Drugstore Make up Favourites

FACE PRODUCTS

Foundation 

Bourjois has some of the best foundations among drugstore brands and their Healthy Mix Range is my favourite. We, pale ''Snow Whites'' in Slovenia, are terribly overlooked in the drugstore foundation market. There is a handful of foundations available in shades that are appropriate for (in Mac terms) NC15 or lighter. Bourjois Healthy Mix range is one of those. Shade 51 in both original and serum version is light enough, though perhaps a bit too yellow, but thankfully Bourjois realises that not all pale people have pink undertones. I love both versions. Serum has light to medium coverage, while the original foundation has medium coverage. Both look extremely natural, feel very light on the skin and leave a lovely dewy finish. (I did a review of the serum version here.)

Concealer 

I've already done a post on drugstore concealers (here), but the one that stands out is Maybelline Instant Anti-Age The Eraser. It has a light formula, but offers a lot of coverage. It manages to look very natural on the skin and basically undetectable.

Highlighter/Primer

L'Oreal Lumi Magique is definitely my favourite everyday highlighter. It gives a really nice glow without looking too shimmery. I much prefer liquid/cream highlighters and this one comes in a nice sleek packaging with a very precise pump, so you are not wasting any product. Review here.

Blush 

I favour cream formulas over powder ones. They are just easier and faster to apply plus they look more natural to me. Maybelline Dream Touch are really creamy, pigmented and apply like a dream. The shade range is very limited though, there are only four shades in total. I have two, Peach and Berry. There is another, previous version, called Dream Mousse blush, which I think is discontinued, but I love the shade Peach Satin. Review and swatches here and here. 

EYE MAKE UP

Gel eyeliner

 Essence has a great quality gel eyeliner for the price. It's really pigmented, applies nicely and lasts all day without fading or smudging. Honestly, I don't notice any difference between the much more expensive Mac one and this one. Review here. 

Cream eyeshadows 

Essence Stay All day eyeshadows win this category. They are very pigmented, apply nicely without looking patchy and last brilliantly on the lids. Another honourable mention with a similar formula, but just a touch more expensive are the Catrice one's. Reviews of both here and here. 

Eyeshadows 

A definite winner for me is the L'Oreal Color Infaillible range. I already own 6 shades and I want more. They are extremely pigmented and last so long on the lids. At about 9€ a pop they are quite expensive for drugstore eyeshadows, but the pots are big and you get a lot of product. My favourite shades are 21 and 24, which are probably my most worn shades. My preferred method of application is with fingers, then I blend the edges with Mac 217. I only wish there were more shades, preferably some matte. Review and swatches here, here, here and here.

I also can't get pass Catrice mono eyeshadows. They are really cheap (only about 2€), pigmented, lovely quality and have the best colour range in drugstore. There are shades similar to Mac's Copperplate, Satin Taupe, Patina and Retrospeck. I highly recommend you check them out.

Eyeliner 

Max Factor has some of the best eyeliners in drugstores, both in terms of quality and shades. It's the only drugstore brand available here in Slovenia that, to my knowledge, carries a flesh toned shade called Glaze. I wear it almost every day. I also own a white and a brown shade from their khol line. Their newest range called Liquid Effect is just amazing. The pencils are so soft and long lasting. I have the shade Brown Blaze, a dark coffee shade, which is the perfect everyday replacement for black. I wear it everyday on the top lash line. Reviews and swatches here and here. 

Mascara 

As far as mascaras go, there are several mascaras I like, but if I'd have to go for one brand, it'd be L'Oreal. I liked most of their mascaras I tried. Volume Million Lashes Carbon Black is fantastic, another great one is Lash Architect 4D False Effect Black Lacquer. Voluminous Carbon Black is also nice. Currently I like Maybelline the Collosal Volumin' Express. I did a drugstore mascaras comparison here, more reviews here and here.

LIP PRODUCTS

Lipgloss 

I don't like wearing lipgloss too much, but the ones I really like are the Essence Stay With Me. I have almost all colours now. They are not too sticky, there is no annoying shimmer, the colour range is beautiful, they smell great and are nicely pigmented. Reviews and swatches here and here.

Liquid lipstick

I know I might be cheating a bit by adding this category, but Manhattan Soft Mat Lipcream and Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream definitely deserve their place in my favourites. They are full coverage matte liquid lipsticks that last exceptionally well on the lips and don't transfer once they dry. I love matte lip colours, so these at the top of my list. Reviews and swatches here, here, here and here.

Lipsticks 

Catrice have great lipsticks in drugstore range, especially for the price. They are really pigmented with a good staying power, apply nicely and they have one of the best colour ranges. I believe there are no annoying mega shimmery, frosty shades in their Ultimate Colour range and there are also some non-shimmery creamy shades in the Ultimate Shine line (like 210 Kiss Kiss Hibiskuss, also a supposed dupe for the famous Mac Impassioned). Swatches here. 

Another line that deserves praise (even though we can only order it online) is the E.l.f. Mineral lipstick range. The two shades I own, Runway Pink and Natural Nymph, are matte and look great on my skin tone. An ancient review and swatches here. BeautyUK is also a brand we can only get online. I own the shade called Passion and it's so pigmented, long lasting and the colour is just gorgeous. Review and swatch here.

NAIL POLISH

Essence Colour & Go line offers a great selection of shades of great quality for an affordable price. They recently revamped this line, the bottles are different, there are new shades and the brush is a bit wider. Swatch and picture of one shade from the new line here. There are also a lot of Trend Edition shades released throughout the year. 

 Catrice and BarryM have inexpensive and really lovely quality nail polishes too.

TOOLS AND RANDOM

Brushes

I use E.l.f. Powder brush for applying and blending foundation. It's so soft, dense and doesn't shed. A really nice and inexpensive brush.

Ecotools range is widely available here in supermarkets. Bronzer brush is fantastic quality, so dense and soft. I use it for applying powder and bronzer. Eyeliner brush is one of my most used eye brushes and the eyeshadow brush, though quite big, is nice for applying eyeshadow all over the lid and also blending. More on my favourite brushes here.

Eyelash curlers 

I can't imagine my make up routine without Tana eyelash curlers. I actually have two, I had one at home and one in Ljubljana. These are the best curlers I ever had. I never pinched myself or got any eyelash ripped out (this happened to me a lot when I had other curlers). I got mine in Műller (they are in a dark blue/white box). Highly recommended.

Lip balm

This is kind of a random category, but since I apply lip balm under lipstick or use tinted lip balm instead of them, I'll do it anyway. My absolute favourite lip balm (which is not technically a lip balm, but a multi-task product) is Palmer's swivel stick. It's the most moisturising and soft lip balm that doesn't feel waxy like a lot of lip balms do. I love it. I also like Rosal Milk and Honey lip balm. It smells nice and moisturises well. Best tinted lip balms are Labello (or Nivea, depends on where you live), in particular the taste/shade/version with dragonfruit. I've bought several in a row.   

So this completes my favourites ramble. There will also be a post about drugstore disappointments and probably one that is going to be a sort of a guide thought drugstore brands in Slovenia and my experience with their products in general (if anyone is interested in reading about that).

Thanks for reading!