The end of this roller coaster year is almost here! But I’m here to keep things light and fun with a BEST OF BEAUTY roundup from 2020. I haven’t done one of these posts in a few years. But I’ve been doing monthly recaps of new drugstore makeup and it only seems fitting to do a roundup from the entire year! This year has brought us a bunch of new affordable makeup (among other things š ) but what products have been the best new releases?! Below I have recapped the best new drugstore beauty products of the year.
Hundreds and hundreds of new products were released in 2020 – some have been hits and others have been misses. This best of beauty list includes the knockout products that have been home runs.
Of course, everybody has different preferences but it’s safe to say these products were fast favorites for a reason. They were highly rated and reviewed with a minimum 4 star rating at the very least but I think the lowest rating was maybe 4.2.
I will dive more into each item below. I have organized them as a face, eye or lip product. Here are the best new drugstore beauty products of the year.
THE BEST NEW DRUGSTORE BEAUTY PRODUCTS OF THE YEAR
FACE
// MilaniĀ Rose Lotion PrimerĀ ā $9.99
Great because it smells divine (if you like roses š¹) andĀ absorbs quickly leaving a smooth surface for makeup application.
// Neutrogena Hydro Boost Glow Serum + PrimerĀ ā $17.99
You will notice a “serum” theme throughout this best of beauty list. A serum hybrid product has really gained popularity claiming to combine skincare and makeup benefits in one.
Neutrogena has a whole humungous skincare line so it makes perfect sense that they introduce hybrid products like this. This primer could be great for anyone with dry skin as an extra shot of hydration before going in with makeup. It’s a little pricey but remember you are kinda getting two products in one with this so I think it would be worth it and still cheaper than going with something high-end.
//Ā Wet n Wild Photo Focus Dewy FoundationĀ – $6.49
The massively popular original photofocus has a dewy sister! For $6.50, you reeeeeeallly can’t go wrong. The original photofocus has a great formula and great coverage so I would expect this dewy one to be a go-to for my dry skin friends as an everyday foundation!
Side note: I was looking back through new makeup released this year and honestly forgot about this foundation! It came out in early 2020 before all the pandemic madness so it may have gotten lost in the chaos but I definitely want to try it out so glad I stumbled upon it again.
//Ā LāOreal Age Perfect Radiant Serum FoundationĀ ā $15.99
Another serum hybrid product and I’ve heard really great things about this foundation. It has a 4.5 star rating on Ulta which is nearly unheard of for a foundation. Plus it has SPF which is a bonus. Kind of gives me It Cosmetics CC Cream vibes and if you are hitting those 30s *cough like me cough* then this “Age Perfect” line might be a perfect fitĀ š
//Ā The Ordinary Serum FoundationĀ ā $6.70
Yet another serum hybrid product…but again, The Ordinary is KNOWN for their skincare (and their pricepoint šš») so I would expect any hybrid product from them to be legit.
The formula with any of these serum hybrid products might be thinner because you are mixing in a serum which has water-like consistency and will thin out the foundation. But this foundation claims to be buildable and lightweight which are wins in my book!
//Ā e.l.f Hydrating Camo ConcealerĀ – $6.00
Similar to Wet n Wild, the e.l.f camo concealer is a fan fave and they came out with a hydrating sister product! I’ve actually tried this concealer and really like it! I didn’t get the right shade but the formula is good, easy to blend and covers a lot! I do think it’s more hydrating than the original camo concealer and doesn’t make my undereyes look cakey. Plus you can’t go wrong with that $6 price tag.
//Ā LāOreal Age Perfect Radiant ConcealerĀ ā $12.99
L’Oreal’s Age Perfect line was a huge hit across the board. Almost every product in that line had some of the highest ratings I have seen. This concealer was no different and is specifically designed for mature skin claiming to both illuminate and hydrate.
//Ā Essence The BlushĀ ā $2.99
Their popular blushes got a little makeover with new packaging. Not sure if it’s the same formula as their old blushes but glad to see they have expanded the shade range a little!
//Ā BH Cosmetics Blush PalettesĀ ā $12.00 each
I love that they have palettes for every skin tone! The shades are beautiful and give you options for creating so many different color combinations. You could use a singular color or mix two or more for custom colors. These are home runs for sure.
