Did you know that you can have a complete collection of makeup for only $170?! Well, you can! This blog was written to further prove this point! One of the most common beauty questions I am asked is, “What are the best makeup products from the drugstore?” I wanted to list out my top picks in each category that are tried and true! These are not only my personal favorites, but are also loved by friends and family that have tried too! I love finding products that perform like high-end makeup, but are budget friendly, so this post was a joy to create! To narrow down the list, I only included the products I feel are necessary for a day-to-day makeup look! You can interpret this post as a drugstore makeup starter kit, since I am only providing my reviews on the basic beauty necessities! I hope you enjoy reading and find your new favorite drugstore makeup products! 

Face

     

NYX Cosmetics Angel Veil Skin Perfecting Primer, $15.99
An amazing primer for all skin types. This product works best by gently patting into the areas where you have enlarged pores or tend to get oily. I have tried out very expensive, high-end primers and this one beats them out every time. This will fill in all of your trouble areas, including fine lines, while also extending the wear time of your face products. Another great aspect is that you only need to use a small, pea-sized amount for a flawless complexion! 

     

L’Oréal Infallible Pro-Matte 24HR Foundation, $12.99
I can’t get enough of this foundation! It gives you full-coverage and conceals any redness or skin troubles, while also allowing some of your natural moles and freckles to peak through! I love the demi-matte finish because it keeps your face looking fresh, while also controlling the production of excess oils. My favorite way to apply this foundation is with a damp Beauty Blender or sponge, but I have also found that this product goes on beautifully with a flat top blending brush. 

     

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer, Neutralizer, $8.99
Another long-time favorite of mine, I have found this concealer to always be a staple in my collection. The coverage on this product is amazing and will definitely conceal any dark circles or discoloration. I use the shade “Neutralizer” because it has a brightening, yellow undertone, which highlights my medium-to-tan skin tone perfectly! There are a few different shades in the collection so you can certainly find a perfect match for yourself too! The reason I continue to repurchase this product is for its combination of a full-coverage finish, brightening shade formulation and ability to wear throughout the day without fading or creasing!   

NYX Cosmetics HD Finishing Powder, Banana, $9.99
I feel like this is a hidden gem from the drugstore because it brightens your under-eye in the same way that most high-end “Banana” shade powders apply! I set all of my highlighted and concealed areas with this product to provide additional brightening effect, while also ensuring nothing creases throughout the day. If you have dry under eyes, you can just swipe your damp beauty blender that you applied your concealer with, into this pressed powder and apply directly to your skin to give an additional amount of moisture, while also setting your makeup! I have noticed that the formulation of this product gives an airbrushed finish to the under eyes because it buffs out any fine lines underneath the eyes and fills in the pores that can tend to appear in your t-zone. 

     

Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder, Transparent, $4.99
This is my favorite all-over face setting powder because it is so finely milled and gives your skin an airbrushed appearance without looking chalky, which some matte powders can tend to do. I purchase the shade “Transparent” because it sets my foundation, without altering the color. Whenever certain liquid products oxidize, they can change to a darker or more orange color, the same can happen when applying a face powder. Choosing the wrong shade can completely throw off the good color match you had for your foundation, which is annoying. I like this particular shade because it truly just sets your foundation, without changing the coverage or color of it.    

    

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder, Sunny, $4.99
Such a beautiful, natural looking bronzer that can suit so many skin tones. This is a really popular bronzer because it is matte, which can be tough to find at the drugstore. It also has a unique terracotta undertone that gives your skin the most beautiful warm glow. In my opinion, bronzers that have an almost red undertone can translate on the skin very naturally since your face gets a tint of that when you’re sitting outside, regardless of your pigmentation! Although this bronzer is extremely warm, I have seen it work on a variety of complexions because of its unique color. At a price point of 5 bucks, it’s definitely worth a try! 

        

Wet n Wild Color Icon Blush, Pearlescent Pink, $2.99
These blushes are my absolute favorite from all drugstore brands because of their extremely inexpensive price and incredible pigmentation. I have every color in the range, but especially love “Pearlescent Pink” because it’s an exact dupe to one of my favorite high-end blushes by NARS in the shade “Orgasm.”

     

Makeup Revolution Pro Illuminate, $7.00
This highlight can be found at Ulta because I truly could not find a product from the common drugstores (Walgreens, CVS, Rite-Aid, etc.) or Target/Walmart that was worth mentioning in this post. It’s really difficult to find non-glittery, sophisticated highlights at a low price point. I came across this product out of pure curiosity and ended up loving it! It is a very neutral, champagne highlight that can complement any makeup look. It has very fine gold shimmer, which I personally think looks more natural on the skin than silver or white. If you live near an Ulta and want to add a highlight to your kit, I would definitely recommend giving this product a go!

     

L’Oréal Infallible Makeup Extender Setting Spray, $16.99
This is hands down my favorite drugstore setting spray because it makes your makeup last forever! It gives your skin a slightly matte look, which is nice whenever you’re trying to keep a fresh face throughout the intense summer weather! I also love this formula because it doesn’t cause your mascara to transfer onto your eyes, as some setting mists do. I truly think I like this setting spray more than my Urban Decay because it works better at keeping my makeup on and looking freshly applied. My only complaint is that the nozzle on this product doesn’t dispense the mist as finely as the Urban Decay. Luckily, I can look past a packaging annoyance when I’m paying only half of what my high-end favorite costs!  
 

