In January I shared my first What’s New at the Drugstore post and since then I’ve found a lot of other new items continuing to pop up. So here’s part two! These three brands — Milani, NYX, and Maybelline — really stood out to me as the one releasing really neat and intriguing products at the drugstore, so I grabbed a couple of things from each brand. I’ve been testing them out for weeks now and am finally ready to give you my thoughts on these products!
Maybelline Master Prime Long-Lasting Eyeshadow Base
Retail: $7.99 | Click for Ingredient List & More Information
There are a few different formulas in this line and the one I got was in Prime & Matte. I liked it — it wasn’t a very thick formula, but it gave me a little coverage for the veins in my eyes. And, as expected, it helped the eyeshadows I used to apply more vibrantly. But the deal breaker for me is that it would start to crease by the end of the day. Not major creasing, but definitely noticeable to me. And since it says it’s “long-lasting”, I was very disappointed. However, I have oily eyelids, so if your eyelids are more dry, this might be an awesome and affordable option for you at the drugstore.
Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer
Retail: $9.99 | Click for Ingredient List & More Information
This foundation is a very thick, mousy consistency. When you pump it out (yes, this foundation has a pump!) it doesn’t slide anywhere. As you can probably guess, this is a very heavy foundation with heavy coverage. Which, honestly, is what I like — I prefer full-coverage foundations. But for the days when I don’t want full coverage, I found that I could use my damp Beauty Blender to get lighter coverage and feel on the skin. It holds up really well — when I wash off my makeup at the end of the day, it still looks great. Strangely, though, I get a little oily halfway through the day. When I blot, though, the foundation doesn’t budge at all, which is good to know.
The one big downside to this foundation is the shade selection. Well, I should say, downside depending on your skintone. I am pretty light, but I have yellow undertones and it’s always hard for me to find a light shade that doesn’t have pinky undertones. So, for ME, this line is great, as it caters to the yellow-toned gals in the world. This is the lightest shade in the line, and it is perfect for my skintone. Maybe even just a touch too yellow, if anything! But that means if you are fair and cool toned, this line won’t work for you. At all.
NYX Ombre Lip Duo in Ginger & Nutmeg
Retail: $11.99 | Click for Ingredient List & More Information
I was really intrigued by this product — ombre lips were a big trend last year, and now this year I’ve been seeing lip products that make getting that ombre look easier. The formula of the lipstick and liner is very creamy and matte and it glides onto the lips effortlessly. As you can see from the picture above, I was able to create an ombre lip very easily. My only drawback with this product is that it’s rather expensive for what you get. The lipliner side has o.oo4 oz of product while the lipstick side has 0.015 oz. So, if that bothers you, you’ll probably want to pass on this. If you don’t mind the pricetag, than give it a try. Especially if you’re a fan of matte lipsticks.
Maybelline Master Precise Skinny Gel Pencil in Defining Black
Retail: $7.99 | Click for Ingredient List & More Information
First off, I’m pretty sure that my pencil tip broke off inside the packaging because the first time I opened it after purchasing it at the drugstore, it was flat. Which made it difficult to apply on my eyes. I didn’t like it for winging out my lash line — it wasn’t precise or black enough for how I like my wings. It showed up fine in my water line, but wasn’t the easiest to apply there. I felt like I had to run it back and forth a few times to get it to show up. It doesn’t last the longest in my waterline, but it does a decent job and I plan to use it up. Which shouldn’t take that long since there is only 0.004 oz of product in here (compared to a regular eye liner like the Rimmel ScandalEyes Kohl liner that has 0.04 oz of product.)
NYX First Base Primer Spray
Retail: $7.99 | Click for Ingredient List & More Information
I’ve seen primer sprays before, but never in the drugstore so I had to give this a try. It’s always hard for me to tell if setting sprays work or not, since it’s such a subtle thing, and so I found it was the same with the primer spray. I will say, though, that the claims for this primer spray is only that it has skin-loving ingredients and will give you a smooth foundation to start your makeup off on. And I found it did this just fine. It doesn’t fill pores, but any means, but there is a very subtle difference that I could notice when I applied this to only half of my face. So the way I like to use this is to spray it on, let it set, and then go over top of it with a pore filling primer before starting my foundation. I’ve really been enjoying the results I get using this method.
Milani Everyday Eyes Eyeshadow Palette in Earthy Elements
Retail: $9.99 | Click for Ingredients & More Information
As you know, good eyeshadow palettes at the drugstore (that have more than a quad) are hard to come by, so I of course wanted to try out Milani’s new palettes. They have six in the collection, but I just picked up one to see how it does. And, in short, I am pretty impressed. There are four shadows in this palette that are great, one that is okay, and one that is just a total dud in my book. The two mattes in the palette are very creamy, soft, and blend well. As does the two darker shimmer colors. These are the four colors that I used to make the eye looks below with.
The two light shimmer colors I didn’t even try to work with. As you can see from the swatches, one barely shows up and the other one looks like a sad excuse for a shimmer eyeshadow. They don’t feel as creamy or pigmented as the others in this palette, either. So to sum up my thoughts on this palette…I think it’s worth the purchase. The four colors that I mentioned I liked are really beautiful. The mattes are lovely (which is hard to pull off, especially for drugstore palettes) and the two darker shimmer shades remind me of my favorite LORAC formula.
Maybelline Color Sensation Vivid Matte Liquid Lip Color in Berry Boost
Retail: $7.99 | Click for Ingredient List & More Information
After loving L’Oreal’s version of the matte gloss, I was curious to try this one. This formula is actually a lot farther from a matte, in my opinion. It’s way shinier than the L’Oreal one, so it’s really hard for me to consider this matte, even when I blot it. As expected, the colors are extremely vibrant, which is nice. I found, though, that because of the intense color and glossiness of this formula, it very easily made a mess on my face. It got on my teeth a few times, smudge outside of my lip line, and after a couple hours of wear I would notice some feathering. So when it comes to matte glosses, I like the L’Oreal ones. But if you want vivid colors, this line has them!
Have you tried any of the new drugstore products I’ve mentioned? If you’ve tried something new that I haven’t picked up yet, let me know! I always love hearing your recommendations!
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All products were purchased with my own funds. I was not compensated to write this post. Some affiliate links used. 🙂
