Drugstore Beauty Finds

Shades from left to right: Auburn, Copper, Espresso, Brick, Champagne, and Mauve

With the nude face being one of Fall 2010’s hottest trends, it would be easy for you to just turn to your favorite shimmery champagne shadow, swipe a bit over your lid, and run out of the house. Skin glowing and cheeks instantly tinted red by the late-autumn chill, you’re the image of ultimate chic. But if you feel the look is too plain — too bare — and you’re tempted to reach for that black liquid liner and slap on a thick cat eye, why not turn to your earth tones instead?

On one of my monthly trips to Sally’s a while back, I had just finished my hair product shopping and was waiting for my father to pick me up. Having already examined the aisles twice (I’m always convinced I’ve missed some new, revolutionary product that’s been quietly tucked in between the Cholesterol Masques and the clarifying shampoo), the only display left was the makeup.

I’ll admit it. I’m a makeup snob. Seeing price tags of $5.99, $2.99, and, it pains me to say, $0.99, I was more than skeptical of these modestly packaged beauty items. I reluctantly bowed my head down towards the bare-bones rack.

I skimmed over the cheap looking glitters, eyeliners in simple glass pots, and miles of mini-palettes that I was sure contained less pigment than a freshly washed brush.

“Oh, those are greeeeeaaaat.” I snapped my head up in time with the bursting of the clerk’s gum bubble. She sucked the pink goop into her mouth between pastel lips and nodded. “Yeah, they’re like, comparable to MAC shadows. Really pretty. Great pigment. I looooove ‘em.” She went back to examining her nails.

Comparable to MAC shadows? I thought she had to be exaggerating, but fortunately for me, there was one shadow available for testing.

And she was right.

From left to right: Auburn, Copper, and Espresso

I bought 20. For less than a dollar each, I could afford to take the chance that the tester I had swatched was simply some mistake; a high-end department store brand shadow that had been cleverly or accidentally swapped into a Sally Girl compact to fool makeup enthusiasts like myself. How glad I am that this complicated confabulation was completely wrong.

I purchased a huge variety of shades, from blues and navies, to purples and magentas, to forest greens and day-glo limes. But being the season it is, the six earthtones I hauled have taken a semi-permanent spot in my kit (at least until purple becomes de rigeur again). Fortunately, these little marvels (1.1 grams, to be precise; for comparison, MAC shadows are 1.5 grams) come in connecting compacts, so you can organize them any way you want (I do it by color family so it’s easier to quickly find a shade on a job, but I know plenty of people who do it by “look”, like putting all the shadows they use for a smokey eye in one palette). My earthtones palette contains the shades Auburn, Copper, Espresso, Brick, Champagne, and Mauve. Honestly, I don’t know where half of these names come from. Don’t trust them. Go by the actual shadow. Each of them has a very fine shimmer, which turns metallic when applied wet.

Left to right: Brick, Champagne, and Mauve

Auburn is a sort of orangey burnt-copper shade, perfect for this season’s orange eyeshadow look if you don’t want to be so in-your-face about it. This shade looks stunning with green eyes, and works well as an eyeliner if you want a no-fuss, simple-chic look for days when you have minimal time but need to look put-together.

Copper is actually more of a burnished, almost-antique gold (but with a bit more brown in it). The finish on this is absolutely gorgeous, and creates almost a slick sheen that’s nearly impossible to duplicate without the use of creams or gels.
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