in my κούκλα era

My number 1 rule when it comes to buying products–makeup, skincare, hair care, body care etc–is performance. I refuse to buy something that fades, cracks, creases, bleeds, and simply just doesn’t do what it’s supposed to. Every product I own has its purpose, and that’s to make me go from a solid 9 to a 11/10. No room for trash products, sorry!

Now I am the first to tell you that I enjoy expensive makeup. In fact, much of my collection is made up of OUTSTANDING mid-grade and luxury makeup. About 10 years ago, you couldn’t have caught me in anything drugstore brand whatsoever, simply because I wasn’t willing to pay for a product that didn’t perform. And up until 2015 or so, mid-grade/luxury makeup was noticeably better than anything found at Target. And my hard-earned money was only going towards the best. #queenstatus

Then the makeup world changed.

Suddenly, brands like wet’n’wild, Milani and e.l.f. were creating products that not only rivaled luxury brands, but surpassed them in pigmentation, quality and performance. My entire world was SHOOKETH. What do you mean that Milani had a dupe for my beloved NARS blush and it was better?!!? And wet’n’wild highlighters reflected my face all the way to the NASA space station!??! WHAT IS HAPPENING.

Fast forward to today, after many…many….many hours of swatching products, countless purchases (and returns) and a few instances where I needed to be resuscitated from the shock, I have found some of the best drugstore products that have become staples in my carefully curated collection.

**Please note: I will be mentioning some e.l.f. products in this list but I want to be transparent that I do NOT support their endorsement and collaboration with comedian Matt Rife. I hope they can make a change–and quite frankly, a more genuine apology–or else I will have to consider how I support them in the future.

1. Maybelline Matte Liquid Lipsticks

Besties, I was no stranger to the matte liquid lipstick scene back in the day. ABH, Kat Von D Beauty, you name it, I had it and I wore it. Of course, trends come and go, and when this trend left, a little bit of my soul went with it. Recently, I was lamenting my youth when I heard about the Maybelline Superstays from an Emirates stewardess and was inspired to buy a couple of shades, from freaking Wegmans while absolutely drenched from the gym, no less.

Bay-beeeeeee, these have phenomenal staying power! They dry down completely matte, so you have to be comfortable with the prep work and maintenance, but that goes for any matte liquid lipstick. I normally pair these with a similarly colored lip liner and I am good to go for the entire evening. And they’re kiss proof, too! xoxoxooxoxo. I currently have two shades and am looking to expand my collection for the fall.

2. e.l.f. Makeup Cleansing Balm

Now I have tried literally every makeup remover method under the sun–cleansing balms, oils, micellar water, and wipes (DO NOT USE). I fell in loooove with the Bobby Brown Cleansing Oil but I was going through it too fast for the cost and needed to find an alternative. That led me to the Clinique Take the Day Off Balm, but for a daily makeup wearer like myself, it again was becoming too costly when I needed to buy one every month. I may be invested in makeup, but I also am somewhat reasonable.

Fast forward to when e.l.f. released this EXACT DUPE for the Clinique balm for a mere $12. When I say this removes literally every speck of makeup from your face, oh baby, everything just melts away. Then, just rinse your face and use your favorite cleanser to complete your double cleanse.

Extra point: We even use this to double cleanse zinc oxide after boating, jet skiing or going to the beach and this is the ONLY thing that removes sunscreen from my husband’s 5 o’clock shadow.

3. e.l.f. Camo Liquid Blush

While on the topic of e.l.f, I came across these one day at Ulta and had heard some good things about them, mainly being good dupes for the Rare Beauty blush. Sis, these are BETTER. You really have to watch how much product you use because even just ONE DOT can make it look like you baked under the sun with no spf, and that’s even with blending it out. I brought these on vacation recently for a crash course and had to use two blush brushes to properly blend them out. Amazingggggg, also now I have to fix my brushes. Sad face.

