The Sephora Savings Event starts today for Rouge Beauty Insiders! By popular request I’m sharing an updated roundup of the best in makeup for every category. Use code YAYSAVE if you’re shopping 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
- All Sephora Collection 30% off: 4/5-4/15
This is a pretty large list but I’ve split it by category for face, eyes and lips. Here are the best things in makeup I’ve tried in each category.
Base Makeup Favorites
Best Primer – Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base is a great multi-tasking moisturizer and primer in one, wears really well under makeup and a formula I’ve repurchased numerous times
Best Glowy Primer – Tie 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 wear all over the face if you layer on foundation + concealer etc. The Charlotte Tilbury is still a classic I think I will be using forever though
Best Tint Moisturizer – Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer – I love this sheer Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20 because it’s not too dewy. Has sheer to medium coverage that isn’t too sheer. I wear 24N.
Best Tint with SPF – Supergoop! Protec(tint) SPF 50 – This is another great skin tint with sheer medium coverage and high SPF. Has sheer coverage and great lasting power. I have 24N and 26W.
Best Natural Looking Tint – Fenty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint – This is a great no-fuss skin tint without SPF. Coverage is similar to the Rare Beauty, just slightly more coverage. Looks very natural and sets beautifully. I wear Shade 9 or 10.
Best Medium Coverage Glowy Foundation – Armani Luminous Silk Foundation – Best medium coverage glow foundation I’ve used. I wear Shade 6.5.
Best CC Cream – It Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow – Best CC+ Cream with medium coverage and a natural glow. I wear Medium Tan.
Best Foundation Stick – Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick – My go-to foundation stick perfect for everyday, and also really convenient for travel. Depending on how tan I am, I wear Shade V, VI or VII.
Favorite Classic Finish Foundation – Pat McGrath Sublime Perfection Foundation – Another classic formula you can’t go wrong with. Love this for an everyday staple. My match is Light Medium 14.
Great for Travel – Patrick Ta Major Skin Creme Foundation Powder Duo has a great natural looking finish for both the foundation and powder, I use the Shade Light Medium 2.
Best Concealers
Best Brightening Concealer – YSL Touche Eclat hands down is the best of the best. I use Shade 3.
Best Medium-Coverage – NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (Macadamia or Ginger) is a cult classic and even to this day still is the best creamy under eye formula for me. I also still really like the Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin-Caring Concealer for a creamier finish and a little more coverage.
Best Full Coverage – Natasha Denona Hy-Glam Concealer is the best of the BEST for concealers. It’s creamy, opaque, easy to blend, long lasting and does not crease. I wear N6, 7, 8 or 9 depending on how much I want to match or brighten. The Armani Luminous Silk Concealer is another great option, I wear 6.5 or 7.
Best Powders & Setting Products
Best Setting Spray – Two way tie between the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray and Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray.
Best 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
Best Loose Setting Powders – Givenchy Prisme Libre or the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder (also available in a Talc-Free Blur version)
Best Contour/Bronzers
I am currently looking for a new bronzer since the ones I’ve used I’ve used for YEARS. I’m ready for something new but nothing has caught my eye yet. I’m hoping new formulas and shades will pop up this summer!
Best Cream Bronzer/Contour – Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick in Happy Sol or Always Sunny are great shades and the formula is easy to blend. Also love Westman Atelier Face Trace Cream Contour Stick in Truffle.
Best Powder Bronzers – Gucci Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer in Shade 3, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light, Dior Forever Natural Powder Bronzer (best matte formula), Patrick Ta Major Sculpt Duo in She’s Bronzed
Best Blushes
There are so many good blush formulas these days!
Best Powder Blushes
- Laura Mercier Blush Color Infusion (love Ginger, Peach and Rose)
- Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic (all the shades are wearable)
- Gucci Beauty Luminous Matte Beauty Blush are really pretty for a soft matte finish and fresh colors that will go with any look/occasion.
- new Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blushes are STUNNING!
Best Cream Blushes – Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks (sheer-medium) and the 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 are really stunning
Favorite Shimmer Liquid Highlighter – Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Highlighter Wands are always a win, I love Peachgasm, Pinkgasm and Pillow Talk Light the most
New Favorite – Dior Forever Glow Maximizers are really stunning, I like Peachy and Rosy the best (new shade Nude just popped up online, I just tried it and it’s almost identical to Gold, Nude is just more champagne in undertone)
Best Eye Makeup
The best eyeshadow palettes and formulas are from Natasha Denona, Too Faced and Pat McGrath. Here are my favorites right now.
Best Eyeshadow Formula – Natasha Denona I Need a Nude, Glam or My Dream Palette for her larger options, for the minis I love the Mini Starlette or Mini Biba.
Best Everyday Palettes – Too Faced Born This Way Natural Nudes or Sunset Stripped are in heavy rotation and have been for years! I really love the new mini Born This Way Palettes too.
Best Mix of Matte + Shimmers – Pat McGrath is quite the splurge and some of her sparkles are really glitzy but I love them.
Best All Matte Palette – Makeup By Mario Master Mattes is the best all-matte eyeshadow palette for me.
My Most Used Palettes – Patrick Ta Major Dimension and Major Dimension III are also ones I use all the time.
Mascara
Best Mascaras: Tarte Tartelette Tubing and Tartette Tubing XL
Lip Liners
My go-to lip liners remain the same, I keep hoping I’ll find something new and exciting, but I still love my staples I’ve loved for years:
Lip Gloss
My top three gloss formulas are the Pat McGrath LUST Gloss, Fenty Gloss Bomb and Dior Addict Lip Maximizers.
I also really love the Refy Lip Glosses (they have great neutrals), Charlotte Tilbury Collagen Lip Bath (new shades added!) and the new Huda Faux Filler Gloss (swatched here).
If you like a jelly gloss the new Armani Prisma Glass lip gloss is a nice sheer formula. I swatched 3 of the colors here.
Lip Balms
A lot of the balms I use can double as gloss. My top 5 favorites:
- Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm
- Laneige Lip Glowy Balm
- NARS Afterglow Lip Balm
- Hourglass Phantom Glossy Balm
- Saie Glossybounce Hydrating Lip Gloss Oil
Lipsticks
I feel like I could write an entire series on the best lipsticks. There are so many that I love it is challenging to narrow down my top picks.
- Best Glossy Lipstick – Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Plump, Shimmer Glass and Juicy Lip Balm
- Best Shine Lipsticks – Gucci Care Shine or the NARS Afterglow Sensual Shine Lipstick
- Best Classic Lipstick – Tom Ford Lip Color, Armani Lip Power, Makeup by Mario SuperSatin or the YSL Rouge Pur Couture
- Best Colors – Charlotte Tilbury KISSING or Matte Revolution
- Best Matte – Pat McGrath Matte Trance, the Prada Soft Matte or Hyper Mattes are amazing, I’ve only tried mini samples but I ordered a bunch and cannot wait to try them
That wraps up my Sephora Makeup Favorites roundup! Use code YAYSAVE if you’re shopping 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
- All Sephora Collection 30% off: 4/5-4/15
