Drugstore Makeup Woes

I have recently been trying to purchase (or repurchase) several classic shades of Revlon and Maybelline lipstick. Some colors are hard to find. The major problem is someone has already touched or tried on the ones I do locate. Thankfully, Revlon puts a seal around their lipsticks so that is less of an issue there. (Although I did run into a situation where the only tube of a color I wanted had the seal missing. It didn’t look swatched but I didn’t want to chance it, regardless.)

The biggest issue is with brands like Maybelline that don’t seal their lipsticks. My local CVS had one tube of a color I had been looking for still in stock. I picked it up and opened it. (I never touch or swatch lipsticks or try them on, but I always take a look to be sure they haven’t already been tried by someone. This is never done with sealed makeup, and only with a product I intend to buy.)

Unfortunately for me it looked used and damaged. I immediately put it back. I probably should have given it to an associate to dispose of. Unfortunately,there was no counter in the cosmetics area in that store, and I didn’t see any employees around.) I then thought ordering online from Walgreens would be better.

Unfortunately not. My order came and when I opened the lipstick, it looked swatched. Apparently Walgreens ships stock from stores in other parts of the country. I thought they shipped from a distribution center. I was more than a little annoyed. Thankfully that lipstick had been on clearance for only $2.00.

I still can’t understand why brands like Maybelline and L’Oréal don’t seal their lipsticks and lip glosses. It would be so simple and prevent a lot of waste. (Admittedly, the extra plastic isn’t the most environmentally friendly thing. On the other hand, throwing out all the unusable makeup isn’t the best for the environment either. It seems like the lesser of the two evils though

Contrast this to what Revlon does. They are one of the drugstore brands I feel confident buying now.

I tried ordering on Amazon.com. I’m hoping that lipstick will be fresh and unused. We’ll see what happens when it arrives.

This makes me wonder, what is wrong with people that they have no qualms about opening products in a drugstore or other store and trying them out. Even worse, they just leave them for some innocent customer to find and maybe buy rather than giving them to an associate to damage out.

It’s frustrating and it makes it hard for people who want to buy drugstore makeup or can’t afford anything higher end. It’s also a safety hazard since there are real infection risks from using products that someone else touched or used. You would think the pandemic taught people something. Apparently not. I can only shake my head and wonder what happened to manners and decency. It’s no wonder I am a fan of many things from the past.