- UNITE Editorial
Make-Up Staples For The Broke University Student
MAC lipsticks. Becca Champagne Pop. Benefit mascara. What do these cult beauty buys have in common? Other than guaranteed results and pretty colour payoff, they also cost a pretty penny. Well, despair not! Whether you’re just starting out in your makeup journey or just want to look for effective alternatives that won’t break the bank, here are 5 essential items you need in your makeup bag, all under $20:
1. Concealer: Maybelline Pure Mineral Concealer, $15.90
Any good base is essential to any artist. University is the time for partying, staying up late and topsy-turvy sleep cycles, but with a good concealer, you never have to turn up to tutorials looking like you had anything less than 8 hours of good rest.
Swipe the Pure Mineral Concealer under your eyes and on areas you wished had seen better days and let the micro-mineral formula give you perfect skin.
2. Eyeliner: NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker, $18
Bold, subtle, and anywhere in between, black eyeliner is a definite must-have to define and highlight your eyes. A thousand different looks can be created with this handy felt tip, from the slightest hint of an outline to dramatic Bad Blood cat eyes.
3. Eyebrow pencil: Etude House Drawing Eye Brow, $5.90
If you’ve ever Googled “celebrities without eyebrows”, you’ll know brows are the single most important patches of hair on your entire face. (The upper lip stache can go.) With a conveniently angled tip and an attached brow brush, the Etude House brow pencils are a great tool to shape and fill out your brows on the go.
4. Lip balm: Maybelline Baby Lips Candy Wow, $9.90
The air conditioning in lecture halls and libraries can dry you out in a snap- and no one wants to rock cracked, chapped lips. Infused with Vitamin E and Shea Butter, Maybelline Baby Lips are the perfect 2-in-1 product to protect your lips while giving them an effortless wash of colour. For bold, adventurous days, apply with a heavy hand to intensify shades.
5. Makeup Remover: Garnier Pure Active Micellar Cleansing Water, $5.90
Ask any beauty guru and they’ll tell you- the number one, no-exceptions, absolute-must-follow rule of makeup is that You Must Remove Your Makeup Before Bed. No matter how dramatic or subtle the look of the day, the last step in putting on makeup is, paradoxically, taking it off. Widely touted as a great alternative for the pricey Bioderma Micellar Water (save that for champagne brunch days), the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water removes waterproof makeup and allows your skin to breathe while you get your beauty rest.
On the days where Galantis’ No Money ceases to be a catchy tune and starts to dismally resemble our present financial situations, these beauty staples are sure to have your back in the absence of extravagant luxury favourites.