Cover photo by Laura Elizabeth Photography at The James House.
Brighteners
Splurge: Revea Brightening Booster, $65
Brighten and balance the complexion before applying even a drop of foundation with this booster’s antioxidants, which includes a supercharged, stable form of vitamin C.
Budget: Junoco 2% Caffeine Energizing Serum, $23.90
Junoco’s lightweight concoction of antioxidants and caffeine works like a buttery charm to prep and brighten the skin—and even helps alleviate dark circles.
Junoco 2% Caffeine Energizing Serum
Powder
Splurge: Westmore Beauty 3-In-1 Finishing Powder + Brush, $39 (0.26 oz.)
Westmore Beauty’s lightweight translucent powder and charcoal-infused brush set is a power duo when it comes to finishing makeup; it also blurs texture and controls shine. Plus, rather than settling into creases, the silky powder smooths and all but erases fine lines.
Budget: Milk Makeup Pore Eclipse Matte Translucent Setting Powder, $32 (0.55 oz.)
This talc-free powder (available in four translucent shades) sets makeup to last with no cakiness and visible creases. Oil-absorbing lentil extract keeps shine in check, while niacinamide and bakuchiol even skin tone, smooth texture and minimize pores.
Mascara
Splurge: Lancôme Monsieur Big Waterproof Mascara, $30
Not only does this mascara give lashes a bomb extension-level upgrade, but it also holds that volume, length and most notably, the curl for up to 24 hours.
Budget: Tower 28 MakeWaves Mascara, $20
The MakeWaves Mascara is immune to smudging, clumping and flaking—irritation too, thanks to the sensitive-eye-safe formula. All you’re left with is day-long lengthened, volumized and defined lashes.
Concealer
Splurge: Dior Forever Skin Correct Full-Coverage Concealer, $40
Dior’s long-wearing creamy concealer is a certified game-changer for skin of any age, blending in seamlessly with the skin.
Budget: Tower 28 Swipe Serum Concealer, $22
This stuff slicks on like a serum but covers imperfections and dark circles with a dewy and buildable coverage. Creases? With this blendable lightweight formula, they don’t exist.
Dior Forever Skin Correct Full-Coverage Concealer
Lips
Splurge: Guerlain KissKiss Lip Lift Primer, $40
Instead of long-wearing lip liners, opt for this lip primer from Guerlain for wearing underneath liners and lipstick. It’s clear and locks in the liner to prevent bleeding and can double as a sneaky under-eye primer for concealing creases.
Budget: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Liner, $18
Anastasia’s long-wearing lip liner features a square design for fine-point sharpening to achieve extreme precision. It’s creamy, comfortable, and the highly pigmented velvet matte formula is perfect for shaping and contouring, as well as all-over lip color.
Setting Spray
Splurge: Skindinavia The Makeup Finishing Spray, $39
Skindinavia’s water-resistant setting spray locks down your look for a whopping 16 hours. The most exciting part? The patented technology cools the skin to reduce the production of makeup-melting sweat. Plus, the company makes an extra-strong formula just for brides, which lasts through the day and the night.
Budget: LYS Beauty Skin Loyalty Setting Spray, $24
As the name suggests, this setting spray encourages your makeup to stay loyal to your skin, no matter the circumstances. Sephora reviewers raved about perfect makeup after hours of sweat and even after swimming. Bonus: It’s ultrahydrating and refreshing, and blurs texture for a filter-like effect on your complexion.
LYS Beauty Skin Loyalty Setting Spray
Primer
Splurge: Westmore Beauty Supreme Crème, $49 (3.3 fl. oz.)
This multifunctional cream features a hybrid skincare-complexion formula to hydrate and plump the skin while delivering self-setting, transfer-resistant, sweatproof coverage for 12 hours.
Budget: Skindinavia Makeup Primer Spray, $35 (4 fl. oz.)
This lightweight formula creates a smooth, moisture-locked canvas for flawless foundation application that truly has you covered all day (and night) long.
Eyeliner
Splurge: Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner, $30
Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner glides on like a dream and offers maximum blendability. Bonus: This product is not only long-wearing, it also lasts a long time and doesn’t dry up with use.
Budget: Wonderskin 1440 Longwear Eyeliner, $18
For 1,440 minutes, or 24 hours, this gem of an eyeliner is not budging from its assigned seat on your lids. The gel-like application is easy and smooth, creating crisp, consistent, smudge-proof lines that outlast humidity, heat and eye rubs.
