The 13 Drugstore Products That Are Honestly Better Than Anything High End
Not hyperbole.
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by The Candidly Team
Listen. We are happy to shell out big money on incredible beauty products. Especially skincare. If things do what they say they say they will do, make us look and feel gorgeous, last forever, we will basically pay any amount of money.
But!
We are also absolutely NOT going to spend money on something if a drugstore dupe exists. We love luxe packaging but we love saving money more.
So how utterly thrilling that these 15 drugstore products are actually as good or better than most of their high end counterparts.
Enough explaining. Let’s get into it.
1. L'Oréal Lumi Le Glass and Glow Highlighter Stick
Makes your cheekbones, top of lip, tip of nose, glossy and dewy, never shimmery or sparkly. Yet also never greasy or oily. We wear this all summer.
Price: $13
2. RoC Derm Correxion Lip Volumizer
We can’t explain it. We’re not scientists. But it actually plumps our lips like, noticeably.
Price: $30
3. Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Eye Cream
This eye cream is so good we wrote an entire thing about it HERE. We’ve tried nearly every fancy eye cream and we always come back to this. Wrinkles, softened. Puffs, decreased. Bags, lessened.
Price: $24
4. Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara
This mascara makes our lashes feathery, 75 feet long, and it never smudges. What more can one ask from one’s mascara?
Price: $13
5. Eucerin Radiant Tone Dual Serum Dark Spot Corrector
This product actively lessened our dark spots on hands and face, quite visibly, in under a month.
Price: $40
6. Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine Balm
We crowed about this gorrrrrrgeous color and formula HERE so we’re doing it again. If you wore rum raisin in the 90s and want something in that world but a little bit more “your lips but better,” this is it.
Price: $11
7. CoverGirl Clean Fresh Skin Milk Foundation
So shockingly sheer and skin-like WHILE giving gorgeous coverage that doesn’t emphasize wrinkles or texture. A true unicorn and absolutely the best drugstore foundation we’ve ever used for mature skin.
Price: $13
8. Olay Super Serum Body Wash
If you have very dry skin, this is the only body wash you should ever use. It feels like you’ve applied lotion after the shower when in fact you have not applied lotion after the shower. It’s just your body wash.
Price: $13
9. Naturium Urea 5% Body Serum
And speaking of body lotion, we only use this in the summer because it’s a zillion times more hydrating than regular lotion but doesn’t leave that thick layer that feels sticky if you start to sweat. It also leaves a gorgeous glow AND got rid of our strawberry legs!
Price: $22
10. Weleda Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Cream
Hands down our favorite moisturizer for ultra thirsty, mature skin from the drugstore. There’s also this LIGHT version if you’re combo or oily. Absolutely stunning under makeup and so deeply hydrating and even though we own moisturizers that cost 15 times this one, we often come back to this.
Use the code CANDIDLY for 15% off.
Price: $20
11. Odele Scalp + Body Scrub
We are suckers for “multi purpose” anything and this scrub is UNREAL for exfoliating the scalp (if you have oily hair or tightness or dandruff it’s so key to exfoliate the scalp twice a week) but we also loooooove it for the body. It’s sugar-based, not salt, so the texture is more fine, but it’s still a beast on elbows and knees or for getting rid of pesky, patchy self-tans. When our limbs are out in the summer, we have this in our showers. No question. Plus the citrusy scent is dreamy.
Price: $17
12. L'Oréal EverPure Sulfate Free Glossing Lamination Mask for Lasting Shine
Every other product is all about anti-frizz or breakage or color and heat protectants but where are the SHINE SPECIFIC products that make our hair look like a mirrorball? This. Is. It. We use this once a week and our hair is blindingly shiny. We use THIS method so it stays that way in between washes.
Price: $13
13. Avène Thermal Spring Water
We’ve dedicated a lot of words HERE to explain why/how this seemingly plain water spray is so miraculous. There are STUDIES on its efficacy you guys. All we know is that we spray this on our faces after every shower and it closes our pores, plumps our skin, makes our texture seem lessened, and preps our skin for skincare in the most astonishing way. We are never without it and we buy multiple cans at a time to make sure we never run out.
Use the code CANDIDLY for 15% off.
Price: $69
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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