Drugstore Makeup Our Editors Love Just As Much As The Pricey Stuff

I'll be the first to admit that, thanks to my job as a beauty editor, my makeup routine has historically been a bit highfalutin. Think: triple-digit BB creams, piles of prestige lipsticks, and countless eyeshadow palettes that cost more than my weekly lunch budget. (Hey, someone has to test them.) But I try the drugstore formulas, too, and recently more and more of them have been taking up the precious and typically expensive real estate that is my makeup bag.

And for good reason. A few years ago, the mass market was missing some key innovations (see: highlighters that don't make you look like the Tin Man and brow-pencil shades that actually resemble human hair). These days, drugstore brands are churning out quality, on-trend products every other week — and the innovative formulas are leading the industry.

So, in the spirit of navigating the drugstore like a pro, the R29 beauty team is sharing the drugstore picks that most closely resemble their prestige favorites. One thing to know: The products ahead are not dupes; rather they're meant to direct you to the best drugstore options based on the higher-end things you already know and love.

Bonus? We even snuck in a few skin-care buys...we got you like that.