The 13 Best Drugstore Beauty Products, According to the Internet
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Getty Images
Listen, as much as we love Sephora—and, like, we would gladly chop off our left hand if it scored us some Benefit and Urban Decay goodies—we fully believe that you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on beauty products to look like you, well, spent hundreds of dollars on beauty products. In fact, some of our all-time favorite liners, shadows, and brushes are cheap drugstore buys, and apparently, we’re not alone in our picks.
In a Reddit thread posted this week, one user posed a very important question: What are a few of the “unexpected drugstore makeup finds” that totally changed your makeup game and surprised the hell out of you? Naturally, the beauty community had strong opinions, with users waxing poetic over eyeshadows from Wet ‘N’ Wild, makeup brushes from E.l.f., and brow pencils from Maybelline.
And the best part? They’re all under $23, because hell yes, drugstore products. So we cherry-picked the best products on the thread and put them in a neat little list for you, so you can promptly (like, right now, please) go out and buy them all, then sit and rejoice in your beauty loot.
CoverGirl Clean Matte BB Cream
“I haven't used regular foundation since finding this bad boy. I'm pleasantly surprised with this BB cream. For a product that went on like tinted moisturizer, it has outstanding coverage. You're not going to be able to hide tattoos, but I found it comparable to some foundations I've tried. What really sold me was that it worked for my oily skin!” –a_dork
CoverGirl Clean Matte BB Cream, $9; at Covergirl
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CoverGirl
Wet ‘N’ Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio
“Their limited edition fall eyeshadow trios for this year are so great! WnW has really stepped up their game over the past few years.” –sadbananalady
Wet ‘N’ Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio, $3; at Wet ‘N’ Wild
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Wet ‘N’ Wild
E.l.f. Makeup Brushes
“I'm a huge fan of E.l.f.'s brushes. I have the Ultimate Complexion, Blush, Full Complexion, and Eyeshadow C Brush. They don't shed and work really well.” –heart_eyes_emoji
E.l.f. Makeup Brushes, $6-$15; at E.l.f.
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E.l.f.
L'Oréal Infallible Eyeshadow
"L'Oréal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush [is my] holy grail!” –YourBirdCanSing5
L'Oréal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush, $8; at L’Oreal Paris
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L'Oréal
Essence Soo Glow Cream to Powder Highlighter=
"Essence Soo Glow cream highlighter is really pretty and really cheap.” –chanandalorbong
Essence Soo Glow Cream to Powder Highlighter, $4; at TargetBottom of Form
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Essence
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
“In my opinion the Real Techniques sponge is the best Beauty Blender dupe out there!” –mapleleafmaggie
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, $6; at Real Techniques
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Real Techniques
Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
“I think Jesse’s Girl liquid eyeliner is the best drugstore pen I've tried. It’s on par with more expensive brands and lasts longer on my eyes than any others.” –tealpeacockfeather
Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, $7; at Walgreens
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Jesse’s Girl
Milani Amore Matte Metallic Lip Crème
“Milani makes great liquid lipsticks. I find they aren't as drying as Colourpop and seem to last pretty well. Their Amore Metallic line is killer, especially Chromatic Addict!!” –tealpeacockfeather
Milani Amore Matte Metallic Lip Crème in Chromatic Addict, $9; at Milani
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Milani
No7 Airbrush Away Primer
“No7 at my local Walgreens has an awesome primer called Airbrush Away. It feels super velvety but doesn't pill, and it keeps my foundation nicer through a long day than any mid-end primer I've tried.” –_queefer_sutherland_
No7 Airbrush Away Primer, $23; at Target
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No7
Maybelline Brow Precise Shaping Pencil
“It's so unassuming, but it turned out being my holy grail! It's creamy and easy to blend out. Whenever I use this, I have a fantastic brow day. It looks SO natural. I don't even know how I found it, because I usually purchase based on reviews and recommendations, so ~someone~ must've recommended it somewhere…” –sashirni
Maybelline Brow Precise Shaping Pencil, $8; at Maybelline
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Maybelline
Physicians Formula Custom Nude Palette
“Such a stunning highlighter. Realistically, we all only really need one or, at most, two highlighters. This would 100 percent fit the bill. It's super finely milled and bright. No chunky shimmer or glitter particles to be seen. The quality of this highlighter matches most of my high end highlighters, and lasts just as long, if not longer.” –sashirni
Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips All-in-1 Custom Nude Palette, $14; at Physicians Formula
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Physicians
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blush
“I love, love, love Neutrogena's Healthy Skin blush in Rosy—it's extremely sheer but buildable, and it looks totally natural on me, with a wonderful satin finish.” –unicorn-jones
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Blush in Rosy, $8; at Neutrogena
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Neutrogena
L'Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer
“I looooove this stuff! I use it more than any other high-end highlighter/primer I own. I actually use it as a highlighter, usually because I have dry skin, and powder highlighters are a no-no for me.” –philcollinsbeard
L'Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer, $13; at L’Oreal Paris
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L'Oreal Paris