As a seasoned makeup artist with over 20+ years as a professional, I often get asked my go-to recommendations for the everyday gal. Below are a few of my favorite makeup product recommendations (all in my personal makeup bag). All offer versatility for everyday wear or take it up a notch for a fun evening on the town.
Cherry on top, all my favorite go-to makeup grabs are from cruelty-free companies, and often PETA certified.
Makeup Brushes
Makeup brushes are the lifeblood of a great makeup application. They allow you to get the desired saturation and blend-ability no matter the look you are going for. Good makeup brushes can make the difference in your look going from a 4 to a 10. Trust me when I say an investment in great makeup brushes is a well-spent investment (I could tell you many makeup brush horror stories).
Morphe 18 Piece Variety Makeup Brush Set
I love my Morphe brushes! As a makeup artist that does multiple applications on clients in a single day, these brushes hold up to constant sanitation and daily washing. Morphe brushes are seriously a vital staple for everybody, whether you're just starting to learn how to do makeup or are a seasoned veteran. They are superior in quality and their affordable price allows you to maintain a complete assortment.
They are multipurpose vegan makeup brush that is best for liquids and pressed powders but offers various brushes for almost any type of makeup and applications, such as creams, powders, foundation, and concealers.
Foundation
Foundation is a unique thing for every woman. I have always battled adult acne and have combination skin that is very sensitive to lots of chemicals. When looking for a foundation for your skin, I highly recommend making sure you like the foundation's consistency. It matches your skin tone based on skin color, just as it changes color from your "tan" and the white of your arm.
I love the Almay Clear Complexion Foundation line. This lightweight liquid foundation with salicylic acid manages to conceal blemishes, control shine, minimize pores, and suppress my acne-prone skin flare-ups, all without suffocating your skin.
The soft matte finish foundation disguises blemishes—not the texture of your skin—and allows you to build makeup coverage without caking. It is available in 14 easy-match shades because breakouts happen to everyone. The clean foundation is dermatologist tested, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, and cruelty-free.
Eyeshadow
This has been by far my favorite Morphe palette to-date! This palette offers beautiful rich colors that can be used to give you that perfect soft daywear look or a dramatic smoky eye night out on the town. When James Charles says you can create anything, he means it. For. Real. The color never ends with this full spectrum of 39 dialed-up, intensely pigmented shades.
If you are a woman that prefers a more soft and natural look, this is the go-to palette! Urban Decay Naked3 Eyeshadow Palette features 12 rose-hued neutrals in ultra-smooth mattes, gorgeous pearls, and glimmering metallics that work with every eye color and skin tone.
Turn your eyes into a work of art with this versatile eyeshadow palette. Use dusty pink mattes and rose-gold shimmers to create a soft glow, or take your look from day to night with a dramatic smoky eye using deeper bronze and burgundy.
Every shade is paraben-free, sulfate-free, and phthalate-free eye shadow palette featuring a velvety texture, rich color, and extreme blend-ability.
Eyebrows
Brows are essential to creating a perfectly framed face. They are what draws the eye to your stunning eyes and beautiful lips. Great brow products (and excellent brow grooming) brings all sorts of goodness to any makeup look.
COVERGIRL Easy Breezy Brow Micro-fine & Define Pencil
I have tried so many different brow pencils in my day. Trust me when I say the over the counter Covergirl micro-fine pencil is the best and super affordable! There is no sharpening needed, has a built-in spoolie with micro-fine tip, suitable for sensitive eyes, lasts all day, and removes easily with soap and water.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo
When you need to fill in your brows, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo is the best! Featuring a buildable formula in 11 different shade duos, Brow Powder Duo is ideal for creating everything from natural-looking brows to full, dramatic brows. This brow powder compact can be used to perfect the ombré brow technique while giving brows natural-looking texture or mixed together to customize your own brow shade.
Pro-Tip
To create hairlike micro strokes, saturate an ultra-thin angled brush with brow primer, pinch the bristles into a clean, sharp angle, dip into Brow Powder Duo and then stamp into brows. This ultra-thin angled brush allows you to create hairlike micro strokes with expert precision.
Eyeliner
When it comes to eyeliner, I am very particular. As a girl who has enjoyed a winged eyeliner since I was 13, great consistency, staying power, and deep saturation are essential for me! There are only two liquid eyeliners I have found that can even live up to my high standard. The most significant difference in these liners is that one uses a paintbrush tip. The other one is my go-to for a waterproof liner with a marker tip. Both products are top-notch.
Kat Von D Dagger Tattoo Liner - Black
This eyeliner is an ultra-rich, waterproof, felt-tipped liquid pen eyeliner for instant bold lines and extreme long wear. If you love felt-tip eyeliners, this liquid liner is for you. Ink Liner is loaded with the same pigmented liquid eyeliner formula as KVD Vegan Beauty's number one award-winning Tattoo Liner with a felt tip designed for instant bold lines.
Mascara
A great mascara formula and brush can be the difference between your eyes looking like blinking spiders or luxury perfection.
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
If you are like me and spent years wearing false lashes or having extensions put on, you will love this mascara. This is literally a mascara so amazing, it's... Better Than Sex!
One coat of the carbon black formula and lashes are full, defined, and stretched to unbelievable lengths. This mascara has film-forming polymers on top to lock your lash curl in place. Acacia Senegal Tree Extract sets the volume. The hourglass-shaped brush helps coat every lash peptides that conditions lashes to assist in growing long and beautiful.
Contour, Highlighter, Blush
Great contour and highlighter can really put that little extra pop to your look while defining and showing off your best features.
Manizer Sisters Luminizer Collection Palette
This palette by theBalm features three luminizing partners in crime to highlight your most distinct features with champagne, rose, and golden-bronze shades. Designed for girls on the run, this highlighting trio enables you to emphasize your finest features.
The compact comes with a mirror on the interior and is oil-free, talc-free, and paraben-free.
Layer these all-in-one highlighters, shimmers, and shadows on your lids for a luxe look, or sweep on your cheeks, forehead, and chin for an instant, goddess glow.
Lipstick
Every girl deserves a go-to lipstick! Whether it is a soft and subtle shade or something bright and bold, your lip color is your signature. While there are tons of options for choosing a lipstick, I have absolutely loved NYX's Suede lipstick line.
It is a matte liquid lipstick line with high impact color in a creamy suede texture. It lasts all day without chunking up on your lips or becoming excessively dry that you feel like your lips are in the Mojave desert.
NYX Liquid suede is available in bold and neutral shades that are velvety soft and infused with nourishing avocado oil & Vitamin E for long-wearing, creamy matte lipstick color.
I hope you find a few new go-to's out of this list. What are some of your favorite go-to makeup products? Drop them in the comments below.
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