4. NYX Buttermelt Powder Blush

This is another product that just blew me away with its pigmentation and blendability. Like, I’m actually speechless at how smooth and long lasting this blush is. NYX has always been a pretty solid brand but their entire Buttermelt collection has been killing it recently. If you are ever in Ulta, please please PLEASE pick one of these up. You will not regret it and I promise you’ll end up with several of them.

I have the shade Had Butta and pro tip: coral is complementary to the exact shade of green my eyes are, so I put a little bit in my crease to marry the entire look when wearing this shade.

5. Colourpop Supershock Eyeshadows

I’m sorry, but for $7 if you can buy an eyeshadow that doesn’t have fallout, comes in cool shades, and also goes on like butter on warm toast, that’s insane to me. I have been a loyal Colourpop fan for years, and while some of their products are hit or miss, these are a definite hit. Just be sure to close the lid tightly because I have had a few dry out and I was super sad.

Shade suggestion: Frog, Ritz and Ripple are great to start with if you want to dabble.

6. NYX Epic Ink Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

As a millenial and makeup fanatic, I taught myself how to do a cat-eye from a very young age, so I have been through my fair share of liquid eyeliner pens. RIP to my ULTIMATE favorite, the Kat Von D Beauty Tattoo Liner…I went through sooo many of those (in both black and brown) and when the brand got sold and reformulated, it just wasn’t the same.

So began my hunt for a dupe for my dearly beloved Tattoo Liner, and I tried literally 100 different ones. I made the mistake of listening to a Sephora employee and bought the Makeup by Mario liquid eyeliner for a whopping $24 because “iT wAs tHe bEsT oN tHe MaRkeT”. Sure, Jan.

After about a month, this dumb $24 headache dried out so I took a trip to Ulta out of anger and frustration, determined not to spend another $24 on another mid-grade eyeliner that flopped. End result: I blind bought the NYX Epic Ink.

Guys…. this is IT. It has the thinnest bristle pen tip that is great for being exact and neat, and I kid you not, I did my winged liner in record time because of that. Also can I just say how dark and pigmented this is? And how it won’t budge? And for $10? Makeup by Mario who?!

7. Real Techniques Brushes

I had been a fan of the Real Techniques brushes from when Sam and Nic from Pixiwoo still were the face of the brand (IYKYK). What sold me on them 10000000% though, was when I bought the Hourglass Seamless Finish Foundation Stick and was looking to buy the brush that went with it. When I saw the price tag, I literally just turned and walked away. I’m not paying $49 when God gave me hands to blend my foundation, no ma’am.

At the checkout line later that day, I was eyeing the brush section and picked up a brush from Real Techniques that was dense, compact and short. Not exactly the same slant as the Hourglass one but it was $10 and looked like it could do the job.

This brush is the ONLY brush I use for my foundation at this point. It can seamlessly blend any liquid or cream foundation to perfection and it’s really sturdy and comfortable to hold. While I am only linking this brush here, give the rest of their brushes a try. They are great for any level of makeup lover and I have several I use, though none stand out the way this one does.

Honorable Mentions:

• Real Techniques Brush Cleaner and Cleansing Pad: this is your sign to clean your makeup brushes and be reasonable while doing it. Also pretty sure this comes in a set, as that’s how I got mine. Save your coin and just buy the pair.
• Maybelline Micellar Water: does the job, inexpensive, checks the boxes. Don’t need to pay an arm and a leg for makeup water (trust me, I have and it was no different than this one…). This also comes in many scents and formulas, pick your poison. I use the green one, no idea what makes it special. I liked it because it was green.
• Burt’s Bees Hand Balm: my secret weapon for hydrated hands in the wintertime.

Overall, I have been impressed with the quality of drugstore makeup and products in recent years, and while I will always be a mid-grade and luxury makeup girl at heart, it’s somehow also really cool to be able to tell my husband how much my blush cost and have it be the price of a Starbucks drink.

More drugstore products to come in the future, and be on the look-out for a luxury makeup post coming soon!