Guest Blogger: Elise Marquam-Jahns
Walking into a Sephora or Ulta—or even your local drugstore cosmetics aisle—can sometimes make us feel like a deer caught in headlights. With new product launches coming at us from all directions and from every brand, how can we possibly know (or take the time) to check out all the offerings to find our faves and avoid the fails?
While new products from well-known brands seem to get all the love, there are some lesser known as well as some great old standbys that deserve some recognition.
Since “sharing-what-works” is a time honored tradition for women, I thought I’d continue that tradition and share a few of my favorite not-so-well-known but oh-so-good makeup products. And I hope you’ll share some of your favorites with all of us as well!
TIP: Speaking of “sharing-what-works,” I’m excited to let you know about a guide I’ve created which I hope will be helpful. It’s a look into interesting recent research that focuses on the top four research-proven makeup techniques that help women like you and me look our best. If you’d like a copy of this guide (it’s free!) please CLICK HERE. here.
1. Revlon Colorstay Lipliners
Lip liners are one of those makeup products where it’s absolutely not necessary to spend a lot of money to get a good product. A classic that’s been around forever is Revlon Colorstay Lipliners. Why these, you ask? Well, they last a very long time, glide on easily, and are long-wearing. The only drawback is that the color selection is somewhat limited. I’ve seen prices ranging from $3.84 – $9.99 (depending on the store)—a really good deal!
2. Elf Lip Lock Pencils
Even if we haven’t smoked, some of us end up with some of those pesky vertical lines around our mouth which invite lipstick feathering. If you deal with this challenge, this product works wonders to keep your lipstick from budging or traveling.
TIP: sometimes the white color of this product can show up, well, white around your lips. A good trick is to apply a bit of concealer around your lips first, apply the lip lock and then gently blend them together.
Higher end versions of this type of product usually cost $20 or more whereas this little work horse costs an astonishing $3 and does just as good a job. I have yet to see this product in any brick and mortar store, but maybe you’ll have more luck. When I order from the website, I often choose to get multiples.
3, Essence I Love Stage Eyeshadow Base
Though Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion in “Eden” is my all-time cult classic favorite, this little guy is truly a close second. If you have any discoloration on your eyelids or just want to ensure that your eye shadow doesn’t smudge or crease, this is a must-have. And it weighs in at just $3.49. How can you go wrong?
Tip: If you want to create absolutely bullet-proof crease prevention—and help your eye shadow absolutely glide on effortlessly, brush on a small amount of translucent powder across your eyelids after applying this eye shadow base—just make sure to let the eye shadow base dry first.
4. Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara
It’s an absolute mystery to me why few other brands seem to have this type of product since it works a little bit of magic on your bottom lashes. If you’ve ever applied mascara to your bottom lashes and ended up looking like a raccoon because it came off or smeared, this little guy is a game-changer. The secret is the itsy-bitsy brush which lets you easily access those bottom lashes and easily dot on some color. It also works great for those inner corner upper lashes as well – $12. My only complaint is that they discontinued the brown color and it now only comes in black.
5, Clinique Pore Filling Solutions Instant Perfector
Talk about a product that really works! If you have any issues with pores, just lightly dot this on and press it in when you’ve completed your makeup and voila—those pores seem to vanish. There are also good pore minimizing face primers, but if you’d prefer to skip a face primer layer, this might just be the ticket for you. It comes in three shades and costs $16.50 – $22 (depending on vendor).
6. RCMA Cream Blush
It can be notoriously challenging to find a cream blush that glides on easily. Most cream blushes come in a stick formula which sometimes is not the easiest to blend into the skin. But this product from the Research Council of Makeup Artists (and available on the Beautylish or Camera Ready Cosmetics sites) glides on like a dream. It comes in a five color palette option (with colors ranging from light to medium pinks to coral and berry shades at $30) or you can purchase singles of any of these colors ($12). And by the way, RCMA also makes a great cream contour palette as well.
I hope some of these products will prove helpful. Please take just a couple of minutes to share your favorite products with us as well!
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About The Author:
Elise Marquam-Jahns is an author, speaker, radio host and makeup artist. As a makeup artist, her passion is helping women 45+ get their glow back. In addition to her work as a makeup artist for a major cosmetics line, she founded Boomer and Beyond Beauty which offers makeup consultations, applications, classes and makeup parties. As host of Normandale Community College’s monthly Learning Well Blog Talk Radio Show, she interviews a wide cross section of health and wellness experts.
