Today I want to talk about some of my favorite drug store things. We’re gonna talk some make up, some bath stuff and maybe a few other surprises.
I will say ahead of time that because I am a brown person, I don’t tend to buy things like foundation or powder in the drug store -- simply because it’s just not there for me.
So for stuff like powders, concealers and foundations, I have no brown people info on drugstore brands. Please, if you have info on that, share it in the comments.
Let's get started.
For warmer months I don’t wear a lot of eye shadow so I go through eyeliner a lot.
I have used gel liners from the Dollar Store level up through expensive brands -- and hands down my favorite one ever is the L’Oreal Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner 24 Hour.
Y’all. Generally speaking, I wear about nine pounds of eyeliner at any one time. I like it darkity dark dark black (yes, there are degrees of eye liner blackness), creamy, and long lasting with a nice finish.
This liner does it.
It is a little expensive (at almost ten dollars most places) -- but every time I’ve bought any in the past year or so I’ve had some kind of coupon.
Remember to always check your snail mail and the internet for manufacture coupons as well as store coupons.
My next favorite things that are almost always on sale somewhere are the Revlon Matte Balms, Kissable Lip Stains, Colorburst Lip Butters, and Colorburst Laquer Balms.
These are not as long lasting as some products, but I’ve found all of them to be extremely versatile and a great way to explore colors you might not wear usually.
Also each of these I’ve tried has buildable coverage. So if a color is too strong or bright, try blotting it down and making it a bit more sheer. Or put a bunch on and just go bright. These are also products I snag when they are buy-one-get-one-50%-off or if I find a great coupon.
Let’s move on to another favorite of mine: Freeman brand facial masks.
These are not high-end miracle products. They are inexpensive fairly effective fancy-feeling face care. I love these so much.
You can get full sized tubes that last forever or you can buy individual packets.
A word of caution, if you are a fuzzy-faced person (beards or general furriness) -- do not use the peel-off masks. They will try to take your fur with them when you take them off. And that hurts.
My go-to favorite is the Pineapple Enzyme mask; I’ve used that one for years and love how it makes my skin feel.
I’m currently trying out one of their newer masks, the Golden Wheat Skin brightening mask. It feels nice and is sparkly. I’m not sure about the brightening yet -- but I do love the mask in general.
Next up -- Tree Hut brand body care is fantastic.
I love their body butters and sugar scrubs. They are super easy to find everywhere from Amazon to local drug stores (at least in my area) and for the ten dollar or so price range, they feel and smell like very lux products.
My personal favorite scent line is their Almond and Honey. I don’t know what it is about that scent, but I find it incredibly relaxing. It makes me feel very fancy. I’m also a big fan of the Vanilla and Honey.
If you’re feeling a need to step outside of your comfort zone when it comes to makeup, don’t be afraid of the cheap stuff.
For instance, Wet N Wild has some of the most beautiful, long-lasting lipsticks on the market right now, hands down. They run around $3, give or take, in the US. This is not the Wet N Wild of my childhood -- they have started putting out some beautiful lipsticks and nail polishes that rival more expensive drug store brands.
Oh, hey, nail polish lovers.
I love adventurous nail colors. I love Sinful Colors nail polish.
They have a huge selection of finishes, they are normally very quick to be on trend as far as texture goes, and they are in a lot of drug stores.
Two or three bucks and you have a brand new shiny mani.
Nail polish is one of the things I enjoyed even when I was living on just about nothing. Sinful Colors gave me a little break from the bleakness.
And -- pro tip -- even if you don’t like a color, you can trade it with a friend. Organize a nail polish swap or give it to someone as a present.
This is not an exhaustive list of awesome things at the drug store. This is what I like.
Maybe you like something else, that’s awesome. Share it with everyone in the comments.
(Also, yes I know this is really US-centric. I’ve not lived outside of the US so I can’t really give a legitimate personal view of it outside of that perspective. So if you have insight, please leave that in the comments, too.)
I want to touch on some other stuff that you find at the drugstore sometimes that can be awesome.
Always check the clearance area.
For instance -- recently, while I was digging in the clearance bin at a local drug store, I found bags of these weird seaweed snacks that I just love but can’t really afford to eat more than once in a while. I checked the expiration date and they were still good so I bought something like four bags.
Regardless of what store I am in I always check the clearance bin.
I also always check the supermarket. I have found a few gold sale items like fancy soaps (which I have a terrible fondness for, we’ll get to that post), body care items, lip balm, all that stuff.
Check everywhere.
To wrap up, a few more tips: For things like eye shadow, blushes and especially anything liquid -- check the expiration date. If a nail polish has separated, it is probably okay. Shake it up and see what happens. If you are buying something that goes on your skin, avoid stuff where the seal has been broken or that has no shrink wrap at all -- for the sake of safety.
Now, I turn it over to you folks. What are your favorite drug store things?
In your country where do you go for the hot deals? Australia, y’all need to talk to each other especially because your make up is so expensive.
Team work, my friends, let's team work this stuff out.