Makeup Picks

Five makeup products that actually get used up rather than sitting in a drawer: two lipsticks, a concealer, an eyeshadow palette and a mascara. In makeup, price is a weak guide to what you get. The mascara is one of the cheapest things on the whole site and holds its own against pricier tubes, while the concealer is where spending more changes the finish. The lipsticks are bought for the shade rather than the formula: a nude that suits a wide range of skin tones, and a blue-red that has been in makeup bags for decades. Every card says who a product suits and what it gets wrong.

Makeup: what your money actually buys ›

Pillow Talk vs Ruby Woo: which lipstick is actually you? ›

Disclosure: HarshaHQ is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra, and it does not change what gets recommended. Prices are what Amazon Australia was charging when this page was last updated.

1

Luxury Lipstick

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lipstick

The warm nude-pink that reads as your-own-lips-but-better on a wide range of skin tones, which is why it sells the way it does. At $78 it's a lot for a nude, and it wants a smooth base to sit right.

★★★★★4.3 / 5

$78.53Luxury

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2

Luxury Concealer

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

Buildable medium coverage with a radiant finish, so it doesn't flatten the under-eye the way a full-matte formula can. The doe-foot wand picks up more than you need, so tap some off before you blend.

★★★★★4.6 / 5

$58.98Luxury

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3

Luxury Palette

Urban Decay Naked3 Palette

Twelve rose-toned neutrals — a narrower range than the shade count suggests, and best if pink flatters you rather than warm gold. The mattes are softer than the shimmers and need a lighter hand.

★★★★★4.6 / 5

$44.99Luxury

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4

Luxury Lipstick

MAC Retro Matte Lipstick, Ruby Woo

Ruby Woo is the blue-red that has been in makeup bags for decades, and it holds through a meal without touching up. It is a proper drying matte, so put balm underneath if your lips flake.

★★★★★4.1 / 5

$43.87Luxury

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5

Mascara

Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara

The flexible bristle wand reaches the short inner-corner lashes most brushes skip, and it's under $20. It builds length more than volume, and it can smudge on oily lids by late afternoon.

★★★★★4.3 / 5

$16.77Viral Pick

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