My 4 very favorite high-end makeup drug store dupes will leave you with the same results as the original products but save you about $96!
I have always been one to say “just because it costs more doesn’t mean it’s better”. In fact, I say it so much that the other day I was about to say it to my husband for the hundredth time and before I could finish my sentence, he repeated it back to me instead haha. I was so proud.
Because it’s true. And it is especially true when it comes to makeup! So many companies charge several dollars more per item just because a well known name brand is attached to it. When in fact, there are other products made out of the same ingredients that are just as good (and in some cases can be even better).
Here are my 4 very favorite high-end makeup drug store dupes:
1. Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink ($7.12) in place of LipSense ($25), and Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick ($20).
This stuff is literally all that and a bag of chips. I have never in my whole entire life loved a lipstick more. It stays on all day (no exaggerating here), it doesn’t flake, it doesn’t dry your lips, it doesn’t smudge or smear, and it doesn’t require a top coat or for you to layer it on. Just apply it like regular lipstick. I have 6 different shades and at some point will be getting all 20. You can purchase it at Walmart or for about 50 cents cheaper on Amazon. It’s one of those products that’s actually BETTER than the high-end ones.
In this picture I’m wearing color “Lover”
2. Maybelline Makeup Brow Precise Micro Eyebrow Pencil ($6.59) in place of Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz ($21).
After hearing about the Brow Wiz and trying it and falling in love…I realized that it was just too pricy for me. So I went out to find a cheaper option that would still be as precise as the Brow Wiz. Just over two years ago I finally found the Brow Precise and have been using it ever since. I am absolutely obsessed with it! It has a very very small tip on it for extremely precise lines, the color stays on all day, and there’s no sharpening necessary. It is literally the exact same thing as the Brow Wiz but ⅓ of the cost! I get the shade “deep brown”
In this picture I have the Maybelline Makeup Brow Precise Micro Eyebrow Pencil on my eyebrows.
3. Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder ($5.50) in place of Kat Von D Lock it Powder Foundation ($35).
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Kat Von D Lock it Foundation. But the Fit Me Matte looks and feels the same on my skin and for the difference in price- that’s amazing to me! It completely gets rid of any shininess, stays on for hours, diminishes pores, and is $30 cheaper! I wear shade 130 “Buff Beige”. In the Lock it Foundation Powder I wear shade 48.
4. Maybelline New York Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation ($6.26) in place of Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation ($40).
I have been using the Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation for three years now. I have tried SO MANY TIMES to find something I like better but I haven’t been able to. Full disclosure here, this is what I use as my go to everyday foundation. BUT I do use a different combination of foundation for special occasions and photo shoots, etc. What I love about this foundation is that it is full coverage but very light weight on the skin. It feels almost identical on my skin as the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation! I love that it covers up my flaws but doesn’t suffocate my skin. Plus…its over $30 cheaper than Urban Decay soooo #winning. I use shade 30 in the Dream Liquid Mousse.
The Best Foundation Hack You’ll Ever Find:
I might be weird but I have to have full coverage on my face. I just hate putting on foundation only to have it be semi-sheer and not fully cover up my blemishes. So my number one favorite foundation EVER is the Kat Von D Lock it Foundation. I have yet to find a drug store dupe for this foundation (but I WILL forever be on the look out for one, don’t you worry). However, this is expensive stuff ($35 a bottle) and the cheap-o in me just has a hard time constantly spending that kind of money on foundation plus it is really heavy on your face. I mean it when I say that this stuff LASTS and lasts and lasts and lasts and is the fullest coverage I have ever had… so it makes sense that it’s heavy.
So on days where I have a photo shoot or a special occasion, here’s what I do. I mix 1 part (1 squirt) Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation and 2 parts (2 squirts) Kat Von D Lock it Foundation together and then apply it to my face. This gives me that super long lasting and thick coverage with way less heaviness to it. This also makes my bottle of Kat Von D Lock it Foundation last twice as long. I only buy it twice a year and my cheap-o self can justify that. In the Kat Von D Foundation I get shade 48 in the winter, 49 in the summer.
In this picture I’m wearing the mix of the two foundations and the Maybelline Superstay Matte Lipstick in color “Dreamer”
There ya have it! Those are my favorite drug store dupes for high-end makeup products! I’m always on the look out for more dupes…there are hundreds I’m sure! If there are any that you use, I would love to hear them!
