It’s been widely reported that Jennifer Lopez practically bathes in Creme De La Mer, which costs $1,390 for a 16.5 ounce jar! Jessica Alba, Jen Garner and Tori Spelling love their drugstore makeup – all are fans of Maybelline Great Lash Mascara. It just goes to show there are beloved beauty products in every price range.
InStyle Beauty Director Amy Synnott-D’Annibale highlights some of the best makeup splurges and steals from the magazine’s 15th annual Best Beauty Buys as featured in the May issue.
FOUNDATION
$$$ Le Metier de Beaute Peau Vierge, $125; go to instyle.com for discount.
This silky foundation seamlessly perfects all skin tones, giving even the dullest complexions a dewy, luminous glow. The best part? It simultaneously delivers a potent dose of wrinkle-busting retinol deep into your skin.
$ L’Oreal True Match foundation, $11; lorealparis.com
Available in a whopping 24 shades, this sheer, highly blendable base absorbs instantly into any skin tone, flawlessly masking minor imperfections.
CHEEKS
$$ NARS Powder blush, $26; narscosmetics.com
Hands down, the experts most popular pick, year after year. The secret? Finely milled powders that deliver a diffuse, utterly believable flush in a spectrum of gorgeous shades that work on the fairest to the darkest skin. We’ve seen Orgasm – the brand’s signature shimmery peach shade – used more times on photo shoots than any other color from any other brand.
$ Revlon Color Stay Mineral Finishing Powder, $14; go to instyle.com for discount.
Mineral powder is great for your skin (it has a natural SPF and won’t irritate delicate complexions) but some can leave a dull cast. Not this sparkly gem; part highlighter, part blush, it gives an instant healthy boost to skin which lasts all day (up to 16 hours).
EYES
$$ Diorshow Mascara, $24; sephora.com
This formula – another staple in celebrity makeup bags – adds length, thickness and volume with absolutely no clumps or smudging. It makes lashes look huge, but not fake.
$ Maybelline Great Lash, $5; ulta.com
Pros love the miniature wand in this cult classic – it helps them get at every last lash, even the tiny corner ones. Another bonus? The formula really sticks (you don’t need to worry about it migrating to your upper eyelid).
LIPS
$$ Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss, $27; sephora.com
The name says it all. This non-sticky, astonishingly shiny gloss feels as good as it looks. Pros also swear by the wide range of gorgeous shades.
$ L’Oreal Infallible Never Fail Lipcolour Compact, $12; at CVS
Salad, pizza, last night’s General Tao’s Chicken – throw even the greasiest lunch at this long-wear lip color and it will barely budge. And don’t worry: It doesn’t feel like paint drying on your lips. The formula is more sheer than most and comes with an ultra-glossy topcoat.
NAILS
$$ NARS Schiap, $16; narscosmetics.com
A fresh new alternative to red, this hot pink shade is this Summer’s homage to the ‘80s. For those who prefer a more coy shade like Essie Mademoiselle on their fingers, try this pretty fuchsia shade on your toes – it pops beautifully against a (fake) tan.
$ OPI You Don’t Know Jacques, $9; at Ulta
A more wearable version of dark, this chic, mushroomy shade looks good on almost everyone. Wear it with white jeans and a coral top; it offers a nice counterpoint to other bold punches of color in your outfit.
The May Issue of InStyle is on sale now and you can go to www.instyle.com/bbb to search the new archive of more than 600 Best Beauty Buys winners from the past six years!
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