It’s rare that I’m wowed by any drugstore lip product, but this $4.99 liquid lipstick beats out a lot of higher-end liquid lipsticks that I own. I couldn’t be happier with my smart purchase. 

Note: When picking out what color(s) you want, I would suggest looking online for swatches of the lipsticks. Some of the colors look different in the bottle than they do when applied to the lips.

2. e.l.f. Instant Lift Brow Pencil, $2

I purchased this eyebrow pencil on a whim after I felt jilted by the Milani brow pencil I had previously tested. Honestly, I did not expect this product to work considering it was only $2 at my local Walmart, but I didn’t want to write it off before giving it a fair shot. 

I picked mine up in the color Taupe and tested it out the next morning. Not only did it far surpass my Milani pencil, but it made my other eyebrow products look foolish and inadequate. 

The formula of this pencil is the perfect balance of waxy and creamy, and can be applied using both lighter and heavier pressure without looking wonky or unnatural. 

In my opinion, this Elf brow pencil stands tall against pricier competitors. Is it as thin and defined as the Anastasia Brow Wiz? No. But it’s also not $21. (FYI, if you want to duplicate the Brow Wiz exactly, you can spend $10 and get the excellent NYX Micro Brow pencil.)

3. Essence Pure Nude Highlighter, $4.49

If you’re looking for a beautiful, buildable highlight, seek out this product. This $4.49 Essence highlighter gives off a natural (non-glittery) glow to the skin, but can be layered to a more blinding highlight if that’s your cup of tea. 

Unlike many other drugstore highlighters, this one is not chunky, blends very easily, and lasts a long time on the skin! 

The only downside to this product is that it only comes in one shade. The color available is a pearly-champagne, and therefore probably won’t work for the lightest and the darkest skin tones out there.