I saw this tag floating around on Youtube and thought it would be a fun idea to turn into a blog post! Creativity Jar is mainly focused on drugstore and affordable makeup so if there was ever a tag fitting for my blog, this would be it! Once I found one video, of course it took me down a rabbit trail of watching about 16 other drugstore makeup tag videos. It’s fun to hear other people’s thoughts and opinions about drugstore brands and products so I thought I would take a crack at the 2020 Drugstore Makeup Tag.
I will link the original Youtuber and video that started this tag below if you want to check it out. Jen came up with 14 questions all relating to drugstore / affordable makeup. I will post those questions below along with my answers.
>> original 2020 drugstore makeup tag video
2020 Drugstore Makeup Tag
1. If you could only use one drugstore/affordable brand, what would it be?
Maybelline – they have products that pretty much hit every makeup category for me. I think they have some standout products that are great quality at affordable prices. I think they also do a great job at coming out with trendy and innovative products that keep me interested in the brand as a whole. Some of my personal Maybelline faves are the age rewind concealer (oldie but goodie), rocket volume mascara, master chrome highlighter in rose gold, and hydrate + smooth primer just to name a few.
2. What’s the most underrated drugstore/affordable brand?
Milani – There are a few brands that come to mind but I think Milani is one of those dark horse brands that will take you by surprise and make you a huge fan. I don’t think they are talked about enough. I remember when I first discovered Milani at my local CVS and I was drawn in because of their beautiful gold packaging. They have some of the best blushes and lip products IMO as well as my all time favorite eyeshadow primer. Their eyeshadow palettes also continue to improve and wow me. I love that they are expanding into new categories like skincare and I get excited to see their take on products and formulas.
3. What’s the most overrated drugstore/affordable brand?
Morphe – I really love their eyeshadows and makeup brushes but those are the only two categories I truly think they excel at IMO. Since expanding outside of those categories into face and lip products, I think their products are mediocre. I think they are better off sticking to their bread and butter and not trying to cover all categories of makeup. Plus they are so hyped up on Youtube and with influencers that it has kind of turned me off.
4. What is your favorite drugstore product under $5
Essence Pure Nude Highlighter in Be My Highlight 01 ($4.99) – the definition of a hidden gem that’s not so hidden anymore because people have caught on to how great this highlighter is. If you are like me and prefer a more subtle highlight with a sheen, you will love this! Plus it comes in a few different shades depending on your skintone.
5. What is a hidden gem from the drugstore that no one talks about?
Wet n Wild PhotoFocus Stick Foundation – this is sooo underrated! I’ve seen a lot of people comparing this stick foundation to the Hourglass one which is completely insane considering the $40 price difference. It has amazing great coverage works especially well for normal to dry skin. Stick foundations can sometimes be hit and miss but this one is a huge hit!
6. What’s your favorite drugstore foundation?
L’Oreal Infallible Pro Glow – I have normal / dry skin and this foundation is a great match for me because it gives me a dewy and hydrated look without being too much. I like a little dew and glow but I don’t want to look oily or greasy. Pro glow leans towards the dewy side but just far enough to make it extremely wearable and natural looking. It’s lightweight with medium but buildable coverage and just a great everyday foundation.
7. What products do you tend to buy more at the drugstore vs. high-end?
Mascara – Honestly I rarely buy high end makeup in the first place but I’ve always thought that high end mascaras were a waste of money. There are SO. MANY. amazing drugstore mascaras at a fraction of the price that do a better job than most high end formulas. I’ve tried my fair share of high end mascaras through a lot of sample sizes and I’m always disappointed. Skip the hype and get yourself L’Oreal Lash Paradise…you will thank me later.
8. What drugstore brand do you think is overpriced?
Physicians Formula – 🙄 I’ve thought they’ve been overpriced for yeeeearsss. Lemme tell ya…I’ve been buying their bronzers since I was in high school which was over a decade ago (😰) and I thought they were overpriced then. My paycheck from working at Subway wasn’t going very far when their bronzers were $14 a pop. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if they would just change their packaging to be less bulky, I think they could cut their costs and lower the retail price. Look I’m not an expert but am I right?!
