Drugstore Duds and Darlings

While the aisles of your local drugstore may seem to be packed with beauty products priced right, they’re also chock full of items that rely on heavy marketing – rather than product quality – to grab your attention. And since, at most drugstores, you can’t try before you buy, we’ve rounded up a list of our most -- and least-- favorite beauty products available at your local CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid and more.

Leave it. CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain

CoverGirl has some great, reasonably priced products that we love. This is not one of them.  The LipStain ($7.49) goes on smoothly but dries streaky and, worse yet, doesn’t last.  The marker style applicator felt strange to us and was hard to get used to— don’t bother trying since the product housed inside isn’t worth the wait.

Love it! Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipcolor

This product promises to blend the best of both worlds: rich color paired with the hydration of a lip balm.  Success! We tried it in “Royal Red,” a deep crimson that should have bled, but didn’t. Especially useful when lips get dry from too much sun or too little h2o, this drugstore darling sells for less than five bucks at Walgreens. Yup, we love it! 

Leave it.  Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Eye Anti-Aging Roller

Recently, we were singing the praises of Olay, but the Anti-Aging Eye Roller we’ve been testing this week misses the mark. On the surface, the concept seems solid: tiny balls in the applicator massage the delicate under eye skin as the cream is applied. This alone should have some benefit on reducing under eye puffiness. What was visibly missing, however, was the “instant” improvement in under eye wrinkles that the Olay site promised when we  purchased this product, “Instantly the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles is softened.”  This product earns our “Leave it” vote for overpromising and under delivering.

Love it! Desert Essence Organics Lip Tints
Not only can you pick up this luscious lip tint at a local drugstore for $5.99 -- and fall in love -- the collection also happens to be 100% vegan, wheat and gluten free, cruelty free and biodegradable. Talk about an eco-chic beauty bargain! The lightly flavored tints come in red grape, raspberry, vanilla chai and coconut and boast ingredients such as Jojoba, Shea Butter, and other essential oils.

Leave it. Max Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper

Sometimes we just have to wonder, does anyone test this stuff before they market it? Well, ladies, we’re happy to be your human guinea pigs and share that the only thing “extreme” about this product is the disappointment you’ll feel if you actually expect it to work. It sounds so decadent—2000 calories and all— but in reality the only thing fat about this mascara is the oversized, hard to use applicator. Much like a sugary treat, the “calories” in this subpar product don’t end up plumping where they are supposed to at all.

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