Starting out the year by reviewing a full face of new drugstore makeup products! From to the Pacifica Alight foundation to the new Loreal Bambi mascara and Maybelline Fast-Sculpting Brow Gel, let’s go.
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Sometimes you walk into Ulta for some cleanser — and walk out with a large bag of goodies. It happens! Especially when it’s a snowy Saturday and you have time to spare.
When I saw that my store actually had the ELF Putty Primer in stock, I obviously had to get it. Then I saw the Colourpop counter. Then I saw the 100% vegan and cruelty-free Pacifica section. Then I saw that Ulta now carries FLOWER Beauty. And next thing you know I was merrily bopping around gathering a full assortment of new drugstore makeup products to try out. In fact, I purchased a full face!
A Full Face of New Drugstore Makeup Products
A new year – a new face? Seems fitting, doesn’t it? (Don’t answer that.)
But in all seriousness, we all know how easy it can be to get swept away in the drugstore makeup section of Ulta. They just keep adding more and more exciting brands to the mix, that it’s virtually impossible to resist taking a look as you make your way to the register. Add to that a gift card in my wallet and I went all in.
Meandering around, I quickly came to the idea that I’d try out a full face of products and I gravitated towards products that were totally new, from a brand I haven’t tried much from before or both. What I ended up with was a pretty nice selection, I must say! And I’ve been applying them all for the last three days in a row to be able to share little “snapshot reviews” for you of how everything worked out.
If you’re a fan of new drugstore makeup products like me — hopefully this post will be a lot of fun for you. Below, I’ll walk you product-by-product through an entire face! From primer to foundation to the eyes and lip gloss, I got it all covered.
ELF Putty Primer (Shop)
Every time I tried to get my hands on the ELF Putty Primer in the last six months, I failed. It’s forever sold out but I finally got ahold of one and am mighty impressed. The primer fills in your pores effortlessly, leaving a smooth and even surface for your makeup application. It also extends the wear time of your foundation and is cruelty-free.
Pacifica Alight Clean Foundation (Shop)
Now available at Ulta, the Pacifica Alight Clean Foundation was definitely one of the new drugstore makeup products I was most eager to get my hands on. It has a phenomenal shade range, has a vegan and cruelty-free formula and is full-coverage. After two days, I have to say I’m in falling in love. I still want to test it out longer for a more in-depth review, but for right now I’ll say this is a stellar find and I recommend picking it up!!
ELF Cosmetics Camo Concealer (Shop)
ELF’s concealer is available at Ulta and ElfCosmetics.com — and it’s powerful stuff! The thick, full-coverage formula is not playing around and will go the extra mile to conceal whatever you’re trying to hide. I believe this also came out at some point in 2019, but given how deeply in love I was with the Revlon Candid Concealer…I didn’t get around to trying it till now. Well! I regret not picking it up sooner because it is REMARKABLE. My new pick for “Most Powerful Concealer at the Drugstore.”
Revolution Loose Baking Powder (Shop)
To set my foundation and concealer in place, I picked up Revolution’s translucent baking powder. Rather match your powder to your skintone? They also have 8 other shades available if that floats your boat. From the outside looking in, I thought wanted to get this powder because of how soft it looked. Well, I’m happy to say that it is soft! It truly is. It does have a perplexing design though. Typically we add loose powder to the inside of the lid to easily pick up with our brush…but this one has a very small top, rendering that approach impossible. I ultimately use another powder’s lid to apply this, which is just kind of bonkers. So on that, you might want to skip it — but it does have a lovely consistency.
LA Girl Blush (Shop)
Threaded with glitter, there was simply no resisting the Just Dazzle blush from LA Girl. Good news? It applies as beautifully as it looks in the package with great pigmentation and a smooth application. There’s also a pretty nice color selection available, with nine shades range from subtle to bold.
