Every time I walk through the Target beauty aisle, or scroll through their beauty department online, it seems like they’ve added a new brand to their lineup. Currently, they carry over 1,000 which range from skincare and makeup to nail and hair care. I love affordable beauty, and Target is often my go-to source for all things self-care. After testing out a ton of brands and what they have to offer, I’ve narrowed down my top 20 along with my top three products from each. Some of what I list below, I was already a fan of long before they were sold at Target, and the others, I discovered during my Saturday morning trips to the big-box store.
I know packaging isn’t everything, but I end up taking a second look when I walk through the Target beauty aisle and the display area stands out. Winky Lux does just that with their clean makeup and skincare products. Their products are so playful and creative, which makes them fun to apply. They carry items for your brows, lipsticks and lip stains, blushes, palettes, sleeping masks, body shimmers, and products for your skin.
My recommendations: cheeky rose blush (it’s literally shaped like a rose), confetti balm lip stain, and the kitten fruity eyeshadow palette filled with bright and fun colors.
Bliss is a skincare brand I recently became familiar with by shopping in the Target Beauty Isle. What originally caught my attention was the colorful tubes and jars but since then I’ve learned that Bliss is a cruelty-free brand with no harsh chemicals (two things that are important to me.) Their line of products include essentials like moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, waxing kits, and facial creams which are all affordable.
My recommendations: Vitamin C + tri-peptide collagen protecting & brightening serum, volcanic sand facial for pore refining, and the Vitamin C + tri-peptide moisturizer.
PS: Bliss actually has their own spas in various cities across the U.S. and they also have a few international locations.
Vanity Planet has been all over my Instagram for quite some time now (Kristie also collaborated with them a few years back). Their groundbreaking tools help to clear up breakouts and deal with anti-aging by boosting collagen and lifting your skin. You can find everything from facial steamers, face and body cleansing systems, exfoliating and lifting wands, and even a microdermabrasion wand at Target. (VanityPlanet.com has even more options from toothbrushes, to scales, to skincare products.) Each device can be used for years to come making it a good investment to add to your skincare routine.
My recommendations: serum booster, the skincare fridge to store my serums, and the face & body cleansing system.
Olive & June is an adorable, vegan, cruelty-free, and high-quality nail care brand founded in Southern California. The owner Sarah Gibson Tuttle takes the hard work out of doing your nails at home with her poppy manicure tool. From gorgeous shades of polish and stickers, to serums, manicure tools, and her manicure prep set, she has everything you could possibly need for a DIY manicure.
My recommendations: the long-lasting topcoat, and nail polish, especially in the shade Honest & True, and the feeling groovy nail art kit which has cute stickers, like sunflowers, butterflies and mushrooms to top off your manicure.
PS: If you want a professional manicure, Olive & June has three nail salon locations in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Pasadena.
Bare Republic makes it easy and fun to wear sunscreen everyday. Using clean ingredients like Vitamin E and plant-derived antioxidants, they leave out harmful chemicals often found in sunscreens, while still protecting your skin against UVA and UVB rays. With water-resistant sprays, face and body sunblock lotions, neon sticks and sunblock formulated for babies, they have something for everyone.
My recommendations: coco mango SPF 30 spray which smells so good and is incredibly protective, the atomic orange neon SPF 50 stick idea for throwing in my beach bag, and the mineral SPF 70 facial sunscreen for extra protection.
No B.S. Skincare stands out because they ban over 1,500 harmful ingredients from their skincare line. They partner with organizations to create environmental change, as well as use packaging and ingredients that are sustainable. While they are a more expensive price point for target (ranging from $18 to $50), their products make it worth the buy. With eye creams, acne patches, serums, creams, and toners, they have something for every skin concern.
My recommendations: I love their retinol night cream, the pure hyaluronic acid serum, and the caffeine eye cream (comparable to banana bright eye cream).
Fashion designer Jason Wu entered the world of clean beauty to bring us his makeup brand which is centered on natural beauty, neutral colors, and soft glam. I love how it’s affordable, making it ideal for everyone. It’s meant to elevate your natural beauty without putting too much product on and that aligns with my personal makeup style—less is more. From lip masks to palettes, to eyeliners and highlighter sticks, there are monochromatic shades for everyone.
My recommendations: eyeshadow primer that comes in shades for various skin tones, brows before boys eyebrow and hairline powder, and beauty mark faux freckle stick.
Frank Body is an amazing brand made famous for their scrubs. All of their products are chemical free and made with coffee bases for the best in exfoliating. They consist of natural ingredients like Vitamin E, almond oil, coconut oil, and grapeseed oil. I love taking this extra step when I’m in the shower because it leaves my skin super soft and the aroma fills my bathroom with a coffee scent.
My recommendations: cacao coffee scrub which smells delicious and like you’re showering in chocolate, in your dreams sleep scrub and soak, and lip duo balm and scrub (similar to Lush lip scrubs, but better).
Function of Beauty is an innovative, customizable hair care brand that is affordable and exclusive to Target, and personalized for you and you only. It works in four steps where you first choose a shampoo and conditioner for your specific hair type, then select three booster shots for your hair goals, pour the boosters into each shampoo and conditioner, and then shake it to activate your personalized hair care regimen. You can choose a base for straight, wavy, curly, or coily hair and mix with the corresponding boosters.
My recommendations: since I have straight hair, the coconut water shampoo and avocado oil conditioner are my bases, while I like the deep condition, anti-frizz, and color protection boosters for my hair type.
