Kimberly’s Favorite Cosmetics (AND Some Tips!)
Note from Collin:
Do you have a product you love? We definitely have many favorite products here on the Hip2Save Team, and thought it would be FUN to share some of them with you! I personally love product recommendations and I’ve also had a few requests from readers, so I have asked each member of the team to think of products they can’t live without (cosmetics, kitchen gadgets etc.) and to write up a post that will be shared here every Tuesday. Kimberly, my sidekick and friend, is getting us started with her favorite…
Hey all!
It’s Kimberly, one of Collin’s sidekicks! I’m a bit of a makeup addict. I LOVE playing with different colors and products. I’ve tried everything from high end products to inexpensive drug store products. Although I do enjoy quite a few high end products, I have a couple of inexpensive makeup products and tricks that I love and wanted to pass along to you all. 😊
One of my favorite cosmetic products is this wonderful and inexpensive NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk color. Although it’s an ‘eye liner’ pencil, the milk colored one is a little tacky once you apply it, which makes for an awesome eye primer for your eye shadow. You can snag one of these on Target.com or Ulta.com for just $4.49. You can also pick one up in-store at Target or Ulta (but they rarely seem to have the ‘milk’ color in stock at my stores).
The NYX Milk Jumbo Eye Pencil allows me to get really vibrant colors from inexpensive eye shadow palettes. My favorite eye shadow palettes to use in combination with the NYX Milk Jumbo Eye Pencil are from BHCosmetics.com. I love that I can get an eye shadow palette with a whopping 120 different shades for only $17 or so. I don’t feel like I’m breaking the bank when I treat myself to one or two… OK, maybe even three or four of these. 😉
These eye shadow palettes are nicely pigmented and although they aren’t super pigmented like MAC or Urban Decay eye shadow is, when you use the NYX Milk Jumbo Eye Pencil as a primer first, the colors from these palettes become really vibrant and last for hours. You can see what a difference the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil makes with the swatches pictured below. (Left: without using the NYX Pencil as a primer; Right: with the NYX Pencil as a primer.)
I do want to let you all know that I’ve only tried the BH Cosmetics eye shadow palettes, blush and makeup brushes, so I can’t speak for the quality of their other products. However, I have been very happy with each of the products I have purchased.
AND, for those of you who aren’t into bright colors 😉 , this works just as well with neutral colors. This same company also has a great selection of neutral eye shadow palettes available, so be sure to take a look.
How to apply these products…
- Lightly dab the NYX Milk Jumbo Eye Pencil around on your eyelid
- Gently blend it out across your eyelid with your fingertip or with a brush
- Apply your favorite eye shadow
VOILA! You’ve got vibrant eye shadow without breaking the bank! 💃
It’s nice to see a new face on Hip2Save! Makeup looks gorgeous!!
Thanks Jessica! 🙂
HI,, thanks for the tip :), Ive been using urban decay eye primer and ive noticed about 7-8 hours my eyeshadow disappeared even with the primer and now Im wondering if using this will last my eye make-up a little bit longer?by the way , I love your make
Hi Suzy! When I need my makeup to last more than 6 hours, I use a regular primer first (like Urban Decay’s) and then ALSO use the NYX Jumbo Pencil and my makeup and it lasts me the entire day (10+ hours). I hope that helps.
Great make up tips! Thanks <3
You bet, Gerta!
Awesome. Thanks!!
Hi Kimberly, thanks for the tip! How well does this help the shadow last? I am looking an eye primer to help my shadows last, my eyelids are a bit oily.
Hi Trisha! I have pretty oily eyelids too. When I use just the NYX Jumbo Pencil as a primer it lasts about 6 hours. If I need my makeup to stay put for 10+ hours I use an actual eye primer first, then the NYX Jumbo Pencil, then I apply my eyeshadow. I hope this helps. 🙂
Thank you, any primers you recommend for oily lids?
I use the Urban Decay primer potion but I love the Too Faced primer. It depends on the day and colors. The Urban Decay almost feels a bit glue-ish and mine chunks if it it not applied perfectly. The Too Faced primer is soft and easy to apply with my finger and I use it under my eyes too to keep my makeup in place after I cover dark circles. Both are awesome primers though. I think feel and consistency of the product are the only main differences. They both last a long time.
