Beauty on a budget

Rachel Maxwell

The drugstore carries many cheaper alternatives to high-end makeup products.

Rachel Maxwell, Social Media Manager

Over the past year, drugstore makeup rapidly grew into a massive competitor for high-end makeup. Certain high-end products end up worth the investment in the long run, but the drugstore offers the majority of these product duplicates for a significantly less amount of money.

Tara Anastasoff

FACE:

SPLURGE: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder retails for $38.00. This product leaves skin looking matte all day without caking.

DUPE: NYX Cosmetics Studio Finishing Translucent Powder retails for $9.99. This product leaves skin looking matte and skin-like all day.

SPLURGE: Too Faced Baby Love blush retails for $26.00. This long-lasting, fade-proof, smudge-proof blush keeps cheeks flushed for “up to sixteen hours” according to the Too Faced website.

DUPE: Milani Romantic Rose Blush retails for $8.49.  This smooth, long lasting powder offers great coverage and gives cheeks the perfect hint of color.

SPLURGE: The Tarte Park Ave. Princess Contour Palette retails for $34.00. This three-in-one blush, contour, and highlight palette makes for a perfectly sculpted face.

DUPE: Maybelline Face Studio Master Contour Makeup Kit retails for $12.99. A three-in-one blush, contour, and highlight palette with high pigment, this products makes for the perfect face sculpting palette.

SPLURGE: Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer retails for $30.00. This medium to full coverage creamy concealer does not sink into fine lines, and leaves the skin looking luminous. It comes in a large variety of shades to match all skin types.  

DUPE: Maybelline Fit Me Concealer retails for $6.99. This lightweight full coverage concealer does not sink into fine lines.

SPLURGE: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation retails for $64.00. This lightweight product glides on smoothly creating a “glow from within” according to the Giorgio Armani website.

DUPE: L’oreal Paris True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous makeup retails for $12.95. This products claims to contain multiple ingredients that improve skin as you wear it. It leaves you with an all day glowy-skin appearance.

SPLURGE: Cover FX Mattifying Primer with Anti-Acne Treatment retails for $38.00. This product’s instantly mattifies skin and minimizes the look of pores.

DUPE: E.L.F Blemish Control Primer retails for $6.00. This product is filled with salicylic acid, vitamin E, and tea tree oil to help control acne while mattifying the skin.  

 

Tara Anastasoff

EYES:

SPLURGE: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz retails for $21.00. The ultra-thin tip makes shaping brows easy and precise.

DUPE: L’oreal Brow Stylist retails for $8.99. This product glides on, which makes filling in brows quick and easy.  

SPLURGE: Benefit Rollerlash Mascara retails for $24.00.  This product helps lift and curl the lashes.

DUPE: Maybelline Lashsensational Mascara retails for $8.99. The similar wands make the products almost identical.

SPLURGE: Kat Von D Tattoo Liner retails for $20.00. This product gives an ultra-fine tip used to achieve precise straight lines that last all day.

DUPE: Maybelline Eye Studio Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner retails for $7.99. The skinny felt tip liner creates precise, perfect, and long-lasting lines.

Tara Anastasoff

LIPS:

SPLURGE : Jeffree Star Cosmetics liquid lipstick in Dominatrix retails for $18. This completely vegan and cruelty free product dries matte, and last for hours.

DUPE: Milani liquid lipstick in Covet retails for $8.99. The similar color makes these products a perfect match. The smooth, lightweight formula dries completely matte.  

Although buying expensive high-end makeup seems more effective,  the drugstore offers cheaper alternatives similar to those of high-end products. Plus, these duplicates exist on shelves on nearly every corner at Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, and similar retailers instead of having to order online or in high-end stores not readily available nearby.