Must-Have Makeup That Benefits Skin

For those who wear makeup everyday, it may come of no surprise to you that your skin is most likely spending at least eight hours covered in concealer, foundation, bronzer, and more. And, while you can totally opt to wear feather-light cosmetics, for those of us who like to get our glam on, makeup that packs a skin care punch is where it’s at. Ahead, we share the must-have makeup items that can benefit your skin, too!

FACE

BB Cream: Perhaps one of the most popular— or known about— skin-benefiting cosmetics, BB cream can protect, hydrate, and nourish your skin, while providing it with a wash of natural-looking coverage. We love Kiehl’s Actively Correcting and Beautifying BB Cream because it can correct skin imperfections and protect the skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays with SPF 50. In addition, this BB cream is formulated with antioxidant-rich vitamin C, which can neutralize the affects of environmental aggressors.

Kiehl’s Actively Correcting and Beautifying BB Cream, $37

CC Cream: CC Cream— which stands for “color correcting cream”— is great to have on hand if you are looking to blur imperfections on your complexion. We recommend trying The Body Shop’s Instaglow CC Cream because it can not only conceal the appearance of redness, sallowness, and other skin imperfections, it can prime, smooth, moisturize, and illuminate the complexion, too. With three shades to choose from— Bright Glow, Peachy Glow, and Warm Glow— you can apply this skin benefiting CC cream before your foundation to prime your skin or after your foundation to illuminate your complexion. You can also apply the highlighting CC cream to your cheekbones, brow bones, and the bridge of your nose to create a strobing effect— we share how to do so in our guide to strobing with skin care, here. 

The Body Shop's Instaglow CC Cream, $22

Foundation: Foundation application just got a whole lot better thanks to Lancôme’s new Teint Idole Ultra Cushion Foundation. This lightweight yet high-coverage cushion compact comes at the height of many new— read: innovative— Korean beauty imports that combine skin benefiting formulas with classic cosmetics we know and love. And while there are so many many cushion compacts available, Lancôme’s Teint Idole Ultra Cushion Foundation is a stand out product in our eyes. Formulated to hydrate and protect, this foundation cushion can give your complexion the full coverage it needs while keeping it hydrated and protected with SPF 50.   

For more on Lancôme's Teint Idole Ultra Cushion Foundation ($47) check out our full review, here.

Color Correction: At Skincare.com, we are all about skin care products and makeup items that allow us to customize our skin care and makeup regimens in order to better fit our complexions’ needs, which is why color correcting is at the top of our list of trends to try this fall. We recommend trying Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid, as it is easy to use, comes in five color correcting shades— green, lavender, yellow, peach, and pink— and is formulated with antioxidant-rich vitamins C and E.

For more on Urban Decay's Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid ($28) check out our full review, here.

EYES 

Concealer: We all want a concealer that can cover up and reduce the appearance of dark circles, but what about one that can leave a lasting impression on our complexions? Lancôme’s Maquicomplet Complete Coverage Concealer can do just that. Formulated with a hydrating botanical complex, antioxidant protection, and light-diverting agents, this concealer can hide under-eye circles, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and help to neutralize environmental aggressors— A.K.A. free radicals, pollution, and sun damage. Made for all skin types, this concealer deserves a permanent spot in your makeup bag.

Lancôme Maquicomplet Complete Coverage Concealer, $31

Mascara Primer: Like our complexions, our eyelashes— and the edge of our eyelids— need some primping and priming prior to makeup application, which is why we are all about mascara primer. Lancôme’s Cils Booster XL Vitamin-Infused Mascara Primer is formulated with vitamin E that works to nourish and condition the eyelashes and edge of the eyelids. Use it on its own on #NoMakeupMonday or underneath your favorite drama-inducing mascara. 

Lancôme Cils Booster XL Vitamin-Infused Mascara Primer, $25.50

Eyeshadow Primer: Take your eyeshadow application up a notch with eyeshadow primer. From nourishing to hydrating to anti-aging, eyeshadow primers can range in benefits— our favorite being anti-aging. Because the delicate— read: thin— skin around your eyes is one of the first areas of your body to fall victim to premature signs of aging, using an anti-aging eyeshadow primer can be like wearing an anti-aging eye cream all day long. We recommend trying Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Anti-Aging, as it is formulated with polymer technology that can fill in imperfections on the skin’s surface and visibly improve the signs of skin aging— think: crow’s feet, wrinkles, and dull skin— on and around your eyelids over time.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging, $24

LIPS

Lip Balm: We can’t talk lips without talking about our favorite lip quenching product: lip balm. And while there are so many awesome— read: benefiting— ones to choose from, we stand by Maybelline’s Baby Lips in “Quenched,” as it offers the same hydrating properties as the tinted Baby Lips balms, but contains SPF 20— so, your lips can be protected from the sun at any given moment. Wear this ultra-hydrating lip balm on its own or layer it under your favorite lip glosses and lipsticks for added protection.

For more on Maybelline’s Baby Lips ($4.49) check out our full review, here.

Lipstick: If lip balms aren’t your thing, but you still want to protect your pout from the sun’s damaging UV rays, we recommend going for a lipstick that is formulated with SPF— yes, they exist— like Yves Saint Laurent’s Beauté Rouge Volupté. With nine gorgeous shades to choose from and a formula that contains SPF 15, as far as skin benefiting cosmetics are concerned, this award-winning lipstick is at the top of our list.

For more on Yves Saint Laurent’s Beauté Rouge Volupté ($37) and other skin benefiting lipsticks, check out our roundup of 5 lipsticks with skin care benefits, here.