My Favorite Department Store & Drugstore Makeup Products of 2010 by Brand

I have been working endlessly on this huge post for you guys. I decided to do this so that everyone can see my tried and true favorite products and maybe try some out for yourselves. These would also be great in a nice little gift basket for Christmas. These are all items that I have repurchased over and over and have stood the test of time, and hung in there beyond the "New & Improved" products. I give all of these products a ♥♥♥♥♥ rating! So let's get started, this is going to be fun...

Benefit

• Coralista Blush- This is a beautiful light coral shade that has great lasting power and would flatter most skin tones. You can purchase Benefit's Coralista Blush at Sephora for $28 US.

• Powderflage- I use this as a setting & highlighting powder for my under eye concealer. It insures that your concealer will not crease or move around on the skin. I also use it as a highlight on the tops of my cheek bones. I don't use the brush that comes with it because I don't like how it distributes the product. I prefer using a fluffy blending brush, like the 224. I know that the packaging is small, but trust me this stuff is worth it. All you need is a tiny bit to get the job done. You can purchase Benefit's Powderflage at Sephora for $28 US.

Clinique

• Brush on Cream Eye Liner- I'm usually not a fan of many Clinique makeup products. I find their pigmentation lacking, and their green packaging ummm, ugly. Sorry, I like it ALL to be pretty. However, this is the exception. I first found these gel/cream eyeliners at the CCO in Gulfport, MS. The SA actually suggested them to me. I purchased Bronze and Egyptian for I believe $10.25 ea. US. I can wear these all day no matter what the weather conditions and I never get raccoon eyes. They are easy to apply and don't dry up quickly at all. I've had mine for several months and they're still as good as new. These particular shades are discontinued now, but the regular line shades are just as good. There is Black Honey (black/brown) Deep Brown, True Black.You can purchase Clinique Brush on Cream Eye Liner at Sephora for $14.50 US.

 MAC

• Eyeshadows- I don't have certain favorite shades of eye shadows. It just depends on what I feel like wearing at the moment. That is what is so great about MAC eye shadows, variety! MAC eye shadows come in all sorts of shades and finishes. I will say this, be very careful when you purchase Lustre shades, some of them are all glitter and no color payoff, ex. Honeylust. However, some are pretty good, ex. Retrospeck. My advice, never buy a Lustre shade on-line unless you are sure of the texture and color payoff. If you see one you're interested in go to the store and swatch it first. You can purchase MAC eye shadows in pot form for $14.50 US and pan form for $11.00 US on the MAC web-site, in MAC Freestanding Stores, MAC Pro, or MAC counters in Dillard's.

• Mineralize Skinfinishes- These are probably the most sought after and coveted MAC products, and for good reason. They are gorgeous! MAC carries a few of these on the regular line, but the most beautiful are always brought out as limited edition products. These can be used as a highlighter or as gorgeous blushes depending on the shade. My only grip is some can be overly glittery (Color Craft collection) so be careful of those if you don't care for glitter bombs. You can purchase Mineralize SkinFinishes on the MAC site for $ US. Keep a watch for the limited edition ones. You can purchase them here as well, but they go fast.

• Paint Pots- I recently did a full review on 2 of my favorite paint pots, so I won't bore you. However, I must say, "No Creasing!" You can purchase Paint Pots on the MAC site for $16.50 ea. US.

• Empty Quads & 15 Pro Pan Palettes- I love the new design for the quads with the clear lid. It makes organization so much easier. I had heard that the 15 palettes would be changed to the clear lid as well, but it doesn't seem like it will be any time soon if at all. I'm waiting until the new year and if they haven't changed by then I will be purchasing the new quads for all of my eyeshadows. The quads and 15 palettes are a great price for great quality.Quads are $5 US and 15 Pro Pans are $14 US you can purchase these on the MAC website.

• MAC Brushes- 187, 188, 131, 165, 138, 209, 239, 226, 219, 222- Actually they are all great, but these are my favorite for the price. You can buy them on the MAC web-site. Prices depend on the brush.

Make Up For Ever

• HD Invisible Coverage Foundation- You can see my full review here. Great coverage without wearing a mask. You can buy MUFE HD Foundation at Sephora for $40US.

• Aqua Eyes Stay Put Eye Liner Pencils- Through the hottest summer months this liner didn't budge on my waterline. It's a keeper! These eye liners come in 25 different shades and are the best I've ever tried, and I've tried them all. You can buy the MUFE Aqua Eyes Stay Put Eye Liner Pencils at Sephora for $17 US.

