If you want to clean up your makeup products, but prefer the convenience and affordability of finding makeup products at your local drugstore, I can help. I found, purchased, and used natural beauty brands and products at stores like Target and Walmart. We share the best products that we know are safe and affordable, so you can rest assured and definitely repurchase them. Read this article to find the best clean drugstore makeup!
Up until now, I have focused on using makeup from clean beauty companies like 100 Percent Pure, Hint Beauty, Corsus, and Lily Lolo. Now that my oldest daughter has started wearing makeup, I feel it’s hard on my bank account to buy her expensive products. I don’t want to buy her expensive products from luxury brands, but she needs clean, more affordable and accessible options. Plus, she runs out of different products more often than I’d like, so Amazon, Target, Walmart, Walgreens.
I have purchased quite a few products with more natural ingredients, mainly from Target and Amazon, and have personally used them for 2 months. I’m very happy that I found a really great product. I would not only buy it again for my daughter, but I would also like to use it.
I also found drugstore makeup brands that I thought were cleaner than they actually were, and I had no idea there were so many different products out there that contained cleaner ingredients and were safer overall. I also found some drugstore brands. And the best part is that all of these products are much more affordable than typical clean makeup brands.
What determines a clean product?
In this post, EWG (Environmental Working Group) Skin Deep Database The Think Dirty app is no different. I made sure that all the products I selected had a score of 3 or less. If you’re not familiar with EWG scoring, products are given a score from 0 to 10. 10 is a highly toxic product. EWG determines scores based on product ingredients, product usage, demographics, brand and company information. They also consider whether a brand is cruelty-free.
We also hand-select and label our products as EWG VERIFIED.® Verified products are the safest and cleanest.
“If the product is EWG VERIFIED”®, which means we meet EWG’s rigorous scientific standards for transparency and integrity. Our team of toxicologists, chemists, and epidemiologists scrutinize every product to ensure you’re buying a safer product. ”
ELF Cosmetics – Clean and Cheap:
ELF, a cruelty-free brand, turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. They offer a number of clean beauty products that perform well. You can achieve a full makeup look using only Elf cosmetics. This cruelty-free makeup and skincare brand is a winner in the clean beauty world. You can’t beat the low prices, but be sure to check each product. Just because a lot of products are clean doesn’t mean the entire product line is safe. However, these are his 100% vegan and all products are free of phthalates, parabens, nonylphenol ethoxylates, triclosan, triclocarban, and hydroquinone. All skin care is also sulfate-free.
Related Article: DIY Makeup Setting Spray
Clean drugstore makeup products:
When it comes to cosmetic companies, it can be difficult to avoid toxic chemicals that are harmful to your health. While some makeup brands have some promising products, we’ve found that they also have quite a few products that are downright messy. We’ve put together a list of drugstore makeup products that are safe, affordable, and easy to use.
Please note that product scores may vary by color. Below are the main products that I purchase and use. You can see the product in action in the photo above. I also added some safe cosmetics to my wishlist.
Related article: How to clean makeup brushes + DIY makeup brush cleaner
- Physicians Formula Bronzer Booster Airbrush: I like the subtle tanning effect of this bronzer. I use this product for contouring as well as giving a natural glow using the included brush. There is a light shimmer that is minimal enough to be very natural. While many Physician’s Formula products are rated highly on his EWG scale, this bronzer is rated a 2.
- Burt’s Bees 100% Natural Origin Blush with Vitamin E Shy Pink: This is my favorite blush that I have been using for a long time. The color is a perfect balance of pink and peach, and the blush is highly pigmented. A little bit goes a long way. EWG rating is 2.
- ELF liquid metallic eyeshadow: This is not a product I purchased, but I plan to. I wanted to include this because I couldn’t get over the beautiful colors and great reviews. Additionally, most colors scored a 2 on his EWG scale.
- ELF Shadow Lock Eyelid Primer: I tend to have oily eyelids and I picked this up a while ago when I was preparing to update my hooded eye makeup tutorial. I needed something to prevent my eye makeup from smearing. This product worked and resulted in a clean result.
