I will admit that in the past I’ve been a victim of the whole mentality that if a product is more expensive, it must necessarily be better, or “you get what you pay for”, however recently I have found some products that I adore at the drugstore that are at least as good (if not better than) their much pricier counterparts. So, here goes:

1. Neutrogena Extra Gentle cleanser: True to its name, this is a fragrance-free and irritation-free cleanser. Due to the fact that it does not contain any detergents, it is not the best makeup remover, nor does it provide an ultra-deep cleanse. This cleanser might perhaps be the best one that I’ve ever tried, easily better than ones with 3x the price-tag. I highly recommend this cleanser for sensitive and acne-prone skin, but it is also great for all skin types. In Canada, it costs around ten dollars.

2. Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation: This is a pretty new foundation for me, but I have been using it long enough to know that it does not clog my pores (and I have extremely sensitive, acne-prone skin). As I was in the market for a new less-expensive glowier foundation and I had heard great things about this foundation, I picked this one up in 100 ivory and was impressed. The only setback with this foundation is the colour range – there are only a few colours and are particularly limited in pale and dark shades. The finish is gorgeous and glowy and I find it has good medium coverage. It is also worth noting that this is one of the best foundations I’ve ever tried and outperforms foundations that cost 5x the price. In Canada it costs about 10-12 dollars.

3. EOS lip balm: These lip balms are great, super-hydrating and they aren’t sticky, shiny or anything. The ball-packaging is rather nice and they function as a skin-care product, not a balm for a glossy appearance (like Maybelline Baby Lips or the like). I highly recommend these for dry lips. I would imagine that they cost a bit under 10 dollars CDN – I’m not sure how much they cost individually because I bought them in a value pack at Costco.

4. Maybelline Master Precise eyeliner pen: In all honesty here, I am not the most even-handed and precise person while applying liquid eyeliner (or anything else for that matter) and this liner makes the job far easier. This liner (I have it in black) appears nicely matte and inky-dark. For some odd reason, I have the oiliest eyelids known to man and this lasts all day on me without smudging and removes easily with Bioderma (or any regular makeup remover). However, I must mention that you must hold the liner on its side so it is parallel to the lashline or the product will not have much colour payoff. I find myself reaching for this quite frequently to do a nicely winged eye look. I paid about 10 dollars CDN for this.

5. Maybelline the Falsies Flared mascara: Long story short – I really like this mascara. I have very sensitive and dry eyes and eye products frequently irritate my eyes so I was pleasantly surprised when this oddly rose-scented mascara did not. Naturally I have fairly long pretty curly eyelashes so I look for dramatically thickening mascaras and this one does the job. One of this mascara’s plenty appeals is that it removes quite easily with gentle makeup remover, while not flaking or coming off in any shape or form during the day. In my experience, this mascara does not imitate the results of false lashes but what one does? The Falsies Flared provides nice thick lashes along with some length and makes my lashes look rather nice at a fraction of the cost of other mascaras that I’ve tried that it works at least equally well to. I purchased mine at a local drugstore for 10 dollars CDN.

Note: I personally have not tried the original mascara. I’ve heard that the formula for the Falsies Flared and the Falsies original are the same, just the brushes are different. I am not a fan of the brush and find it to be a gimmick therefore if you have the original, I would not reccomend rushing out to purchase the flared edition.

6. Maybelline Colour Tattoo eyeshadow in Bad to the Bronze: I’m sure this needs no explanation, so I’ll keep it short and sweet; by no means do I think this is an amazing but I think it is slightly better than MAC Paint Pots, making it the best eye shadow base I’ve ever tried. For me, this product is not crease-proof and not that I’ve tested it out myself, I doubt that these last 24 hours. Keeping that in mind, this cream shadow is great. The taupey-bronze hue is great for those of us who are cooler-in tone, as it allows us to wear that bronzy hue without looking orange. I find myself reaching for this shadow when I have to get ready in seconds – I apply this, shove some mascara onto my lashes and haphazardly fill in my brows. I find that this shadow is long-wearing and also helps other eyeshadows to really pop – even more than they would with a traditional primer such as Urban Decay Primer Potion. I know these are much cheaper in the states, but I picked mine up for ten dollars CDN.

Note failure to keep it short and sweet.

7. Bioderma Sensibio micellar water: I feel like I’m cheating by including this because although this product is sold at the drugstore, it is not particularly inexpensive but it is fantastic nevertheless. Above I mentioned that I have super-sensitive skin and this is multiplied tenfold for my eyes and they are also incredibly dry. I am one of those people who eyes always sting when they are removing makeup and miraculously this one does not sting, while still being quite effective. It’s also fragrance-free and soothing, therefore excellent for sensitive skin. I use it nightly to remove my face and eye makeup before cleansing my face and I adore it, however I find myself going through this product rather fast. I picked mine up at Shopper’s for 22 dollars CDN.

8. John Freida Frizz-Ease Curl Reviving styling mousse: As a wavy-curly girl, I have a slight obsession with trying to find the perfect product, I go through a ton of them and I am rather picky about them. It’s difficult to find good products, even more-so without spending a ton of money. This mousse is good, however. It has a good amount of hold without weighing the hair down, drying it out, leaving residue or making it hard or crispy. It’s also a alcohol and silicone-free product, which are rather difficult to find at any price point. I find that it gives me nice curl formation and I picked it up for around 10 dollars CDN.

If anyone in the world is reading this, I apologize profusely for being my usual, excessively wordy self and providing very minimal useful information. It appears that the products that I am preaching about are already hyped-up products and I most likely am presenting little to no helpful information. Anyways, salutations (because I find the word hilarious)!