Makeup
Foundation, lipstick, eyeshadow, and everything for your beauty look.
Catrice's True Skin High Cover Concealer is hard to judge without an ingredient list
Review · Makeup
“A budget German drugstore concealer with a reputation for solid pigment, but without a verified INCI we're keeping our scoring conservative.”
Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect is still the best $5 mascara
Review · Makeup
“A drugstore mascara that punches well above its price, delivering dramatic length and volume from a straightforward wax-and-polymer formula. Removal is a chore, but at $5 it's hard to argue with.”
Essence's Crazy Volume mascara is a dollar-store gamble that sometimes pays off
Review · Makeup
“At under $5, Essence I Love Crazy Volume delivers passable volume and a dramatic brush, but inconsistent wear and an unpublished ingredient list keep it from a confident recommendation.”
Essence Extreme Shine Gloss 102 is a $3 gloss that mostly delivers on its name
Review · Makeup
“A cheap, glossy drugstore lip product that does the one thing it promises. Without a verified ingredient list, we're scoring conservatively.”
Essence Juicy Bomb 104 is a cheap, cheerful gloss that punches above its $3 price
Review · Makeup
“A pleasant, fruit-scented drugstore gloss with a cushiony finish. Without a verified ingredient list, we're scoring conservatively, but it earns its place in the under-$5 tier.”
Essence Lash Princess Waterproof: the $5 mascara that keeps showing up on every list
Review · Makeup
“A genuinely good budget mascara with a dense, tapered brush that builds dramatic, spiky volume. The waterproof version is stubborn to remove but holds through humidity, sweat, and watery eyes.”
Essence Lash Princess Curl & Volume is a competent $5 mascara, not a miracle
Review · Makeup
“The curling variant of Essence's cult Lash Princess line delivers respectable lift and volume for the price, but it doesn't dethrone the original False Lash Effect formula.”
Essence Birthday Bomb: charming concept, not enough info to vouch for it
Review · Makeup
“A festive limited-edition launch from a reliable budget brand, but without a published ingredient list we can't make a strong call. Proceed with normal patch-test caution.”
Essence I Love Extreme Volume mascara is a $5 workhorse that punches above its price
Review · Makeup
“A genuinely solid volumizing mascara for under five dollars. It won't replace a holy-grail tube, but at this price the value math is hard to argue with.”
Essence Call Me Queen Mascara is a fine $5 gamble
Review · Makeup
“At under five dollars, Essence's false-lash mascara is hard to outright dismiss, but with no public ingredient list to verify and the usual budget-mascara variability, it lands in 'try if it's at your local drugstore' territory.”
Essence Brow Lifting Gel Set: a $5 styling experiment with too many unknowns
Review · Makeup
“A budget brow-lamination-in-a-bottle from a reliably cheap brand. Without a verifiable ingredient list, it's hard to recommend over established drugstore options with published INCIs.”
Catrice True Skin High Cover Concealer: a drugstore concealer that punches above its price
Review · Makeup
“A budget-friendly high-coverage concealer that performs respectably for under $5. Without a verified ingredient list, we're scoring it cautiously.”
Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless in 110 is a reliable drugstore workhorse — with caveats
Review · Makeup
“A long-running drugstore matte foundation that punches above its price for oily and combination skin. Without a verified ingredient list, we're scoring it conservatively.”
Essence's 'The Rose Edition' is a review we can't responsibly write
Review · Makeup
“The ingredient data on file is unreadable and the product name doesn't specify what's actually in the package. We're parking this at a conservative score until Essence publishes proper details.”
L'Oréal Panorama Mascara is a fine drugstore lash option, but the lack of ingredient transparency holds it back
Review · Makeup
“A reasonably priced volumizing mascara from a brand with a long track record in the category. Without a published ingredient list to assess, we're scoring conservatively.”
Catrice HD Liquid Foundation: a fair drugstore pick, but we can't fully judge without the INCI
Review · Makeup
“Catrice's HD Foundation has a longstanding reputation as a budget-friendly medium-coverage base. Without a verified ingredient list, our assessment stays cautious.”
Essence Hydra Kiss 03 Lip Oil is cheap, glossy, and hard to overthink
Review · Makeup
“A drugstore lip oil that delivers shine and a hint of tint for under $5. Without a confirmed ingredient list, it's a cautious recommendation rather than a confident one.”
Maybelline's Colossal 36H mascara is a workhorse, not a wow
Review · Makeup
“A reliable drugstore volumizing mascara built on a wax-heavy, water-based formula. It does the basics well, but the brush and smudge-resistance haven't kept pace with newer competitors.”
Maybelline Lasting Fix Spray locks makeup down — and dries out everything else
Review · Makeup
“A cheap, effective setting spray built around denatured alcohol and PVP-family film-formers. It works, but the formula reads more like hairspray than skincare.”
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Neutralizer: a fair under-eye fix, reviewed without the ingredient list
Review · Makeup
“The cult drugstore corrector's peach shade still earns its reputation for muting blue-purple circles, but the INCI we pulled was a placeholder — so this stays a conditional recommendation.”
Essence Fixing Compact Powder is fine, but we can't fully review it without an ingredient list
Review · Makeup
“A budget setting powder with a long-standing fanbase, but without a verified ingredient list we can only give a cautious read.”
Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless in 115 Ivory: still the drugstore default for a reason
Review · Makeup
“A reliable, lightweight matte foundation that punches above its price — though the shade range still underserves the fair and deep ends, and it's really an oily-skin formula.”
Catrice HD Liquid Coverage is cheap, full-coverage, and a little dated
Review · Makeup
“A genuinely high-coverage drugstore foundation at a budget price, but the fragrance and thick silicone-talc base feel out of step with where foundation formulas are in 2024.”
Essence Hydra Kiss 01 Lip Oil is a $4 gamble without an ingredient list
Review · Makeup
“Essence's drugstore lip oil is priced low enough to forgive a lot, but without a confirmed ingredient list we can't recommend it sight unseen. A cautious pass until the formula is verified.”