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Dollar Tree may have raised their prices to $1.25, but that buck and a quarter can still get you some amazing steals, including on brand-name makeup. Beauty influencers have been hitting the dollar store chain and coming away with quite a haul. From an amazing and usually-expensive eyeshadow palette to basics like lip gloss, blush, and a blending sponge, items that can be found for much more at stores like Target, Walmart, and Ulta can, it turns out, be found on dollar store shelves. Read on for some of the beauty staples that can be hoarded by the handful at Dollar Tree—and some important shopping tips from retail experts.
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In a Dec. 2022 video, TikToker @basicallyb3auty said "run, don't walk" to your nearest Dollar Tree, inspired by her finds that included e.l.f. beauty basics like Booster Drops and Face Duos in a ton of shades.
Also in her Dollar Tree haul was a selection of B-Pure products, including makeup tools, blush, face powder, an "interesting" Ioni eyelash glue liner, and a huge trove of e.l.f. Sheer Slick Lipstick in tons of shades.
Previously, TikTok user Kelly Strack hit her local Dollar Tree where she celebrated the addition of lots of items from Ioni, including the famous 3D Faux Mink Lashes. Influencer Kim Nuzzolo "almost missed" a very cool Flesh Beauty eyeshadow palette, typically sold at Ulta for $35.
In addition to some of the newer, trendier brands, Dollar Tree is also known to sell makeup from long-time labels like Maybelline and Cover Girl.
TikToker Amanda Frisch posted a video that showed what she found at her local Dollar Tree. It included lipsticks from NYX and Maybelline, jumbo eye pencils from NYX, and Cover Girl Skin Milk. Strack found Maybelline Superstay stick foundation, and TikTok user @thewanderingshopper picked up Rimmel bronzer and highlighter.
In her video, @thewanderingshopper shared this Dollar Tree pro tip: Look for the makeup in black-and-white packaging. Though the brand isn't marked on the packaging, she flips over a lipstick that says "Maybelline" on the actual product.
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In addition to drugstore makeup at slashed prices, Dollar Tree sometimes sells equal-or-better dupes of branded items.
A cache of lookalike Beauty Blenders was spotted for $1.25 (the branded blending sponge is usually $20 at Ulta and Target) by Jacquelyn Fricke, a.k.a. @theshoppingbestie, who picked up a pair of knockoffs of the popular product. She says the cut-price sponges blended her foundation "like an absolute dream" and that she may just prefer her new finds to the actual Beauty Blender.
Strack pointed out a not-famous-brand four-piece brush set that's "great for detail work."
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According to Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews.com, the makeup selection is going to vary by store. "In my experience, I've seen pretty much just L.A. Colors and Wet n' Wild—both of which can be found at stores like Walmart in a bigger selection of colors and styles, even if you do have to pay a little more."
Ramhold advises that if you want to buy recognizable brands at Dollar Tree, it's a good idea to check the "best before" dates for products by using something like this Cosmetics Calculator. She cautions that dollar stores often have low turnover for these products, so even if they're within the date range when they first make it to the shelves, there's a good chance they'll expire if they're not popular, and they won't necessarily be removed.
Shopping expert Trae Bodge can't say for sure whether these items are overstocks, discontinued products, or private label items. "I do know that Maybelline makes some products exclusively for Dollar Tree—their gel nail polish is an example of this. If the items are exclusives, they are more likely to be fresh, whereas if they are overstocks, they may have been sitting around for a while and/or shipped multiple times."
Bodge advises shoppers to carefully inspect beauty products purchased at any dollar store to make sure they're fully sealed, and check if there is a sell-by date. Another tip: "Ask an employee at the dollar store—they may have some intel."
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