This month marks an avalanche of budget beauty launches - hooray! We’ve narrowed down the best new makeup, skincare and nail products sure to stand out on drugstore shelves.
Celebrity- and character-fronted collabs are no longer the exclusive provenance of pro brands like MAC and OPI. Now similar collections are debuting in drugstore aisles, too. Rimmel’s Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick Collection features five shades curated by the supermodel ($5.49 each), available now. And starting January 29th on Target.com, the retailer will launch PixiGlow, a Tinkerbell-inspired collaboration between Disney and beauty brand Pixi that includes six fairy-pretty makeup products ($8-34, in stores March).
First it was big in Asia; then BB cream swept into stateside Sephoras last year. Now Garnier is the first brand to introduce the tinted-moisturizer-with-benefits to U.S. drugstores. Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream ($12.99), a mineral-pigmented moisturizing formula with Vitamin C and sunscreen, hits shelves in February.
The latest products for eyes are promising 24-hour performance - for hard partiers and sleeping beauties, we assume. CoverGirl LashBlast 24 HR ($8.95) touts longer wear and with just as much volume as the original. Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Gel Shadow ($6.99) comes in a glass pot reminiscent of prestige products and has serious color payoff. And L’Oreal Paris Infallible Eye Shadow ($7.95) is a silky-smooth powder that glides on bold and sticks around all day and night.
Late last year, Sensationail debuted its Invincible Gel Polish Starter Kit ($60), taking the super-strong gel manicure from the salon to the drugstore. The kit has all the tools you'll need to gel at home - including a polish-curing LED lamp and enough polish for 10 application. This month, 12 new polish shades are hitting shelves at Walmart and select CVS stores.
Sensitive-skinned beauties, rejoice: Olay has released a fragrance-free version of its anti-aging Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream ($24.99) - the most requested product in the brand’s history. And L’Oreal Paris’ new Elnett Extra Strong Hold Unscented Hairspray ($14.99) promises to make the air backstage at Fashion Week a little bit more breathable.
For your futuristic bathroom: New Clearasil PerfectaWash ($14.99) is a no-touch dispenser that squirts the perfect amount of salicylic acid-infused cleanser into your hand (it comes with two refills; additional ones are $8.99 each). Meanwhile, Neutrogena has created new Pink Grapefruit Oil-Free Cleansing Wipes ($7.99), made with the same pink grapefruit extract found in the brand’s popular acne line - and they smell divine.
We’ve never tried anything quite like Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush ($7.99), which has the squishy texture of Play-Doh. Its lightweight, creamy formula goes on skin sheer with zero greasy residue.
Color theory 101 dictates that green primers tone down redness while purple ones counteract a sallow complexion - but what if your skin’s got a little bit of both? Almay Smart Shade Perfect & Correct Primer ($13.99) features a double-helix of neutralizing pigments to even out tone. Plus, it looks totally high-tech.
The graphic eye is a major trend for spring, and two new drugstore products are making the look easier to achieve. Revlon Colorstay Crème Gel Eye Liner ($9.99) glides on so smooth that getting a straight line is a cinch, plus it comes with a handy little brush in the cap. And Maybelline Master Precise by Eye Studio ($7.99) makes creating intricate eye looks easy with its teeny-tiny 0.4 mm tip.
