All this week I reviewed products found at your local drugstore to see how they measure up to luxury beauty products. Some products fared very well, while others were total disappointments. Here are some of my observations from shopping the drugstore:

1. Always throw away the applicators that come with your products, especially eyeshadows and blushes. Often times the “brushes” that come with drugstore makeup are too harsh on the skin and don’t apply product properly. Read up on what makes a decent makeup brush.

2. Be prepared to not be able to test anything out. It could just be the drugstores I went to (because I swear I went to a Wal-Mart or a Target when I was in Georgia and they had testers out), but for the most part you won’t be able to test products like you would at the department stores (which is why Sephora remains one of my most favorite beauty stores because of all the free range testing). I had to make another trip to the stores to return what didn’t work out and nearly got the 3rd degree from the store manager despite their “if you don’t like it, return it” policy. I’d like to be able to go in and know before buying whether or not I’m gonna like a product and I definitely don’t have the time to make additional trips to return or exchange.

3. If you use the proper base, you can get some decent wear out of drugstore eyeshadows. Some people can get away with simply placing concealer on their eyes as a base, but I swear by either Urban Decay Primer Potion or MAC Paint for long-lasting eye makeup.

4. Brands I tried out that really seem to “get it” include Maybelline, Black Radiance, Iman, and Cover Girl.