The Best Drugstore Makeup Kit For Beginners

Looking to create an affordable drugstore makeup kit with the best products to complement your complexion?

I love drugstore makeup! These products are not only affordable but also have amazing performance. Find out how to create the perfect drugstore makeup kit for your complexion as I share some of the best drugstore makeup to cover every inch of your face (while keeping $$ in your wallet!).

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Primer

Primer isn’t a makeup routine must have, but the right primer can help you achieve the complexion you’re looking for by properly preparing your skin to receive makeup. If you want a makeup primer for your drugstore makeup kit, check out these recommendations based on your skin type or the look you’re going for:

NYX Pore Filler – This is one of the few pore filling primers that I found really helped to minimize the look of my pores. This primer is a lightweight blurring primer that helps to make skin look smoother while helping makeup better adhere to the skin for a long lasting look. 

e.l.f. Cosmetics Poreless Putty Primer – This putty primer went viral when it first came out for it’s ability to smooth imperfections and reduce the look of textured skin. It’s a very lightweight paste that you smooth onto the skin and I love that it isn’t drying on my skin. Apply it anywhere you need smoother looking skin! It’s also a dupe for the Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer, FYI.

L’Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion Natural Glow Enhancer – If you want an ethereal glowing look to your skin, L’Oreal’s Lumi Glotion will be a must for your makeup kit. Apply this primer on the points of your face where you want to glow before you apply your foundation. You can also apply this to your collarbone or shoulders for some extra glow.

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Foundation

Foundation is one makeup item I can’t live without and can be very difficult to recommend because everyone’s skin types are different. However, I think the foundations below are some that you should consider first for your drugstore makeup kit:

L’Oreal Infallible Fresh Wear 24HR Foundation (all skin types) – This is an influencer favourite and has amazing review from those with oily skin and those with drier skin types. It has medium coverage with a long lasting satin finish. I have not tried this foundation yet (it’s on my wishlist when I finish some of my currently open foundations) but would be remiss if I didn’t include it in this post based on it’s success.

Catrice Cosmetics HD Liquid Coverage Foundation (oily skin)- Reviewed here,  I love this lightweight, liquid foundation on my slightly oily skin. It lasts all day and blends easily for medium, buildable coverage with a skin-like, matte finish. It is a go-to foundation in the hot summer months for me, as it’s quite sweatproof and contains niacinamide to control oil output. Available in 24 shades. 

Flower Beauty Light Illusion Foundation (dry skin) – This foundation has a radiant/glowy finish that is long lasting with medium to full coverage. The cruelty free formula is long lasting and has blurring properties.

Shop Foundations:

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Concealer

Concealers are great to have in your kit to cover up redness or blemishes or to brighten the under eye area. My favourites include:

Catrice Cosmetics Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer (all skin types) – I love this concealer under my eyes (full review here); it has a hydrating feel to it and blends seamlessly to provide medium coverage. It doesn’t settle into any of my fine lines and never creases on me when set with a translucent powder. 

e.l.f. 16HR Camo Concealer (oily skin/full coverage) – If you’re looking for a full coverage matte concealer, e.l.f.’s 16HR Camo Concealer is a great option. It can cover most anything under the sun, is super affordable and provides a matte finish if you suffer from more oily skin and shine is your enemy. 13 shades are available.

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Powder

I always set my foundation and concealer with powder to reduce shine and prolong my coverage throughout the day. My go to translucent setting powder is:

RCMA No-Color Powder (all skin types) – This powder has been my go-to for the last 4-5 years and is a staple in the makeup industry.

It is super affordable, finely milled powder that looks white in the container but disappears when applied to the skin. I like to apply mine with a powder puff or a damp makeup sponge. One bottle also lasts a long time!

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Makeup Sponge

With no doubt, my favourite drugstore makeup sponge is the Real Techniques Miracle Face & Body Sponge. It’s affordable, easy to use and is perfect for applying foundation or setting powder when damp. 