But I’ll be darned if they still don’t get me because regardless of the price, I will still buy their butter bronzer over and over because it’s that good and worth the $47 or however much it is nowadays.
9. What’s your favorite drugstore dupe?
Flower Beauty Petal Pout Lipstick in Spiced Petal
DUPE FOR >> Charlotte Tilbury Pillowtalk lipstick – this was soooo hard because I LOVE a good dupe so it felt impossible to narrow it down to just one. But Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillowtalk lipstick shade is so iconic and unique that I couldn’t pass over it. The Flower Beauty shade is truly an identical match so if you want this cult favorite but don’t want to pay the price tag, snag Spiced Petal instead!
If you are interested in more Charlotte Tilbury dupes, check out my Affordable Charlotte Tilbury Dupes post.
10. What’s the best drugstore eyeshadow formula?
Colourpop – gotta give it to them because their eyeshadow formula can’t be beat. Whether it’s a full on glitter or straight up matte, they can do it all and their prices are unmatched. I’ve never been disappointed by Colourpop eyeshadows.
11. What’s the worst drugstore eyeshadow formula?
?? – I actually don’t have an answer for this one because I really haven’t tried enough different drugstore eyeshadow formulas to give an accurate answer. You know when you can just tell a formula isn’t going to be good so you just don’t buy it? Well that’s what I do haha. I don’t want to waste my money on crappy eyeshadow palettes so I just continue buying ones that I know are great like Colourpop mentioned above.
12. Drugstore brand you used to love but aren’t crazy about anymore?
Covergirl – I used to really love Covergirl several years ago. They had my favorite mascara (the orange lash blast), foundation (TruBlend), and I lived for their eyeshadow trio (shimmering sands) in high school. I can’t tell you how many of those I went through. I also thought their Healthy Revitalist foundation was amazing! But I kind of just forgot about them as Ulta gained popularity which introduced me to new brands or made them more accessible. And then Covergirl did that whole rebrand but, unfortunately, the rebrand didn’t really spark any renewed interest. For some reason their new look and feel just wasn’t my vibe. This is not to say I won’t ever use their products again but I guess I’m just waiting for something to excite me in order to revisit the brand again.
13. Drugstore product you didn’t expect to like but totally wowed you?
Jordana Sculpt N Go Creamy Contour Stick – This is super random but totally fits this question. I’m not a huge contour person and definitely don’t do it on the day-to-day. But I saw this contour stick years ago and what pushed me to buy it was the shade. I’m always looking for a good cool-toned contour shade because I have light skin. Many contours or bronzers tend to look too warm and orange on me. But this contour stick in shade Light was exactly the cool-toned shade I needed. So I took a chance thinking I probably wouldn’t love it or the formula would be crappy. But to my very pleasant surprise, it’s amazing! I actually use it all the time and use it more now than when I first got it. The formula so super blendable and buildable so it gives a really pretty and natural-looking contour. It’s not too cool-toned so I can also use it as a bronzer as well. The only downside is I think you can only find Jordana at Walgreens or on their website. But it’s 1000% worth it if you shop at Walgreens!
14. Favorite affordable eyeshadow palette right now?
Colourpop Blush Crush palette – Due to quarantine and having baby #2, I’ve pulled back on buying and wearing makeup so I honestly haven’t purchased any new eyeshadow palettes in forever. In the last year or so, I’ve also been trying to get more use out of palettes I already have instead of buying new ones. It has to be a really good palette to convince me to purchase with shades I know I will use and don’t already have.
So I don’t own a current favorite but have been eyeing this Blush Crush palette and am definitely going to buy it! I love dusty pink eyeshadows and am always on the lookout for a great palette with those tones.
And that completes the 2020 drugstore makeup tag! This was really fun to do and a little different. I love hearing what brands and products other people like. It’s interesting to me what works for other people or stands out to them. Plus I get to learn about new hidden gems or products under $5 that I may not know about yet.
If you follow any other beauty bloggers and would love to see them do this 2020 drugstore makeup tag, please share my post with them and leave me a comment letting me know who you would like to see do this tag too. I would love to read what other beauty bloggers love or think is overrated.
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