Drugstore Vs. Department Store Makeup

i think it depends on what product you are talking - i have tried all kinds of mascara and truly, mabelleine great lash (green and pink bottle) is one of the cheapest and it works just great. eyeshadows i have noticed tend to shift and not stay put if you don't spend a little more. foundation, same thing. BUT you are talking to a walmart/avon girl. by spending more, i mean avon lol. i would never pay department store prices....so take it for what it's worth! lol!

I only wear Bare Minerals now. I spent LOTS of $$$ of the deptment store stuff. My skin is soooo much better now that I stopped wearing liquid make-up. I wish I switched sooner and it MATCHES my skin so much better. A problem I have always had since high school.

I go for drugstore - most of the products you see there are made my the same people that make department store make-up ...Estee' Lauder, etc. Why add on the bucks! Plus at drug store prices you can try different things out to find out what really works for you - without have a cupboard full of partially used expensive stuff that you ended up not liking!

I LOVE how Mary Kay reps try to scare you into buying Mary Kay by saying there are horrible things in everybody else's mascara, like creosote. There isn't. There are some things in mascaras that can cause allergic reactions, so I think you just need to try different kinds to see which one works best.

I purchase Lancome base and mascara, but everything else I get from drug stores. It's been trial and error to find what I really like. I only keep buying the Lancome base because I can't find anything that matches as well for me and I have sensitive skin so I just stick with what works.

Hi K.,

Both are toxic and bad for you. Go to www.cosmeticsdatabase.com and see which are the worst. You can look up products individually. Several popular brands contain phthalates which are terribly dangerous. (It's what we put in vinyl siding to make it pliable.) The brands I know that contain the phthalates, unless something has changed in the last year, are Clinique, Estee Lauder, Mary Kay, Avon and Lancome. I don't use much but do use a more natural brand that I get online. I can get you some info if you're interested. It's priced closer to the drugstore price.

M.

I use the Avon Minerals line and love it! I've tried several other mineral lines (Bare Escentuals, drug-store, on-line) and it's got the best coverage and feel. Bare Escentuals made me very itchy, the drug-store one (loreal I think) was very clumpy, the Avon goes on well and stays on well. I've started using their other products as well and have been pleased with all of them.

Drug store, and even alot of department store, mascara contains some pretty gross fillers for you to get the "plumping" agents. The FDA does not require they're listed because they are less than a certain percentage of the overall product. Some of those 'fillers' include, but are not limited to: kreosote, butterfly scales, & rat hairs. It is because of these items that alot of people can't wear mascara. I will ONLY ever buy Mary Kay mascara--they do NOT use fillers. As for the rest of the products--you get what you pay for. I also prefer the Mary Kay line because 1) the consultants are continuously trained 2) you're able to try before you buy TOTALLY free 3) there's a 100% satisfaction guarantee--you don't like for ANY reason, return for an exchange or refund.

Drug store here. The Revlon products work for me. You just have to play around till you find the exact products you like and stick with them.... I keep two bottles of foundation on hand in order to blend the exact color I want. I also bought the covergirl brand of mineral makeup and use that on top of my Revlon foundation in winter to keep me looking glowing. I bought me a covergirl lip stain too, and like it as well.

bare minerals for sure. I used to use the L'Oreal mineral version, but the real stuff is so worth the price. and considering it lasts so long! I bought a trial kit with the mineral veil, warmth and foundation almost a year ago for $20. I still have the warmth and even using it everyday have not had to replace it. I did have to buy new foundation though! They last forever.

For eye makeup though I do use the more drugstore type brands. I really like Almay's eye makeup, and covergirl mascara. I shopped around a lot before I decided on this routine, but everyone is different. Since you don't have a lot of money to spend, consider going into bare minerals, sephora, or a clinique counter and have them do your makeup and give you samples. Then you can wear it around for a day and see how your skin reacts.

Neither, Mary Kay all the way!

Mimi H. offered an excellent website for researching the safety of cosmetics. Check it out....it was fascinating. I was very happy to see that some of the products I've been using are not on the higher end of "danger levels". I use the Physicians Formula mineral products, but after reading the Cosmetics Database.....I will be choosing a little bit more selectively within that product line.

I have very sensitive skin & am highly allergic to most makeups. Physicians Formula works for me.....which is very rare!

I used to only use Clinique - for years and years. Then I got poor (hmm, or maybe smarter LOL) and now I use Almay for foundation and concealer. I buy it at Walgreen's - they have a policy that will take back an opened make up product with the receipt if you don't like it. I use a variety of products for lipstick and eye shadow - usually Cover Girl or Maybelline as Loreal products give me allergies.

I use Garnier, Neutregena and Aveeno products for cleansers and moisturizers.

I think the key is clean skin and hydration - never sleep with anything but clean moisturized skin and drink lots of water.

I used to buy everything from Origins. Slowly I have turned back to Great Lash (a classic!), have been loving the Neutrogena tinted moisturizer in a tube, Cover Girl eye shadows. I still get my blusher from Origins.

It's not always a quality issue--but sometimes the better cosmetics last longer..the color is more concentrated, etc. My Origins blush lasts me for almost a year.

Whatever works!

I find that the Dept stores are pricing and according to recent reports those and the drugstore brands aren't good for you.

I use Sei Bella. Less expensive than department stores and better quality.

