Hi friends!
November is all about my top drugstore beauty faves and recommendations, so today we’re kicking off the fun with the best drugstore mascaras and eyeshadows! In my humble opinion, that is.
Now some of these products have been long-held loves of mine, while others have just come into the fold this year. We’ll start off with mascaras and then segue into eyeshadows, which I’ve sub-divided into palettes and singles.
I’m not including any long-winded explanations as to why each product is amazing; we’d be here wayyyy too long for that. But I have included some succinct talking points that should give you an idea of what makes each product stand out from the crowd. I’ll link any relevant reviews that I’ve written along the way in case you do want more info on something.
Without further delay, let’s get into the list!
BEST DRUGSTORE MASCARAS
Source: L’Oreal website
L’OREAL VOLUMINOUS X FIBER MASCARA
WHY I LOVE IT
- 2-step system that primes & separates lashes on one side, adds fibers for tons of volume on other side
- Lashes look fanned out but still volumized
- No smudging and not much flaking
- Doesn’t dry out too quickly
- Two mascaras for price of one – lash primer is black and can be used on its own
- SHOP NOW FROM TARGET
Source: Kokie website
KOKIE COSMETICS VOLUME + LENGTH MASCARA
WHY I LOVE IT
- Bristle brush grips onto lashes very well
- Gives amazing volume and separation
- No smudging and not much flaking
- Doesn’t dry out too quickly
- SHOP NOW FROM KOKIE
Watch this: Video: My current mascara wardrobe featuring Kokie & Glossier
Source: Maybelline / Instagram
MAYBELLINE TOTAL TEMPTATION MASCARA
WHY I LOVE IT
- Bristle brush gives amazing volume and length
- Very black formula
- No smudging and not much flaking
- Doesn’t dry out too quickly
- SHOP NOW FROM TARGET
Maybelline / Instagram
MAYBELLINE SNAPSCARA
WHY I LOVE IT
- Tapered brush allows you to easily grab every lash
- Gives amazing length and separation
- Gives more enhanced “natural” lash look
- No smudging
- Doesn’t dry out too quickly
- SHOP NOW FROM TARGET
Read this: Maybelline Snapscara Review
BEST DRUGSTORE EYESHADOW PALETTES
Source: Wet n’ Wild / Instagram
WET N’ WILD COLOR ICON PALETTES
WHY I LOVE THEM
- Amazing pigmentation & blendability
- Amazing range of colors & finishes
- Uber affordable
- My favorite color stories: Comfort Zone / Rose in the Air
- SHOP NOW FROM WET N WILD
Read this: Review: Wet n’ Wild Comfort Zone Eyeshadow Palette
Read this: My fave drugstore matte eyeshadows, $10 and under
Source: Milani / Instagram
MILANI MOST LOVED MATTES PALETTE
WHY I LOVE IT
- Gorgeous shades in three wearable color stories (warm, cool, neutral)
- Beautiful pigmentation & blendability
- Solid wear throughout the day over a primer (10+ hours on me)
- Lovely packaging with mirror
- SHOP NOW FROM WALMART
Read this: Review: Milani Most Loved Mattes Eyeshadow Palette
Source: Elf / Instagram
ELF MAD FOR MATTES PALETTES
WHY I LOVE THEM
- Amazing quality, pigmentation & blendability
- Solid wear throughout the day over a primer (10+ hours for me)
- Uber affordable
- My favorite color stories: Nude Mood / Summer Breeze
- SHOP NOW FROM ULTA
Read this: Tour my pink eyeshadow collection
Read this: The 2018 beauty discoveries I’m obsessed with!
BEST DRUGSTORE SINGLE EYESHADOWS
Source: Revlon / Instagram
REVLON COLORSTAY CREME EYESHADOW
WHY I LOVE THEM
- Buildable pigment in very wearable colors
- Packaged with small but workable brush for application
- Amazing long-wear even without primer (10+ hours for me)
- Favorite colors: Espresso / Chocolate
- SHOP NOW FROM WALMART
Source: Temptalia
L’OREAL INFALLIBLE 24 HR EYE SHADOWS
WHY I LOVE THEM
- Cream-to-powder texture that’s easy to apply
- Mimics similar high-end products like Armani Eyes To Kill
- Impactful colors
- Favorite color: Bronzed Taupe
- Very long-wearing (over 10+ hours on me)
- SHOP NOW FROM WALMART
Source: ColourPop / Instagram
COLOURPOP SUPER SHOCK SHADOWS
WHY I LOVE THEM
- Cream-to-powder texture that’s easy to apply
- Huge variety of color & finishes to choose from
- Solid longevity even without primer (8+ hours on me)
- Favorite colors: Sailor / Smoke n’ Whistles (highlighter)
- SHOP NOW FROM COLOURPOP
What are the best drugstore mascaras and eyeshadows to you?? What did I miss? I’d love to know!
