Here’s a scenario every person obsessed with makeup encounters is familiar with: walking into Sephora to pick up a concealer or mascara and suddenly getting lost in the myriad of choices. Sure, you know that Make Up For Ever and NARS make some of the best makeup products out there but is it best to get a foundation from Make Up For Ever and a concealer from NARS? Or should it be the other way around? Those kind of tough decisions were the impetus for creating this list of the best makeup products to score from the most popular makeup brands.
How did we decide which popular makeup brands made the list?
Let’s face it, there are as many makeup brands out there as shows to binge-watch on Netflix. So, the only way to narrow down the list was to zero in on established makeup brands that boast products with big followings, either cult or mainstream. That’s why you’ll see drugstore brands along with MUA-approved lines.
How were the best makeup products determined?
There’s really no way to make a definitive list of the best makeup products from the most popular makeup brands (after all, the same product could work in many different ways for a bunch of different people), but there is a way to get closer to knowing what the best choices are from each brand. We stumbled upon a Reddit thread where users listed the one product they would choose from the biggest makeup brands out there and we also cross-checked each user favorite with the best-selling products on Sephora, Nordstrom, Ulta Beauty and other mass retailers.
Did any of the most popular makeup brands have multiple best-sellers?
A lot of these makeup brands offer several must-have products (that’s why they’re called the best). Since we could only pick one, we made sure to also cite the runners-up.
Behold, the most popular makeup brands around.
- YSL Beauty
- Clinique
- Fenty Beauty
- Glossier
- Giorgio Armani Beauty
- Hourglass
- NARS
- Urban Decay
- Make Up For Ever
- Wet N Wild
- BECCA
- Anastasia Beverly Hills
- NYX Professional Makeup
- MAC
- E.L.F. Cosmetics
- Kat Von D
- L’Oréal Paris
- Too Faced
- Maybelline
Now that the brands have been established, check out the 19 best makeup products they have to offer.
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The Most Popular Products From 13 Makeup Brands
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YSL Beauty
Touche Éclat All-Over Brightening Pen, $35 at YSL Beauty
This is, quite literally, a magic wand. YSL Beauty’s most popular product instantly perfects, brightens and smooths any and all complexions. And it really lasts. One click gives you a full eight hours of coverage. Basically, it’s your skin, just better. Bonus: You can even opt for complimentary engraving to personalize your complexion’s BFF.
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Clinique
Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, $18.50 at Nordstrom
Clinique’s cult classic lipstick color has been around since 1989 and shows no signs of fading into makeup obscurity. That’s because the transparent pigment works with your natural lip tone to create something uniquely you. The sheer, glossy, lightweight shade is perfect for every day or special occasions.
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Fenty Beauty
Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter in Trophy Wife, $34 at Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty’s Killawatt highlighter shade is the gold standard. The weightless and long-wearing cream powder instantly melts into your skin and includes superfine shimmer, giving it a creamy, smooth texture. And you can use it to highlight your eyes, face, collarbone or anywhere that needs a little kick.
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Glossier
Boy Brow, $16 at Glossier
Glossier is making a real name for itself in the beauty space. That’s because the brand’s makeup is on point, from Cloud Paint to Perfecting Skin Tint. But the real star is this brow savior. The creamy wax formula offers soft, flexible hold that won’t stiffen or flake. It thickens, fills in and grooms all in one swipe and comes in four shades: Blond, Brown, Black and Clear for those who need the pick-me-up without the pigment.
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Giorgio Armani Beauty
Luminous Silk Foundation, $64 at Sephora
This lightweight liquid foundation is a favorite of Kim Kardashian, so it’s no surprise it’s a top seller for the designer makeup brand. It offers buildable coverage with high-impact pigments for a long-lasting glow. It also boasts a wide shade range so everyone can achieve an enviable silky finish.
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Hourglass
Ambient Lighting Palette, $64 at Hourglass
These soft-focus finishing powders give your face flattering light in all the right places. The three shade palette captures, diffuses and softens how light reflects on your skin, offering "multidimensional luminescence." While the brand’s Veil Mineral Primer is also quite popular, it’s this trio that customers keep adding to their carts.
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NARS
Blush in Orgasm, $30 at NARS
NARS is one of the most popular makeup brands around and a large part of the reason is this iconic blush. A best-seller at both Sephora and Nordstrom, the color payoff is no joke. It’s all thanks to the silky, superfine micronized powder pigments that deliver healthy-looking color for a natural flush. And no shade is more legendary than Orgasm, a peachy pink hue with a touch of golden shimmer. The brand’s Radiant Creamy Concealer also proved popular.
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Urban Decay
All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray, $32 at Sephora
There are a lot of cult favorite Urban Decay products out there (we're kind of surprised the Naked palettes didn't win), but people are absolutely obsessed with the brand's long-lasting makeup setting spray. On Sephora, it follows the Naked palettes as the fourth most popular Urban Decay product and on Ulta Beauty, it doesn't list as one of the most popular products. Instead, the Eyeshadow Primer Potion ranks as one of the most coveted Urban Decay things on Ulta Beauty. Either way, this proves that Urban Decay has some of the best formulas for keeping your makeup in place. Both of these products are used to ensure that all your hard makeup work stays on your face through wind, rain and sweltering temperatures.
