Porefessional Primer for oily skin. It shrinks the pores and creates a smooth "canvas". My skin is on the dryer side so it didn't work for me but it is highly praised by those many many women who use it.
All Charlotte Tilbury products just make you feel amazing
I'm ghostly pale--ILLAMASQUA, Ben Nye, Kryolan, Giorgio Armani are my go to brands. Long lasting, sweat proof (for some of those who attend concerts and mosh).
Lipstick I don't mind it being long lasting, a red/blue shade is fine YSL shades ♥
Haven't found a liquid eye liner that I can rave about--as long as I have my cat eye flick I'm happy.
Blush--Tarte makes a few nice shades and I don't contour--I love my ghostly pale complexion.
Highlight--the usual t zone and cheeks--just a tiny bit.
Then finish off w/ your favorite brand of setting spray to keep your caked face on all day.
looks like i'll have to represent for the dimestore divas - no worries, i'm up to the task?
drugstore products have improved LEAPS AND BOUNDS from when i was a teenager! many products are on par with, or even better than, their high-end counterparts. if you haven't taken a stroll down the makeup aisle at your local wal-mart, target, cvs, walgreens etc, do yourself a favor - you might be pleasantly surprised.
my steadfast rule for shopping any brand (drugstore or high-end) is whether or not they provide for women of color (woc). if my complexion is the darkest, or worse, you don't even attempt to carry a deeper selection: thou shalt NOT get my hard earned coins. luckily, there are a good selection of brands that offer a wide range of shades. my favs are: revlon, l'oreal, cover girl and maybelline. currently maybelline is my brand du jour, they carry my foundation holy grail - fit me matte and poreless. i have oily skin and it's been a godsend.
other favorites include:
-elf golden bronzer
-milani baked blush
-l'oreal lash paradise mascara
-wet n wild contouring palette
-la girl pro conceal peach corrector
-maybelline baby skin instant pore eraser
-maybelline age rewind under-eye concealor
as far as tools go, this is where you'll find my two splurges. i ADORE my beauty blender! the natural finish is to die for. otherwise, i use elf studio brushes. my other indulgence is tweezerman tweezers. fell in love with the precision and haven't looked back.
I tend to use lighter shades, and they are tricky to find, specially eye shadows, if you wanna match them to your outfit.
I'm vegan so my favorites are Kat Von D Beauty, E.L.F., Blackmoon Cosmetics, and Melt Cosmetics. Probably at least 80% of what I have is Kat Von D. Her Lock-It liquid foundation is amazing as is her contouring palette and eye shadow palettes. Love her matte liquid lipsticks too. Cool as colors.
Revlon Mascara and Lip gloss is all I wear ... I’ve never been a makeup person
Silicone primers just don't work for me, and believe me, I've tried enough to know 
