It's that time again, dear readers! After much careful thought and consideration, I present to you my picks for the best drugstore and budget-friendly products released in 2010!
My three requirements for consideration:
The product must have been released in 2010
(or at the end of 2009 but considered a 2010 release)
The product must retail for under $20
The product must not be limited edition
(limited edition products have their own catagory)
My method for evaluation was not scientific. I simply reviewed all new 2010 products I used over the course of the year and considered performance, value, quality and desire to repurchase.
This year I added a new category to the Cheapie Awards: Reader's Choice Award for best new product of 2010. A little while ago, I opened it up to you and asked you to tell me YOUR favorite new drugstore product released in 2010, and it could include anything (makeup, skincare, body care, haircare, fragrance, etc.). After tallying up all of your nominations, I then presented the top picks that received the most nominations and created a poll, which I left on my blog for over a month. The poll received over 1,400 votes, and I want to thank every one of you who took the time to vote!
So without further ado, here are my picks for the best new drugstore releases of 2010!
Drum roll please:
BEST CHEAPIE SHAMPOO OF 2010
Suave Professionals
BEST CHEAPIE CONDITIONER OF 2010
Suave Professionals
BEST CHEAPIE BODY WASH OF 2010
Tie:
Kings & Queens
Dove
BEST CHEAPIE DEODORANT OF 2010
Degree
BEST CHEAPIE FACIAL CLEANSER OF 2010
L'Oreal
BEST CHEAPIE BODY MOISTURIZER OF 2010
Nivea
BEST CHEAPIE HAND CREAM OF 2010
Carmex
BEST CHEAPIE FRAGRANCE OF 2010
Bath & Body Works
Honorable Mention:
CVS Essence of Beauty
BEST CHEAPIE NAIL COLOR OF 2010
Tie:
Milani
Carmex
EOS
BEST CHEAPIE EYESHADOW OF 2010
Wet n Wild
Honorable Mention:
Jesse's Girl
BEST CHEAPIE EYELINER OF 2010
Physicians Formula
Honorable Mention:
CoverGirl
BEST CHEAPIE MASCARA OF 2010
Prestige
(review pending)
BEST CHEAPIE EYESHADOW PRIMER OF 2010
Jesse's Girl
BEST CHEAPIE FACE PRIMER OF 2010
Black Radiance
BEST CHEAPIE CONCEALER OF 2010
No winner this year (boo!)
BEST CHEAPIE FOUNDATION OF 2010
Physicians Formula
Physicians Formula
Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation
(I realize this won the Best Foundation category last year but that was my error--this was actually a 2010 release)
(I realize this won the Best Foundation category last year but that was my error--this was actually a 2010 release)
BEST CHEAPIE BLUSH OF 2010
Tie:
Neutrogena
BEST CHEAPIE BRONZER OF 2010
Milani
BEST CHEAPIE LIMITED EDITION PRODUCT OF 2010
Tie:
Wet n Wild
Sally Hansen
BEST CHEAPIE DUPE OF 2010
Revlon
(dupe for NARS Dolce Vita)
BEST CHEAPIE "UNUSUAL" PRODUCT OF 2010
Maybelline
READER'S CHOICE
BEST NEW DRUGSTORE PRODUCT OF 2010
BEST NEW DRUGSTORE PRODUCT OF 2010
Winner:
Wet n Wild
Color Icon Eyeshadows (all)
(622 votes)
Second place:
Sally Hansen
Hidden Treasure nail polish
(200 votes)
Third place:
Maybelline
The Falsies Mascara
(155 votes)
BUDGET BEAUTY EVENT THAT CAUSED THE BIGGEST FRENZY ON NOUVEAU CHEAP IN 2010:
Winner:
The release of (and subsequent search for) the Wet n Wild Pixie Holiday palettes (specifically the Night Elf palette)
Second place:
CVS beauty clearance sales
And lastly, one final award has to go out to the post I thought was going to cause a big stir in 2010, but quietly faded into obscurity:
Thanks so much to each and every one of you for your support this past year, and I hope you found this list helpful! What were YOUR favorite drugstore releases of 2010?