Eyes

   

Wet n Wild Photo Focus Eyeshadow Primer, $4.99
As someone who has oily eyelids and constantly fears eyeshadow creasing, I need to use a primer every day. The best one I have found at the drugstore is by Wet n Wild! Not only does this product prevent creasing, but it truly brings out the vibrancy of the eyeshadows you are using. I noticed that the pigmentation lasted longer when using this product than without. 

     

L’Oréal Infallible Eyeshadow, Iced Latte, $7.99
These are the best shimmery eyeshadows at the drugstore! They come in a ton of colors and I always get compliments whenever I wear them out! The shade “Iced Latte” is a perfect, taupe/champagne, every-day eyeshadow color to wear all over the lid, or just to brighten up the inner corners of your eye. I like to apply these eyeshadows using my finger because you will get the most color payoff by gently pressing the pigment onto your eyelid, rather than sweeping with a brush!

        

Milani Everyday Eyes Eyeshadow Collection, Earthy Elements, $8.52
This is my favorite drugstore eyeshadow palette because the formula is just as good as many high-end palettes than I own! I had previously never tried Milani eyeshadows and picked up one of these palettes on a whim. I could not be more pleasantly surprised with the buttery texture of the matte blending shades in the palette. I love the shade selection in the “Earthy Elements” Palette because I am obsessed with warm bronze and orange shades. These shadows last forever on the eyes too! Every palette in this range have beautiful shades that you could combine to make many different looks. If you like the shades in the Urban Decay Naked Palette, you should pick up “Bare Necessities” because it’s an exact dupe!  

    

L’Oréal Infallible The Super Slim Liquid Eyeliner, Black, $8.99
Finally, a good felt tip eyeliner at a drugstore price! I am obsessed with this eyeliner because it is completely matte black and does not budge once you apply it. I find that for me personally, using felt tip eyeliners work easiest when doing winged eyeliner, so that is why I am very happy to have found this one at the drugstore. 

         

Rimmel London Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer, Nude, $6.99
These Rimmel liners are excellent for the waterline because they stay in place, even if you have watery eyes like me! I love using a nude shade for every day because it widens the look of my eyes, while brightening my inner rim, which is a win-win on sleepy mornings at work! 

    

L’Oréal Telescopic Carbon Black Mascara, $9.99
This is just my personal favorite mascara of life. Regardless of how many high-end mascaras I buy, I always come back to this one from the drugstore because it gives me my idea of perfect eyelashes. I think this formula does an excellent job at both lengthening and adding volume. I also love the fact that it does not smudge and is able to last on my eyelashes all day long. 

     

NYX Cosmetics, Micro Brow Pencil, Ash Brown, $9.99
This eyebrow pencil is an exact dupe for my Anastasia pencil in the shade Ash Brown and costs half as much. It’s a no brainer to switch to these because they apply exactly the same, their shade selection is just as expansive, they give a natural looking texture to the brows, plus they last throughout the day! I continue to repurchase this eyebrow pencil and personally could never go back to paying twice as much for Anastasia pencils again. 

        

e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit, Medium, $3
This is my favorite eyeshadow powder! I like to use powder on the front part of my brows so it doesn’t look as harsh as filling in completely with a pencil would. This powder has the perfect ashy undertone to compliment my eyebrows and keep them looking as natural as possible. 

      

L’Oréal Brow Stylist Plumper Brow Gel Mascara, Medium to Dark, $9.99
By far the best eyebrow gel at the drugstore! This product will hold your hairs in place and make sure they do not move throughout the day. Whenever I don’t set my eyebrows with a gel, I notice they tend to fall straight (which looks weird and terrible) so this product is perfect to prevent that from happening! The formula attaches to your existing hairs, so if you wanted to fill in your brows naturally with just one product, you could totally just run this through to get a subtly defined look. 
 

Lips

    

Jordana Easyliner for Lips Retractable Pencil, Tawny, $1.99
One of my favorite every day lip pencils! The shade “Tawny” matches my lips perfectly and allows my lipstick to stay in place and not settle into any lines. I love filling in my entire lips with this product and wearing as a lipstick as well because it’s so beautiful. I can’t get enough of these liners and own them in every color!

    

NYX Cosmetics Butter Lipstick, Root Beer Float (aka Pops), $5.99
This lipstick feels more like a chapstick, which I personally enjoy for every day wear! I think the color is a beautiful nude shade, but I am also impressed with their bold colors as well! The formula is very sheer and won’t be the longest lasting through eating and drinking, however if you are just looking for an easy, comfortable lipstick to wear to work and school, I think you will enjoy these!

    

NYX Cosmetics Butter Gloss, Crème Brulee, $4.99
You just can’t go wrong with NYX lip products! These lip glosses are so nice to wear because they have a buttery consistency that isn’t sticky at all! They are pigmented, so you could totally get away with just wearing one of these without a lipstick underneath! I own many shades and all are consistently incredible!
       

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this lengthy post! These products would cost a grand total of $168.34 without tax if you buy every item at full price. Most of the time, ULTA offers Buy One Get One Half Off on their drugstore lines, plus many drugstores also run sales and provide coupons on beauty offers so shop smart! I think that you will all love these products, but I also want to know which drugstore makeup products you love the most! For whatever reason, I get more excited about finding hidden gem products that are inexpensive, than high-end makeup releases, so I would really appreciate your suggestions! Thanks again! 🙂

   

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