I tried Dollar General's private-label makeup line where everything costs $5 or less and found it wa
- Dollar General debuted its private-label cosmetics collection, Believe Beauty, in May. The line includes lipsticks, eyebrow shaping tools, and an eyeshadow palette, among other items.
- Beyond Beauty has caught the attention of several beauty vloggers who have sung the praises of the collection as a low-priced alternative that doesn't skimp on quality.
- I tried Beyond Beauty and was pleasantly surprised. Everything from the packaging to the actual formulas was impressive and felt like something I could find at Sephora.
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Dollar General is looking to give Sephora a run for its money.
Earlier this year, the discount retailer launched Believe Beauty, a private-label beauty collection consisting of products like shimmery eyeshadow palettes and matte lipsticks that come in a variety of shades. Each item in the collection costs $5 or less, establishing itself as a cheaper alternative to major drugstore brands like Revlon, Maybelline, and Lancome.
Read more: We compared beauty bargains at Dollar General and CVS — and the dollar store came out on top
Despite its low cost, the collection is especially impressive because it doesn't look cheap, nor do most of the products feel like you're skimping on quality when you use them. The sophistication of Believe Beauty — from the chic black and gold packaging, to the formulas themselves — is largely thanks to help from Masea, the cosmetics company that helped develop products for Target's Kristin Ess haircare items and Walmart's Flower by Drew Barrymore cosmetics line.
Since Believe Beauty hit the racks, beauty vloggers and influencers have flocked to the line, sharing videos of themselves rocking full faces of Dollar General product.
"Don't underestimate Dollar General," YouTube star Juicy Jas said in a video she posted in April. "I've actually found some really great products there and some of the products that I have tried from there are some of my holy grails to this day. So just because the makeup doesn't come from Ulta, Target, or Walmart doesn't mean it's not good."
I tried eight of the Beyond Beauty products and ranked them from least to most favorite, below:
Everything in the Beyond Beauty collection costs less than $5.
"Over the past 2 years the team behind Believe Beauty worked to make this a reality," Dollar General said in a press statement. "We always believed in the power of beauty for all — for all generations, for all skin tones, and making it easily accessible."
Skin Finish Foundation, $5
The first item I tried, and admittedly my least favorite, was the Skin Finish Foundation.
I'm particularly fussy about foundation, so I knew this one would be unlikely to woo me. The formula was a bit watery — it reminded of Glossier's Skin Perfecting Primer, which I am also not a huge fan of — and left a tacky residue after applying.
However, it did the job of concealing a couple of pesky blemishes, so it gets props for that. It also comes in 12 shades for a variety of different skin tones.
Brow Defining Pencil, $5
This pencil only comes in three shades, so it's fairly limited in its capacity to match brow color. It was a bit darker than my already fairly dark brows and also smudged very easily. I somehow managed to get this all over my forehead.
Satin Crush Lipstick, $3.50
This Satin Crush Lipstick was surprisingly moisturizing and easy to apply, though it bled a bit. I also wasn't wild about the hue I tried — a purplish color called "Mischief" — but would be interested in trying one of its other seven shades.
Dual Ended Contour Stick, $4.50
Truth be told, I still have absolutely no idea how to contour and have accepted the fact I likely never will. (My sincerest apologies to the Kardashian family.) That said, this contour stick was quite nice and felt buttery on my skin. It inspired me to maybe one day at least watch a contouring video.
Get Glowing Contour & Highlight Palette, $5
While I don't know how to contour, I do know how to highlight. I use a highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones most days, for just a touch of luminescence. This one was easy to apply with my fingers and gave off a nice subtle shimmer.
Universal Brow Kit, $4.50
The Universal Brow Kit was designed to deliver "buildable color to fill in spare or light brows," according to Dollar General. I liked the handy applicator and I especially liked the wax, which is intended to keep stray hairs and color in place during the course of the day.
Eyeshadow Palette, $5
I'm not great at applying eyeshadow, so I tend to avoid it unless it's a special occasion. However, this palette inspired me to try to incorporate eyeshadow more in my day-to-day life with its earthy tones and shimmery options.
For the more bold and adventurous beauty enthusiast, Believe Beauty also offers three additional color options with hues like teal, yellow, and bright pink.
Velvet Matte Liquid Lip, $4
I'm a sucker for a liquid matte lipstick and this one was no exception. It went on smoothly, and the applicator was well-designed and easy to use. It was very slightly sticky upon applying, but nothing egregious, and the color settled in well.
Similar to the Satin Crush Lipstick, I didn't especially love the shade of purple I tested, but it also comes in five additional colors — including a classic red, my personal favorite — which I would definitely be keen to try.
Ultimately, the Beyond Beauty collection is a solid set of products.
While not all of the low-priced options knocked it out of the park, there are definitely a few I plan to add to my beauty rotation.
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