I Try Hundreds of New Makeup Products, But I Still Use 9 of My College-Era Picks

Before I was a beauty editor, (surprise!) I was obsessed with beauty. I always had big dreams of working for a glossy magazine or digital outlet, and my goal of becoming an editor/makeup savant felt twisted into my DNA. (For those who don't know, I interned for Byrdie during college, and it's where I eventually scored my first gig in the world of beauty writing.)

I've learned a lot since I began my journey in the editorial industry, but I'd like to think I trained with Olympic-level focus all through high school and college. To my parents' chagrin, I'd promptly cash babysitting checks in exchange for a holy-grail Clé de Peau Beauté concealer, and I'd compulsively save up for all the exciting new launches makeup artists and editors touted in my favorite magazines like Allure or Cosmopolitan. (Funny enough, I'm now good friends with many of said editors and makeup artists!) I was on a first-name basis with the staff at my nearest Sephora, and I was obsessed with the hunt. Whether it was finding the best bronzer or the most flattering shade of blush or lipstick, I wouldn't rest until I had found the diamond-in-the-rough product worthy of my PB&J budget. 

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Me Now
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Things did (but also didn't) change once I became a beauty editor. Of course, I was still testing and carefully critiquing tons of beauty products on a regular cadence, but the sheer volume of formulas increased exponentially. I quickly neglected my collection of carefully scouted, tried-and-true favorites in favor of a vanity and makeup bag filled with whatever was new and buzzy and not necessarily what was super amazing and great. Don't get me wrong. I receive and try lots of truly wonderful new beauty products, but a few are majorly disappointing and the majority are merely mediocre. Suddenly, I had a realization that I was rather dissatisfied with most of the makeup products I regularly turned to, and I mourned the products that truly made my beauty-loving heart sing back in college. 

Wondering where I'm going with all of this? Nostalgic for my carefully vetted and dependable college beauty routine, I slowly began to reintroduce all of my old favorites—the bronzer that blended perfectly and never left me streaky or orange, the blush that won me compliments every time I was in public, and the drugstore concealer and mascara that I *still* deem the best things since sliced bread. In hindsight, I feel like a remorse-filled ex-girlfriend, and I regret ever dismissing them from my regular rotation.

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Me in College
(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Below, I'm sharing the nine beauty products I used and loved back in college and still use and love today. Plus, just to keep things spicy (and because I'm not completely jaded), I'm including a select few new-since-college finds that might give my college-era picks a run for their money. Keep scrolling! 

Concealer

The Oldie

The Newbie

Mascara

The Oldie

The Newbie

Eyebrow Pencil

The Oldie

The Newbie

Blush

The Oldie

The Newbie

Bronzer

The Oldie

The Newbie

Highlighter

The Oldie

The Newbie

Lip Product

The Oldie

The Newbie

Foundation

The Oldie

The Newbie

Powder

The Oldie

The Newbie

Beauty Director

Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.