9 items in this article
5 items on sale!
Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Courtesy of Eni, Retailers
Here at the Strategist, we love hearing about everyday stuff that actually works. That line of thinking extends to the drugstore beauty products in our medicine cabinets, shower caddies, and makeup bags. In our series “Beauty Aisle,” we’re talking to folks in the beauty industry — aestheticians, hairstylists, makeup artists, dermatologists, and the like — about the go-to affordable products they keep stocked. For this installment, Strategist beauty writer Tembe Denton-Hurst chatted with beauty content creator Eni Popoola about the drugstore products she loves.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
My go-to foundation combination for a while, and still, is a mix of two NARS foundations. The reason I would mix them is that one was matte and one had more radiant properties. Now, I find the Maybelline Lumi Matte Foundation gives me in one bottle that mix I normally get from two high-end foundations. So I really like that. I went to Nigeria recently and basically tried to re-create my makeup artist’s work. This is also a product she used. Maybelline is good with the shade range. I wear the shade 370. There’s a shade for me in the summer, a shade for me when I’m a little sun deprived. When I was on my quest to re-create my makeup routine with drugstore products, that foundation was the one I landed on. It’s currently one of my go-tos.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
I think everyone is trying to find a setting spray that will lock their makeup in place. I rarely believe claims about something being transferproof because if you put paint on a wall and touch it, of course it’s going to leave a mark or a little bit of a stain. That’s kind of what we’re doing with makeup. It’s not meant to stay on all the time. But I’ve done the paper-towel test, the hug-someone-with-a-white-shirt test, and it really keeps my makeup in place. What I love about it is it’s not incredibly mattifying. Whenever I have a look that’s really powdered down and I want it to be locked in place but I still want a little bit of a sheen, or I want that look of my makeup being lived-in for a few hours, I’ll choose this setting mist.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
I think a lot of people view this primer as a dupe for similar gripping primers, but this is one of the strongest I’ve tried, whether or not it’s considered a dupe. It gives you that glow because it’s more of a hydrogel type of formula as opposed to a soft matte primer or a true matte blurring primer. I think this is really good if you have normal skin or oily skin and still want the look of skin.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
As someone with a deep skin tone, I steered clear of drugstore setting powders for a long time because they can get real chalky, real fast. The Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder has done me so well. This was another product I came to appreciate through my makeup artist in Nigeria. A lot of the Nigerian makeup industry uses drugstore products because they have the furthest reach; your Maybellines and your L’Oréal’s are sharing their products worldwide. I really like this powder to brighten. I find it doesn’t get cakey and provides a really nice gradient. The shade range being really comprehensive helps out a lot. So it’s a great mattifying, under-eye-brightening powder, and you can use it to set your entire face as well.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
This can be used on your face, but the brand just came out with an extra-large version of the bottle that I like to use for my body. It’s basically a gold, bronzy sheen. It doesn’t look like body oil, soI treat it almost like body makeup. I put it on my collarbone when I want it to be reflected, or I put it on the high points of my shoulders when I really want certain parts of my body to catch light. I don’t use it for every day. This is definitely a big glam moment when I want my skin to be extra glowy. And it is not greasy. It actually dries down pretty matte.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
It’s the best bodywash. It comes in three versions: Radiance, Dewy, and Soothing. Once I started incorporating this bodywash in my routine, my shower time doubled because I wanted to be in the shower longer. Now that this product exists, there’s no reason to buy an expensive bodywash unless you are attached to the scent. Dove did it so well. Some people are trying to say things like, “Oh, it’s a shower oil, so you don’t need other shower oils.” It’s a bodywash. It has an oily texture, but it doesn’t feel oily like a shower oil. It is an oil-based bodywash. I’m on my second bottle and will be on my third within a couple of weeks.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
It’s gentle enough for everyday exfoliation and smells really good. It’s got really small soft beads in it. You can feel that exfoliation, but it’s not necessarily going to irritate your skin if you use it every day.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
This is another product where if you love a high-end body oil that’s great, you have something that’s really good here. It’s really lightweight. A lot of people are afraid of body oils, especially in the summer because they’re like, “I don’t want to look like a ball of grease,” but a little bit goes a long way. It also dries down beautifully and smells really good. You can mix it with your lotions. You can mix it with your body butters. You could use it on its own.
Want to be emailed about sales and other updates to your saved products?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
I have oily skin, and I’ve found that the times I’ve deviated from this cleanser, my skin isn’t as clean as it could be. But it doesn’t irritate my skin. It doesn’t strip it. It doesn’t dry it out. Any time I see my dermatologist, and I’ve had a couple of dermatologists over the years, La Roche–Posay products consistently come up as a brand dermatologists recommend straight out of the office. When in doubt, I go back to this cleanser.
get the strategist newsletter
Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts.
Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.