Hey Everyone and Happy Monday!!
I was inspired to create this post after watching my favorite YouTuber, Emily Noel, create a video on this topic. It really got me thinking about not only my favorite products from the brand, but also just how excited I’ve been getting over their new releases.
These aren’t necessarily my very favorite brands of all time, but they’ve definitely had my attention the most lately. Oddly enough, most of the brands in my list are drugstore! I definitely feel like the more affordable brands have really upped the quality of their products over the last few years. I’ve really come to appreciate how great it is to diversify my makeup collection with more affordable items, rather than splurging on one or two high-end products. (Don’t get me wrong, Hourglass, Marc Jacobs, and LM still have my heart!)
This post will be a relatively broad overview of brands/products, but I am happy to do a more thorough review on anything y’all would like to see more of! Just let me know! All products mentioned are linked in each brand description.
I’d like to add that the brands that DO NOT excite me are not inherently “bad” quality or poor in performance. They just disinterest at the moment due to over-production of new products or other various reasons I’ll get into later. This is not intended to bash any one brand or create negativity.
First, I’ll discuss the brands that are MOST EXCITING at the moment and mention the products that I love the most
Revolution Beauty
My GOODNESS has this brand been absolutely blowing me away lately. The quality of the products I’ve tried out from them have been crazy good and they have an ultra-affordable price tag to match. Lately, I feel that they’ve really come out with unique products that grab my attention to want to try out. All the eyeshadow palettes I’ve picked up have provided really interesting color variations that I didn’t have in my collection previously. You never feel like you’re walking away with a boring, over-produced range of colors.
Most importantly, I think Revolution has been a leader in inclusivity of all ages, skin tones, genders, etc.. They have AMAZING shade ranges for complexion products to meet the needs of their consumers. It just makes my heart happy to find a line of products that can be loved by all.
In my opinion, that’s the real beauty of the beauty industry.
LOOK at the gorgeousness in their Visionary Palette I recently picked up for only $7.00!
The set of colors just inspires me. PERFECTION.
I’ve also recently talked about how good their Fast Base Foundation and Bake and Blot Powders are in previous posts, so I won’t harp on it again. If you missed those reviews, you can find them HERE and HERE. Just shockingly high-performing.
I know I haven’t really scratched the surface of all the different things RB has, but I can’t wait to try more. SERIOUSLY SO, SO GOOD!
Send me your recommendations on what to pick up next!
bareMinerals
This is another brand that has been absolutely killing it with new releases lately. I feel that this brand is definitely WAY underrated. I hope the brand continues to grow and gain the respect it deserves.
BM has consistently prided themselves on creating “clean beauty” products, even before it was trendy. In my mind, this brand really set the standard of what should and shouldn’t be in your cosmetics. I also think they have some of the best price points compared to other high-end brands. I’m also really interested in trying out something from their new skincare line.
I’m making a bold statement with this, but their lipsticks are my absolute favorite among all other high-end/prestige options. Their Gen Nude line of matte liquid and radiant lippies released a few years ago was (and still is) a complete game changer for me. If I’m wearing a liquid lipstick these days, there’s about a 95% chance its a bareMinerals one. I absolutely adore their formulas and they are top-notch in terms of comfort.
Favorite bareMinerals Matte Liquid Lip Shades:
- Weekend
- Swag
- XYZ
Favorite bareMinerals Radiant Lipstick Shades:
- Notorious
- Honeybun
I’ve obsessed over their new Hydrating Foundation Stick in a previous post HERE. It is a dry-skinned person’s dream come true and I love the unique gel-cream consistency it has.
The newest BM discovery for me is their Gen Nude Eyeshadow Palettes . The quality is OUTSTANDING and the shadows are a buttery dream to work with! I also love how compact they are — these would be perfect little palettes to travel with. I have the Gen Nude Eyeshadow Palette in Neutral, and its been such an easy addition for beautiful everyday looks. I highly recommend you check this line out!
SO MUCH LOVE for you, bareMinerals!!
Milani Cosmetics
I am absolutely loving SO many things from Milani at the moment! Everything they release is packaged beautifully in their signature gold color. It is truly one of those lines that visually pulls me in and makes me stop and look every time I run across it online or in stores.
Milani is my personal favorite affordable/drugstore brand for lip products and blush! They have SO many new items I have my eye on for purchase soon. They just have so many standout products that I consistently use in my collection and I just love them so freakin’ much.
Of course, my first Milani love is their baked blush in “Luminoso”. I swear this blush is universally stunning on everyone! It just holds a special place in my heart and immediately puts me in a good mood each time I apply it. I also LOVE their blush shade in “Berry Amore” — it’s what berry + bronzy dreams are made of!
I need their entire line of blushes in my life. If this photo doesn’t make your heart flutter, I don’t know what will!
Image sourced from Milani Cosmetic’s Instagram Account
I have so many lip products from Milani that happen to be my very favorites! I’ve tried several different formulations in their line, and they are consistently so GOOD! Their Color Statement Line is fantastic and feels like a nourishing dream to wear. I’ve got the gorgeous shades Blushing Beauty and Plum Rose from this range so far!
I’ve also been a big fan of their Amore Matte Creams, I’ve repurchased the shade “Precious” several times! This is a super comfortable and pigmented cream texture and looks super hydrating on the lips. Their line of Keep It Full Lip Glosses is one of the best gloss formulas I’ve tried to date- the shade “Luminoso” is stunning. They’ve also got a new Luminoso face palette with blush and highlights I’m dying to try!
Image sourced from Milani Cosmetic’s Instagram Account
Here’s all the lippies I mentioned above swatched:
Next, I plan to try out more of their face products and this eye-shadow palette!