NARS

• Cream Blushes- As everyone knows I'm a bit of a beauty bargain hunter, and NARS blushes are imo not a beauty bargain, but the quality of these makes you kind of forget how much you are spending. If you have the extra to spare these are the best cream blushes I've ever tried. My favorite is NARS Cactus Flower. If you can only have one, this is the one. I would describe the shade as a watermelon pink with slight golden shimmer. The lasting power of this cream blusher is off the charts. Lasting all day long and not coming off until you clean your face. These blushes have a cream to silky powder finish, and will not be sticky to the touch, which is important to me.You can purchase NARS Cream Blushes at Sephora for $26 US. For great swatches of all the NARS Cream Blushes visit KarlaSugar.

This is a picture of NARS Turkish Red Cream Blush which is discontinued. 

Urban Decay

• Primer Potion- I use the regular formula and it always insures my eye shadow to stay put with no creasing. Just what I expected. You can get Urban Decay Primer Potion at Sephora for $29 US, this is for the large professional size in the tube. The origianal one with the wand is $18 US, but contains less product.

Now for my Drugstore favorites...These are products that I love and use everyday. These are just as good of quality as good Department store products, but just at a lower price. Who doesn't appreciate that??


Coastal Scents

• 88 Eye Shadow Palettes- My favorite is the Warm Palette. No matter what your choice is these are all great palettes. I think that these palettes are great for everyone, but I can see where these would be a must have for a makeup artist, since there are such a variety of shades. You can purchase several different palettes at Coastal Scents for any where from $16 US-$26 US. Which is a bargain considering all the different shades you get. Not to worry the texture and color payoff are wonderful.

This is a pic of the 88 Warm Palette

• Silica Spheres- This is the exact same product as MUFE HD Microfinish Powder. I have both products and have compared them. Same ingredients and same great results.  The greatest thing is that the CS Silica Spheres is $4.95 US for 1 oz./28.53 grams. Where as, MUFE HD Microfinish Powder is $30 US for 0.35 oz./10 grams. That means you are getting almost 3 times the product for 1/6 of the price. Now that's a deal. Talk about paying for a name brand. Now, when you order the Silica Sphere it will be shipped to you in just a random plastic container with a screw top lid. So, you will want to also order a container with a sifter in it for your powder which you can also get from Coastal Scents. Take a look at the following entry for a recommendation for the sifter...

• Cosmetics Containers- I am constantly ordering the 5 gram packing jars to store all of my pigment samples in. I purchase 1" round labels from the office supply store to write the product name on. I stick the label on the black lid so that I can store the pigments upside down so that I can see the actual color instead of the name on the label. I have also purchased the 30 gram Rotation Sifter Jar to store my Silica Spheres Powder. This jar is like the jar that BE uses for there powder foundation. It twists so that the product doesn't pour out. Smart idea. You can purchase these and other jars at Coastal Scents. They also come in different quantities this is just how I order mine. The 5 gram jar is $7.99 US per 25 jars and the 30 gram jar is $0.89 US for 1 jar.

La Femme

• Blush on Rouge- Do you love the awesome pigmentation of NARS blushes?? Me too, but at $26 ea. US my collection contains very few. Not to worry, there is a cheaper alternative. The La Femme blushes are just as pigmented and last all day on the skin, the texture is nice and soft as well. They are everything that NARS blushes are for about a tenth of the price! This is a great find! Makeup Mania sells the Individual Pots for $3 US, or you can buy the Individual Pans for $2.50 US, or you can also head to the Palette Lab and create your own custom 12 pan blush palette for $35 US. OR you can do what I did and order the individual pans and then go on evil-bay and buy a better palette for about $10 US including shipping. The palettes that La Femme uses are cardboard and leaves more to be desired from the quality aspect. Doing it this way it will cost you about the same amount for 10 blushes instead of the original 12, but you get a much sturdier, higher quality palette. Either way it's a great bargain.

L'oreal

• Voluminous Mascara- This is an amazing mascara that adds volume and length to my lashes while the deep black pigmentation makes each lash stand out. I've dabbled in all types of mascara and even thought I found new favorites, but each time I came back to this one. If you ask me mascara is a very personal preference item. Everyone wants something different from their mascara. Still, I recommend this one to everyone. I believe it to be one that you can't go wrong with.You can purchase this at any drugstore for less than $10 US.