Vanilla Peach Truffle (pinks & peaches)
Vanilla Cream Truffle (mauves and neutrals)
Chocolate Cherry Truffle (dark mauves and red)
Chocolate Marshmellow Truffle (dark browns and neutrals)
//Ā LāOreal Age Perfect Radiant Satin BlushĀ ā $12.99
Their satin blush cannot be forgotten. It looks like this may be a cream-to-powder formula because it claims to have a creamy formula but looks like a powder in the pan and in product swatches.
EYES
//Ā e.l.f Liquid Glitter EyeshadowĀ ā $5.00
Hello Stila dupes!! E.l.f has done it again with these glitter eyeshadows and I’m sooo impressed for $5 (but honestly not surprised because e.l.f can work magic when it comes to makeupĀ āØ) They also won the Allure Best of Beauty 2020 award so you know they are bomb.
//Ā EssenceĀ Halo Berlin Eyeshadow PaletteĀ -$9.99
Essence is stepping up their game with these eyeshadow palettes! This one in particular has a 4.8 rating š±Ā You get 9 shades for $10 which is a steal my friends. If you don’t like this color story, they have 5 other color options: taupes/browns, pinks/mauves, warm tones, dark browns, bright tones
// EssenceĀ Witch Side Eyeshadow PaletteĀ ā $14.99
Another Essence eyeshadow palette that was a knockout – this looks like a Huda Beauty palette dupe. A little more money and a few more shades than the Berlin palette above but it includes some specialty metallics with a great mix of light and dark shades.
LIPS
//Ā e.l.f SRLY Satin LipstickĀ ā $3.00
The packaging on these is š„Ā and the price is shocking for only $3. What more could you want from a lipstick?!
//Ā Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Lipsticks Coffee EditionĀ ā $7.99
This line was expanded to include 5 coffee-inspired shades that are beautiful! I’m not sure if they are permanent editions to the line or not but you can still get them on Amazon. The matte formula is super comfortable and long-wearing if you’ve never tried it before. I have several shades from this line and love them all.
// MaybellineĀ Lip Lifter Lip GlossĀ ā $8.99
A lip gloss with hyaluronic acid is a yes for me! This will give you a glossy look while hydrating your lips. It has a 4.6 rating and many reviews say it’s not sticky which is a bonus!
//Ā LāOreal Age Perfect Luminous Hydrating LipstickĀ ā $10.99
And the final product is another Age Perfect one – their hydrating lipstick! It has a nourishing serum (again with the serum š¤) and pro-vitamin B5 core. Regardless of whether you have mature skin or not, any of these age perfect products would suit most skin types. They are just specifically designed for mature skin which I think is great!
Some overall themes I noticed when I was putting this list together:
- serum products
- hydrating products
- ultra affordable pricepoints
Hybrid skincare products are becoming more popular and I love the idea of getting added skincare in my makeup. It always pays to take care of your skin.
Glowy, dewy and hydrated skin continue to be trends and brands are adding hyaluronic acid and other skin-hydrating ingredients to their products or coming out with hydrating versions of base products. As someone who has normal/dry skin, I’m all about that and love trying new hydrating products.
Lastly, brands are still bringing mind-blowing quality products at ultra affordable prices. I know drugstore products get a lot of flack when they come out with “affordable” products at $13, $15, $17+ but they don’t get enough credit for also coming out with killer products at $3 and $5 and $6 too.
Not all brands do this but ones like e.l.f, Wet n Wild and Essence are always launching products at those prices. Some are hits and some aren’t but it’s all trial and error anyways.
I hope you enjoyed this list of the best new drugstore beauty products of the year! It was so fun putting this together and recapping all the makeup that 2020 has brought us. It was a fun year of new makeup…even though I rarely got to wear makeup myself this year. But cheers to a new year approaching and I’m hopeful that I’ll be sitting back at my vanity on a regular basis again soon š
If you have any ideas or suggestions for content I should write about in 2021, leave a comment because I would love to hear from you! Make sure to subscribe to my blog posts below so you never miss a new post.
Some of the links included in this post are affiliate links. View my fullĀ disclosure policyĀ for more details.
Leave a Reply