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Make Up For Ever
Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation, $43 at Sephora
On both Sephora and Reddit, the verdict is that the Ultra HD foundation is the best that Make Up For Ever has to offer. There are probably two reasons for this. First, the foundation comes in a huge array of shades — from super pale to the darkest of dark. Second, it supremely blends into skin, feeling weightless while providing amazing coverage. Your skin will look Photoshopped with this foundation on.
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Wet N Wild
MegaGlo Highlighting Palette, $14.99 at Ulta Beauty
What’s better than a cult-favorite highlighter in four must-have shades from one of the best makeup brands? Those same shades in one palette. Wet N Wild’s new four-in-one set is a best-seller at Ulta Beauty and boasts new vegan limited-edition shades infused with shimmering pearl pigments. Apply to cheekbones, brow bones and your Cupid's bow for a perfect finish. Customers rave that the combo is the best drugstore highlighter. But the brand’s bronzers also rank high.
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BECCA
Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter, $38 at Sephora
On Reddit, Sephora and Ulta Beauty, the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector takes the number one spot. This may have to do with the elevated popularity this product received when beauty blogger Jaclyn Hill worked with the brand to create her own shade of perfector in Champagne Pop. But the other shades are just as mesmerizing. The BECCA perfectors create the most stunning highlight, but also allow for control, so you don't look like you threw a glitter bomb on your face. As one Reddit user puts it, "Gotta love me some highlight."
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Anastasia Beverly Hills
DIPBROW Pomade, $18 at Sephora
This was a tough one to call. On Reddit, the DIPBROW Pomade — the brow product that started it all for Anastasia Beverly Hills — is the second-favorite product behind the new Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette. On Sephora, the pomade is grouped as one of the best-selling products along with the Brow Wiz pencil and the Contour Cream Kit. On Ulta Beauty, the Brow Wiz takes the top spot and on Nordstrom, the Duo Brow Powder gets the best customer ratings.
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NYX Professional Makeup
Soft Matte Lip Cream, $6.50 at Ulta Beauty
Hands down, the most popular and the best NYX Professional Makeup product is the Soft Matte Lip Cream. It comes in a massive assortment of colors and has a super unique formula, verging between looking and feeling like a gloss and liquid lipstick, so it never feels heavy or sticky. Some of the favorite colors among Reddit users are Stockholm, a deep peach, and Transylvania, a dark, almost-black shade.
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MAC
Prep + Prime Fix+ Finishing Mist, $27 at Nordstrom
It's hard to believe that among all of MAC's stellar lipsticks and eyeshadows, it's a makeup finishing spray that is the best-selling product. But it's true! The Prep + Prime Fix+ Finishing Mist is the top seller on Nordstrom and a favorite among Reddit users. The spray is like magic; it creates a super smooth and hydrated canvas for heavy to light makeup application.
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E.L.F. Cosmetics
Contouring Brush, $6 at Ulta Beauty
Everyone loves E.L.F. Cosmetics' brushes. The Contouring Brush is one of Ulta Beauty's best-selling products. The best thing about E.L.F. is that it offers high quality brushes at super affordable prices. "The Beautifully Bare Blending Brush is my holy grail for applying foundation," writes one Reddit user. "Makes my skin look flawless but super natural."
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Kat Von D
Tattoo Liner in Trooper, $20 at Sephora
This is a lot of people's ultimate liquid liner and for good reason. It truly doesn't budge and the super sharp felt tip allows for the most precise cat eye. Although it ranks the highest on Reddit, it falls behind the Lock-It Foundation and the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick on Sephora.
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L'Oréal Paris
Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara, $9.99 at Ulta Beauty
While its Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara was a fan fave for years, L'Oréal Paris’ latest lash superstar is now ranked as the top best-seller on Ulta Beauty. Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara also earned an Allure Best of Beauty Award in 2017 and 2018, making it one of the best makeup products on the market. Why all the accolades? The mascara’s brush has 200-plus soft wavy bristles to coat every single lash for a full fringe effect. Lashes are lengthened by more than 98 percent and it now features even more black pigments. Foundation fanatics also adore the brand’s Infallible Pro-Matte 24HR Foundation.
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Too Faced
Better Than Sex Mascara, $24 at Sephora
Too Faced loves to proudly boast that its Better Than Sex Mascara is the number one selling mascara at Sephora — and it's true. If you haven't tried this ultra voluminous mascara, you're missing out. With just a couple of coats, your lashes are sultry but not overdone. Other Reddit users say they equally love the brand's Shadow Insurance as well as the Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. On Ulta Beauty, the Better Than Sex Mascara ranks right behind the insanely popular Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette.
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Maybelline
Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer, $9.99 at Ulta Beauty
Maybelline knows how to make a good foundation. Both Ulta Beauty buyers and Reddit users say that the dark circle concealer would be their one desert island Maybelline product. It's a unique concealer that has a sponge applicator specifically shaped to cover up the entire undereye area. This concealer is closely followed by the brand's Fit Me foundation and concealer line.