NYX

• 10 Color Eye Shadow Palettes- I love these to keep in my purse, just in case I need a quick touch up. These are also great for travel, just pop these into your cosmetic case for great vacation eye looks. There a many different palettes to choose from. My favorites for travel are the Smokey, Champagne and Caviar, and the Versus palettes. They don't take up any room and by chance it happens to get broken you're only out about $8 ea. US. These eye shadows have great pigmentation and soft texture, so blending is a breeze. You can purchase these and other great ones at CherryCulture for $8 US or on the NYX website for $9.75 US. Watch both of these sites for great sales. Psst, I just saw that there are new ones to choose from.

• Mega Shine Lip Gloss- One look at these and you will know why I don't usually buy lip glosses from MAC or any other company. These are gorgeous, moisturizing, and come in a variety of shades and finishes. The packaging is pretty too. You can buy these for $3.99 US at CherryCulture or $5.50 US at NYX. Again, watch for sales.

Revlon

• ColorStay Liquid Foundation- I have been wearing this foundation for years. I used this foundation before I knew anything about MUFE, NARS, MAC, or any other pricier cosmetics. Now, even after using and loving other departments store foundations that are 3 to 4 times the price. ColorStay foundation is always in my regular rotation. This foundation is a must have for me in the summer months here in Louisiana. Most other foundations melt off my face with in an hour of leaving the house, this one stays on for the long haul. I've also noticed that ColorStay photographs pretty well and doesn't leave the white cast that flash photography can cause. Recently, I learned that the main culprit that causes the white cast in pics is usually due to a high amount of SPF included in a foundation, just a little FYI. With the SPF thing explained, I always buy 2 of these foundations. One for Normal/Dry Skin with a SPF of 15 to wear daily and the other for Oily/Combo Skin with a SPF of 6 to wear for photos. These foundations come in wide range of shades in each formula, so finding your match in this foundation is much easier than most other drugstore brand foundations.You can find Revlon ColorStay foundation at  Walgreens, most other drugstores, super stores, and grocery stores.

• Super Lustrous Lip Sticks- These lipsticks stay on pretty well, are moisturizing, and come in a slue of different shades and finishes. They are not drying and don't have a gross taste. Works for me...My favorite shade is Just Enough Buff. You can purchase these at just about any drugstore, Wal-Mart, Target, or you can order them on-line as well for about $6.99 US. Watch for Walgreens Buy 1 Get 1 50% off Sales.

Rimmel

• Moisture Renew Lipsticks- The shades of these lipsticks are so flattering. That's initially what sold me most on these lipsticks, but there's more. These lipsticks are so moisturizing without being sticky feeling on the lips. My favorite shade is Spotlight Beige, which is not listed on the web-site, but can be purchased in the store.  You can buy Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipsticks at Walgreens for $6.99 US, and watch for their Buy 1 Get 1 50% off Sales.

• 1000 Kisses Stay On Lip Liner- These eye liners are good stuff. They come in several different shades to match your lipsticks and have good lasting power. I perfer buying cheaper brands of lip pencils to save money for more important department store products. You can find the Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Liners at Walgreens.

Sigma

• Brushes- F80 (SS197), F05(SS109), SS134, F30(SS150), F40(SS168), E60(SS252), E35(SS217), E40(SS224), E65(SS266). Oh gosh, the drama behind these brushes. Frankly, there are good and bad products of every brand, and Sigma is no exception. Some of these brushes are great and some are not. You can take a look at my full Sigma Review and MAC Comparisons here. The just of it is that Sigma brushes are great for the price, but the brushes that are supposed to be tapered suck because they are poorly cut, ex. the (SS219) is the absolute worst of the whole collection. However, the others that I have mentioned above are great brushes and I use them on a daily basis with great results. You can now purchase individual brushes from Sigma which is great. The price varies depending on the brush.

Wet n' Wild

• Color Icon Eye Shadows- Take your choice, the singles, trios, and 6 color palettes are all wonderful, come in gorgeous shades, and a steal of a deal. You can find these at Walgreens

• Cream Eyeliner- This is some good stuff!! Even in the hottest summer month this stuff is not coming off. I even use it on my waterline when I know that a pencil liner just won't cut it. This is the best black gel eye liner I have ever used. The pigmentation is awesome. The blackest of black. It glides on smoothly and last forever. You can purchase Wet n Wild gel eyeliner at most drugstores including CVS for $3.99 US.

 I feel the need to remind everyone that I am in no way affiliated with the brands or stores I have mentioned. These are strictly my personal experiences and opinions based on my own use and purchases of these products. The stores mentioned are only a suggestion of where these item can be purchased, but may also be found else where.