Some of the products mentioned in this post were purchased with my own funds, while others were supplied to me directly by the manufacturer or by the agency working on behalf of the manufacturer. Editorial samples in no way affect the outcome of Nouveau Cheap's product reviews. All reviews are the sole, unbiased opinion of Nouveau Cheap.
Have you tried the Physician's Formula Healthy Wear tinted moisturizer? I like the powder and tried it at your rec, but as a light coverage kind of girl this was too light in my opinion. I felt like I had to really pack it on and then I looked too powdery despite being oily skinned. Maybe I'm using the wrong brush (Eco Tools short dense brush similar to a Bare Minerals foundation brush)?
ReplyDeleteWhen are you going to review all of the aqua powders hitting the market! I'm very curious on your take as a fellow oily skinned gal.
Yay! I love this, its like a idiot-proof guide to DS shopping!
ReplyDeleteI wish SH would make Hidden Treasure part of the core collection. I was part of the frenzy searching for it last spring and I even bought a back up bottle, my only one! But the collection wasn't carried in many parts of the country and it's so unique and awesome. It'd be great to have it available to everyone.
ReplyDeleteI love this awards list! Reminds me of lots of items I haven't checked out yet. Your enthusiasm is contagious, G :)
What a great list! I just took notes to tuck into my purse for next time I am at the store!!! :) Thank you!
ReplyDeleteA great list of products! Thanks for putting these awards together!
ReplyDeleteThose are a list of great products. I had the opportunity to try a few and was very pleased.
ReplyDeleteI saw some stuff marked for 75% off yesterday at CVS as well, including three Revlon SL gloss shades in Nude Lustre (!!! T___T), Pink Afterglow and Firecracker (guess this wasn't very popular). also a ton of the maybelline stuff were 50% off including the Mineral Power concealers and compacts...hmm i'm starting to wonder if i should hurry and stock up my fave concealer (Mayblline Mineral Power concealer in a tube).
ReplyDeletealso i grabbed 3 of the 4 PF retractable shimmer strip eyeliners, and so far i'm in love! they're pretty soft and quite pigmented, but not so soft tat even my lashes can cut it (coughStilaUDcough), and was able tightline easily (easiest tightlining pencil i've used so far). the colors are great too and i like the plastic the pencils are kept in, i'm actually keeping the plastic to keep it organized lol. only one i didn't grab was the one for blue eyes 'cause it was gone fromthe display.
is this LE?
Awesome post, thanks so much for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with the loreal cleanser, it was SOOOOO horribly bad and my face was red, raw and tight after one use. Way too harsh :(
ReplyDeleteshmemi: I haven't tried their TM because I'm a full-coverage kind of gal. And I don't use a brush with this powder foundation, I use the accompanying sponge applicator. I never understood using a brush for powder foundation. lol! I guess that's because I'm a full-coverage gal. But historically, I've always used the sponge applicator that comes with the powder for ANY of my powder foundations (MAC Studio Fix, etc.) and it always works great. The PF powder foundation is anything but light when I use it. It covers all of my flaws, my redness, etc. and it never looks "powdery" like you said it does on you. I'm so sorry to hear it doesn't work for you; I have never had that experience. :(
ReplyDeletej: Awww, I love you for that, girlie! xo
rosarita: You are SO sweet! Thank you, honey! And yeah, the HT frenzy was insane, wasn't it? Glad you got a bottle.
Pammy: Thank you, sweetie! I hope that some of these products work out for you if you try them! Keep me posted?
The Peach: You are so welcome, hon! And thank you for that. :D
Stephanie: Yay! I am so glad that the products you tried from this list worked for you!!! :)
Kai: Thanks for the info! Wow, I hope those products you mentioned aren't going bye-bye either! Especially the Mineral Power stuff--I know so many people who love that line. I bought the PF liners too and I'm testing them right now for review. So far I love them also, and no, I don't believe those are LE.
