Open Thread: What Is The Best Drugstore Lip Gloss?

There are cheap lip glosses that are just as good, if not better, than the expensive ones. What’s your fave drugstore gloss?

We’ve discussed the best drugstore mascaras, the best drugstore foundations, and the best drugstore eyeshadows. Now it is time to focus on the lips. It’s all about lip glosses this week. (I feel like I need to make some sort of Gloss/gloss pun here, but I’ll refrain.) A good lip gloss gives your lips a glass-like shine and a bit of color, doesn’t attract every strand of hair on your head, and it also doesn’t taste weird. It’s not like you’re eating your lip gloss, but if you put it on your lips, everyone would prefer it tastes like strawberries or vanilla cupcake instead of tar. What inexpensive drugstore lip gloss fulfills all of those criteria?

(Related: Do Lip Plumping Glosses Actually Work?)

I’m a big fan of Super Lustrous Lip Gloss ($7.99, Revlon). The gloss comes in a good range of shades, from my-lips-but-better neutrals to bold colors like Kiss Me Coral (pictured). It looks intimidating in the photo (and in real life), but it’s a surprisingly easy-to-pull-off orange shade. The gloss also has a nice consistency. It’s thicker, so you don’t have to worry about it running everywhere. No one looks good with lip gloss migrating down their chin.

In this open thread, we want to know: What is the best drugstore lip gloss? Let us know in the comments! If you have a favorite shade, mention that too.

Five Best Makeup Buys From The Drugstore

Ah, the drugstore. While most people utilize this fluorescent-lit den for pain relievers and paper towels, to the beauty and makeup addicts everywhere, the drugstore is a shiny floored trap filled with anything and everything you do and don’t need. From lipsticks to eyeshadows, and mascaras promising to give you false lashes for only $8.99, it can sometimes be difficult deciphering what makeup products you should take, and which ones need to remain on the shelf. For those of us on makeup budgets, the drugstore can serve a wonderful purpose of keeping our cash flow at a minimum, and also tempt us to whip out our credit cards faster than hailing a cab on the first avenue. So what makeup buys are really worth the trip?

Here are my current picks of the five best makeup buys from the drugstore:

1. Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara: Unruly brows? Look no further. A staple product in every makeup artist’s kit, this clear mascara is the perfect product to groom eyebrows and keep them in place. Simply fill your brows in with whatever pencil or product you like, and seal with a coat of clear mascara to keep brows in place. If you don’t like to wear mascara but want some separation action, apply two coats to bare lashes for added shine and glossiness.

2. Wet ‘n’ Wild Glassy Gloss Tubes: Shiny lipgloss that is just the right texture without being too sticky. Easy application, there’s no need to take out a wand and look in the mirror. You can apply directly to lips from the ease of a squeeze tube. With several shades to pick from, there is something for everyone in this gloss that fits perfectly in your pocket.

Product Pick Shades: “This Too Shall Glass,” and “Mow The Glass”

3. Revlon Photo Ready Primer, Shadow, and Sparkle: A palette filled with eyeshadows that can be used for priming, full pigment wear, and shimmering highlights.

Each palette’s color scheme is designed to go with almost every skin tone and eye color. A compact that is portable enough to take on an airplane, you’ll always have a variety of colors to choose from.

Product Pick Shades: “Metropolitan” and “Watercolors”

4. Milani Color Statement Lipstick: Creamy lipstick that smells like fruit! No really, it smells like sweet, delicious fruit. A rich hydrating formula, this lipstick stays on the lips without drying them out. There are a few shades to choose from, and the colors range from nudes to bright Fuschia, and for only $6.49 a tube, you can afford to take two.

Product Pick Shades: “Sangria” and “Dulce Caramelo”

5. L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Blush: Along with True Match foundations, powders, and concealers, L’Oreal launched this blush to perfectly match your skin tone without looking too heavy. The best part? The compact is a hefty size for most standard drugstore blushes, almost double the size of its competitors. Start by applying to the apples of the cheeks, and layer more color until you get just the right amount.

Product Pick Shades: “Rosy Outlook” and “Baby Blossom”

Don’t let shopping for makeup at the drugstore be intimidating, with these fabulous finds you’ll be browsing the aisles like you own the place. Now, where’s the potato chip aisle?