It’s easy to find quality beauty products at drugstores, but it can be difficult to know which products are worth paying more for. Here’s a guide for which products to save on, and which to splurge on, at the drugstore.
Splurge
- Foundation: Cheap foundation is unlikely to match your skin perfectly, and may contain drying alcohols and unsavory chemicals. Invest in a reputable brand- it’s worth it for better skin over the long term, and there’s nothing worse than a foundation that doesn’t match your skin.
- Lipstick: Pricier lipstick brands user better ingredients, meaning longer-lasting and more intense pigments. Plus, you’ll essentially be eating it, so it’s smart to buy from a respected source.
- Eye Shadow: Lesser-quality eye shadows won’t give you the rich color that they advertise. It’s better to spend more on an eye shadow whose color will actually show up on your lids.
- Makeup brushes: High-quality makeup brushes make cheap makeup seem expensive, and makeup application much easier and more pleasant.
- Lotions and creams: they’ll smell less fake, and moisturize much better, than cheap brands. Generally, you should look for lotions and creams that are as basic as possible. For your face, stick to an unscented, simple lotion that won’t irritate sensitive skin around your eyes and nose.
- Nail polish: Higher-end brands of nail polish tend to last longer, so they’re more worth your money than cheap brands, which will chip quickly.
- Face masks: This one is in kind of a gray area between “save” and “splurge,” because the important part of a face mask is high-quality ingredients. Cheap ingredients will be ineffective at best, and irritate your skin at worst. Choose a mask with good quality, natural ingredients like clay and avocado. That said, there are plenty of affordable drugstore brands that sell masks like these, so just be sure to read the label!
Save
- Powder: Translucent powder, used to set your makeup, doesn’t need to be a perfect match, and since it’s not in direct contact with skin or eyes, its ingredients don’t matter quite as much.
- Blush and Bronzer: Color matching isn’t as important with blush as it is with foundation, and the quality is generally the same across price points.
- Eyeliner: All liquid eyeliners share nearly the same ingredients, and eyeliner pencils are only as good as they are well-sharpened.
- Sunscreen: If you’re using it correctly, you’re going to use so much hat splurging doesn’t make sense. Plus, all brands use the same active ingredients. One exception: if you have oily or acne-prone skin, it’s worth it to invest in an oil-free sunscreen for your face. (You can use the cheap stuff on the rest of your body.)
- Cleanser: Unless you have specialized skin issues, use a gentle everyday cleanser– it’s better for your skin than assaulting it with harsh chemicals or abrasives. You should be able to find one for well under $10.
- Lip balm: As long as you get a lip balm that contains vitamin E and an SPF, you’re set. These days, these lip balms are easy to find, and cheap!
Now go forth to save wisely, splurge shrewdly, and feel beautiful!