It's that time again, dear readers! For the past month, I've been going through my archives and my own personal stash to create my official list of the best new drugstore products to hit store shelves in 2011. This is by no means a scientific list--it's just my personal opinion based on a variety of factors. Since I test MANY, MANY drugstore products each year, and I've tried probably well over 100 new releases in 2011 alone, I hope that this "best of the best" list can help you determine what might be worth a purchase the next time you're at the drugstore.
Criteria: Absolutely no mid- or high-end products were eligible for consideration. With one excepction, everything on this list has a retail price of UNDER $10 and can be found at drugstores, grocery stores, big box stores, dollar stores or beauty supplies. If a collection or product hit stores at the end of 2010 but was considered by the manufacturer to be a 2011 release, it was eligible for consideration.
Factors: the main factor I considered for each product was how many times I personally reached for the product over the course of the year, and whether or not I felt compelled to repurchase it. If I found myself reaching for a particular eyeliner again and again, despite the fact that I own 100 other eyeliners, it probably made this list. If I repurchased a product more than three times over the course of the year, it definitely made this list. Of course I also took into consideration the quality of the product, value, ease of use and other similar factors.
NOTE: All of the products below are core collection products that were released in 2011 (limited edition products have their own category). If a category is "missing" in the list below, that means that I did not use anything in 2011 that knocked my socks off in that particular category.
Without further ado, let's get to the winners!
(Click each title to be taken to my original review, if available)
Best New Mascara
(retail: $2.99)
Best New Eyeshadow
(retail: $2.99)
Best New Eyeliner
(retail: $9.99)
Best New Lipstick
(retail: $7.49)
Best New Lipgloss
TIE:
TIE:
Best New Lip Balm
(retail: $2.69)
Best New Lipstain
(retail: $4.99)
Best New Foundation
(retail: $9.99)
Best New Blush
(retail: $7.99)
Best New Concealer
(retail: $9.99, review to come)
Best New Nail Polish
TIE:
(retail: $1.50)
(retail: $1.99)
Best New Nail Polish Treatment
(retail: $4.99 each)
Best New Hand Cream
(retail: $3.99)
Best New Body Lotion
(retail: $3.99)
Best New Fragrance
TIE:
(retail: $6.99)
(retail: $9.99)
Best New Facial Moisturizer
(retail: $20)
Best New Facial Scrub
(retail: around $5, 4.5 oz)
Best New Facial Cleanser
(retail: $9.99)
Best New Shampoo
TIE:
TIE:
(retail: around $4.50)
(retail: $3.99)
Best New Conditioner
TIE:
TIE:
(retail: around $4.50)
(retail: $3.99)
Best New Styling Product
TIE:
(retail: $2.69)
(retail: $2.69)
(retail: $8.49)
Best New Body Wash
(retail: $1.99, review to come)
Best New Bar Soap
(retail: $1.49)
Best New Deodorant
(retail: $4.50, review to come)
Best New Makeup Brushes
(retail: $2.99 - $6.99)
Best New Gadget
(retail: $9.99)
Best Limited Edition Drugstore Collection of 2011
3-WAY-TIE:
3-WAY-TIE:
Wet n Wild Summer 2011 Go For The Gold Collection
Wet n Wild Fall 2011 On The Prowl Collection
Sinful Colors Summer 2011 Adventure Island Collection
Wet n Wild Fall 2011 On The Prowl Collection
Sinful Colors Summer 2011 Adventure Island Collection
(retail: $7.49 each)
Best New-To-Me product discovered in 2011
(retail: $1)
Most Underrated New Drugstore Product of 2011
Prestige VinylWear Extreme Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss
(retail: $5.99)
Prestige VinylWear Extreme Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss
(retail: $5.99)
And last but CERTAINLY not least:
Readers' Choice for Best New Drugstore Product of 2011
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters
(retail: $7.49 each)
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters
(retail: $7.49 each)
Some really great products on this list.. some I use and some I'm going to start looking for. Great post! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to run out and try all of the products that made the list that I haven't used yet! I totally agree about the Revlon Lip Butters and WnW Silent Treatment... Great, affordable products with wonderful formulas in flattering shades.
