How To Shop For Drugstore Skin Care Products Like a Beauty Editor

Believe it or not, beauty editors don’t only slick their skin with products that cost major money. We’re just as likely to head to the drugstore and pick up a new cleanser as you are—we just might go about it slightly differently. Rather than reaching for the first product that catches our eye (okay, we do that sometimes too!), we’re able to put our extensive beauty knowledge to use before making our selects. Thankfully, you don’t have to write about makeup or skin care to be able to shop like a beauty editor—we’re breaking down exactly how we do it. Find out how below, then hit the drugstore for your next beauty fix.

Pick Products Meant for Your Skin Type

We often hear that people are worried about trying new products due to the potential for a negative skin reaction—anything from irritation to a breakout—and of course, we can relate. As beauty editors, we want our complexions to reflect the care and attention we pay our skin, but we also need to be able to test out all sorts of new products to keep up with what’s new in the beauty industry. The way we can accomplish both is to search the drugstore aisles and stick with products meant only for our specific skin types—and you can do the same. If you have sensitive skin, look for products formulated to suit sensitivity. The same goes for dry, oily, combination, and normal skin types. If a product takes your type into consideration, it’s less likely to cause any complexion problems.

Don’t Ditch the Classics

With the latest and greatest products always at our fingertips, it would be easy to forget all about the basics that fill the shelves of the drugstore. Still, any beauty editor knows not to forget about the classics. No matter what new goodies might be lining our desks, we won’t hesitate to head to the store to stock back up on old standbys like CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion and L’Oréal Paris HydraFresh Toner. Hey, if it still works, there’s no reason to stop using it. 

Buy Built-In Skin Care Tools

Luxury skin care tools can get pretty pricey, but if your wallet has you shopping exclusively at the drugstore, there’s no reason to miss out. When we don’t have those high-tech tools on hand, we’re happy to use their drugstore counterparts. A favorite among beauty editors is the L’Oréal Paris Go 360° Clean Deep Exfoliating Scrub because it’s a face scrub and cleansing tool all in one.  The soft cleansing disk, aka Scrublet, pops right out of the bottle for a perfectly convenient combo. Made of a soft, gentle, flexible material, the tool allows you to cleanse your skin more effectively.

Look for Trendy Ingredients

The trendiest ingredients tend to pop up in high end products first, but it’s never long before they make their way to the drugstore. Everyone wants to get in on the action! We’re always excited to see something that’s totally en vogue become super accessible, as it means we can test out the trend without dropping a lot of cash. As for which ingredients we’re all about right now, you can catch us searching the drugstore for anything and everything formulated with seaweed, turmeric, and aloe water, just to name a few. 

Choose Products You Can Mix

Beauty aficionados love to play mix master. We head into the store and immediately focus on any products with a dropper, as they’re ideal for combining. A few of our faves to have on hand are facial oil, liquid illuminator, and tanning serum. Add just a few drops of any of the aforementioned products to a dollop of lightweight moisturizer, and you’ll be left with a whole new product.

Keep Expiration Dates in Mind

Even if you aren’t normally a hoarder, it can be seriously challenging to part with your much-loved products. Expiration dates are easy to ignore when you’re scraping the last bit of your favorite serum onto your skin, but it becomes more challenging once your complexion negatively reacts. Products that are past their prime can lose their effectiveness, and can even cause irritations. No thanks! That’s why we always have expiration dates on the brain.