Really like this post! Thanks 😍
Ooooo fun new idea for a Tuesday Collin ! Love this idea ! Ty for sharing
I love the addition of this new feature to Hip2save!!!! This site continues to get better and better!!!
Hi Kimberly, thanks for your ideas! I wanted to let you know I just saw that Macy’s.com has this NYX pencil in the milk color for $4.50. It looks like shipping is free on beauty items, plus you can use code VIP to get an extra 15% off.
Oh awesome! I’ll have to grab one. ;D
Anyone have a tip for my issue? I can’t seem to figure it out.
My mascara always ends up bleeding under my eyes after a few hours of wear. I’ve tried all different kinds of mascara and all different powders etc. to set the area first. No matter what it always happens. The only way to slightly avoid this is waterproof mascara, which I hate. And even then it still happens slightly. I recently asked at the Elizabeth Arden counter and they had no suggestions… Idk. Please help, I’m desperate!!
Have you tried using mascara primer? I think some of the drugstore brands carry them. I used to have a smudge problem until I stopped using mascara on my bottom lashes. This might not work for everyone, but it’s probably worth a try.
I LOVE my mascara primer. I’ve tried L’Oréal which was okay, but the Laura Geller mascara primer is my favorite! I have trouble with midday raccoon eyes and this has helped tremendously
Awesome ladies!! Thanks for your help. I will try a primer as I never have before. And my next (sad) step will be no mascara on the bottom. I was thinking this may work since my lashes are really long but was dreading it!! Primer/ here I come!!!
I would also try a tubing mascara. They tend to be pretty pricey, but they are awesome and come off easily and cleanly at the end of the day. Blinc which you can get from Sephora, and Trish McAvoy which you can order from Nordstrom are a couple options. I’m sure you can find more if you google a bit.
I am late to the party here… but maybe you will see this! Beauty Tubes Mascara by L’Oreal will fix this problem completely and won’t break the bank either! It dries into a little tube on your lashes and doesn’t smudge at all, but it washes right off with water or a makeup wipe. Not waterproof. It comes off in little black strings when you wash your face. I’ve been using it for years and have yet to have it smudge… even after getting a little weepy 🙂 Its a two part mascara, with a white base and a black over coat on opposite ends of the tube, but it swipes on really quickly and easily.
Use Blinc mascara! It’s pricey at $26, but it changed my life-at least my make-up life. My eye make-up looked so bad after a few hours, I decided to quit wearing it all together, until someone recommended Blinc to me. It creates a black tube around each lash, and will not budge until you remove.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll def look into it
I also love Blinc and you could consider tinting your eyelashes at a salon.
clinique has a cheaper tubing mascara called lash power its $17, i have used it for years, one version even has adjustable amount you can make your lashes more dramatic or less.
By chance are you using a moisturizer in that area? I was having the same issue so I started using my eye cream at night vs the morning and no more transfer. Hope this helps!
Get eyelash extensions!! At around $50 per month they’re definitely worth it to me to wake up with “mascara” on that doesn’t budge. Just do your research and find a good eyelash tech, with proper application there is NO damage to your natural lashes!
I have a NYX milk pencil! Morphe palettes are similar to BH and I find them on HauteLook.com sometimes for $8-$10. They have matte eyeshadow palettes too and nice brushes! I love all the makeup posts ! Thank you fellow makeup addict!
Hi Bologna! My oldest daughter has a few of the Morphe palettes and really likes them too. 😀
Hi! I’m a make up junkie too, I’ll have to try this trick! It’s so much cheaper than buying eyeshadow primer. I have a question for you though! Do you have any tips, tricks or product that stay put in your waterline? I love the look buy my eyes water a lot and the liner never stays put there!
I have the same problem. I’m going to try putting this product on first then my color to see if that helps. Since it’s technically an eye liner, I don’t think it will irritate my eye.
Use a gel liner…it won’t budge. Inglot or Marc Jacobs are good brands to try.
Hi Gina! I use a gel eye liner, right now I’m actually using the L’Oreal Infallible Gel Liner and have been really happy with it.