I love Mary Kay facial products...but use Bare Minerals from Bare Escentials for actual make-up...I have chemical allergies and can't use any eye shadows with perservatives!!!! Yes some make-ups do contain not so good "stuff" that can be harmful. I've tried all kinds of things and you do get what you pay for...Some drug store brands do work well but for the most part if you spend a little more you do get results...I am using the new Mary kay Replenish Serum...oh my it is really good!!! some of the posts have indicated moisturize and drink lots of water!!! So very true!!!

I LOVE the Lacura line at Aldi! Super-affordable, feels great on, made to EU standards (which I prefer to US ones) and most important to me, they are not tested on animals. I have to avoid most of the swanky brands b/c they are not cruelty-free and of the mainstream drugstore ones, very few are as well (but I believe Revlon is).

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I agree with Adansmama. It depends on the item. Cleansers I buy drugstore. Moisturizer I buy dept store. My base is bare minerals. My blush, eyeshadow, eyeliner is dept store. Mascara is drug store. I have tried others but this is what I found works for me.

The only products I liked from the drug stores were the Rimmel eyeliner(they have a great smokey black) and their mascaras are good, too. Otherwise, I use a liquid mineral foundation by Jane Iredall that doesn't sit on my creases and look cakey like the oher mineral make ups that I've tried. I also use the bronzer and face powder from the same line. It's pricey but I've been on a mission to minimize my facial acne and it's helped. Costco was selling a Stila makeup kit before the holidays for 20 bucks. It was a great value because it came with 20 eyeshadows, 3 blushes, black eyeliner, neutral lip pencil, and 10 lip glosses all in the same kit. I loved it and the eyeshadows were gorgeous. Still using it.

just to let you know that clinique is made by the same company as cover girl. so go figure

I have nice skin..not perfect by any means, but nice for a 41 year old who worshiped the sun as a teen too much.

I have always worn Cover Girl. Occasionally have gotten eyeshadow from other brands (Rimmel)..but almost exclusively have used all CG products, trying their new things as they have come out, and never had a problem. I also have sensitive skin (now as I age), and some other their things over the years have worked better for for those stages in my life and skin cycles.

Now for daily wear, I just wear a cream foundation and powder over that..ocassionally a blush if I am looking too tired, and a lip protector (I am never without a variety of chapsticks.......all sorts of brands of that..Burts Bees, Yes to Carrots, Chapstick flavored)..sometimes lip color too.

If going out I will do my eyes, but not often anymore! My eyes don't like it.

Good luck!

My daughter and I use Clinique exclusively.

It is a great product and worth the money. You get what you pay for.

I've used Clinique since I was about 11. I still pass for early 30's. Granted, I am faithful in my skin care routine and take care of my body and I was blessed with good genes.

I like Almay products for mascara & cover-up. I don't wear foundation, just a powder from Cover Girl. I like Neutrogena or Loreal blush. Eyeshadow is Maybelline. For me, it was more about finding colors that I liked. I've used the same products for years & still receive compliments that I look "good". I did purchase better brushes to apply makeup, but these also came from Target.

There is a line that used to be at Target... Sonia K.... it is made along side department store makeup, so it is supposed to have the same quality. Her products are nice, but on the expensive end for Target.

i say right in the middle. i personally prefer to order online or from catalogs. I cannot use anything from the drug store. the foundations clog my pores and make me break out, same with the blushes, the lipsticks chap my lips or make them feel sticky, and the mascara just flakes everywhere!

i personally prefer the mineral make-up, tinted glosses for the lips, and just a little higher quality eye shadows and mascara. i cant justify spending on mac or clinque, but my skin also cant handle cover girl! lol. So i buy in the middle and it works great for me!

The only thing that I would NEVER buy in a drugstore is base. I have yet to find one to match the quality of dept store and you really need to try base on before you buy. I also buy lipstick in dep stores. It is so tough choosing color without trying. For most of everything else you can find great ds alternatives. Example-I love Bobbi Brown pallets but the one I turn to most is from Wet n Wild. Also-E.L.F. sells some wonderful products dirt cheap-esp their makeup brushes which are as good as the MAC ones that I own.

You should check out the site www.makeupalley.com for great info on this. They have awesome product reviews as well as forums for makeup. I have learned so much at this site.

I absolutely love Bare Escentuals. You can purchase it at Sephora or directly from the Bare Escentual store. I think there are quite a few in malls now. You can receive a savings card at their store. For every $10 spent they stamp your card. It really helps me save. Because you need to use so little of their powder your make-up lasts a really long time. I'm not in love with their mascara though and continue to buy Covergirl.

I also have a Sephora savings card so I look for their in-store and online deals and coupons and use them on Bare Escentuals products. Over time I have slowly begun to use more and more of their products like their Rare Mineral face wash and their Rare Mineral blemish powder.

Yikes! I sound like an infomercial. I promise I don't work for them. LOL. I'm just a happy and satisfied customer.

I know you posted this a while back, but I just now saw it on my email. I LOVE Lancome and Estee Lauder (I used to work at a dept store cosmetics counter). I have used a variety of the dept store lines since I was around it every day. Now that I work as an administrative assistant and have kids, funds are tight and I refuse to spend that much money on my vanity. I have found that Loreal and Almay are very comparible to dept store costmetics. Loreal has great mascara, eyeshadow and blush. Almay has great eyeshadow and blush. I find the cheaper drugstore brands like Cover Girl and Maybelline are fine, but their eyeshadows tend to crease more and they are not as smooth or as concentrated. Lipstick I think is fine from any line. I tend to use Loreal or Revlon though. Almay's lipstick must be softer because it always ends up rubbing the side of the tube when swiveling it up.

I only get what is free or super cheap with sales, coupons, and store incentives. I haven't "paid" for makeup in over two years!!