Bethenny Frankel has built her reputation as a viral TikTok creator on her scathingly honest reviews of drugstore and luxury beauty products alike.
The ex-Real Housewives Of New York star has been very open about the fact that she struggled financially prior to finding success as an entrepreneur and reality star, and frequently used to stress about how she would be able to pay her rent.
Given her history with penny pinching and the luxurious life she’s living presently, she’s able to provide genuine insight into the validity of luxury product price tags (like these blushes she describes as “expensive but worth it”). Plus, Bethenny really knows her way around the beauty section at the drugstore (a skill she’s passed down to her daughter).
Keep scrolling to browse Bethenny Frankel’s favourite drugstore beauty products…
Bethenny Frankel’s Favourite Drugstore Makeup Products
If Bethenny could only have one drugstore cream bronzer she’d pick Colourpop’s Sol Face & Body Bronzing Balm ($15 at ColourPop): “It’s drugstore pricing,” she assured her viewers in a recent TikTok.
In the same video she described the NYX Professional Makeup Jumbo Eye Pencil ($14.99 at Priceline) as “great”, “high quality”, and “good for shadow or liner”.
Her favourite drugstore mascara is the Maybelline The Falsies Surreal Extensions Washable Mascara ($13.99 at Chemist Warehouse). “There’s just something about it,” told her followers. “It’s just good drugstore [makeup].”
When it comes to lip liner she recommends Milani and L’Oréal but “Covergirl has really nice angular ones.”
@bethennyfrankel ALL of these are AT THE LEVEL drugstore beauty!!💥🙌🏼 #drugstorebeautyreview #affordablemakeup #lorealparis #milanicosmetics #makeuptobuy #maybellinesurrealmascara #pixibeauty #colourpopcosmetics #affordablebeauty #drugstoremakeupmusthaves #nyxcosmetics #olaysuperserum #drugstorebeautyfaves #atthelevel ♬ original sound – Bethenny Frankel
Bethenny has an undying appreciation for drugstore concealers and is frequently sharing her favourites on her TikTok channel.
“[I’ve] tried everything this side of the Mason Dickson [River],” she said in a TikTok video. “Thousands of dollars of concealers from Lancôme to LA Girl to Covergirl to Maybelline. You name it I’ve tried it.”
@bethennyfrankel Drugstore Concealers… lets go!! #drugstorebeautyreview #drugstore #concealer #drugstoremakeupmusthaves #bethennymademetryit #beautyreview #bestconcealer ♬ original sound – Bethenny Frankel
She rates L’Oréal Paris Infallible More Than Concealer ($18.99 at Chemist Warehouse) and the wet n wild Conceal MegaGlo Makeup Stick ($8.47 at iHerb), which unfortunately only comes in two shades (boo), but Bethenny loves the creaminess of the formula nonetheless.
She describes the Maybelline Superstay® Activewear Concealer ($14.99 at Priceline) as an “at the level” makeup product. In layman’s terms, that means it contends with luxury concealer brands.
She’s also dubbed the NYX Professional Makeup Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Contour Concealer ($21.99 at Priceline) as a “winner” and “major”.
Bethenny Frankel’s Favourite Drugstore Skincare Products
In a Livestream via New Beauty in November 2022, Bethenny declared that Nivea Soft Moisturiser ($5.74 at Chemist Warehouse) was actually “similar to La Mer”.
“I think [this product] started because La Mer makes ‘soft’—they’re very similar products with very similar ingredients,” she explained. “I like Nivea Soft a lot.”
And in a TikTok video she released around the same time, she compared the Nivea Creme Moisturiser ($4.74 at Chemist Warehouse) and La Mer’s Crème de la Mer ($335 at MECCA) in a side-by-side wear test, and Nivea came out the victor.
“Nivea is supposedly comprised of the same ingredients as La Mer except for a sea algae concentrate,” she explained in the video.
“We’re going to wait a while,” she continued. “I want to see how this absorbs.”
After a few hours of wearing the moisturisers Bethenny asked her fiancé, which side looked better and he said the right hand side of her face looked glowier. She giggled “you don’t even know”, and whispered to the camera gleefully “this is Nivea’s side”.
@bethennyfrankel Which cream is the crème de la crème? #moisturizer #lamer #nivea #skincare #moisturizercream #moisturizers #drugstoreskincare #expensiveskincare #skin ♬ original sound – Bethenny Frankel
Image credit: Getty
What are your favourite budget-friendly beauty products?
My mum would always use either Nivea or Olay and she had the best skin.
My mom always used to use these two as well and also lavender perfume on her hankies!!
Not too sure about the moisturiser comparison but $300 + for a jar of face cream is rather exy.
Yeah, I can’t afford those prices just for one product.
I still don’t understand why tik tokers and influencers are a thing.
I think they think someone is watching? But I don’t watch them, it’s not me. Not sure who does.
I know right!!
I like Sukin products, great value for money.
Love the look of L’Oréal Paris Infallible More Than Concealer. So nice and colourful and different
Love this article!!
Good to see there are products we can all afford.
I really like Maybelline Tattoo Brow.
Nivea was always a favourite with me and always affordable.
I’ve been using Nivea SPF15 Face Lotion for years. Went looking for it recently in Chemist Warehouse. Looked high & low for the packaging I knew but they’ve changed it to include Yellow on the box rather than just blue & white. Why do companies change packaging for the sake of it.
I agree why would Nivea want to change from blue and white to yellow?? I am annoyed because Woolworths store near me is changing all the places of the products and I cannot find anything anymore!!
The NYX Professional Makeup Jumbo Eye Pencil us something that I would like I think and at $14.99 it sounds like good value.
Could not care less about influencers or their choices.
I would love to have both moisturisers side by side for comparison.
yes just 2 hours isn’t enough to make a final verdict
Time and price, I can’t afford a La Mer to wear side by side with Nivea.
I love drugstore products. So much variety and no regrets if I buy a product that I don’t like because it didn’t cost a small fortune.
Interesting its the very basic of the Nivea range too
Probably 95% of the products I buy are from Chemist Warehouse or Priceline. The higher the price doesn’t mean the best quality or performance.
Chemist warehouse and Priceline do have a wide range of products and usually very good prices
I dont have a favorite dupe so far
I love dupes
But the sea algae concentrate is the main active ingredient of La Mer!
No mineral oils for me. My skin can not handle it. Being la mer or nivea
I love using affordable makeup! No point spending so much money unless the quality is exceptionally better
I love Nivea products.
i love bethany, her videos are trust orthy, short and sweet
Its a lovely brand
It’s good to find out about affordable skincare that works
Interesting. It’s been a while since I tried Nivea.
I am so influenced! I need to try all of these!
Everyone knows the Nivea LaMer similarity by now. Nothing new here.
My favorite body care product is Nivea. It is widely available and you can find them in discounted price.