Most of us college ladies are living on a budget, but that doesn’t mean our beauty choices have to suffer. There are times when the price of product is exactly correlated to the quality, but oftentimes drugstore buys are just as great, if not better than, pricier items. To help you make a decision here are some thoughts about how to spend your money on some beauty essentials.
Foundation
Foundation is one of the most important beauty products because it’s the base of any look. It gives you the perfect canvas. Foundation needs to match your skin perfectly while giving you the type of coverage (sheer, medium, full) that you’re comfortable with. Splurging on foundation seems like it makes sense because it lasts for up to a year, and it’s on the majority of your face; however, there are actually a few excellent foundations that you can find at the drugstore.
Verdict: Save. Try Revlon Photo Ready Foundation or Maybelline Fit Me Foundation
Mascara
Mascara is a great beauty product that many women say they won’t leave the house without wearing. When buying mascara, it’s important to pick one that does what you want, whether that be lengthening, curling or creating volume. Although mascara is a product that’s usually used daily, there are bunches of great drugstore mascaras that make it okay to save. You will have to do some experimenting to find the perfect mascara but the result will be just as great, if not better than, the splurge.
Verdict: Save. Buy mascara from the drugstore. Try any mascara from the L’Oreal Voluminous Collection. Trust me, it’s just as good as Dior Show.
Blush
Blush is a key product for pretty much every look. It flushes the cheeks in a controlled way that makes you look healthy and sexy. Blush brightens up your face and enhances any beauty look. Blush is a product that you should splurge on because it usually lasts a year and does wonders for your face.
Verdict: Splurge. M•A•C makes amazing blushes. Go to a department store and try a bunch on to see which ones look great on you.
Eyeliner
Many girls use eyeliner for both day and night. For basic black, pencil eyeliner, you want a product that will stay on the rims of your eye without smudging or disappearing in the middle of the day. You also need an eyeliner formula that is creamy enough for softening, but firm enough to control during application. Although it would be nice to splurge on the perfect eyeliner, there are so many tricks for softening eyeliner and applying eyeliner that you can pretty much use any eyeliner and make it work.
Verdict: Save. Try Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner at your local drugstore.
*You should save on eyeliner, but M•A•C Cosmetic’s eye kohl is too amazing of a product to go unmentioned. Try M•A•C Eye Kohl in Smolder.
Lip-gloss /Lipstick
Some women swear by lip-gloss while some are loyal to lipstick. Either way, no look is complete without one of these products. For lip-gloss, you want to find a formula that stays on but isn’t too tacky. It can be hard to get the lip-gloss formula right, and most people really do enjoy the more expensive lip-glosses. For lipstick you need a long-lasting and creamy yet firm formula that will add great color and moisturize your lips. Surprisingly, drugstore lipsticks can actually work just as well as expensive lipsticks. The only drawback is you can’t try them on in the store.
Verdict: You should splurge on lip-gloss and save on lipstick. For pricey but totally worth it lip-gloss, try any Chanel Glossimer that works for you. For an amazing drugstore lipstick, try L’Oreal Riche colors or Maybelline Color Sensational.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Stanford chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.