Confession: I am a makeup and beauty geek. I absolutely love learning about new launches and trying new products. Walking into Ulta or Sephora, seeing all the makeup I have yet to try, excites me.
Although new shiny things ignite my love for trying different products, I have my go-to, die-hard, holy grail beauty products that never let me down. I’ve narrowed my list down to my top 5 products:
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Coverage Foundation
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I have been religiously using this foundation for over a year now, and it has never let me down. As a person with normal to dry skin, I need a foundation with lasting power and the ability to keep my skin from looking crusty. This foundation does it for me!
It has medium coverage and a natural finish. This foundation comes in a wide range of colors to choose from, and I love that Make Up For Ever offers warm, cool and neutral tones.
I wear this foundation year round. It holds up in the summer heat and doesn’t dry out my skin in the harsh Chicago winters. Want to know how well it holds up? I wore this foundation for every day of sorority recruitment and for a 12 hour Black Friday shift this year. My skin still looked good. If that isn’t proof of a good foundation, I don’t know what is!
This foundation retails for $43 and can be found at Sephora.
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
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I can’t tell you the number of these sponges I have gone through. I use this sponge for applying both my foundation and my concealer, and I have yet to find another sponge that does it better. I’ve tried the original beautyblender, and in my opinion, it does not compare to the softness and ease of the Real Techniques sponge. Plus, it’s not worth paying $20 for a sponge.
A single Real Techniques sponge retails for $5.99 at Ulta. I prefer to purchase the packs of two for $10.99 or the packs of four for $17.99. In the long run, I save more money buying the value packs. These sponges can also be found at Target and other drugstores.
Lorac Unzipped Eye Shadow Palette
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I love rose tones. Anything rose gold or rosy pink is destined to be mine. Because of this and the undeniable quality of Lorac shadows, the Unzipped palette has been my go-to palette for years. I travel with it, and I use it for both everyday looks and nighttime looks.
This palette is composed of three true mattes, five shimmers, a satin/matte highlight shade and a glittery/matte-acting shadow. The shades range from shimmery rosy tones to bronze tones to a maroon matte. The palette also includes a beautiful gold shades and transition shades. All of the Unzipped shadows are super flattering.
This eye shadow palette retails for $42 at Ulta.
NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Soft-Spoken
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I have a huge collection of lipsticks. Even so, if you see me wearing a rosy nude lip color, I’m probably wearing this. I have gone through two tubes of this product, and it never fails me. I love how comfortable it feels on my lips and how flattering and wearable the color is!
This lipstick retails for $6.99 at Ulta.
Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Perfume
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I’m very picky with scents that I like, so it can be hard to find my perfect perfume. A few years ago, I tested Black Opium in the store, and I instantly fell in love. I looked up the notes, and I wasn’t surprised why I loved it so much: coffee beans, white flowers and vanilla.
Coffee notes… No wonder I – a coffee addict – love it!
Black Opium is the perfect combination of spicy, sweet and floral elements. It has been my go-to scent during the colder months. I love the sexy yet sweet smell of it, and I receive a lot of complements when I wear it.
This perfume retails for $69 for a 1 oz bottle.
BRITTANY ABRAHAM 