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In defence of choosing drugstore beauty brands over high-end names (sometimes)
Beauty & Grooming

In defence of choosing drugstore beauty brands over high-end names (sometimes)

With overseas brands forging their way onto our faces, and luxury beauty making a case for everything elegant, our wallets are usually left depleted and depressed. And while splurging on the occasional high-priced serum is warranted, we can’t help but wonder what would be of our wallets if we saved those funds for, oh we don’t know, a Fendi. We know what you’re probably thinking right now. Sometimes, just sometimes, that on-sale nail polish in the clearance bin is there for reason. So, is there something to be said about scientifically proven brands that boast a bevy of results? Of course, but that’s not to say your neighbourhood drugstore brands aren’t investing tons of money in R&D to get amazing products on shelves.

To help debunk the beauty business, CoverGirl Makeup Pro Veronica Chu weighs in on the matter. So forget everything you know, or thought you knew about moderately priced makeup and skincare.

The misconceptions “The biggest misconception is that department store brands are better than drugstore brands simply because they cost more,” says Chu. “Brands like CoverGirl and Olay are available in the mass market, and as a result they are able to offer prestige-quality products at an affordable price, by passing along the cost savings to the consumer.” If you’re looking for quality and quantity, the best bang for your buck really could be at the drugstore.

On innovative ingredients Just because your favourite serum is served up in a gorgeous jar, doesn’t make it superior over a drugstore formulation. For example, "CoverGirl’s Oh Sugar! Moisturizing Lip Treatments contain grapeseed oil, avocado butter, Vitamin C and Vitamin E to repair, hydrate and renew lips. This product is comparable to the leading $20 luxury tinted lip balm.”

Foundation matching Of course we’re all familiar with the plastic packaging that can make finding a foundation harder than finding a date for that pending summer wedding. While sometimes grabbing a close tone and building on it can do the trick, often there’s a bit more of a method behind the madness. “Your first step would be to narrow in on whether your skin tone is cool or warm,” explains Chu. “You can do this by holding foundation bottles up to your cheek or nose to see what matches. Next will be to determine how light or deep within that skin tone you should go. I tend to go with a slightly lighter shade since some foundations tend to oxidize on your skin throughout the day and get darker.” Once you’ve tracked down that shade, you can go on to blend and build for perfect coverage.

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