Let's get one thing straight: shopping for makeup at the drugstore is usually far from easy. Sure, everything's relatively cheap and the quality has definitely improved — which we're totally about — but the unflattering fluorescent lighting, coupled with the fact that there aren't any on-site experts to answer all your burning beauty q's tends to make the whole process pretty difficult. But before you give up and revert to spending all your cash at Sephora and high-end department stores, allow us to step in and shed some light. For this, we asked a few of our most trusted makeup artists to divulge their best tips for the aforementioned drugstore shopping spree.
1. Make a wish list: Browsing the aisles can get overwhelming at the best of times, considering the total lack of testers at all our favorite drugstore haunts. To help narrow things down, we find it helpful to compile a list before you step inside. That way, you'll know exactly what you're looking for. Some of our favorite recommendations come courtesy of the pros. For instance, celebrity MUA Benjamin Puckey has a concise list of go-tos that never let him down. "My favorite drugstore brands are Maybelline for their fabulous mascaras, concealers, foundations, cream liners, and highlighters; NYX Cosmetics for their matte lipsticks, lip creams, powder blush, and concealers; and CoverGirl Queen for amazing products for deeper skin tones," he says. Don't have an MUA on speed dial? Try browsing the Instagram feeds of your favorite beauty pros; chances are, they'll share their secrets every once in awhile!
2. Consider sticking to certain products: Unless you’ve done your research — meaning you read multiple reviews and looked up a slew of swatches — you should generally avoid buying things like base products on the spot. Why? Because it’s much harder to gauge how the product will look and feel on the skin since you often can’t try it out for yourself in the store. Makeup artist Emma Day says she tends to spend her money on pricier foundations, and instead turns to the drugstore for things like tinted lip balm, kohl eyeliner, cream blush, and fake lashes. Makeup artist Elisa Flowers also mentioned that she opts for lip and eye pencils at the drugstore rather than department stores, as she finds the quality and consistencies to be super comparable.
3. Know your skin tone: We can’t stress how important this one is, especially if you’re looking to buy a new foundation or concealer, as it’ll take away so much of the guess work. “Knowing your skin tone is essential if you don't have access to makeup testers,” she [who is she] said. “Your skin tone can be determined by looking at the veins in your wrist — golden undertones will have a greenish-olive cast, while cool-reddish tones will have a purpley-blue hue,” she explained. “Neutral skin tones will have a mix of green and blue — look for clues on the foundation bottle like W for Warm or C for Cool, or words like Tan or Sand indicating warmth or Rose and Porcelain hinting toward cool,” she added.
4. And your skin type!: Again, super crucial when going to buy base products. “Look at textures based on your skin type,” Elisa said. “Oily skin does well with matte formulas, and dry skin looks great with luminous textures.” She also added that you can bring your old foundation with you to compare.
5. Do your research: One of the easiest things you can do is to look up the products you’re interested in beforehand. That’s what’s so amazing about the internet and bloggers — everything is out there these days. “Looking up foundation swatches before shopping can be helpful if you can compare your favorite brand and color to other colors and brands out there,” Elisa said. “Reviews on YouTube are extremely helpful because you can see the products and hear feedback,” she added. You heard her: use these outlets to your advantage before spending money.
6. Know WHAT to research: Figuring out what to type into that search bar might seem like common sense, but Benjamin taught us a few, cool tricks that will help make the results even more accurate. "If I want to buy Maybelline lipstick, I'll Google 'Maybelline swatches' and pages will come up of people who have taken the time to swatch their lipsticks, even on different skin tones and in different types of light," he explains. "Pinterest is also an excellent drugstore makeup resource. A great reference is the website temptalia.com, which has a whole library of lipsticks categorized in brand and color. I also like to search 'drugstore dupes 2016,' which gives you lists of the drugstore alternatives for your favorite, luxury makeup products.
7. Find natural light: The lighting in drugstores is generally horrific — but if you can try a product on close-ish to the exit where the most natural light will be, it’ll be much easier to tell whether or not the product works for you. “My suggestion with colors is to try something on and see how you like it in natural light and then go back and purchase,” Emma advised.
8. Know the return policy: Before buying a plethora of prods that may or may not work out, look online or call to find out the store’s return policy. This way, you’ll know if you can buy more without the risk of having to hang onto something you don’t like. This tip definitely comes in handy when it comes to foundation shopping at the drugstore. “Get two shades!” suggested makeup artist Molly Greenwald. “Many drugstores like Rite Aid allow returns on products that's didn't work for you!” Meaning: you can totally return whichever color foundation didn’t match. Want to know which stores will let you return that mismatched foundation without having to call them up? Benjamin provided us with a resource that breaks down different return policies. "If they don't provide testers, how are we to know exactly what the color will look like once applied?" he points out. Now, you won't have to worry about that. Happy shopping!
Related: This Viral Video Proves That Drugstore Makeup Works Just as Well as Luxury Makeup
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