Tired of shelling out hundreds of dollars on products that everyone claims are “miracle-workers,” only to find yourself seriously disappointed with the results?
Are you frustrated with the lack of diversity in current beauty campaigns (Rihanna can’t do it alone, folks) and feel like there just aren’t any products out there that actually work with your skin tone and type?
Everyone deserves to feel beautiful and confident, and these are the products that actually make it happen. Make sure you add these essentials to your makeup wardrobe to complete your 2018 glow-up.
1. Setting Spray And Eye Primer
You’ve spent hours perfecting that incredible Bardot-inspired cat eye. Do you really want it to fall off after just an hour in the club?
To make sure that your makeup lasts as long as your will to party, you need to incorporate the two most important before and after steps into your makeup wardrobe: eye primer and setting spray.
After you’ve put on sunscreen (because you’re wearing sunscreen every day, right?) then swipe a little eye primer on your lids. We love Urban Decay’s Eye Primer Potion, which is well on its way to becoming a cult product.
The formula keeps your eyeliner from rubbing off into your crease, and it keeps your eyeshadow firmly locked into place all night long.
If you’re using highly-pigmented eyeshadows, make sure you put this on your lids to help prevent fallout. The last thing you want is for that purple eyeshadow to fall underneath your lid and make you look like more of a zombie than the total knockout you already are.
That’s not the only product you’ll need to keep your makeup looking freshly-applied for hours. We also suggest spritzing on a couple of pumps of Urban Decay’s All-Nighter Setting Spray once you’ve finished your face.
Don’t worry — it won’t cause your makeup to run as long as you hold it about six inches away from your face.
2. A Heavy-Duty Night Cream
If you have a fear of needles (or just can’t imagine actually paying to get work done in the future) then you need to invest in the perfect night cream right now.
First of all, no matter how wild your night got, you need to take off all of your makeup before you get to bed. (Use those iconic Neutrogena makeup wipes to help speed up the process.)
Once you’ve cleansed and toned, it’s time to apply a night cream. We’re going to be straight with you: the good stuff doesn’t come cheap. And while you might have heard rumors that Nivea cream has essentially the same formula as La Mer, that’s really only true if you’re able to find the German version of the cream.
Some of our favorite night creams might be a little bit of an investment, but they’re still much cheaper than a facelift.
La Prarie’s anti-aging night cream is coveted by beauty editors and bloggers the world over. It’s packed with peptides and antioxidants that will help you to wake up with a glow that actually convinces people you got a full eight hours of sleep.
Looking for something a little more accessible, price-point-wise?
If so, Shiseido’s Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Night Cream is the way to go.
One tip? Don’t forget your neck, and even dab a little on the backs of your hands to help prevent aging there.
3. The Right Mascara
Every woman knows the struggle of finding the right mascara.
So, what are those tried-and-true mascara and eyelash products to add to your makeup wardrobe?
Hint: not false eyelashes. They might be all the rage right now, but they’re going to look seriously dated in a few years (sorry, Kim Kardashian.)
Not only are false eyelashes a real pain to put on, but recently, the beauty world has been all abuzz at the fact that improperly applied (or just left on for too long) falsies can help to breed eyelash mites.
Instead, go for the more natural-looking, and much less mite-friendly, eyelash extensions. They’ll offer you the same length and lift of falsies but will stay on for much longer.
To finish the look, top it all off with a few coats of Cle De Peau’s Perfect Lash Mascara (seriously, it’s time you graduated from Great Lash.)
4. The Right Highlighter
Do you love the look of a little extra glow, but worry that some of the more extreme highlighters on the market today make it look like you fell headfirst into a bucket of glitter?
Leave it to Makeup Icon Charlotte Tilbury to create the perfect highlighter palette that will help you sculpt and define without turning yourself into an over-contoured ventriloquist dummy.
Pick up her essential Filmstar Bronze & Glow Palette and dust a few strokes of the highlighter on the tops of your cheekbones. If you want to minimize your forehead or eliminate that double chin, use the bronzer side.
You can also use the highlighter on the tops of your eyelids right underneath the browbone to create a look that really pops but doesn’t overwhelm.
Plus, the stunning rose gold packaging will give your makeup wardrobe an elegant boost of Old Hollywood glamour.
Revamp Your Makeup Wardrobe For The New Year
Thanks to this post, you know the products that you need to update your look and turn even more heads in the new year.
What are your favorite items in your own makeup wardrobe? Which ones didn’t quite live up to all the hype? We’d love to hear from you — and so would our fellow readers.
Looking for more style and beauty advice?
No matter what your style is like, we’re constantly sharing ways you can take it to the next level.
Rely on our website and blog to help you start setting trends, instead of just following them.
