When people ask how I spend my money, my answer is always beauty products, and it’s been that way for as long as I can remember. The desk of my college dorm was filled with makeup and haircare products, and basically every penny of my first job went to building out my beauty collection. However, this doesn’t mean that I’ve always spent my money on the likes of Pat McGrath Labs and Natasha Denona, and I still have quite the affinity for drugstore beauty products years later.There’s no better feeling than roaming the beauty aisles of Target, aimlessly checking out every display, from new products to old favorites. But now that we can’t exactly do that, here’s my solution to getting your drugstore beauty fix. I combed through every editor empties, editor-favorite, product review, and more to come up with our editors’ top drugstore beauty products.
Skincare
Neutrogena
Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Gel Face Moisturizer
This is my all-time favorite moisturizer in the summer, and it just happens to be available at Target. I love this when my skin is oily, when it’s dry, or when it’s right in-between. The texture is a gel consistency, making it really comfortable and weightless for during the day and right before bed (I love a thick moisturizer sometimes, but in the summer, I am just too damn sweaty). This makes my dry skin feel uber hydrated, but it’s also light for oily skin. Truly, no one can wrong with this moisturizer if you ask me.
Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Body Cream
I wouldn’t shut up about this moisturizer in 2019 (I even included it in my favorites!), convincing multiple of our editors and other people in my life to buy it immediately. If you have dry, sensitive skin that craves moisture, please give this a go. I love it on acne that’s drying up, to give my cheekbones an extra glow, and when I’ve used too many acids and my skin is crying for help.
Witch Hazel Alcohol-Free Toner Facial Mist
For a non-drying toner that feels soothing and cooling on the skin, try this one, a favorite from our Director of Brand Partnerships, Ally. This facial mist contains witch hazel which soothes and hydrates the skin while regulating your pH balance. Use this as a makeup refreshing mist, as a toner, or after a hot and sweaty workout.
SheaMoisture
Matcha Green Tea And Probiotics Soothing Relief Eye Cream
This is a new find, but one that I need to tell everyone about. I’m currently doing the Brown Girl Swap by BrownGirlJane by swapping out five of my everyday beauty products for ones by Black-owned brands, and I snagged this one from Target as soon as I ran out of my other eye cream. I love how soothing and relaxing this feels on my eyes. I love it for the morning when my eyes are tired and puffy, but it’s also nice to relax right before bed.
Peach Slices
Acne Patches
These are, hands-down, the best acne dots on the market. I pick these up on every CVS run because they’re affordable and effective. Catch me on basically every Zoom call with one of these on my face, getting rid of zits while I do my magic (AKA this).
Glow Tonic
This is the best acid toner at the drugstore, especially if you’re new to acid exfoliation. This contains glycolic acid, an AHA that’s gentle-yet-effective for all skin types. This toner exfoliates away dead skin, revealing bright and glowy skin after just a few uses.
SheaMoisture
African Black Soap Clarifying Mud Mask
A mud mask is essential for oily and acne-prone skin, and this one is one of the best on the market. You’ll immediately notice a clearer, brighter complexion after one use. Plus, this tub is huge, so you’ll never run out of it.
Garnier SkinActive
Micellar Cleansing Water All-in-1 Makeup Remover & Cleanser
Having a good makeup remover on hand is essential, and this one from Garnier is a favorite amongst our editors and readers because it’s effective while remaining super affordable. Apply a little bit to a cotton swab to fix uneven winged liner (guilty as charged), at the end of the day for a quick cleanse (again, guilty), or in the morning to refresh instead of going in with a drying cleanser.
Makeup
e.l.f Cosmetics
Primer-Infused Blush
I included this product in The Everygirl’s makeup collection capsule for a few reasons: it’s affordable, it’s easy to store, and it works as good as any blush should. It doesn’t have a bunch of bells and whistles, but when you want a pretty pop of blush on your cheeks, this goes above and beyond. It’s long-wearing, and I love the shade selection.
Conceal + Perfect Longwear Concealer
After one of my most-watched beauty vloggers shared her favorite drugstore products, I snatched up this concealer immediately, and I haven’t looked back since. It’s the perfect finish that looks exactly like your skin, and it never creases on me—ever. I have used this nonstop this year to spot conceal when I don’t want to wear a lot of makeup, and it looks amazing every single time.
Juvia’s Place
The Nubian Eyeshadow Palette
Juvia’s Place has the best eyeshadows at the drugstore—there, I said it. I have three palettes, and I use them all constantly. The Nubian was their first palette, full of warm-toned browns that are perfect for everyday and smokey eyes galore. Their formula is easy to blend, highly-pigmented (meaning it shows up very well on dark skin tones), and doesn’t stain my eyes. I give them a solid 10/10.
Physicians Formula
Butter Bronzer
This bronzer has a cult-following for being basically the best one at the drugstore, and our editors have to agree. Available in six shades (which is OK, but please Physican’s Formula, make a couple more), this bronzer will make you look and feel like it’s summer all year round.
e.l.f Cosmetics
Poreless Putty Primer
This $8 primer blew my socks off the first time I tried it, rivaling a $52 similar one (you’ve maybe heard of it before, *wink*). I rub this into the areas of my face that I want my makeup to stay extra long or that I want to smooth my skin (such as my nose and forehead), and it’s basically an Instagram filter in a tub.
