I don't buy foundation from the drugstore. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I did, even as a teenager. I may never have.
For the past 8 years at least, all of my foundations have been either MAC, Giorgio Armani, or Tarte.
About a year or so ago, I had recently made a new friend and the time came when we started playing around with makeup together. I was using her own makeup to apply on her and the foundation she was using was Covergirl. I was astounded by how bad it was. I could barely apply it because it was so thick, pasty, and gloppy. Even she admitted that she barely used it and that she didn't like it. I immediately took her to Target to buy a new one. She didn't want to spend a lot of money on high end foundation so we ended up getting her one by Boots. Even that was a vast improvement over the Covergirl. The Covergirl foundation was one of their classic formulas. I think trying to use that foundation on her served as a reminder to me to stay away from drugstore foundation. There may be other brands that are better but I wouldn't trust anything in the class of Covergirl or lower, such as Maybelline, Rimmel, NYC or Wet n Wild. If I ever tried a d/s foundation it would have to be Revlon, L'Oreal, Neutrogena, or Almay.
When it comes to powder I think that there are some fine drugstore products such as Physician's Formula or Almay. In fact, Almay made one of my favorite powders and discontinued it. I forgot what the name was but it was the kind made with water so that when you put it on it had a cooling effect on your face.
I actually think the next powder I buy is going to be L'Oreal True Match Mineral powder. It's new for Spring 2014 and I am anxious to try it and review it on my blog. I would wear this in combination with my current foundation, which is MAC Face & Body.
The product I almost exclusively go drugstore on is mascara. I think that many d/s mascaras hold up to their more expensive HE counterparts.
I'll also buy blush and lipstick from the drugstore. For eye shadows, I have yet to meet a drugstore eyeshadow that I like. I'll usually go high-end or indie mineral for eye shadows. MAC and Urban Decay are probably my most go-to brands for eye shadows.