A trip to Sephora can evoke a range of emotions; desire, love, despair, defeat, regret. There you are, warmed under the bright lights of the displays, bombarded with showy packaging, and surrounded by appealing scents. Everything about an upscaled makeup shop is inviting, it draws you in with all the nicely packaged products then leaves you feeling guilty that you spent your last paycheck on a new eyeshadow palette. Finding a product to buy isn’t hard, it takes barely seconds to find something you need, think you need, or just want a different version of. I have this lipstick shade from the drugstore, but this Dior one is so pretty it has to be better quality, right?!?! Sometimes this proves true, the more expensive product does have a fair chance of being better quality but most of the time this difference is so miniscule it is barely existent. I used to think of drugstore makeup as a taboo. I was ashamed to admit the lipstick I had been complimented on was from CVS. But then I realized I was still complimented on it, and it was a great lipstick so why should it matter if the brand wasn’t well known?                                                              
          If you work a minimum wage job and have to attend school as I do, paying for these brand names can get quite costly. I honestly don’t have the money to spend $60 for eyeshadow or foundation, I barely have enough for food! This is why my makeup bag has been filled with predominantly drugstore makeup recently. It works just as well (with a few exceptions) for a quarter of the price! What’s not to love?! Of course like all makeup brands, you have to be careful when choosing the best products for what you want and the quality you want. But I have found many great drugstore brands that are top-notch like Rimmel!                              
Here are some of my absolute favorites drugstore products, none of which are over $10. I have used these products for months and can guarantee they work just as well as, or better than, the big names!

         Hope you enjoy & that this will save a buck or two of your hard earned money!




        I use this product as an everyday foundation. It feels very light on the skin so it doesn’t cake up on your face. It also minimizes pores really nicely and leaves my face looking extremely smooth! On special occasions I use a heavier foundation but for everyday things, like going to school, I just use this. It looks a little strange when it comes out of the bottle but don't worry, it looks fine on :)


        I use this little beauty to dim the shine of my face after putting on foundation. I take a kabuki brush (is that the right term? idk a brush you know what I mean) and sweep this powder all across my face. It’s a beautiful sheer color that keeps your makeup in place and finishes it with a nice matte texture! You can tell how much I use it because all the words are worn off, oops!


        This little gel pot is honestly the best liquid liner I’ve ever used. It comes with a little precision brush attached that you unscrew and dip into the pot. I find it extremely easy to create a close to perfect cat eye with this brush and liner. The color is a really bold and noticeable black, which I love. 10 out of 10 definitely recommend if you are one for liquid liners.


        I think it’s apparent by now that I have a little obsession with Rimmel products, but it’s with good reason! This little green tube of mascara has lasted me for a couple months now and it is perfection in a bottle. The curved brush really curls my lashes while separating them also. It's for voluminous, natural looking lashes, I use it basically everyday :)



This blush is perfect for a natural coraly-pink looking glow. It has flecks of shimmering gold in it which really pop when on your cheeks. I use this blush for my everyday look. It's a really lovely tint to your cheeks.

        When buying this product try to find a shade that matches your skintone or is a shade lighter than it. When I first bought it I went for 245 light, which turned out to be way too dark. When you do find the perfect shade for you, this concealer works wonders! It has a soft brush which is perfect for the under eyes area. I also use it for blemishes even though it's not really for that, but hey it works!



        This blush is a perfect light pink shade. It looks great for light, sheer looks. The brush it comes with is also pretty handy!


        This lipstick is a dark, plum, lorde-esque color. Since it’s matte lipstick (which looks really unique compared to the regular glossy lipstick) I suggest applying lip-balm first just so your lips don’t dry out. Other than that the lipstick is great, it stays for a really long time, a couple of hours actually, I don’t even have to reapply after I eat. Plus it’s a lovely shade for winter!



        This product is a beautiful baby pink. It’s very sheer and natural, the color isn’t drastic at all. This lipstick itself is pretty moisturizing but needs to be reapplied every few hours. This subtle pretty pink is perfect for everyday spring looks!