Essential Inexpensive Make-Up in Singapore

To all the greasy girls out there, I feel you. Oily T-zone, oily cheeks, oily lids, we seem to have incurred a wrath in the grease-demon. As much as I adore Singapore, the humidity remains our greatest enmity. And while high-end products promises us the perfect matt, oil-free face, my pocket revolts.

Fret not though! For here I present to you my holy grail basket of face and eye cosmetics I appreciate and am sure most of you (fellow greasy) budgetnistas out there would too! You can find all these products in local stores! 

1. Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation ($30.90)

Yes, yes, I hear your moans at the price, but girl, we all need a good foundation to last us through the night!! This is a far cry compared to Tarte’s Amazonian Clay or Urban Decay’s Naked. And it works wonders!

I’ve heard of the glory of this antidote for the grease, and I was skeptical at first, having been duped by so many other “raves” from YouTube. But girl, you have got to believe it when I say this is GOOOOOD. It’s absolutely amazing, and whilst it doesn’t hold up to 24 hours in Singapore, for me, it holds up to a decent 5 hours without giving me the uncomfortable oil slip-slopping all over my face (You know what I mean… UGH).

Pros:

• Foundation doesn’t oil-up
• Great staying power! Little transfer when you dab your face with tissue
• Medium/full coverage! & yet, extremely lightweight. No cakey nuances.
• SPF 15 is not alot considering this sunny island, so I’d recommend sun screen under.
• Wide range of colours

Cons:

• No pump, so it gets a little messy sometimes
• Scent is not pungent, but not pleasant but I can bear with it.

For more detailed application recommendations and a through-the-day analysis, here’s a review by famous YouTube guru ItsJudyTime! Fellow asian who has a closer skin condition as us!

Found at: All Watsons outlets
Final Verdict: 5/5

2. NYX Eye Shadow Base ($14)

We are no strangers to oily lids, and it just ruins all the hardwork put into that perfect wing at the end of a few hours. I am absolutely in love with the Urban Decay Primer Potion. It just spells amazing for us grease bombs. But my wallet wails so pitifully I only save it for certain occasions.

Thank God when I came across this cheap alternative for my eye primer! I wouldn’t call it a dupe for the UD Primer Potion, but it works as a sufficiently good base for me as an everyday wear!

Pros:

• Comes in 3 colours: White/White Pearl/Skin Tone
• Instantly brightens any shadow/colour you apply over it
• Makes your eyeshadow and eye liner last longer too!
• Keeps the oil at bay!

Cons:

• Creases after 7-8 hours, but if you got monolids like me, it’s not gonna be much of an issue
• Apply sparingly (I got mine in white), if not you’ll find yourself with overly cakey eyelids and the white will show through your eyeshadow!

Found at: Smoochiez, Sephora
Final Verdict: 5/5

3. Maybelline HyperSharp Liner ($19.90)

Pencil liners, gel liners, liquid liners. I say liquid liners last the longest, and are the most fuss free. Especially with this. No need for an additional brush or sharpening, just flick the applicator and you’re done!

Maybelline’s HyperSharp Liner does this so amazingly well. Comes in a pencil, pointed felt tip brush, which makes it so much easier for your to perfect your cat flick! AND when the formula dries on your lids, it doesn’t budge. All hail the mighty Hyper Sharp Liner, I say!

Pros:

• Great pigmentation, Black!! Easily buildable if you prefer blacker.
• Very thin and pointed, great for precision.
• Flexible brush, makes application smoother and easier, and softer on your tender eye lids too
• Convenient packaging and amazingly the eye liner does nott dry-up.

Cons:

• Smudges when in extremely hot weather, but works amazing with primer beneath

Found at: All Watson Outlets
Final Verdict: 5/5

4. Topshop Brighten In Moonlight ($16)

We all want to conceal our under eye bags, an inevitable cause of this crazy rat race we run every day, but we don’t want our mascaras transferring to accentuate them either!

Here’s this under eye brightener not only brightens you eyes, but doesn’t oil up either! Safely keeping your mascara where it belongs. Has a brush applicator attached at the end, where the product comes out when you twist the other end, making it really convenient!

Pros:

• Easy and convenient application with the brush and twist-out product feature
• Amount of product used easily controllable
• Does not grease up
• Does not crease

Cons:

• Coverage is really just meh and quite sheer if you have awfully bad eye bags. It’s really just a highlighter, wouldn’t recommend this as a replacement for concealer.

Found at: All Topshop outlets
Final Verdict: 4/5 (Not everyone needs this!)

5. Maybelline The Falsies (Waterproof) ($20.90)

OH EM GEE. I am madly, head over heels in love with this. Mascara smudging totally becomes a thing of the past with this. And specifically the waterproof one because it works even better. At least I think so and it further holds up your curls longer & better! No more words can describe the majesty of this product. Just, go get it girl!

Pros:

• Does not smudge
• Definitely waterproof

Cons:

• Not for volume or extra length
• Apparently clumps for some people, but it hasn’t happened to me before. Non-waterproof version does not clump according to others though!

Overall I’d actually recommend you applying this OVER your other mascaras if you’re looking for Voluminous or Lengthening effects. But this is just necessary for me if I don’t want to end up looking like a panda at the end of the day!

Found at: All Watson Outlets
Final Verdict: 5/5

BONUS TIME!! 

Here’s an absolute necessity for me EVERY SINGLE DAY. 

6. Biore UV Perfect Face Milk ($14.10)

All you must be crazy looking for a primer for your face, but simmer down for I’ve got your back too! THIS IS IT. This is it for me! I live and swear by this!

This is totally a dupe for the Shiseido face sun screen, but at half the price! You not only keep your face safe from the venomous UV rays with this, but it also keeps your oil away! It has a liquidy-milky texture that applies on to a matt finish, which I just absolutely LOVE.

Pros:

• SPF 50+ PA+++
• Liquidy texture is light and easy to apply over face
• Instantly mattifies face
• Oil control!!

Cons:

• A little whitish cos of the high SPF, not too significant for me though

Fear no oil and sun with this on your face!

Definitely one of my all time holy grails and I recommend this to EVERYONE.

Found at: All Watson Outlets
Final Verdict: 6/5

What are the top Beauty Products that you use?

There you go! My raving is complete. ^_^

These are my holy grail drugstore beauty products as a sufferer under the grease demon. And I hope they work just as well for you! Now what are some of your favourite beauty products that you use? If you’ve found this guide helpful do share with us in the comments below too so we all can learn about more good products to use.

Disclosure: This is not an advertisement. Everything is purely personal opinion and based on my own experiences.