1 ) Stating the Obvious – Maybelline Great Lash and L’oreal Volumizer mascaras. Let’s just get these out of the way. Every makeup artist I know has one or the other or both in their kit. I’m a Great Lash girl, myself. Yes it’s thick. Yes it can be goopy. Yes you have to work it. But the rewards are worth the effort and I think Great Lash is just one of the best cosmetics products ever, drugstore, prestige, or professional.

2 ) Sonia Kashuk Cosmetics – I’m always surprised how many people aren’t hip with Sonia Kashuk cosmetics. A high-end makeup artist (with clientele such as Cindy Crawford and Kim Bassinger), Kashuk decided to make a department store quality brand available in a mass market retailer (Target). By simplifying the packaging instead of the product, the Sonia Kashuk line was able to keep the quality where it matters most. Notable items in the line are the “How to Create a Smokey Eye” palette, and the mighty, mighty “Arch Alert” brow kit. Of the items I discuss in this article, the Arch Alert kit along with Great Lash are the two absolute must-have staples for my Kit.

3 ) Vichy – Skipping to skincare, Vichy is a fantastic line. I don’t know what’s happening nationally, but here in Los Angeles you can actually get Vichy at good ole CVS (which is like Long’s Drugs, Duane Reade, etc.). Vichy is particularly known for it’s hydrating products that are great for oily and/or reactive skin and it’s anti aging products. The rub – Vichy is on the higher end of drugstore in terms of pricing. Of particular note are the Normaderm Pro Mat Ultra Moisturizer and the Reti-C Intensive Corrective Care moisturizer. Vichy also used to make the best lip balm ever. I mean ever. And then they discontinued it. Why do companies do this???

4 ) Black Radiance and Black Opal Cosmetics – One of the things that makeup artists don’t like about drugstore brands vs. professional brands is that drugstore brands are usually not very well pigmented. Because of this the colors don’t read true, and the product wears off quickly. Want true colors that last? Look to brands made for black consumers. Due to the increased skin pigment, the makeup products made for black skin has to have more pigment or it just won’t show up. I mention both of these two brands because I think they both have their strengths. Black Opal has been touted by makeup artists such as Sam Fine and Dick Page for years because their foundations and powders are actually quite good (the line was initially developed by a black dermatologist). They also have a great selection of bronzers and lipcolors. Black Radiance has surprisingly good eyeshadows and eyeliners in all the bright, fun colors. They are smooth and creamy enough to actually blend (most drugstore brands are too dry and chalky) and again, they are pigmented enough where you can actually see the color.