Must-Have Makeup Products to Use in Your 20s

Best Makeup for 20s

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Wearing makeup in your 20s should be a piece of cake, right? After all, you’ve got that tight, firm, and supple skin. It’s almost the only skin that can pull off a thousand layers of foundation. So what do you do with that? You go ahead and slather your face with the trendiest foundation you could grab. And you top it off with copious amounts of powder followed by some sort of spray. Because god forbid something might not “stay in place”.

The way you wear makeup makes things so complicated that you end up worrying about stuff like creasing! Honestly, that’s not supposed to be your concern in your 20s. That’s a 30-something-person thing to worry about.

Some of you might not find this as relieving as I intend it to be if you’re going through a bad skin phase. But even with acne in your 20s or pores or whatever it may be, you have your best skin, ever!

Your skin is in tippy-top shape because it heals super fast thanks to constant cell renewal. So, it does respond to the slightest bit of attention and gets better even with a simple skincare routine in your 20s.

So, stop worrying less about how to morph your face into someone else’s. And start using makeup to show off that youthful and fresh 20-something skin.

And if you don’t know where to start, below are some makeup tips and essential makeup products for your 20s to get started.

Makeup Tips For Your 20s

1. Don’t be a follower.

Not sure if you’ve noticed but makeup these days is like, primer, foundation, powder, bronzer, blush, highlighter, and another thousand products. That is preposterous! You don’t need every single one of those to look good.

By all means, do whatever you feel like doing with your makeup. But at this point, the whole thing is like one big ritual where the optional is being pushed as essential.

Don’t do it just because everybody is doing it. Not everyone needs to define the lips with a liner, use lipstick, and then a lip gloss over it!

2. Sort out your brows.

For women in their 20s, brows are either completely ignored or shaped like jet-black bricks. First of all, brow pens or brow gels are for defining the eyebrows. Shaping is a whole other thing.

Without proper tweezing or waxing, simply filling them in just makes things worse. Learn to do it yourself or find a salon to be a regular at. Once you’ve got that covered, you may not even need any brow products.

Also, brows can make you look way older or way younger if not done correctly. And that just might not be what you’re going for. So, give them the attention they deserve.

3. Go nuts on eyeliner.

Your 20s are the best time to go crazy with your eyeliner. Don’t shy away from bold looks with thick or winged eyeliners. Experiment, try different colors, and mix and match.

Because once the fine lines settle in, the wing will be shadowed by wrinkles and it’ll limit the way you do your makeup.

4. Don’t pile makeup.

It’s so tempting to buy every single palette that’s coming out. Be honest with yourself, how many times did you buy an eyeshadow palette with 40 shades but ended up using only 3 of those?

There’s no point in hoarding products if you’re not an experimental person. Save your money.

5. Get yourself a Sephora bestie.

Talk to people when you’re shopping at Sephora and try to find an employee who’s genuinely helpful and not just trying to sell you more stuff. Develop a friendship, bring them a coffee from Starbucks when you’re at the mall or something.

It may sound selfish, but it helps a lot when you know someone there. They’ll tell you all about the new launches, save stuff for you, and help you out with how to find the right makeup for you. Not to mention, deluxe size samples in bulk!

6. Be a brand loyalist.

There are tons of makeup brands out there. And new ones are popping up everywhere. But having so many options does not always work out for the best. Because it gives you decision paralysis.

If you’ve found a makeup brand that’s working out great for you, especially in the foundation department, be loyal. Don’t switch too soon and jump from one brand to another.

7. Removing it is just as important.

Spend as much time and money on makeup removal products as you do on makeup products. Because you want to put makeup on clean skin.

Get a decent makeup remover suitable for your skin type to get rid of your makeup completely. Otherwise, you’re going to have to deal with more skin problems. And at some point, makeup won’t be enough to cover those up.

And makeup wipes don’t count! If you need help getting started, here’s our round-up of cleansers to use in your 20s for each skin type.

8. Skincare reigns supreme.

Never skimp on skincare. It’ll completely change your makeup game. Moreover, it’ll boost your confidence when you’re not wearing makeup.

Using makeup to sweep skincare problems under the rug won’t get you far. So, always remember to take care of your skin first.

Best Makeup Products For Your 20s

As we’ve established, everyone has their own essentials when it comes to makeup. But in case you don’t know where to start, ahead are the best makeup products for your 20s.

1. Too Faced Born This Way Foundation

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation - Best Makeup Products For 20s

Foundation is going to be a whole thing in your 20s until you finally stumble on your dream coverage. You’ll be tempted to try cheap options so that you don’t feel bad about wearing them too often. However, there will be times when you need a reliable foundation that won’t let you down. This is for those times. It’ll be your ride or die through late nights and date nights.

