Hello, beauties of the internet! If you’re here reading this, you either covet luxe makeup or are a broke bougie broad like me. My kind is technically broke, living off Swiggy Plus member discounts, but do not look like it. Thanks to our stylish thrift wardrobes and carpool rides with other boogie brokes, we give the impression of living an elite life. And as a beauty journalist who loves to binge on trendy things, I showcase impeccable balance in purchases. For instance, I overdose on pharmacy products to maintain the health of my skin. But like to top it up with yummy, luxe makeup to look like an editorial shoot come to life. I save my precious writer’s salary for the best, meaning those buys have to be handpicked and be more meaningful than a couple of my relationships!
Here’s A Curated List Of Luxe Makeup In My Makeup Vanity…
1. Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Matte Revolution Lipsticks
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Ever since Alia Bhatt wore one of these for her nuptials, I have not heard its end. For the longest time, I avoided biting the bullet and shelling out in a high-end lipstick when my lovely tints back home would get the job done. Finally, giving in, this one surprised me the most. The buttery texture is almost like a balm, doesn’t feel overwhelming for a lipstick-noob like me and ended up being the perfect shade of nude for me. As Indian women who struggle to find their ideal nudes, this one became an instant fave.
2. Pat McGrath LABS Mothership Eyeshadow Palettes
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Makeup friends at home have been dreaming of the day Pat comes to India, myself included. My obsession with the brand and the legendary makeup artist behind it began with its muses, the most recent one being Julia Fox. I want to be one of the women with a Pat eye look on, not to stand out, but to relish in the eponymous brand’s creative genius. The heavily pigmented palettes are anything but ordinary. For someone who likes to add shock value to her look, this one can claim 50% of my rent, and I’d be happily homeless!
3. Clinique Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation
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I picked this one up from an airport on a serendipitous FAM trip where I met many other beauty journalists. After a couple of hours of guilt-ridden aeroplane naps, I ended up loving the product on application. The formula is infused with a bunch of skin-loving ingredients, including hyaluronic and salicylic acid. Plus, the satin-matte finish with medium coverage lets your natural skin show in all its glory. After a barrage of compliments from beauty journalists on the quality of my makeup, it became a foundation mainstay.
4. Benefit Cosmetics Brow Zings Like A Pro
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Post eyebrow microblading and witnessing the glory of well-shaped brows, my obsession with snatched brows on the go have grown multifold. So to have to make on-the-go makeup topped up with essentials, the brow palette must come from the best. Known as the world’s best brow brand, Benefits’ Brow Zings palette features wax and powder formulations to help with the best-featured brows of my life.
5. DIOR Diorshow Pump ‘N’ Volume HD Mascara
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Featured on most ‘Best Mascaras’ list, this supermodel fave is one of the most excellent packages in my makeup vanity. The tube is made of squeezable rubber to allow you to warm up the formula before application and avoid ‘clumpiana’ disasters. Also for someone who cries easily, this waterproof formula is one of the only mascaras that survived the stream of tears in the final Avengers film and I am sticking with it.
6. Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi Use Sculpting Concealer
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I am not a concealer fan; there, I said it. My early concealer experiments ended in questionable grainy Instagram pictures with sharp contour lines visible for the world to judge. I avoided a concealer comeback; until I got my hand on this Too Faced beauty. Their lip plumper were already a fave but this blink-and you-will-miss-it concealer is precisely what I need for seamless coverage.
7. Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Blush
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I come from a generation that bought low-priced skin tints from craft stores and pretended to be Bratz Dolls during gym class. Any formula that can recreate that melt-into-your-skin flush of colours has my approval. Add a built-in brush to the mix, and my lazy arse will volunteer for a lifetime subscription. This makes ABH’s stick blushes such a mainstay in my makeup vanity.
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