Michelle: You are so welcome! And thank you!!
chinchilladilla: I KNEW someone would comment and say that. LOL! But I have to ask--I specifically said the formula for SENSITIVE SKIN. Is that the one that did that to your face? I am going to be so shocked if you say yes! I have not, nor will I ever, try any formula of this cleanser except for the Sensitive Skin formula (white bottle with light blue scrublet) because all of the other formulas look too harsh for me ingredient-wise (they all contain menthol, which breaks me out). The Sensitive Skin formula is the only one that doesn't contain menthol and it's soooo amazing on my skin. Soft, gentle, yet it removes every last trace of my makeup (even my eye makeup). So yeah, let me know which formula you used.
I definitely think the Hard Candy Glamoflauge would have been a great contender for Best Cheapie Concealer! It doesn't have a lot of shades but so amazing nonetheless!
ReplyDeleteMai: Since I think that's *technically* a 2011 release from HC, even though it launched at the end of this year, it will be in the running for next year, for sure! Yay! I'll be reviewing it very soon and I cannot WAIT.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that the Suave Professionals shampoo and conditioners won your Cheapie Award. I tried both the Rosemary and the Almond Shea and they completely wrecked my hair. I mean damaged it more, made it very dry and tangly, and both kinds were very watered down :(
ReplyDeleteI agree with your other picks, and I'm still lusting after those Wet N Wild LE Holiday palettes...maybe as an Ambassader for the company, you can get them to release them again? lol Or have them tell us exactly where to find them, because I had been looking for them since late October up until Xmas at every Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart, Meijer, etc in TWO STATES and still couldn't find them...this is almost as bad at the Naked Palette lol
Angela: Hum...if you read my original review of the Suave products (the link is in this post) then I don't think you'd be surprised why both the shampoo and conditioner won. I LOVE both of these products and I have never had anything but great results with them. In fact, that's why I keep coming back, even though I have tons of other products in my shower. I have very dry ends, but I find that neither of these products ever contribute to the dryness. BUT, as I always say, everyone's hair/skin/etc. is different and what works for one, may be a huge fail for another. All I can tell you is that ever since my original review, I've had several readers tell me that they adore these products, so I'm sorry they weren't a love-match for you.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as an Ambassador for WnW, I have absolutely no influence whatsoever with the creation of their products or what they choose to release. So I can't "get them" to do anything, nor would I try. I CAN, however, let them know about the feedback I get on this blog, and I *assure* you they are aware of how wildly popular these palettes are! Also, did you see my post about the new 8-pan palettes? Those are not limited edition, so hopefully they'll be a great substitute for you.
Congratulations to all the winners! lol
ReplyDeleteAlways so much fun here, G.! Thank you again for all your hard work and dedication to finding/buying/trying/posting (sharing!)reviews, and also for always allowing everyone into your world of beauty:-) <3
Charmaine: What an incredibly sweet thing for you to say. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. I teared up a bit when I read it, to be honest with you. *hugs* xo
ReplyDeleteG- I'm new to the blog, and the Cheapie Awards was the second post I had read of yours, and I didn't click on the links to read the original review. I wasn't trying to be mean about it, I was just surprised because I had such a bad experience with both kinds of the Suave Professionals. I understand that products work differently on different people (and goodness knows, I'm always the exception to the "holy grail" norm lol); I was just expressing my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI was joking about you "getting" Wet N Wild to do anything about the LE kits; I understand you don't control the company, and we all appreciate that you are willing to pass on our feedback to the company.
Also, yes I did read the post about the 8 pan palettes after I commented; thanks for letting us know.
Apologies if my sense of humor was taken wrong; I guess it doesn't translate well in text. I was meerly stating my opinions and joking around; nothing was intended to be mean.
Thank you.
Angela: Oh sweetie, I completely agree that sometimes humor or sentiment don't translate well over the internet. But I hope you know that I wasn't angry--I was just trying to point out that I would not have made those products the winners in their categories if I didn't REALLY love them, and I wanted to explain to you exactly why I loved them. I hope that you will continue to comment around here and not be scared off by my reply! I welcome you with open arms and I hope you feel nothing but comfortable from here on out! :D xo
ReplyDelete