13 Fabulous Drugstore Beauty Finds for Affordable Self-Care

And they're all less than $20!

Kim Marcum

Published January 02, 2025

Ethel Staff

After the holiday frenzy, it’s time to take care of ourselves. These self-care beauty products can help — without breaking the bank. We offer a dozen that can be found at the drugstore, nearby big-box retailer or local health food store.

Their quality and price make them good values, and easy access is the cherry on top. Of course, if the weather or your schedule complicates an in-person purchase, they also are available online.

As someone who scoured drugstore aisles in my high school years hunting for just the right color of eyeshadow, I have contributed my skills to the task at hand. These suggestions have all been personally tested to ensure they have what it takes to complement skin that has celebrated many a high-school reunion.

Building Blocks

On days you want to put your best face forward, several new offerings can help elevate your makeup routine. For a lightweight base, Maybelline’s Super Stay 24H Skin Tint ($10) provides a sheer wash of color and coverage in a range of tones. It’s a flattering alternative to heavy foundation that can collect in fine lines and creases during the day. To camouflage dark spots and undereye circles, L’Oréal Paris True Match Radiant Serum Concealer ($13-$18) delivers impressive results that mimic those of its more-expensive sister brands. As a bonus for mature skin, the formula contains skin-hydrating hyaluronic acid.

Add some cheeky color with Milani Baked Blush ($9-$11) and its bright and buildable formula. More pigmented than typical powder varieties, this baked blush comes in over 15 pearly shades. If you’re more of a matte girl like yours truly, there’s Milani Rose Powder Blush ($9-$11), featuring an embossed rose in each compact of sparkle-free powder. Both require you to BYOB (bring your own brush).

When my long-time, drugstore-brand mascara started smudging under my eyes, it launched a multi-month search for a replacement that wouldn’t transfer. A pricier alternative served me well for a while, but now I’m trading it in for my new drugstore infatuation — Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara ($10-$13). It achieves my mascara trifecta — lengthening without clumping or transferring — which has earned it a spot on notable best mascara lists.

Brow Beating

You can get the better of skimpy, over-plucked brows with drugstore options like the Nyx Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil ($11). Its tiny, precise tip creates hair-like strokes that can transform sparse brows into seemingly denser versions of themselves, redefining shape, color and fullness along the way. Unlike most alternatives, Nyx’s brow pencil comes in nearly a dozen shades.

If your brows land in the dark brown to natural taupe range, the Milani Easybrow Pencil ($9) provides water-resistant coverage that excels at filling and lining. As a long-time devotee, I appreciate the Easybrow’s spoolie brush that helps groom brows before and blends after applying this smooth-gliding formula. A clear cap covers the spoolie so you can easily tell which end is up.

Skin Savers

Winter’s wind and indoor heating can wreak havoc on mature skin. Make a preemptive strike by keeping yours hydrated with a multi-function moisturizer like Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentré — Daily Face and Body Cream ($17-$29). It’s a face cleanser, a hand lotion, an after-sun soother, a makeup base and more. Formulated in the 1950s to protect skin from “external aggressions,” this French bestseller is now available at select drugstores and big-box retailers in the U.S.

Stave off chapped lips with a soothing, no-fuss formula that has only five ingredients — Dr. Bronner’s Naked Organic Lip Balm ($4-$5). Made in the U.S. by a family-owned business, it hits a sweet spot that so many others miss. It glides on smoothly without leaving a caked, heavy residue. It has a luster but isn’t too shiny. Plus, it’s unscented and taste-free.

Occasionally, even the best prevention plan falls short, and we must move into repair mode. When that happens, few salves are as universally recommended as Aquaphor Healing Ointment ($6.50-$20). A thick, unscented balm that stays in place, it’s gentle enough to handle infant eczema and tough enough to tackle cracked heels. As one “Verified Purchaser” writes in an online review: “If Aquaphor were a superhero, it would be Captain Smooth Skin, swooping in to save the day from dryness and despair!”

A Clean Sweep

Too often, facial cleansers are either gentle or effective. These three products provide both, making them promising picks for mature skin. Lather up with Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser ($9-$13) that delivers an unscented, deep cleansing without leaving skin dry or tight. A little squirt goes a long way, adding even more value to the 8-ounce bottle. The creamy Shea Moisture Daily Hydration Face Milk Cleanser ($14.50) easily removes makeup and everyday grime without scrubbing. Its hydrating blend of coconut oil and milk lends a light scent that can transport you to a tropical beach on a frigid day.

For a suds-free, water-free experience, there’s micellar water. Despite a friend’s testimonials, I had resisted recommendations to try it but now understand the attraction.

You can see what’s coming off — it’s right there on the cotton oval you’ve saturated with the scentless liquid. The newest drugstore addition in this category is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Micellar Water ($10). Spiked with hydrating hyaluronic acid, it’s another good fit for skin that wasn’t born yesterday.

The next time you’re at the drugstore picking up vitamins or first aid necessities — or at the big-box looking for household items — take a detour down the cosmetic aisles. These are just some of the age-appropriate items you’ll find there. Let us know what’s on your list and what you’d like to know more about. There’s bound to be a future update with more great finds for affordable self-care indulgences.

What's YOUR all-time favorite beauty product? Let us know in the comments below.

As a fashion editor in Dallas, Kim Marcum covered the international ready-to-wear collections in four fashion capitals and interviewed iconic designers from Giorgio Armani to Ralph Lauren. Later in her journalism career at the Orlando Sentinel, she was the senior editor on a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Local Reporting (2013) and on a project that earned the 2013 Diversity Award from the Freedom Forum/American Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2014, she joined Orlando Health, where she is the corporate director of strategic communications. She has two adult daughters and a grandpuppy.