- Morphe 2 Ready in 5 Eyeshadow Palette (Malibu): This is one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes and it’s only $7. In fact, you don’t even need to use a primer with this shadow. It spreads smoothly, blends well, and has a bold color. I can’t seem to find this palette on EWG again, so I looked it up on Think Dirty and it got a score of 4. There is no doubt that the score is low, but I will continue my research.
- Well People Biostick Foundation: This was the most expensive product I purchased, but I was in need of a foundation and preferred a creamy, lightweight formula that gave a dewy finish. I love that this product evens out my skin tone without making it feel heavy, greasy, or dry. Great for sensitive skin and contains vitamin E, which helps with fine lines. This foundation stick is EWG verified This means it is approved as a clean product. Well People is a natural brand sold at Target with a rating of only 3 for most harmful products.
- Makeup Revolution Highlight Reloaded Highlighter (Just My Type): Easy to use highlighter that gives a beautiful glow without being too flashy. I also use it as an eyeshadow. These highlighters have a score of 3.
- ELF Camo Concealer Corrector (Yellow): This color correcting concealer is very effective against dark circles and dark circles under the eyes. It’s not sticky and lasts a long time. There are also several other color correcting shades available. Many ELF concealers are rated 2, but it varies by color.
- I Love You A Latte Elf Bite Size Shadow: I didn’t buy this product, but it scores a 2 on the EWG scale and has great reviews. If you are looking for a lower score and cheaper product, this would be a great alternative to the Morphe 2 palette.
- elf camo powder foundation: Another product that I haven’t personally tried, but it also scores a 2 on the EWG scale and is much more affordable ($5) than the Well People Foundation Stick. A layerable coverage foundation with a lightweight feel.
- ELF Brow Products: To be honest, I’ve used better eyebrow pencils in the past, but this one… instant lift brow pencil Comes with an eyebrow brush that is convenient in an emergency. It also scores a 2 on the EWG scale.I love Double-sided mascara for eyebrows and eyelashes Haven’t tried it yet Lock-on liner and brow cream This is also on my to-try list and has a score of 2.
- elf expert eyeliner: I bought two liquid eyeliners and found them both to be comfortable to use and as easy to apply as other expensive brands I’ve tried. However, after purchasing it, I realized that Expert Eyeliner has a rating of 4. elf waterproof eyeliner pen Score is 3.
- NYX Professional Makeup Lip Lingerie XXL Matte A score of 2 on the EWG scale is unheard of for a lip color. I realized this after purchasing all the products for this post. I’m looking forward to trying it. What I purchased was NYX Line Loud Vegan Lip Liner, Born to Hustle. I love it and can attest that it lasts quite a while. Score is 3.
- color pop lippy liner and lippie stix: I didn’t like these two products because I ordered the wrong colors, but the line would have been okay if they had the right colors. Oh Snap’s Lippie Stix was a subtle lipstick that didn’t stand out.I bought it too ELF Lip Plumping Gloss Sparkling Rosé And then I fell in love. However, my score on the EWG scale is 4, which isn’t bad, but I’d like to keep it below 3 for products I use every day.
- Honest Mascara: I bought it. Honest Extreme Length 2 in 1 Primer and Mascara Many times. It’s a great natural mascara and tends to suit sensitive eyes well. It is in a higher price range.I also tried Honest Healthy Serum Infused Lash Tint This also increases the price. I tend to wear this every day for conditioning. It contains castor oil and other natural ingredients that help make your eyelashes thicker and longer. It may be difficult to apply and remove using a brush, but I feel like it has a positive effect on eyelashes.I bought it too ELF Big Mood Volumizing Mascara. I wasn’t impressed, but it’s very affordable and I give it a score of 3. All you need is 2 or 3 coats. Her daughter made sure it was unwieldy and her mascara didn’t seem to transfer from the brush to her eyelashes.
Shop Clean Drugstore Beauty:
If you’re looking for a clean lip balm, all Dr. Bronner’s lip balms are EWG certified. Available at Target.Also, the super popular NYX fat lip oil clear Rating a 3 on the EWG scale. Color lip oil’s score is not that low.
After reading this post, you’ll be able to fill your entire makeup bag with affordable, clean products that are easily found at your local drugstore. I don’t have to snap the shutter every week because my daughter tells me she’s out of new stuff.
xx, Jenny
