A fancy coffee, a better tip at the salon, an addition to your piggy bank—these are just some of the things you can spend a few extra dollars on. And this is precisely why Alexis Simone, a shopping and makeup influencer who shares product reviews, recently told her followers, "Do not waste your money on these Dollar Tree beauty products. I don't care if they're only $1.25, these are not it." Keep reading for her full list of items to avoid at the dollar store, from dry shampoo to lipstick.
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1 | B.Pure Dry Shampoo
© @itsalexissimone / TikTokWhile holding up five different versions of the B.Pure dry shampoo in her TikTok video, Simone says, "I was so excited for these. It's Dollar Tree's version of Batiste dry shampoo. Like it literally says, compare to Batiste dry shampoo on the bottle."
However, Simone's first red flag was the scent of the blossom version, which she compares to Pam cooking spray. "It gives oil. It gives cleaning supply," she says.
The same is true for the others, too. She likens the crisp scent to rotten eggs and the watermelon to "bottom shelf alcohol."
2 | B.Pure Hydrating Hand Gel Cream
© @itsalexissimone / TikTokThis hand cream from Dollar Tree's B.Pure line is meant to be a dupe of Neutrogena's Hydro Boost Hand Gel Cream. However, Simone says it misses the mark.
"I just feel like it almost leaves that stickiness after," she shares. "It's just really watery. The first ingredient is literally water. I like more thick, nourishing moisturizer."
3 | B.Pure Hydrating Lipsticks
© @itsalexissimone / TikTokSimone can't figure out what brand these lipsticks are, but it appears they're the hydrating lipsticks from B.Pure, which frequently get new seasonal packaging.
She says she "can't tolerate" their smell. "It smells like grandma... It smells like a nursing home," she quips. However, even if the smell doesn't bother you, these may not be worth it.
"That one I just showed you, no color at all," Simone adds. She says a different lipstick has "some color," but the "color payoff is not worth the scent."
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4 | Clean Beauty Foundation
© @itsalexissimone / TikTokThese Clean Beauty cream foundations only come in two shades, "but the main issue is it's orange," says Simone.
"I had to use a lot of concealer to neutralize it," she adds. "It was scary."
5 | Taste Beauty Rugrats Collection Lip Gloss
© @itsalexissimone / TikTokSimone starts by saying that her negative opinion of this product is "controversial." She's trying a lip gloss from Taste Beauty's Rugrats Collection, specifically the "Tommy" high-shine lip gloss.
When she puts the product on it has a white shimmer tint, which she says is "not... cute." She adds, "I also don't like how it settles there," pointing to her bottom lip.
However, she points out that she's previously tried the pink version and liked it.
6 | Various Chapsticks
© @itsalexissimone / TikTokNext, Simone does a "speed round" of various chapsticks.
The first is the Blow Pop cherry lip balm, which she says smells "like air." Likewise, the tropical punch lip balm from Favorites "smells like nothing" to the influencer.
The final chapstick she tries is a berry pie scent also from the brand Favorites, which does smell, but not like it's supposed to. "This is cotton candy child's chapstick mixed with makeup wax," she says.
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7 | B.Pure Brow-Bone Highlighter
© @itsalexissimone / TikTokSimone was excited to try this brow-bone highlighter but was left disappointed, saying, "It's like waxy, it's kind of thick."
However, on a positive note, she does say that "it is pigmented" and "the color is not bad."
8 | itk Sunscreen
© @itsalexissimone / TikTokThe final item in Simone's shopping haul is another she has a "controversial" opinion on. It's the SPF 30 broad-spectrum sunscreen setting mist from itk, which is a name-brand skincare company.
Her issue with the product is how it gets in your hair when you spray it on your face: "You literally look like a grease ball in your hair after." She also thinks it'll cause your makeup to look greasy if used as a setting mist.