Style

Meghan Markle's Makeup Artist Shares His Favorite Drugstore Beauty Products Under $20

by Sara Tan

While the holidays are all about splurging on loved ones and treating yourself, when it comes to beauty, you can still feel and look luxe while saving some cash. That's what celebrity makeup artist Daniel Martin and beauty influencer Nyma Tang believe. As huge drugstore makeup and skin care fans, they know that looking fabulous doesn't have to cost you your entire paycheck. In fact, creating glamorous, red carpet-worthy looks with products under $20 are not just possible — now, it's easier than ever.

"I love buying beauty products at the drugstore," Martin tells me inside a suite at the Sunset Tower Hotel. Before this, the famous MUA went on a little CVS shopping spree to buy his favorite products to use on Nyma Tang. Martin assures me that he could walk out of CVS and get everything he needs for less than $100, because not only have drugstore beauty formulations improved, but shade ranges have too.

"It's amazing to have that accessibility," Tangs tells me, adding that she's noticed a huge shift in how inclusive drugstore beauty has become over the past few years. "Having that accessibility in the drugstore at a reasonable price point is amazing."

Martin was tasked with the challenge of creating three holiday beauty looks for Tang using products only available at CVS, all of which were under $20. Here's what he came up with.

Look 1: Classic Cat Eye With A Red Lip

CVS

"This look is classic. It's elegant. It's a great look for someone who's not into makeup but wants to feel elevated," Martin says, describing the timeless pairing of a cat eye and a red lip. "I would wear this every day," Tang adds, saying how she especially loves the soft, classic red lip.

If you're struggling to find the right red lipstick for you, Martin has a few tips. "The best way to play with red lipstick is to do it when you have bare skin. The reason why I say that is because red can actually neutralize, so if you find that red lip that you love, you know that anything you build around it is going to be icing on the cake," explains Martin.

Once you do find a shade that you love, he suggests creating the rest of the look from there, remembering not to go too dark on the eye so that the red lip can remain the focus. "I feel like a red lip is that mistletoe underneath your doorway. Everyone has that one thing — the red lip is that one staple," says Martin.

Here are the products he used to achieve this look.

CVS

Face:

Eyes:

Lips:

Look 2: Royal Purple

CVS

If you're headed to an event and want your look to stand out a little bit more than usual, consider reaching for a bold purple eyeshadow. "It's Euphoria. Cool. Modern," describes Martin. "What made it holiday was the purple — it's like a royal purple."

When deciding on a bold lip or a bold eye, Martin reminds us to have fun — it's the holidays after all! But be sure to pick just one. "Look at your makeup like a really beautiful bold accessory. Find that one piece and build your wardrobe around it. If you're going to do a glittery eye, do something neutral or bare on the lip," he says. For this reason, he went with a nude lipstick from NYX to balance out the shimmery purple eyeshadow.

CVS

Face:

Eyes:

Lips:

Look 3: Gold & Glittery

CVS

There's nothing that screams the holidays quite like glittery eyeshadows. "Gold, glittery eyeshadow is going to be a really big color for holiday," says Martin. So is silver, he adds. "Think of tinsel!" But if you're intimidated by applying glitter eyeshadows, don't fret — all you need is a little bit of primer to help hold everything together.

"I used the NYX glitter eyeshadow primer as a base and applied eyeshadow on top. Then, I used the glitter on top of that because that primer grabs everything. Sometimes when you use glitter on bare skin, it doesn't really adhere as nicely whereas this primer melds both textures together," says Martin.

For this particular look, Martin used red glitter as a liner. "You catch the redness on her lid, but it's like a subtle nuance. I feel like glitter can get really campy, but this is chic," he explains.

CVS

Face:

Eyes:

Lips:

This shoot is part of CVS Beauty Mark, an initiative the retailer launched in 2018 in hopes of helping redefine industry standards and provide full transparency to its customers. By the end of 2020, CVS will include a watermark on all imagery that is authentic and has not been digitally altered. This also includes photos from brand partners. If a photo has been changed, it will be noted as "digitally altered."

CVS

None of the photos in this campaign were altered in any way, which is a huge reason why Nyma Tang partnered with CVS. Being authentic and honest, as well as providing accessibility and affordability to her followers is at the core of who she is, which is what makes this specific campaign with CVS and Daniel Martin so special. Hopefully Tang's looks, Martin's tips, and these drugstore product suggestions will inspire you to be fearless and have fun with your makeup this holiday season.