Ty ladies!!
I do the same thing 🙂 last time I stocked up because my local drugstores are also frequently out of the color “milk”
So…I’m not an eyeshadow wearer even though I want to be and I LOVE this post. Thank you! My question is does the milk pencil work on all skin colors? Does it rub in and become invisible even on darker skin?
Hi Dealzgurl! As long as you really blend it and thin it out, I think it would work fine. 😀
Awesome, thanks.😊
Kimberly your eyes are gorgeous and love the violet hair and eye shadow combo 🙂
Thank you Suzanne!
I have these same products and love them. Your makeup looks amazing by the way!
Glad you hear you enjoy them too Ginny! 😀
I use white primer for colors as well. I’m just not pale enough to pull it off without it. I may have to try this. Right now I just go to Sephora and get samples for free. I don’t wear bright colors everyday so one sample of Smashbox or Kat Von D lasts for months!
I saw the color “cottage cheese” when I was at Target earlier. Lovely name and all… lol, but I would think this one would work as well as the milk one, if your store is out? Anyone know the difference between using a white primer like this one advertised vs. a tan or skin color tone? Thanks in advance!
A skin-colored base will just even out the color of your eyelids, a white base (such as the NYX jumbo eye pencil in Milk) will brighten the colors that you apply over it, and a darker base will deepen the colors that you apply over it.
However, this product isn’t a primer so it won’t prevent creasing or fading. The best thing to do is to apply an actual primer to your eyelids (Urban Decay’s primer potion, MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pots, or at the very least a good concealer), then apply your eyeshadow, and then set your makeup w/ a fixing spray. You can get 12+ hours of wear this way. Also, you get what you pay for…MAC and Urban Decay eyeshadows may cost you more but they’re so worth it…since they use a lot less filler and more pigment (vs. drugstore brands), the shadows are more pigmented, wear longer, and blend a lot better.
Great advice RZ….thank you!
The difference between Nyx Milk and Cottage Cheese is the finish. Milk is matte while Cottage Cheese has a shimmer. Probably not easy to see online, but in person you can tell.
urban decay and macys both on black friday offered urban decay primer for 12$ last year( i bought a few) you can get higher quality makeup cheaper. they also tend to last longer because they are higher quality, im still on my first black friday primer tube……. pencils you would go through so fast in the long run i doubt it would be much of a savings
Your very talented at doing makeup. Everyone looks great!😍
Thank you, Raedev!
Hey Kimberly, I have to say I love your eyes and how you applied your eye makeup!!!! Quick question, I have about 5 of the BH Cosmetics palettes so I also swear by them 😉 …can I ask though which palette(s) you’re using that vibrant purple pink color(s) from? TIA
***Collin, awesome idea with these types of posts***
Hi Christina! It’s from the purple and pink colors in the 1st Edition 120 colors palette. I hope this helps. 😀
I love BH. I think the first time I tried it was about 7 years ago. It’s a great price for the quality!! I always got compliments on my BH shadows over my MAC shadows.
Glad to hear you enjoy BH products too Martha!
Great minds think alike, I have been using the same exact one as a primer for years! I depot mine into a container and use a brush to apply. :]
😀 Great idea Amandaaa!
I will definitely try the Milk stick. If you have a Redcard you get free shipping at Target.com.
I use the high end Trish McAvoy eyelid primer for special occasions (QVC). Thanks for the idea!
You’re welcome!
Love the NYX stick as well. Macy’s has it with free shipping.
I love this product suggestion! When you show the before and after on your arm, I can see a vibrant difference. Very good post – NYX should sponsor you because I’m headed to ulta.com to get one right now!
LOL! Thanks for the kind feedback! I hope you enjoy yours!
Thanks for the review of the liner! For those looking for a great drugstore primer I have been using Milani eye primer and I love it!
Oh cool! Thanks Abbie! I’ll have to check it out!
Thank you Kimberly and Collin!! I will be looking forward to these posts on Tuesday’s!
Great post!
I swear by primers…especially for eye shadow. I recently discovered a new line at Target.. essence cosmetics. They have a great eye shadow
primer for $2.99.. Awesome!!
Hello the eyeshadow 120 count is 30% off.