Blush

Blush is a must for giving your complexion a flushed, refreshed look and it comes in powder, cream or liquid forms. To browse a bunch of amazing cream and liquid blushes, check out my post “The Best Drugstore Cream & Liquid Blushes” for a full list, but to narrow down the selections for your kit here, I would recommend:

Milani Baked Powder Blush (normal/dry) – Milani’s baked blushes are gorgeous and give skin a soft glow of colour. Oily skin types may find this blush a touch too glowy for their liking and the glow it provides may highlight skin texture issues, so keep that in mind of you have shiny or textured skin.

e.l.f. Putty (Cream) Blush – (normal/dry/mature skin) – cream blushes give the skin a most gorgeous flush and are perfect for drier skin types or mature skin types looking to minimize the look of fine lines or texture. Applied in tapping motions with a stipple brush, cream blushes have become a favourite of mine in the past couple years instead of powder blushes for their texture-minimizing benefits. 

NYX Cosmetics Sweet Cheeks Soft Cheek Tint (Liquid) – this cruelty free, vegan liquid blush formula is well pigmented and provides a long lasting finish.

Shop Blushes:

Bronzer

Bronzer is a great makeup item to warm up your complexion to give you a sun-kissed look. Apply some to the spots on your face where you would naturally get colour from the sun – along the top of your forehead and along the cheeks and nose. Many people also apply bronzer as a contour to help the high points of their face seem more prominent. My bronzer recommendations are:

Physician’s Formula Murumur Butter Bronzer (powder): This bronzer is made with a blend of murumuru butter, cupuaçu butter, and tucuma butter from the nutrient-rich Amazon and is packed with essential fatty acids and pro-vitamins that soften, condition, and moisturize the skin. It’s also a Holy Grail bronzer for many people and is one of my favourite bronzers; it applies and blends easily and is well pigmented, but not too pigmented. 

L’Oreal True Match Lumi Bronzer (powder – normal/dry skin) – If you want a glowy, radiant bronzer for your skin, L’Oreal’s Lumi Bronzer is a solid option. The shades also come in cooler tones to avoid being too orangy/brown on the skin if you need a cooler bronzer option.

e.l.f. Putty Bronzer (cream) – if you prefer a cream bronzer option for a flawless blend, consider e.l.f.’s Putty Bronzer. It has a cream to powder finish in a pigmented formula that would be perfect for drier or mature skin types.

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Highlighter

Highlighter is perfect for making your cheekbones pop and applied to your eyelids can instantly make them look brighter and fresher. Some powder, cream and liquid drugstore highlighter options include: 

Wet n’ Wild Megaglo Highlighter – super affordable, this highlighter makes the skin glow with it’s smooth formula. It is a bestselling drugstore highlighter and a must for your makeup kit. 

Maybelline Master Chrome Highlighter – For a blinding metallic highlight, Maybelline’s Chrome highlighters are your best bet. 

L’Oreal Lumi Glow Amour Glow Boosting Drops (liquid) – This liquid highlighter can be applied on top of makeup or mixed into your foundation for a glow boost. 

Shop Highlighters:

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Eyeshadow

There is a plethora of drugstore eyeshadow palettes that are amazing on the lids and you don’t have to spend top dollar anymore for a good palette. Here are my recommendations for drugstore eyeshadow, both powder and cream:

e.l.f. Liquid Metallic Eyeshadow (cream) – These cream eyeshadows provide a gorgeous metallic look to the lids and are easy to apply for all day glow. 

Maybelline The Blushed Nudes Eyeshadow Palette (powder) – This is a staple palette with soft nude shades for eyeshadow beginners looking for simple glam. It comes in 12 shades and includes “The 24K Nudes” and “The Nudes” palettes in this range as well for more colour options. 

Wet n’ Wild Color Icon Eyeshadows (powder) – These 10 shade eyeshadow palettes come in a range of colours and have long lasting, well pigmented shades at great prices. 

Almay Velvet Foil Cream Eyeshadow – For a creamy, shimmery eye look, these Velvet eyeshadows from Almay are a beauty favourite. 

