cherryculture.com’s recent free shipping/NYX sale had Carly & me wondering if we could possibly write a semi-successful makeup/style blog… so here we are! as of the moment, we’re still waiting on a few things: paychecks, a new camera, for our new NYX cosmetics to ship out, and proper brushes.

while we’re waiting, however, I thought maybe that I could list my favorite drugstore/non-HE brands! I don’t like using the word ‘cheap’ for these brands, just because while they are cheaper money-wise, their quality can sometimes be just as good or better than some HE brands I’ve tried!

- Milani - powder eyeshadow - I have this in Sun Goddess! This is my FAVORITE gold shade of all time. on my medium-dark skin, the effect is subtle but still pigmented enough to show! it’s a little more of a burnt, topaz-y kind of gold, so it isn’t overly bright on darker skin tones. the other shadows are also good, but I have the most experience with Sun Goddess - for any brown girls looking for a good shade of gold that won’t wash you out but won’t overwhelm, this one is it!
- NYX - palettes - my favorite palette from NYX, thus far, is the matte trio of black/gray/white! the black is SO pigmented and long lasting that I sometimes use it as eyeliner! this is great for smoky eyes, though the matte can be a little harsh at times. I have a few other palettes from NYX that don’t work as well on my skin tone, but am totally willing to try more - NYX has done me no real wrong so far. (I can’t wait to try out their single shadows! I hear great things about them too :)
- L’oreal HiP - creme liners - their creme liners are great! the brushes included aren’t very good, but I can make do, since I’m on a budget ;) the liners are bright and super pigmented, and they show up great on my skin tone. I once wore the teal liner to the beach and it lasted throughout the day - even after I got pummeled by waves! favorite shade: teal, but the dark blue is great as well. downsides: for those looking for a blendable creme liner, this isn’t the one! once it hardens, it’s there to stay!
- Sonia Kashuk - Her bent eyeliner brush and it makes applying creme liners / wet shadows so much easier! I definitely recommend any of Sonia Kashuk’s brushes, but my favorite definitely has to be the bent eyeliner.
- Revlon - lip gloss - super lustrous nude lustre is probably my favorite lip gloss of all time! as someone who dislikes sickly sweet scents and the stickiness of most lip glosses, this is a pretty big deal :) as a rule, I generally stick with ChapStick because of dry lips & heavy eye makeup, but this perfect nude shade goes great with more dramatic eye looks! I definitely recommend it to anyone of any skin color.

I hope this list helps for anyone looking for affordable but highly-pigmented, long-lasting, and generally good quality makeup! Good luck :)

- Mika