Please forgive me for giving you a reason to load up your kids and head to CVS or Walmart today, but let me tell you, you’re going to want to! Today, I’m sharing drugstore lipsticks {or lip products in general} that rival luxury brands! I’m VERY picky and specific when it comes to drugstore products. Take a MAC lipstick for example. They retail for $12. Some drugstore lipsticks can retail for around $8.39. Many times drugstore products don’t have the longevity that a department-store item can, so you’re buying products more frequently. So even if something can be convenient and save me $3, I’ve got to think long-term. Am I wearing this frequently or was this a quick purchase while picking up a prescription? Am I re-applying this so often I’ll be buying another tube before I know it?

These are the things that run through my mind, and alas why I’ve found myself typing away on a blog with frivolity in the title. 😉

But something happens when you test enough drugstore lip products and find your perfect match. You feel GLORIOUS. You are saving money. You are able to buy your lipstick and your paper towels at the same time. You are winning, honey. You are winning.

I told you, I take this topic too seriously. Since I test these products all week long for the blog, I’m thrilled to share my drugstore lipsticks {and lip products} that give that department-store payoff, if not better. Because hey, I can get a coffee with the $3 I saved and I’m thrilled about it.

These lip products LAST, these lip products don’t dry out my lips, these lip products give PHENOMENAL color, and they have mastered drugstore-product texture. Because nothing ruins a lipstick more if it’s got a sticky texture to it.

• NYX BUTTER GLOSSES: I have raved about NYX Butter Glosses for years. YEARS. Pre-marriage era. For the regular butter glosses, I love Creme Brulee, Eclair, and Angel Food. But if you want something that gives great color with a soft shine, get the INTENSE Butter Gloss in Tres Leches. This is a lovely nude for girls with fair skin. It’s not a pancake-nude lip, this gives you a darker hue, however, it’s neither too cool or too warm in undertones. It’s the Goldilocks of nude lips with a kiss of pink and I’ve purchased at least 3 tubes. My favorite thing about NYX Butter Glosses is that they aren’t sticky and they DON’T cause your lipstick to fade. I wear these glosses with or without lipstick {you can totally wear Tres Leches on its own}, but nothing grinds my gears more than when your gloss breaks down your lipstick pigment, so you are applying lipstick every hour on the hour. I’m convinced it is the beauty industry causing you to spend more money. ha. These do not remove your lipstick underneath. I’ve also heard people say Tres Leches is a good dupe for Kylie Koko K gloss!
• NYX LIQUID SUEDE: You all know my love of NYX. In fact, I blogged this eyeshadow palette last week here and still can’t use anything else. If you aren’t a gloss girl and not tempted by the butter glosses, let me introduce you to their Liquid Suede lip. These are a cream lipstick, that dry like a matte lipstick. They are incredibly similar to Stila Liquid Lipsticks and those are my FAVE! I love Stila Liquid Lipstick in Patina and I find this to be a great similar option. My favorite color {similar to Patina} in the NYX Liquid Suede is “Soft-Spoken.”
• NEUTROGENA HYDRO BOOST: I’m in one of two camps when it comes to makeup. I’ve either got a full face ready for Christmas Card photos or I’ve got nothing on but sunscreen. I don’t know if that proves I’m lazy or just proves I’m extreme, but I rarely go for a look in the middle. However, on Monday-Friday if you catch me at pilates or Whole Foods, chances are I have on Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gloss in “True Nude.” It’s a neutral beige but doesn’t look shocking if you have zero makeup on. It also lives up to the name and keeps your lips ultra-hydrated.
• REVLON COLORSTAY: I have to thank my friend, Kodi, for introducing me to this. We were having a girls’ night and over the course of 6 hours we had a glass of champagne, PLENTY of delicious Asian Food, laughed for hours at a comedy club, and ended the night splitting truffle fries as one does. I turned to her and said, “How is your lipstick still on?!” She said, “Oh let me put this on you! My friend who is a flight attendant said this is what she swears by because it lasts through all her flights and all the talking each day.” The very next day I went to buy this in the shade “Ultimate Orchid.” It’s a total dupe for MAC Snob, but a liquid lip version! My only tip while applying this is to apply it in even, thin layers. If you do this it will last all day! If I swipe it on over a gloss or something, I find it doesn’t do that.
• L’OREAL PRO MATTE LIQUID LIPSTICK: I like to send little goodie boxes to readers for their support and I’ve actually sent these lipsticks to multiple girls in boxes because I adore them so much! This is a new L’Oreal product and is their Pro-Matte Liquid Lipstick. It feels like a whipped lip product, applies evenly, and dries down quickly. My two favorite colors are: 818 Dose of Rose {this is a MAC Snob pink} and 826 Mademoiselle Mango. 826 is the prettiest coral and DOESN’T make your teeth look more yellow. I love a coral lip in the summer, but so many can have such a warm tone that your teeth look darker and who wants that?! This doesn’t do that at all and is a coral with a blue undertone, which is a trick for making your teeth look whiter.
• MAYBELLINE SUPER STAY MATTE INK: These don’t come off all day long! The lasting power is THERE, let me tell you. My two favorite shades are “Loyalist” which is a pinky-nude and “Romantic” which is a fiery hot pink! In terms of drugstore products I see bloggers review, this definitely wins each time!
• MILANI KEEP IT FULL GLOSS: This is a gloss I blogged last week, so I won’t harp too much. I love to put this in the shade “Soft Rose” over an ultra-nude lipstick because it just softens the look and allows you to have a nude lip without it being too harsh against your skin! This is a gloss that makes your lips look fuller and doesn’t feel sticky whatsoever.

I’ve shared mine, now you must spill your makeup bag secrets and tell me- what are YOUR go-to drugstore lip products?!