The Best Beauty Buys at a Dollar Store
Was your favorite shade of lipstick discontinued? You might just be able to find it at a dollar store!
There are some cosmetics you should buy at a dollar store and other you should skip. (Photo: Oleg Magni/Pexels)
It is a myth that dollar stores only carry no-name brands, said beauty expert Gretta Monahan, author of Style and the Successful Girl. “The same brands you know and love usually have excess inventory from the previous season. They look for a place to sell off that excess inventory, and that’s where dollar stores come in,” she said. Make sure to check the expiration date (Yes, beauty products have them!), but ultimately, there is nothing wrong with these products, she added.
Here are Monahan’s tips for saving big on primping musts:
Makeup Sponges: SKIP
Makeup sponges may seem like a steal, but they aren’t so great for applying makeup. “They actually absorb a lot of your makeup, so you’re actually wasting product when you use them,” said Monahan. Instead, she suggests you go with an extra-large bag of cotton pads or balls.
Face Powder Touch-Up Puffs: SAVE!
Monahan said these are great because they are professional quality, and you can wash them to keep them clean and disinfected. Win-win!
Hair Color: SAVE!
Go for it. Monahan just has one rule-of-thumb: When going darker or lighter, don’t ever go beyond two levels from your natural hair color.
Makeup products to avloid at the dollar store include liquid foundation, which change color and oxidize. Also, look for lip glosses rather than lipsticks, which tend to dry either. foundation, powder and lip gloss haning on pegs at a dollar store. (Photo: Object of Maya*ffection)
Liquid Foundation: SKIP
Stick with solid and powder foundations over liquids when shopping at a dollar store because solids are more shelf-stable. “They don’t change color or oxidize as quickly as liquids do,” she said. “Plus they’re much easier to color-match because they’re more forgiving.”
Lip Color: SAVE!
When choosing a lip color, Monahan said you may want to steer your cart toward lip glosses instead of lipsticks. “They go dry less quickly, they stay moist the entire time and I like that they’re typically completely encapsulated.” When it comes to lip products sold at dollar stores, if the seal is broken at all, put it back, she said. “It’s not worth the risk of buying open products!”
Article written by Grace Coates
