The Sephora Savings Event starts today for Rouge Beauty Insiders! Back by popular demand, I’m sharing an updated collection of the best in makeup for each category. Use code YAYSAVE if you shop online to save:
- Rouge Members 20% Off: 4/5-4/15
- VIBs 15% off: 4/9-4/15
- Insiders 10% off: 4/9-4/15
- 30% off entire Sephora collection: 4/5-4/15
This is quite a long list, but I’ve broken it down by category for face, eyes, and lips. Here are the best things in makeup I’ve tried in each category.
Basic makeup favorites
Better Primer – Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Foundation it’s a great multi-tasking moisturizer and primer in one, wears really well under makeup and a formula I’ve repurchased many times
Best Glowy Primer – Commitment between Dior Forever Glow Star filter and Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter. I think the thinner texture of the Dior Forever Glow Star filter makes it easier to use all over the face if you layer on foundation + concealer etc. Charlotte Tilbury is still a classic, I think I’ll use forever though
Best tinted moisturizer – Moisturizing cream of rare beauty Positive Light Timed – I love this sheer tinted moisturizer with SPF 20 because it’s not too cool. It has sheer to medium coverage that is not too sheer. I wear 24N.
Better shade with SPF – Supergoop! Protection (tint) SPF 50 – This is another great skin shade with sheer medium coverage and high SPF. It has sheer coverage and great durability. I have 24N and 26W.
Better natural shade – Fenty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint – This is a great smooth skin tone with no SPF. Coverage is similar to Rare Beauty, just a bit more coverage. It looks very natural and blends beautifully. I wear shade 9 or 10.
Best Medium Coverage Glowy Foundation – Armani Luminous Silk Foundation – The best medium coverage glow foundation I’ve used. I’m wearing Shade 6.5.
Best CC cream – It Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow – Best CC+ cream with medium coverage and natural glow. I wear Medium Tan.
Best Stick Foundation – Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick – My basic foundation stick is perfect for everyday use and also very convenient for travel. Depending on how tanned I am, I wear Shade V, VI or VII.
Favorite Classic Finish Foundation – Pat McGrath Sublime Perfection Foundation – Another classic formula that you can’t go wrong with. I love this for everyday. My go-to is the Light Medium 14.
Great for travel – Patrick Ta Major Skin Creme Foundation Powder Duo it has a great natural look for both foundation and powder, I use Shade Light Medium 2.
The best Concealers
The best concealer for glow – YSL Touche Eclat hands down the best of the best. I use Shade 3.
Better Medium Coverage – NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (Macadamia or ginger) is a cult classic and even today is still the best under eye cream formula for me. I also really like Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Concealer for a creamier finish and a bit more coverage.
Better Full Coverage – Natasha Denona Hy-Glam Concealer it is the best of the BEST for concealers. It’s creamy, opaque, blends easily, lasts and doesn’t crease. I wear N6, 7, 8 or 9 depending on how much I want to match or lighten. Armani Luminous Silk Concealer is another great option, I wear a 6.5 or 7.
Better products powders and hardeners
Better setting spray – Two-way connection between Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray and Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray.
Better pressed powder – Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish in Medium or the NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Powder
Best under eye setting powder – Pat McGrath Skin Fetish Sublime Perfection Blurring Under Eye Powder
Better loose setting powders – Givenchy Prisme Libre or the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (also available in a Version without Talc Blur)
Best Contour/Bronzers
I’m currently looking for a new bronzer since I’ve been using the ones I’m using for YEARS. I’m ready for something new but nothing has caught my eye yet. I hope new formulas and shades come out this summer!
Best Cream Bronzer/Contour – Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Unassuming Bronze Wand in Happy Sol or Always Sunny are gorgeous shades and the formula blends easily. Also love Westman Atelier Face Trace Cream Stick Contour Stick in Trufa.
The Best Powder Bronzers – Gucci Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer in shade 3, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Bright Copper Light, Dior Forever Natural Powder Bronzer (best matte formula), Patrick Ta Major Sculpt Duo in She’s Bronzed
The best blushes
There are so many good blush formulas out there these days!
The best powder blushes
The best cream blushes – Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks (sheer-medium) and Charlotte Tilbury Matte Beauty Blush Wand (medium coverage)
Highlighters
Best Golden/Bronzey Highlighters – Tom Ford Soleil Glow Highlighter in Oasis or the Soleil Glow Highlighters they are truly amazing
Favorite Shimmer Liquid Highlighter – Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Highlighter Stick they are always a winner, I like Peachgasm, Pinkgasm and Pillow Talk Light the most
New Favorite – Dior Forever Glow Maximizers they are really amazing, I like Peachy and Rosy better (the new shade Nude just came online, I just tried it and it’s almost identical to Gold, Nude is just more champagne toned)
The best eye makeup
The best eyeshadow palettes and formulas are from Natasha Denona, Too Faced and Pat McGrath. Here are my favorites at the moment.
Best eyeshadow formula – Natasha Denona I need naked, Glam the My dream palette for her larger selections, for the minis I like Mini Starlette the Mini Biba.
Better everyday palettes – Too Faced Born This Way Naturally nude the Sunset naked are in heavy rotation and have been for years! I really like the new one mini Born This Way Palettes very.
Best Matte + Shimmers mix – Pat McGrath it’s quite the overkill and some of her shimmers are really shimmery, but I love them.
Best All Matte Palette – Makeup by Mario Master Mattes it is the best matte eyeshadow palette for me.
My most used palettes – Patrick Ta Major Dimension and Main dimension III they are also the ones I use all the time.
Mascara
The best mascaras: Tarte Tartelette Tubing and Tartette Tubing XL
Lip Liners
My lips stay the same, I keep hoping I’ll find something new and exciting, but I still love my staples that I’ve loved for years:
Lipstick
My top three gloss formulas are Pat McGrath LUST Gloss, Fenty Gloss Bomb and Dior Addict Lip Maximizers.
I also really love it Refy Lip Glosses (have super neutrals), Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Lip Bath (new shades added!) and the new Huda Faux Filler Gloss (observed here).
If you like a gel gloss the new one Armani Prisma glasses The lip gloss is a nice sheer formula. I tried 3 of the colors here.
Lip balm
Many of the balms I use can double as a gloss. My top 5 favorites:
Lipstick
I feel like I could write a whole series of the best lipsticks. There are so many that I love it’s hard to narrow down my top picks.
This completes my Sephora Makeup Favorites collection! Use code YAYSAVE if you shop online to save:
- Rouge Members 20% Off: 4/5-4/15
- VIBs 15% off: 4/9-4/15
- Insiders 10% off: 4/9-4/15
- 30% off entire Sephora collection: 4/5-4/15