Billion Dollar Beauty is a customizable makeup palette with a magnetic lining so you can choose which products to put in it. Once you use them up, remove the disk and replace them with new ones. I’ve never seen such a unique and affordable way of creating your own palette (the box is only $6 and the individual products are $4.89). Pick between highlighters, matte and shimmer eyeshadow, brow pomade and powder, and blush (all are certified clean and cruelty-free).
My recommendations: the pink billion dollar box, taupe brow pomade, and imagine highlighter.
Bondi Sands is one of the most popular, high-quality and affordable self tanning brands on the market. All of their products work well, keep you glowing, and don’t streak or leave your orange. I haven’t self-tanned in a while, but when I do, this is my go-to brand. They carry things like body tanning milk, remover, gloss cream, tanning foam, face tanner, and mitts.
My recommendations: self-tanning foam, GLO shimmer body cream, and the liquid gold foam. These products give me a shimmery yet natural tan and glow.
C’est Moi is a quirky beauty and makeup brand that specializes in skincare for sensitive skin, like my own. These colorful products are chemical-free and safe for the environment. They pride themselves on making you feel good and even though they’re curated for sensitive skin, their products work for all skin types. For beauty, C’est Moi has everything from sunscreens, makeup remover, masks, scrubs, and blemish treatment pads. When it comes to makeup, they carry eyeshadows, mascara, highlighter, glosses, and blush.
My recommendations: their kitschy marshmallow and white clay cloud mask, love cream eyeshadow in crushing (a show-stopping fuchsia color), and the visual artist makeup crayon set which has colorful shades to use as eyeliner or eyeshadow.
When I’m looking to treat my skin with natural products Derma-E is one of my favorite skincare brands. Certified clean and cruelty-free, their prices are a lot more affordable than similar brands. They specialize in creating serums, cleansers, creams, exfoliators, treatments, and essential products for specific skin concerns like anti-aging and acne.
My recommendations: purifying day scrub made with charcoal and Algae extract, Vitamin C citrus facial peel, and no dark circle perfecting eye cream (my holy grail skincare product).
Color Story is a makeup brand that prides itself on diversity and inclusion. It was created in 2018 to celebrate the “world’s rainbow of skin tones.” Being a huge fan of pigmented eyeshadow palettes, I’m in love with the vast array of colors they carry. From matte to shimmer, and metallic to glitter, all their shades are fun, loud, and vivacious. They do have some neutrals, but the majority of their hues are bold. Target carries six of their 16 color palettes and each is only $10.
My recommendations: ocean oasis palette with matte, shimmer, and metallic shades of pinks, purple, gold, green and blue and the techtopia palette that features blues, pinks, reds, and blues. I also love the escapism palette for its neutral tones.
Erase Makeup has only one product sold at Target, but it speaks for itself. The revolutionary cleansing cloth is made for all skin types and it’s reusable and chemical free. It works by removing all traces of makeup and you can throw it in the wash making it a sustainable and affordable alternative (it’s only $10) to makeup removing wipes.
My recommendations: the revolutionary facial cleansing cloth comes in three colors (pink, green, and lavender); I have one of each.
Ella + Mila is an eco-friendly, high-end nail polish brand. They’re all about making shades and products for everyone while being sustainable and environmentally friendly. They have a ton of colors to pick from and each is long-lasting. Ella + Mila also carries nail strengtheners, top coats, cuticle oil, primer, and polish remover.
My recommendations: after party, a pink and purple confetti polish and their matte top coat to seal in my manicure. I’m also obsessed with no more biting polish. If you’re someone like me who has a nasty habit of biting their nails, this product will make you stop by giving you a bitter taste.
Makeup Revolution is my favorite makeup brand, so when I saw Target started carrying their products, I was ecstatic! I am obsessed with every single product they make and have been for quite some time. Not only are their prices some of the most affordable, their products are also top quality. They create makeup for all shades and all ages (my mother and I both adore them!). I would compare Makeup Revolution to a better quality version of Elf or a more affordable version of NYX. Some of their products are eyeshadow palettes, blush, mascara, eyeliner, foundation, primer, tonics, serums, and cleansers.
My recommendations: pro blur stick primer, reloaded eyeshadow palette (I have a few, but my favorite is the colorful palette “Marvelous Mattes”), and mink effect mascara.
For years, I loved using Pacifica’s beauty and makeup line. Aside from being made with high quality ingredients, their products are clean, vegan, and cruelty-free. They also come in gorgeous packaging which is recyclable. Pacifica has a ton of unique products ranging from makeup and skincare to lotion and hair care…they even have facial rollers.
My recommendations: salty waves beach hair balm, cosmic reflect hemp infused eyeshadow palette (I mentioned this palette before on A Girl in NYC), and green detox kale and charcoal face mask.
Rosen Skincare is another clean, environmentally friendly, and toxin-free skin care brand sold in the Target beauty aisle. I had never heard of this black owned beauty brand before, but after discovering it, I’m obsessed. They use Earth-inspired ingredients like Niacinamide, Zinc Oxide, and Eucalyptus Oil that help with breakouts and brightening your skin. I love the minimalist packaging (their jars and bottles add to my bathroom decor) and while they only have a few products, a toner, serum, mask, cleanser, and moisturizer, they’re all must-tries!
My recommendations: tropics moisturizer for when my skin is dry, super smoothie cleanser which smooths and brightens my skin, and the earth mask is perfect for combatting active breakouts.
Versed is a high-performance brand that creates top quality skincare at drugstore prices. This clean, sustainable, cruelty-free skincare brand has minimalist packaging that looks pretty sitting on my beauty shelf. They carry innovative cleansing balms, serums, sunscreen, brightening glows, lip oil, exfoliators and even hydrating milk.
My recommendations: daily mineral SPF 35 sunscreen, microcrystal exfoliator, and the weekend glow brightening solution.
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