Makeup Revolution
Makeup Revolution isn’t a drugstore brand, but it is priced like one. However, the quality? It’s amazing. Their eyeshadows are highly pigmented, go on well, and last forever. Their best product, though, is their heart highlighters and the liquid highlighters. I have the heart highlighters in Dragon’s Heart, Unicorn’s Heart, and Mermaid’s Heart, and I adore them. They are all rainbow hearts in various color schemes that are easily applied with a blinding shine. My favorite is probably the Dragon’s Heart, in reds and golds, because the colors work well on my skintone, but I use all of them on regular basis. The liquid highlighters are just as good – they are essentially a dupe for the Cover FX highlighter drops. In fact, a lot of Makeup Revolution’s products are dupes, and in plenty of cases, they are the better product.
Urban Decay
I love Urban Decay. Their All Nighter Setting Spray is the best I’ve found – it makes my makeup last from 7 am to 8 pm in the heat of summer in North Carolina. I’m also a huge fan of their liquid eyeliners and their All Nighter foundation. I had tried the foundation a few years back and felt it just kind of slid off quickly and didn’t have any real coverage, but they must have updated the formula because now? It covers like a dream and lasts all day.
Kat Von D
There’s been some controversy over Kat Von D recently but her Tattoo eyeliner cannot be beat. It is super easy to apply, doesn’t dry up for long time (especially considering it’s a felt tip), and lasts until you remove it. Seriously, I have slept in it and the next day it was intact. Her foundation is also excellent, with a good range of colors – my skin is hard to match, since it’s paler and yellower than it appears, and her line was one of the first that carried a pretty good shade.
Too Faced
I cannot say enough good things about Too Faced‘s Melted liquid lipstick. They last all day, they have a ridiculous range of colors, and they layer well if I want to throw a gloss on top or combine colors for a custom shade. I also like their felt tip eyeliners, although they dry up a bit quickly.
Wet N Wild
I used to avoid Wet N Wild because I thought they were a super cheap low-end brand with quality to match, but then I saw a YouTube video about their Midnight Mermaid collection, which I wanted to try, and I got hooked. Wet N Wild is cheap, but you’d never know from some of their products. Their eye shadows are great, as are their eyeliners, and I love the fun sets they put out sometimes, like their hummingbird-inspired Flights of Fancy. Their liquid lipsticks are good, although they can get a bit gritty after a few hours – not a problem if you’re willing to reapply midday.
Blackheart
I know, I know, I said five, but I didn’t want to forget to mention Blackheart. I forget how I even learned about them, but the brand is sold exclusively at Hot Topic. I ordered some of their eyeshadow palettes online, and was amazed. The colors are vibrant, fun, long lasting, and don’t have a lot of flaking everywhere. I have yet to try their other makeup products, but they are definitely worth a shot. Plus, they aren’t expensive, so you can build that giant makeup collection you’ve always wanted.
It should be noted, all the brands I’ve chosen are completely cruelty-free. This is something that matters greatly to me, and I know how hard it can be to find cruelty-free makeup, so I wanted to share that.
Midsummer Life Dream 