Come back next Friday for my best of drugstore blush, bronzer and highlighter list!
xo, Erica
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My favorite drug store mascara is Loreal Voluminous Carbon Black. Which reminds me that I need to get more. 😄
L’Oreal and Maybelline, in particular, do such great mascaras for affordable prices!
Love those Milani, ELF and WetnWild palettes! All excellent quality 😍
So good!
I wish I could try some of those drugstore mascaras but they’re not CF 😫 makes me feel like I’m missing out lol. I also have way too many unopened so I wouldn’t be able to justify a mascara purchase anyway.
The WnW palettes are really amazing and I couldn’t believe the quality for the price. So so good.
I dont own any single SSS’s from CP and I’ve been meaning to get some but not sure if I would actually reach for them as often.
Speaking of CF products, the next drugstore mascara purchase I’m thinking about is the CoverGirl Exhibitionist. Have you tried that? I haven’t tried any CoverGirl mascaras in sooo long I think it’s time to try again.
Wet n’ Wild is one of my all-time faves at the drugstore. Their quality keeps getting better and better and they’ve still managed to keep their prices low!
Some people go crazy with the Super Shocks and get a million. I could never do that. I say get a few colors you really like and you’ll probably reach for them. Single shadows are just so easy.
I have not tried many mascaras unfortunately. I have received a TON from subscriptions I’m still going through those and I also dont like having more than one opened so I’m kind of stuck with what I have at the moment. But if I don’t like one k just move on to the next one lol. Will keep that one in mind because there are several drugstore mascaras that I would like to try.
Yeah that’s one of the great things about WnW, their prices and the quality.
Ah yeah I couldn’t either lol. Like they’re pretty but I dont need that many lol. Its gonna be hard to narrow down which I would normally reach for, for every day so I’ll have to take my time and go through all the shades they have.
omg i thought i had already replied to this comment but it’s showing as if I didn’t lol well hopefully it’s not a duplicate, anyway…
Haven’t gotten the chance to try drugstore mascaras because I have accumulated a ton of them from subscriptions so I have enough to last me the next two years lol. I also don’t like opening more than one at a time since they dry out pretty quickly, and I like to take my time testing them but I do have several on my to buy/try list when I officially have room for some lol
WnW is amazing and I’ve been a fan of them for years and usually always recommend their stuff lol (it’s different now that they’re selling in mainland china, but it doesn’t take away how good the quality is)
Ah yeah I have seen people buy so many, but that’s a good idea. I will take my time to look into what shades they have, maybe I’ll get some pretty ones to wear daily and mix it the shades a bit to change each season LOL
Yea I know, I have a few mascara mini’s to work my way through too. But no more sub boxes for me so at least I’ve stopped accumulating them for a while! I usually have no more than 2 on the go at any one time, and I try to alternate them every day so they both get the same amount of use.
I heard about the scandal with WnW selling in Mainland China. So have they lost their CF status? Or are people just not trusting them now? I know some brands have figured out this loophole to get around the animal testing laws over there like Fenty and ColourPop, but I have to admit it’s all a bit confusing to me!
Ooohhh I like that method of yours, I should try that but I don’t wear makeup on the daily either sometimes I go weeks without it LOL
And yeah it’s a bit confusing, because they’re considered CF here, but because mainland China still has some laws that pertain to the post-market. For instance, if a customer has a complaint about a product, they can pull the products and test them (on animals) without the brand consent or knowledge. Basically, by selling in mainland China, they’re consenting to POST market testing. Does that make sense? So for that reason, a lot of people don’t consider them TRULY CF, and it’s also the fact that they didn’t announce it or anything, pissed lots of people off. It was kind of shady.
Ohh I see. That makes sense. Yea, I can see why some customers would be pretty angry about that. It’s not completely truthful. If you’re certified CF customers will expect that to be categorical no matter where the cosmetics are sold.