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Eyeliner

Eyeliners come in pencil, cream and liquid forms depending on the look you are going for and your experience with eyeliner application (liquid liners are the hardest to apply). My eyeliner recommendations are below:

NYX Cosmetics Epic Ink Line (liquid) – If you’re quite handy with an eyeliner pen, this one from NYX Cosmetics is well pigmented and glides on smoothly for the perfect cat eye.

Tip: Always store your liquid eyeliners tip-side downwards for best results.

Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner (cream) – This eyeliner cream is easier to apply for eyeliner beginners and comes with an eyeliner brush for application. It’s waterproof and can be left solid or smudged before fully drying for a smokey look. 

Wet n’ Wild Mega Last Break-Up Proof Waterproof Eyeliner – A richly pigmented gel eyeliner pencil that boasts a 16 hour wear time that’s cruelty free too.

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Brow Filler

If you have full brows, a filler might not be required. But if you want a filler that can quickly make your brows pop, here are my recommendations:

e.l.f. Ultra Precise Brow Pencil – I love this for a quick brow fill. The pigment is not too strong and not too light but just right! It comes with a spooly on one end to brush brows and a small brow pencil that lasts quite a while. 

Maybelline Tattoo Studio Brow Tint Pen – with multiple tips, this brow tint mimics the look of eyebrows with its hair-like strokes. 

NYX Lift & Snatch Eyebrow Pen – This pen lets you draw in hair-like strokes for a full brow look. It’s quite pigmented, so you need a steady hand for this one!

Shop Brow Fillers:

 

Mascara

Mascara is a must have item for me to help open up my eyes and make me look more awake. My mascara suggestions are:

L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black – An OG mascara used by makeup artists for years, L’Oreal’s mascara provides length and volume in a true black formula for major lashes without flaking and has been a long time fave for me. 

essence Cosmetics Volume Stylist 18 Hour  Lash Extension Mascara – Another fave of mine, this super affordable mascara provide major length and volume through lash fibers and gives me that falsies look without falsies. I wore this mascara to a wedding where I was part of the bridal party and it lasted from 6am to 1am the next day and looked fabulous the whole time!

CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume – If you want a an easy to apply mascara that separates lashes and doesn’t apply too much product, CoverGirl mascaras are your baby. The rubber bristles on their brushes are amazing for separating lashes and making mascara application easy. I always have a CoverGirl mascara in my office desk for the mornings I need mascara on in a hurry.

 

Lip Makeup

There are a ton of lip products to choose from at the drugstore depending on the look you want for your lips. Here are my favourites:

L’Oreal Color Riche Shine Lipstick – These lipsticks are gorgeous and feel like a lip balm more than a lipstick on the lips. The shades are well pigmented and provide a slight sheen to the lips without getting gunky over time. 

NYX Butter Gloss – As the name suggests, if you want shiny, juicy lips, these glosses with make your lips shine in a lightweight, non-sticky formula. 

Wet n’ Wild Liquid Catsuit (matte) – This liquid lipstick goes on silky but dries to a bold, matte finish for long lasting colour.

e.l.f. Tinted Lip Oil (glossy) – I love the e.l.f. lip oils – they go on smooth and make your lips shine to the heavens in a non-sticky formula.

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Setting Spray

Setting spray can help to prolong your makeup look or provide glow or mattifying properties based on the spray you select. Some great setting sprays to consider for your makeup kit are: 

Milani Make It Last Setting Spray – this makeup lover favourite sprays in a perfect mist and provides long lasting wear to your makeup in a vegan/cruelty free formula. It comes in 4 formulas – Original, Matte and Dewy depending on the finish you are looking for, with the fourth setting spray containing 30SPF for sun protection.

Tip: Spritz your setting spray onto your face and then use a damp makeup sponge to evenly blend it into skin for a flawless finish!

Makeup Brushes

There are some great drugstore makeup brush options that are affordable and well made. My recommendations are:

Real Techniques Brushes – these brushes are super soft and make applying any type of makeup super easy. Their Expert Face Brush is my favourite for foundation application.

e.l.f.Cosmetics Brushes – I have several e.l.f. makeup brushes that have been with me for years and I can’t live without (especially their small stipple brush!).

 

Have fun building your drugstore makeup kit!