Drugstore makeup and hair products usually fill the shopping carts of most college students. However, learning the right products to use on your skin and hair can help create a better and healthier look.
Jacquelyn Hale, salon manager and beauty consultant at Ulta Beauty, said the first step is cleansing and moisturizing the face.
According to Hale, primers, which are applied before the makeup, are essential because they eliminate creases, fine lines, wrinkles or anything that would case the makeup not to be seamless and smooth.
One thing people might not think about when it comes to makeup is eyebrows.
Hale said Smashbox's eyebrow pencils have a double end. She said on one end is the pencil and on the other is a spoolie, the brush used to fill the pencil lines.
When deciding on eyeshadow colors, Hale said the difference in a natural, fresh look or a glamourous appearance helps make the decision.
Hale said her favorite eyeshadows are in Naked palates by Urban Decay.
"I would say if you're going out and you want to glam out, Naked 4," Hale said. "If you want just fresh, everyday, kicking it, then I would go with the Naked 1. All of them are really, really great."
A quick tip to makeup application is blending, according to Hale.
"You can't blend enough," Hale said.
Hale said to use a good brush to blend.
"For every type of brush, it serves a purpose," Hale said. "Use it for that purpose, and don't just stop, be creative with it. You'll be surprised at what you come up with."
She said she likes the double-ended eyeshadow brush and the beauty blender, which has a foundation brush on one end and a blending brush on the other.
Hale said her favorite is Tarte's bronzing and contouring brush, but also said the angled eyeliner brush, which allows for easy application with an angled tip, is a good one to use as well.
Hale said to keep lashes healthy, good mascara should have Vitamin E. She said cheap mascara dries out the eyelashes.
"If you don't do anything else, you can pop some mascara on, a little gloss and you're good to go," Hale said.
She said her one of her favorite mascaras is They're Real by Benefit, because the formula hugs the lash for more accurate application and definition.
In addition to keeping your skin and eyelashes healthy, Hairmasters hair stylist Erica Plott said shampoos and conditioners bought at grocery and drugstores are harsh on hair frizzing it and building up wax on the strands.
Plott recommends getting a hair cut every two months to keep hair healthy, because the hair splits and is actually off instead of growing.
"That's probably No. 1, outside of keeping [hair] clean and moisturized," Plott said. "You really want to use a good shampoo, not just any shampoo. You really want to use one that's going to put really good moisture in there."
For dry hair, Plott said the Regis Designline Olive Oil Shampoo moisturizes the scalp.
Plott said her favorite product for dry hair or scalp is the Biolage Hydrasource Shampoo.
For people wanting volume in their hair, Plott said the Big Sexy is a fantastic line.
Plott also said the Regis Designline Texture Balance Shampoo helps with oily hair.
Victoria De Los Rios, a makeup artist based in north New Jersey, started when she was 19 and owns her own business, My Makeup Artist Victoria, which specializes in bridal makeup.
Rios said many artists use Mac Cosmetics, but said she doesn't use them as much since their pigment has changed.
Some of Rios' favorite foundations are Revlon ColorStay, Revlon PhotoReady and Loreal Paris' new Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream.
Rios said her passion for makeup came from her clients feeling beautiful and their best at the end of the makeover.
"Well, I speak for all women, I think feeling beautiful is something that we all want," Rios said.
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