Charithra Chandran says these 5 drugstore makeup products are better than their luxury counterparts

The 'Bridgerton' actress breaks down her budget-friendly faves

Beauty Crew Beauty Editor / April 16 2024

The cast members of Bridgerton and its spinoff Queen Charlotte are frequently spilling all their best beauty secrets to the public. 

Simone Ashley relies on luxury skin care products to keep her complexion looking camera-ready, India Amarteifio prefers a minimal makeup routine over a full glam beat, and Arsena Thomas actually admitted to stealing products from young Lady Danbury's on-set makeup kit

And now Charithra Chandran is throwing her hat in the ring, revealing to her fans the five drugstore products in her makeup bag she says are better than their luxury counterparts in a recent TikTok video. 

"Here are some of my favourite drugstore products that, to be honest, I reach for before I reach for my luxury products," she teased. 

Although some of her picks left us surprised, there were a few items mentioned that we also have stashed in our makeup bags. 

Keen to know which budget-friendly beauty buys made her list of must-haves and where you can buy them? Keep scrolling for the low down...

1/ e.l.f. cosmetics Liquid Glitter Eyeshadow ($28.21 from Amazon Australia)

"I literally have these in every single colour," Chandran admitted. "[I] put it on my eyelid and go [pat, pat, pat, pat] and [I'm] done."

The Bridgerton star claims the liquid shadows make excellent eyeshadow toppers, but she also really rates them as an alternative to traditional liquid eyeliner.

"I get a thinner brush and just use it [to line my lash line] and it's great," she dished. 

2/ Morphe Make It Big Brush-Tip Liquid Eyeliner ($24 from ASOS)

"This is maybe the best one I've ever tried," said Chandran of Morphe's Make It Big Brush-Tip Liquid Eyeliner pen; the longwearing formula promises 18 hour wear and a pigmented finish that's water-resistant and smudge proof. 

3/ Maybelline Lash Sky High Mascara ($15.39 from Chemist Warehouse)

We don't know a single person who's been disappointed by the Maybelline Lash Sky High Mascara, and it appears that Chandran is yet another yay-sayer of the top-rated lengthening and lash-defining mascara formula too.

"This is maybe my third tube, I love it," she admitted to her fans, explaining that she's vehemently opposed to clumpy mascara. 

4/ e.l.f. cosmetics Matte Magic Mist & Set ($11 from Catch)

"If you guys have seen my Vogue 'Get Ready With Me' video then you know this is an OG favourite of mine," said Chandran as she wiggled a bottle of e.l.f. cosmetics' Matte Magic Mist & Set setting spray at the camera. Infused with vitamins B and E, and arctium majus root, the finishing spray helps to set makeup in seconds and leaves skin with a natural-matte finish.

5/ Revolution Reloaded Palette Sugar Pie ($12 from Priceline)

"This is a newer purchase and I'm actually wearing it on my eye right now, but it's this Makeup Revolution eyeshadow palette," the 27-year-old explained to viewers as she flashed the brightly hued Sugar Pie palette.

The reason she loves the budget-friendly eye shadow option so much? "I don't personally wear these colours very often, so I think it's a bit silly spending loads and loads of money on a really expensive palette that you may use like once a month, if that," she advised. "Just go for this!".

"This was actually so much fun," she said as she signed off with a kiss for her fans. 

Watch Chandran's full drugstore makeup product breakdown below:

@charithra17 Having a massive makeup clear out and decided to round up my favourite makeup products 💄 #fyp #makeup #makeupdrugstore #drugstoremakeup #browngirlmakeup #grwm ♬ original sound - Charithra Chandran

Main image credit: @sarahillmakeup

Madelyn Cline is also partial to a budget-friendly beauty buy, the brand ambassador wore a full face of Revlon makeup to the Vanity Fair Oscars After Party this year.

Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).