As an avid makeup lover, I’ve always been adamant that I’m always willing to pay a little extra for a quality product. With this philosophy, for the longest time I’d say my makeup vanity was 75% high end, 25% drugstore or “budget beauty” that is, until recently. Between the one-two punch of postpartum followed by a pandemic, I think it was mostly born out of convenience and necessity, but I found myself placing more and more makeup in my Target drive-up order and was consistently impressed with the quality, accessibility, and of course, price point of drugstore makeup.
While rounding up my favorites I realized I have a go-to for any makeup product you’d want to do a full face! Admittedly, that’s quite a rarity for these days for me, but I still reach for most of these products often enough that I can call myself a drugstore makeup aficionado. 😉
FACE
SUN BUM SPF – I first shared this SPF last year when I discovered it, and now Sun Bum is a go-to in our house for the whole family. This formula goes on easily and feels more like skincare or makeup than SPF which I love.
BABY SKIN PRIMER – I don’t always use a primer these days, but old habits die hard and it’s a must when I’m doing a full face of makeup. This is a great dupe for Benefit Porefessional, which is another fantastic pore-blurring face primer.
Maybeline Dream BB Cream – This is my current daily BB cream when I’m not using the Ilia Skin Tint Drops, it’s lightweight but still creamy and has great buildable coverage that can cover any imperfections that you’re too lazy to spot cover with concealer. Or maybe that’s just me. 😉
Physicians Formula Organic Skin Drops – A great option for dry skin, formulated with jojoba oil it gives skin that glow from within but also provides coverage. It doesn’t feel like a drugstore product in the slightest!
Maybeline Fit Me Foundation – Anyone who was around during my YouTube days will remember this as one of my longstanding favorite drugstore foundations. They have both an oily and dry skin formulation and both are fantastic and provide great coverage.
Milani Full Coverage Concealer – This is a f u l l coverage concealer, so highly pigmented and best to use sparingly around fine lines and wrinkles, but it stays put and is great at covering stubborn blemishes or dark circles.
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer – Another classic oldie but goodie from the YouTube days, but the product has stood the test of time and it’s a great lightweight concealer option in a pinch.
Master Strobing Stick – No full face is complete without a little highlight. I prefer a cream formula to keep it subtle and dewy, and this stick is so easy to apply.
Black Radiance Color Perfect Foundation Stick – My favorite cream contour hack is to find a foundation stick in a deeper shade than your natural. It’s gives a more natural bronzed look which is much more foolproof than some of the chalkier formulas meant strictly for contouring.
Butter Bronzer – I know I’ve entered “full face mode” when I use both a cream and powder bronzer, but even if I skip the first step and jump straight to powder, this bronzer is a perfect hybrid of the two.
Milani Baked Blush – A classic dupe for the famous Nars Orgasm blush (which, by the way, I just noticed has almost 18 THOUSAND reviews on Sephora.com….), Milani pigments just can’t be beat when it comes to drugstore beauty. I love this blush because there are several shades to choose from and they’re all gorgeous and flattering.
EYES
E.L.F Eye Shadow Stick – I’ll be the first to admit I’m beyond lazy when it comes to eyeshadow these days. A swipe of an eyeshadow stick is really the most I can muster, so I’m glad I found a great one that doesn’t cost a ton. Most days I’ll use my bronzer as eyeshadow and smudge this at the lash line and call it a day.
Master Precise Eyeliner Pen – If I were feeling incredibly adventurous, I might reach for a skinny black eyeliner pen to give myself a little wing, this one is great!
NYX Micro Brow Pencil – This brow pencil is just as good, if not better, than any high end brow pencil on the market. Sorry Anastasia and Benefit, but it’s true. It’s pigmented, glides on easily, and allows you to create as subtle or sculpted of an arch as you want.
Lash Paradise Mascara – Waterproof in blackest black, it’s my all-time favorite you already know. 🙂
LIPS
Milani Lipstick – Milani makes a wide assortment of matte and creamy lipsticks, all of which are pigmented and beautiful. They were my drugstore go-to before masks threw a wrench in those makeup plans.
NYX Butter Gloss – I will FOREVER STAN the NYX Butter Glosses. They’re beautiful, shiny without being goopy and they smell delicious. What’s not to love?
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