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1. A flat-top brush that makes applying foundation and other cream products a dream. It has soft synthetic brush hairs, which are densely packed to buff and blend, and it doesn’t absorb a lot of your foundation.
2. NYX Liquid Suede Cream lipstick in a plummy shade that looks great on literally everyone. I have this colour and I love that it goes on like a muted nude on darker skin. The formula is the best of both worlds — it looks semi-matte, but doesn't have the dryness and tackiness of a matte liquid lipstick. Yay for non-crumbly lips!
3. Maybelline Fit Me loose finishing powder, because it gives powders twice its price a run for their money. It’s very finely milled and has medium coverage, so you can use it to set your foundation, or just apply a layer over moisturizer with a fluffy brush for a subtler look.
4. A tube of Aveeno sunscreen that'll give you moisture and SPF60 protection, without leaving a ghostly cast on your face. Everyone with melanin knows the struggle of finding a sunscreen that won't leave them Lavender Lovely. This sunscreen gives you a blurred-out glow, which is always a win in my book. 10/10 from me.
5. Maybelline Instant Erase concealer, which has stood the test of time and remained a bestseller for years. It has a sponge tip that makes it a breeze to apply, and it's highly pigmented, so you'll look all woken up even if you got out of bed 15 minutes before your Zoom meeting.
6. A beauty sponge from Wet 'n' Wild that'll help you blend out basically any cream product to a seamless finish. It works just as hard as its very popular expensive cousin (rhymes with "Fruity Flender"), and on top of all that, it's vegan and cruelty free.
7. A luminous face primer that'll leave you looking like you drink four litres of water a day and get ten hours of sleep every night. It's hard to find a drugstore primer that doesn't have chunky shimmer particles, but this is tried and tested and will give you that post-workout sweaty glow (without moving a muscle).
8. A bottle of Sally Hansen drying drops, because it'll speed up the process of doing an at-home mani drastically. Simply use the dropper to apply the formula onto freshly painted nails, wait a couple of minutes, and voilà!
9. A double-sided eyeliner pen that makes eyeliner application so much easier and faster, you'll be ready sooner than you expected! It lets you stamp on a wing with one end, and line your eye with the other. And what's sexier than feeling confident in your eyeliner skills?
10. Some nutrient-infused primer water that'll prep your skin for makeup or just give it a refresh with a few spritzes. It deposits a soft sheen onto your skin and hydrates it, leaving it plump and supple for hours.
11. Some matte kohl pencil liners that'll give your eye look a pop of colour, for anyone who wants to take their eyeliner look to another level. You can also just put it in your waterline and throw on some mascara for a fresher, fashionable look.
12. A tube of L'Oreal Lash Paradise mascara that'll leave your lashes long, full, wispy, and flirty as you coyly glance at your date. It's super black and easy to remove, so you won't tug on or damage your lashes.
13. Or a clear lash and brow mascara that'll give you that ~naturally groomed~ model-esque look without adding pigment. It's long wearing and dual-sided, so you can use one mascara for your brows and the other for your lashes, without contamination.
14. A classic Revlon Super Lustrous lipstick (or two!) that'll make sure your pout is always on point. These are matte and richly pigmented, but soft enough to keep your lips from being a chapped mess throughout the day. Plus, there are so many colours to choose from!
15. And a watermelon lip scrub to make your lips pillowy soft, so there's no weird flaking when you put your products on. It's made with sugar, which will help gently slough dead skin off your pout. Reviewers say it's one of the best lip scrubs you can get at the price point.
16. A bottle of Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation that's light and liquid-y, but provides excellent coverage and a matte, yet natural-looking finish. Summer is upon us and this will help you from getting oily within ten minutes of your makeup application. It comes with a pump, too, which is a huge win if you hate the idea of double-dipping an applicator.
17. A Korean beauty-inspired cheek tint that'll give your face a natural-looking flush. It leaves behind the kind of blush that you would have after a walk in the sun or a hot yoga sesh. Plus, since it's a cream formula, it'll last longer that powder blushes.
18. A tinted brow mascara from NYX that'll help fill and tame your brow hairs and make them look neater. I don't tweeze or wax my brows, but I love zhuzh-ing them up a little when I want to look more put together, and this produces a really nice and natural effect.
19. A beige-nude shade of nail polish from Essie that'll primp up long or short nails in a subtle way. Reviewers love that they only need two coats at max, and the polish dries fast, too! I have a couple of these and they have remarkable lasting power.
20. A daily-wear eyeshadow palette that combines dark and light neutrals, so you can give your lids a wash of colour, without whipping out all your other shadow palettes. The shades are velvet-soft, and there's a cute lilac colour among the browns, too, if you want to switch things up a bit.
21. A liquid eyeliner pen from Revlon that's designed to help you create the sharpest, most precise eye looks. The fibre tip is ultra tapered to make short work of giving yourself some classic pinup wings or graphic floating eyeliner.
22. While you're at it, why not also add this fluffy crease brush to your cart? It'll blend your eyeshadow to perfection, and it's so soft, it feels like a massage for your lids. I would know because I have FIVE of these (I panic-bought backups because they're that good).
23. And lastly, a bestselling plumping lip gloss from e.l.f. that'll give your pout a cute shine and a translucent, pinky tint. It's perfect for days when you're not in the mood to wear a full-on lip and just want something light, yet glam.
BRB, just gonna go take out the trash with a full beat on...