It’s an oil-free, forever-lasting formulation. It’s medium coverage, but completely buildable. And it perfectly blurs out pores and any texture issues. The shade range is diverse and there is one for every skin tone. The finish of the foundation is neither matte nor dewy, but a perfect in-between for natural but flawless skin.

Coverage: Medium/high
Finish: Natural
Shades: 35
Size: 1 oz/30 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, oil-free

2. Smashbox Studio Skin Flawless Oil-Free 24 Hour Concealer

Smashbox Studio Skin Flawless Oil-Free 24 Hour Concealer - Best Makeup Products For 20s

This long-wear, oil-free concealer has buildable coverage that goes up to full. It has a natural finish and doesn’t need setting. It’ll cancel out dark circles and give you a smooth base.

And because it’s non-comedogenic, it works great on the face as well. With a variety of shades, you can use it to cover up acne or tiny imperfections without worrying about clogging.

Coverage: Medium/high
Finish: Natural
Shades: 28
Size: 0.27 oz/8 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, oil-free

3. Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara

Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara - Best Makeup Products For 20s

Not to be presumptuous or anything, but in our 20s, we usually don’t have the necessary patience to properly remove waterproof makeup. To save you the trouble, here’s one of the best mascaras to get lengthy and voluminous lashes in your 20s.

It’s not waterproof but it does last long. It spreads out the lashes and adds volume to each one. It’ll open up your eyes without giving you clumpy or spidery lashes.

Mascara Type: Volumizing
Finish: Matte
Size: 0.24 oz/7 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, paraben-free

Related: Best Mascaras For Hooded Eyes

4. Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define

Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define - Best Makeup Products For 20s

This brow pencil has a really creamy feel on the skin. And it’s super pigmented. So it doesn’t need any pressure. And that is perfect for slowly filling in the brows and framing your face.

You can go for a defined, carved-out brows look or try the current clean girl makeup trend with bushy brows. Either way, it’s like the finishing touch on any makeup look.

Shades: 12
Size: 0.002 oz

5. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer - Makeup For Your 20s

Powders are a 20-something person’s game. Because in your 30s, you tend to go for more natural and creamy formulas. So, enjoy it while you can.

This bronzer is great both for sculpting and simply warming up the complexion. It has a subtle shimmer to it as well and gives you a playful, sun-kissed look.

Finish: Radiant
Shades: 4
Size: 0.39 oz
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free

6. Natasha Denona Mini Bloom Blush

Natasha Denona Mini Bloom Blush - Makeup For Your 20s

The universal pink shade of this blush is flattering on any skin. It’s a cheerful and youthful shade of pink. You can go for a faint wash of color with one soft swipe. Or you can enhance the shade and go for a deeper pink thanks to the buildable formula.

This is a mini blush, so it’s more affordable. But the regular-size blush is actually a cheek palette that comes with other shades and highlighters too. So if you need more, try Bloom Cheek Palette.

Finish: Radiant
Shades: 1
Size: 0.14 oz
Good To Know: Cruelty-free

7. KVD Beauty Tattoo Liner

KVD Beauty Tattoo Liner - Makeup For Your 20s

You know what, boo? If someone’s going to rock that winged eyeliner, it’s you! Without having to deal with crow’s feet or under-eye wrinkles, you can create the perfect cat eye on that 20-year-old skin.

And this is the one to do that with! This is a waterproof liquid eyeliner with a firm brush tip. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, you can try all kinds of eye makeup looks.

Finish: Satin
Shades: 2
Size: 0.019 oz/0.55 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free

8. Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer

Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer - Makeup For Your 20s

You may be enjoying makeup in your 20s with bold lips or you may be going for nude lips. But you can always use a quick makeup boost with a vibrant lip gloss.

Besides the fact that it is super nourishing for the lips, this gloss freshens up your complexion instantly. You can moisturize the lips while jazzing up your makeup for a more energizing look.

Shades: 7
Size: 0.30 oz/9 ml
Good To Know: Cruelty-free, vegan

So these are some of the best makeup products you can use in your 20s for different kinds of looks. Among these, makeup foundation is the trickiest. Try different options in the store, swatch shades, and test things out. Once you find a formula that works for your skin, stick with it and layer on top of it! Remember, good skincare goes a long way. So prioritize your skin and if you need help establishing a skincare routine that includes the essentials, here’s our round of the best skincare products for your 20s.

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