Wet N Wild
MegaGlo Highlighting Powder
Repeat after me: makeup can cost the same as your favorite $5 Target wine and still be amazing. This inexpensive highlighter has been a go-to of mine for years, and it’s a beauty product that I constantly get compliments on because it looks both striking and natural—it’s basically magic. My go-to shade is “Precious Petals,” but I have “Golden Flower Crown” and “Blossom Glow,” and I love them too.
e.l.f Cosmetics
Wow Brow Gel
A brow gel is one of my makeup staples, and this one takes the cake. For less than a latte, you’ll have thick, model-esque brows that won’t even need a touch-up. I’ve repurchased this twice now, and it gets better every time.
Maybelline
Cheek Heat Gel-Cream Blush
I tried drugstore dupes for my favorite high-end products a few months ago, and this one beat the high-end version. The shades, the gel-like texture, and the longwear make this my favorite cream blush at the drugstore.
Micro Brow Pencil
You can never go wrong with a classic eyebrow pencil like this one, and NYX’s rivals expensive brands big time. This pencil has a super fine tip that creates hairlike strokes and includes a spooly to blend it all out. I go through brow pencils pretty often, and this is one I repurchase over and over again.
Butter Gloss
This gloss has been in the collections of our editors for years, and you’ll basically have to pry it out of our cold, dead hands. It’s the perfect gloss: non-sticky, comes in a variety of gorgeous shades, stays on for hours, and has a cake-like smell that makes putting it on extra enjoyable.
Hair
Wonder Water
Editor Maddie reviewed this hair product at the beginning of 2020, and our editors have basically all purchased it by now. In a mere eight seconds, your hair feels like you just stepped out of the salon: shiny, sleek, and so soft. This is super easy to use and works for basically every hair type.
SheaMoisture
100% Pure Argan Oil
A classic argan oil is essential in your hair routine for hot oil treatments, smoothing curls, hydrating ends, and more. But they can get quite expensive, so I love this one from Shea Moisture. It’s your typical argan oil at half the price you’d pay somewhere else. Plus, you get to support a Black-owned business in the process. Don’t skip this one!
Kristin Ess
Dry Finish Working Texture Spray
You’d be hard pressed to find an Everygirl who isn’t an absolute Kristin Ess stan. We’re obsessed with her products and spend our free time discussing her newest launches every time. But one product we always agree on regardless of our hair type is this texture spray. To create a beachy, wavy texture, add extra volume to a blow-out, or keep curls in tact without the crunchiness of a hairspray—this texture spray does it all without feeling sticky or heavy on the hair.
Kristen Ess
The One Purple Shampoo
If you’re prone to brassiness in your blonde (or want to remove yellow-tones from any hair color—looking at all of you with grey and cool-tone dark hair!), this purple shampoo knocks every other one out of the water. It removes brassiness like no other. And while I won’t say it’s the most hydrating purple shampoo on the planet, it isn’t drying enough to be a problem either.
Salon One-Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer
Kelly bought this, shared the amazing results in her review, and then we all had to try it. Needless to say, it’s become an Everygirl editor staple for all of us. I use it to blow dry my bangs in place every time I shower, Kelly and Social Editor Abigail love it for volume, and Contributing Editor Blair uses the straightening brush on her coarse, tightly-coiled hair.
Mielle Organics
Babassu & Mint Deep Conditioner
Our Contributing Writer Jeannine Benoit Adams chronicled her journey from relaxed to natural hair and shared this as one of the products that helped her. This deep conditioner helps restore protein and moisture for dry and damaged hair. It’ll leave your hair feeling soft and nourished without weighing it down.
EverPure Volume Hair Care Collection
This shampoo and conditioner is perfect for fine or medium hair that needs a little extra oomph. It’s the best volume shampoo and conditioner I’ve ever found. It never makes my hair feel dry or heavy—just full and soft!
Miss Jessie’s
Jelly Soft Curls Gel
Kelly uses this product after the shower to keep her waves soft and smooth. Use it right after the shower on wet hair to help your curl pattern form into soft waves or curls.
Expressie Quick-Dry Nail Polish
This is my favorite nail polish at the drugstore, hands down. It dries so fast, and even the lighter shades only need two coats.
Body
Blueberry Bliss Curl Control Jelly
The Everymom’s Contributing Editor Laura put this in her beauty empties, saying that she loves this line at Target and especially this product. She said it keeps her curls in tact even through heat and humidity.
SheaMoisture
100% Raw Shea Butter
Shea butter is a natural, inexpensive way to moisturize your whole body, but especially your feet. Even though pedicure season is over, we all still crave soft, smooth feet. Slather this. on and cuddle up with your favorite blanket and fuzzy socks, and your feet will thank you.
Frank Body
Original Coffee Scrub
While this isn’t technically drugstore, you can pick it up in Ulta with your other drugstore staples. This is the best exfoliator on the market—so good, it’s worth clogging your drain with coffee grounds.
Wet Skin Shea Oil Body Lotion
I will never be without this product for as long as I live. At the end of your shower, slather this all over your body and then pat dry. Your skin will feel smooth, soft, and hydrated, and it barely feels like you added an extra step into your routine. Busy people who just can’t with sticky body lotions, this is your match.
The Honey Pot
Sensitive Feminine Wash
It’s always good to have a feminine wash on hand for days you just want to feel a little extra clean, namely during your period. But many of these washes contain fragrances and harsh ingredients that have no business being anywhere near your bits. That’s why we love this one from The Honey Pot. It’s pH-balanced for the vagina, meaning you won’t get any irritation or infections just from trying to feel clean. Plus, it’s ultra-gentle and soothing.
Moisturizing Cream
Many of our editors rave about this thick moisturizing cream. Whether they use it all over their body for soft, smooth skin or for extra-dry skin on their face, it’s in constant rotation on their beauty shelves. More