Colourpop Lite Stick (Shop)
Colourpop is a name that frequently appears on new drugstore makeup lists as they are constantly launching new products. I mention this because there’s truly no way to know how long this creamy highlighter stick will be available…but it’s great. The formula is very soft and smooth, making for super quick application and easy blending. There are also 5 shades available, making it a crowd-pleaser for a variety of skintones.
FLOWER Beauty Light Illusion Powder (Shop)
Available at Walmart and Ulta, FLOWER Beauty’s Light Illusion powder is technically not a bronzer — but I made it one. And guess what? I found that it’s perfect for simultaneously adding color and shape to your complexion if you go a handful of shades darker than your skintone. As a bronzer, it rivals favorites of mine Laura Mercier and Estee Lauder — but at a much more affordable price.
BH Cosmetics Barcelona Eyeshadow Palette (Shop)
Available at Ulta and BHCosmetics.com, the Beautiful in Barcelona palette includes 16 shades with a mixed variety of textures. While obviously beautiful to look at, the shadows are incredibly soft with quite a bit of fallout. As such, the palette is somewhat messy to work with — but the shades are nicely pigmented and last all day. Kudos on the shade range, though! Love the mix of neutral everyday shades and more punchy blues.
For a more detailed review on this palette, checkout this post!
Colourpop BFF Liquid Eyeliner (Shop)
Hooray! A liquid eyeliner from the drugstore that I actually love. It’s been a while! But seriously, this is great. It is smooths onto your lashline with effortless precision. It’s user-friendly, lasts all day and doesn’t smudge. It’s also available in black — as well as a selection of fun colors. What’s not to love?
Loreal Bambi Mascara (Shop)
Historically speaking, Loreal and I get on really well when it comes to mascara. Well? The new Bambi formula keeps the winning streak going! Its applicator is designed with a mix of both long and short bristles to deliver a super wide-eyed effect. Think Disney Princess wide-eyed, because that’s the direction they’re going for here. The mascara is also available in Brown and in a water-proof formula. (Which is good, because I’ve made my return to Water Aerobics this month!)
Maybelline Fast-Sculpting Brow Gel (Shop)
When Maybelline calls their new brow gel fast-sculpting, they’re not joking! It’s wicked fast. I managed to fully fill in my brows with just one swipe of the applicator. 2 second brows? They exist! What I think makes this work so incredibly well is how powerfully pigmented the gel is. It will save you from having to stand before the mirror, building up coverage. Highly recommend this one!
LA Girl Lip Liner (Shop)
Last but not least? Lips! I started off with the Enduring Mauve lip liner from LA Girl to line my lips as well as fill them. At this stage I felt I was bound to find a dud — but I have to say, the liner is pretty great. It has a nice and creamy formula, which is great because we all know how uncomfortable it is to drag a dry lip liner around your lips. The mauve is also a very versatile color that will wear well with many other lipsticks and glosses in my collection. Really, can’t find a fault here!
Makeup Revolution Plumping Lip Gloss (Shop)
For the grand finale, I topped things off with the Pout Bomb Plumping Lip Gloss in the shade “Kiss”. What drew me to these over just any ole gloss is that they’re formulated with Vitamin E – delivering nourishment for the lips that I can always use in the wintertime. Yes, as a plumping gloss it does have a bit of a sting to it…but it’s very mild and one you very quickly will forget about. Best news of all? The formula is super creamy – not sticky!!
(Note, the gloss is largely sold out at Ulta at the moment…but is fully in stock on Revolution’s website. Good thing, too, as I want more shades.)
Shop the New Drugstore Makeup Products
BH Cosmetics Eyeshadow Palette
ColourPop Highlighter Lite Stick
ColourPop Liquid Eyeliner
ELF Cosmetics Camo Concealer
ELF Cosmetics Putty Primer
Flower Beauty Light Illusion Powder
LA Girl Blush
LA Girl Lip Liner
Loreal Bambi Mascara
Maybelline Fast-Sculpting Brow Gel
Pacifica Alight Clean Foundation
Revolution Translucent Baking Powder
Revolution Plumping Lipgloss
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XOXO
Kelly
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