e.l.f. mineral-infused face primer- I am not great at describing skin products, so I'll try to make this bit quick- it's inexpensive, makes your foundation last, has that really nice silicone-y primer feeling, and it doesn't break me out. That's good enough for me.
nyx bb cream- BB cream is like less intense foundation. It's a really good in-between for if you want a little bit of coverage but you're not ready for full-on foundation and/or you're too lazy to deal with that. Both are relatable. This smells good and makes your acne look not as bad, but the one problem is that the shade range is not good. There are three shades, and they're all for lighter skin tones. :(((
wet'n'wild photofocus foundation- This is a great drugstore foundation for the price! It doesn't have the shade range problems of the above BB cream, and depending on how heavily you apply it, you can get medium to full coverage. (I would recommend using a damp makeup sponge with this, though- I've heard it goes on differently with a brush?)
e.l.f. under-eye conceal + highlight- This concealer isn't super full-coverage, but I like it- it feels a bit less high maintenance while still making it look like you remember the last time you got a good night's sleep. Sigh. (Bonus points for a pretty nice liquid highlighter on the other end of the product!)
nyx concealer wand- I think there's a longer name for this that may or may not involve the term "HD", but I don't feel like going to go get it right now. This is a more full-coverage concealer, great for when you have some acne that looks more like you were attacked by a swarm of very tiny, very angry bees. Been there. (For best results, use a buffing brush to blend this out.)
essence all about matt powder- I don't know why they spelled this "matt" instead of "matte", but okay. This is great at keeping your face makeup from creasing and deciding that the sides of your nose are where it lives now.
e.l.f. under-eye setting powder- Yes, I have a separate powder for undereye concealer. I've accepted that I am just extra. This is good, though, because undereye concealer is the part that always seems like it creases the most. (Or even makes its way into your tear ducts, which is a Bad Feel.) (Not-quite-pro-but-here's-my-experience-tip: the little brush that comes with it is not optimal.)
wet'n'wild eyeshadows- I don't know how Wet'n'Wild does pretty much everything so well for a drugstore brand, but they do and their "Walking on Eggshells" shadow trio is a gift to humanity. Their shimmer shadows are really satisfying to swatch, and their single eyeshadows are great too.
essence eyeshadows- These are the softest eyeshadows on the face of the planet. I am not even joking. I highly recommend their bronze and rose palettes- I love them. They blend so well and they're really pigmented, and I think they're like $5 each. Amazing.
physicians formula lash booster eyeliner- Full disclosure: I am currently on the hunt for a new liquid eyeliner because PF seems to be making a point of not including any products useful to people whose skin is darker than "medium light", which... yikes, but I like the brush tip on this. I'll keep you posted on finding a company that doesn't deliberately limit their demographic to 33.85% of the world's population.
wet'n'wild creme gel eyeliner- This is eyeliner in a different format, but it's still good. Use an angled brush with this, though, AKA not the one it comes with.
essence lash princess mascara- 10/10 mascara. It's like $4 and it's really good- looks natural but still lengthening/volumizing.
makeup revolution matte blush- I use the color "nude" and it's a really nice basic, natural blush that goes with pretty much any eye or lip combination. Plus I think it's three or four dollars.
wet'n'wild mega cushion highlight- This is so pretty. Seriously. It looks pretty natural, but it still gives a really nice glow and it's so satisfying to swatch.
wet'n'wild megaglo (the heck is that name) highlight in precious petals- I feel like this is a bit more of an intense highlight, for when you want to be seen from outer space. Needless to say, I love it.
essence pure nude highlight- This one is more of an everyday highlight. It looks like your skin is just a little glowy, which I like.
nyx velvet matte lipstick in soft femme- This is my favorite lipstick I own. The color is sort of a dusty rose but with some reddish tones, the formula is long-lasting and doesn't dry out your lips, and the packaging is made of that really nice-feeling soft matte plastic, so it's a win-win-win.
nyx liquid suede lip liners/creams- These liquid lipsticks are super nice, super long-wearing, and let me tell you that applying a lip liner and then the matching lipstick is one of the most satisfying experiences I can think of.
makeup revolution lipsticks- I don't know what the actual name of these is but they're inexpensive and they're so nice! They're very pigmented and actually really moisturizing. Their nude and their red are my favorite lipsticks in those respective color categories.
e.l.f. studio matte lip color- I have the dark red shade and I love the way this is packaged because you can pretty much use it as a lip liner and a lipstick, which is especially nice with the darker shades. It's also one of those rare moisturizing products marked as matte.
So those were some of my favorite cruelty-free drugstore makeup items! I hope you found this post helpful, and as an aside, please take my survey so I can estimate the response to my content. Thanks so much, everyone!! -Julia
