Photo: Keate

Finding a deal on a lipstick or lotion once meant facing narrow aisles, crammed shelves, and absolutely no guidance. (Wondering how that mauve blush will look on you? Guess. Not sure if that foaming cleanser is right for your skin? Neither is anyone else in the vicinity.) But many discount stores have reinvented their beauty aisles, offering close to department store service (without, of course, department store prices).

CVS
Hundreds of stores now have wider aisles and display beauty items on low, backlit shelves. See nine drugstore treasures we love.

Target
Three new beauty lines—from makeup artists Napoleon Perdis, Jemma Kidd, and Petra Strand—are presented so you can experiment with colors in the store. (Soft lighting at these stations lets you assess the shades away from an unflattering fluorescent glare.) 

Kohl's
The only place you'll find five brands from Estée Lauder's BeautyBank (Flirt!, American Beauty, Good Skin, Grassroots, and Daisy Fuentes), also lets you test before you head to the register—and has trained beauty advisers you can turn to with questions. 

And if that blush or cleanser still doesn't work out once you get home? One hundred percent return policies mean your wallet is no worse off.

Find out how to look like a million without going broke!