Milani, if you need a new full-time product tester — I’m your girl!!
Wet n Wild
Wet n Wild is definitely a brand that can release some hits and misses. However, it’s really hard for me to complain about the “misses” because this brand is SO AFFORDABLE!
I really respect the fact that Wet n Wild wants all makeup lovers to have access to great products without breaking the bank. They always tend to release products that keep up with current makeup trends for a fraction of the price you’d pay for other brands. No matter what your budget is, they’ve got a great product to try out. I have specifically had a lot of luck with their face products!
A more recent purchase from Wet n Wild is their Photo Focus Primer Water in Cucumber. As a cucumber scent-fanatic, this product is the PERFECT mist to refresh and hydrate my skin. It’s just an instant pick-me-up and I love to use it in several different ways [more on that in a future post! 😉].
I’ve been SO pleased with the foundations from Wet n Wild, and they so happen to be the most affordable ones on the market! Their Mega Cushion Foundation absolutely blew me away (I’m wearing it as I write this!). The Photo Focus Liquid Foundation could outperform a ton of prestige brands, and costs less than $5.00!
**Image sourced from Wet n Wild’s Instagram
One of my absolute FAVORITE highlights in my entire collection is their Boozy Brunch Reflect Palette. It’s just golden-pink champagne perfection! For some reason, its a little tough to find so if you have the opportunity — pick this one up! I’ve also mentioned HERE how much I love their Brow Highlighter Stick to brighten the lower waterline and the arch of my eyebrow. It is a spot-on dupe for the Benefit High Brow Pencil!!
Wet n Wild is just such a cool brand and there’s so many new things I’m super curious to pick up. I love the affordability of the products and the fact that they’ve always been dedicated to being Cruelty Free!
*ALSO: I’m in the process of testing one of their newest products that will be posted soon– stay tuned!
ELF Cosmetics
ELF is such an interesting brand to me. They’ve been coming out with cool products that have really intrigued me to want to try out more and more. Once gain, they have some misses in the line, but the hits are amazing ones!
I can remember years ago when ELF was that brand packaged in all black in white that I could only find in a small section at Target. It was crazy to me that pretty much everything cost around $1.00!
My first purchases from the brand were their makeup brushes. To this day, I use ELF brushes daily and they are some of my absolute favorite! Of course, now they have gained more popularity so the prices have gone up a little–but I’m so thankful that this brand puts out affordable makeup tools that work beautifully.
My HG Makeup Brushes from ELF:
- Pointed Powder Brush — FAVORITE Bronzer Brush
- Blush Brush — Perfection for blush application or setting under eye powder
- Small Tapered Brush — There’s nothing this guy can’t do!
- Complexion Brush
ELF has also really stepped up their skincare game, and they have several new masks/serums that I’m dying to dry out! It just really excites me to see affordable brands create skincare that can work for any budget. I really LOVE their Illuminating Setting Spray Mist. It’s so awesome for the price and sets my makeup like a dream.
I think ELF has the biggest variety of makeup primers to choose from, and they have one that can cater to all different skin types in SO many formulations (sticks, liquids, mists, and of course the infamous putty primer!)
I finally got my hands on the putty one, review coming soon!
I also picked up their Instant Lift Eyebrow Pencil, and I absolutely LOVE it. It works great and is just as easy to work with as the ABH Brow Definer for me, and it only costs $2.00 (this is over 10x cheaper than ABH for $23.00!)
Image Sourced from Elf Cosmetics’ Instagram account
As I mentioned, ELF is just one of my favorite brands to watch because they put out great products at such an affordable price. They also tend to run a ton of specials on their website, from % of entire purchases to free shipping! I’m really interested in trying out so many products from their Spring launches, the Beauty Shield Collection (photo below) is really calling to me.
Image Sourced from Elf Cosmetics’ Instagram account
I can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve next, ELF! 🙂
Now, for the brands that haven’t been holding my attention lately….
- Tarte
- I have several products from Tarte that I really love and enjoy. I respect them as a company and I think they’ve definitely made significant contributions to the beauty community. My main disinterest in their line comes from the seemingly constant output of new products that don’t always deliver the quality for the price you pay. There’s been a lot of products that receive so much hype and ultimately don’t work for me. Their most current releases just don’t interest me at the moment, but hopefully they’ll come out with a product I love and want to share!
- Urban Decay
- Once again, I have an enormous amount of respect for UD as a brand and they have some fantastic products. Just personally for me, I don’t love their most recent new releases. I’m not a Game of Thrones fan (don’t hate me!), so I can’t get super excited over their GoT collection. I feel like many of their releases over the last few years just haven’t spoken to me in terms of the color palettes/tones chosen.
- Kat Von D
- I’ve never had a ton of products from KVD’s line, but I can say objectively her liquid eyeliner and liquid lips are good products. For personal decisions, I no longer choose to purchase her products or promote them on my site. We have differing ideologies on certain issues, so it is not a brand I can consciously support.
So now its y’all’s turn, please share your most/least exciting brands at the moment! If you feel like creating a whole post, tag me in it! I think it was a lot of fun to put some serious thought into what makes each brand special. As a makeup lover and consumer, I think it’s important to take a critical look at what different brands are bringing to the table.
Please share your thoughts! Also let me know of ANY product you’d like more information on –I’m happy to provide a thorough review!
Thanks for Reading!
xo
Jena
FTC: This post is NOT sponsored and all products were purchased by myself. Opinions are honest and my own. Some links are affiliate. I really appreciate your support of my blog!
*Some photos are from the Milani Cosmetics, Wet n Wild Cosmetics, and ELF Cosmetics’ Instagram Accounts
Jena J Beauty 