ReplyDeleteI am on board with a bunch of these!!! This was AWESOME reading G. and I am going to re read it to see if there is something I really should try. Like maybe the Jordana mascara. Boo hiss that the On the Prowl LE collection showed up in Central NY! Thanks for this! :)
ReplyDeleteYesssss big time on the Lip Butters. I enjoyed reading this post so much! Also just bought the Suave dry shampoo before reading, so I'm even more excited to use it.
ReplyDeleteGreat list!! Def. might check some of these products out next time Im at the drugstore!!
ReplyDeleteSo many things I haven't tried!!!!!!! that will be my mission for 2012.
ReplyDeletebecause of this post i looked at your review for the Epielle cleansing tissues and right after i read it, i ran out to my Big Lots down the street to get some tonight. LOL. i ran out of my other ones that i got from Sally Beauty (that were actually crap in my opinion) so i was in need of new ones anyway. i got the 60 pack cucumber ones. i was literally staring at the different types trying to figure out which ones i wanted. they had the 60 pack in the Aloe ones and the Green Tea as well. i opened it as soon as i got home and i was like "ooooh, these are niiiice!!!" im definitely going to keep buying these, and going to try the other ones they had too. thank you. =)
ReplyDeletemy next mission is going to be the Lip Butters, however i don't have any money for those right now.
cool i need to check some of these out.thx
ReplyDeletei agree with you, the revlon colorburts lip butters are the best, i am in love with them. i have two already and i'm gonna buy some more. they add beautiful color, and they moisturize. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm just gonna stop compiling wish/shopping lists, and just print this for my shopping trips! So much easier. Thanks for doing all the work!
ReplyDeleteI really love these yearly lists. It is so handy to have all of this information in one post (kind of like your "holy grail" or "what I'm loving now" posts, which I also love). After reviewing the winners, I counted and I've purchased nineteen(!) of the products on the list this year based on your recommendations, and have really liked each one of them. Your blog is the best. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteooh, i have a lot of these, thanks to your reviews! the only one that i want that i'm missing is the milani top coat, which i ordered during their cyber monday sale but which was mysteriously left out of the package containing the other items i ordered. they said they were going to send it, but it never arrived, and now they're ignoring my e-mails. :(
ReplyDeleteglad to read that your mom is better btw!
Seeing the limited edition collections has been kind of a bummer this year for me. For the last 8 months I have been going to CVS almost exclusively, and my CVS gets so few of them. So I missed out on all the fun.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised, and then not surprised that Silent Treatment made the list. There were so many great eyeshadows out, but I have to agree that Silent Treatment is one of those you could reach for and it would work for any occasion. It really is a great all around palette.
I really have to try the Dove shampoo/conditioner and treatments!
prior to this list i purchased WNW silent treatment, epielle cleansing wipes. They were lovely but returned them, smell lingered too long for moi. (My go to makeup wipes are actually seventh generation baby wipes, and for extra power i use a little neutrogena eye makeup remover.) I own 11 of the Lip butters, haha, the elf gloss and last night when my little one wouldnt sleep we swung by walgreens and i picked up the jordana mascara.
ReplyDeleteNow as per this list, next im going to try the maybelline u.e. eraser, and the cg foundation.
Thanks for all the fun, informative, reviews!!
p.s. glad to hear all is well.
Hi! I appreciate your own personal masterlist and am definitely going to try some of these. Especially the lip butters...
ReplyDeleteI hope your parents are doing well.
this made me give the Jordana mascara a shot this week - I'm loving it! thanks for helping me find another great cheap item! this is like a great dupe for the Kat Von D High Frequency mascara that I liked so much!
ReplyDelete