Wednesday, May 30, 2012

makeup dupes. drugstore vs. high end.

I don't know about you but when I go to the drugstore looking for makeup, I used to have no idea what I was doing. A couple years ago I started developing a hobby for makeup. After all the research and trials, I know a lot of quality items that you can find at any local store. I'm hoping by posting this that someone will benefit and now waste their money on crappy products. Because makeup is a hobby of mine I have invested in high end products as well, and I have come to find that there are many drugstore dupes out there, which is what this post is about.

Lets start out with foundation. I rotate between 2 different foundations, one is from the drugstore and the other is high end. My high end foundation is Chanel Vita Lumier Aqua. I love this because it doesn't feel like you are wearing heavy makeup, but gives you incredible coverage. Because it is from Chanel it is very pricey at about $50.

The only drugstore foundation that I have found that I love is Revlon's Colorstay. It is a pretty heavy coverage foundation so if you don't like a semi-heavy foundation I would not recommend this. I, however do not mind at all and love the flawless coverage. The Revlon alternative gives the same affect for a fraction of the cost at about $9.

Let's move on to bronzer. I feel like bronzer is important to wear because your face should be multi-dimensional, and not one color. You can use it by dusting along your cheeks and forehead or a more drastic look by contouring the cheek bones. A great high end bronzer that I own is Nars "laguna". Its a perfect, non-orange color with just a hint of shimmer. This product runs for about $26. I have found the most amazing dupe for literally about $3.  I actually like the drugstore version better, and that is NYC "sunny" bronzer. This one is actually matte which I prefer.




Now for blush, these 2 products are not alike in color, but are both perfect for everyday wear. My high end product is Nars "gaiety", a gorgeous hot pink. In the packaging it looks extreamlely bright, but when you put it on it gives you the perfect flush. A wonderful drugstore blush that serves the same purpose would be Elf "candid coral", a warm shimmery peach. You can get any Elf products at target and it is only $3.


Next is eye shadows. One color every girl should have is a good taupe color because it goes with every eye color. It is such a simple color to simply sweep over the lid and go. My high end shadow is Mac's "satin taupe". This is a beautifully pigmented purple toned taupe. This sells for $15. The drugstore dupe for this eye shadow is Covergirl "tapestry taupe". It is really pigmented just like the Mac one but have more of a golden tone to it, but just as beautiful. I believe Covergirl eye shadows just for about $4 each.

It's always a good idea to have a good palette to take with you on the go. The high end one that I own and LOVE is the Urban Decay naked palette. It includes 12 eye shadows ranging from a highlighters to crease colors to dark colors to line your eyes. The palette is about $48 but has proved me to be well worth it. A good dupe is a Revlon quad in "addictive". It contains a matte highlight, a shimmery all over the lid color, a great taupe, and a matte dark brown. This would be great for anyone starting out with make up because it has all the essential colors. I can't remember how much it costs but no more that $8. In the picture I picked out a few of my favorites from the Naked palette to swatch.


Here is another case where I pick the drugstore option over the high end. Mascara. Everybody needs to own Covergirl lash blast if they like long, thick lashes. I love this mascara so much and always find myself repurchasing it. It sells for about $9. A very similar high end is Benefit's bad gal lash. I would say that this mascara gives you more volume rather than length, but is an awesome mascara none the less.

Personally I love wearing a nude lip everyday. My favorite high end nude lipstick is Mac's creme d'nude. It blanks out the bright pigmentation in your lips but without making you look like you are dead. Mac lipsticks run for about $15. A drugstore lipstick that is almost identical is Revlon's soft nude. They are a bit different in that the Mac one is a bit more pink toned and the revlon more brown toned. The Revlon lipstick can be bought for about $8.



Stay tuned for my next post which will be a tutorial on how to get an adorable vintage floral design on your nails.


Please please please leave comments and leave me feedback or suggestions on what you like me to post about. Thanks so much for reading!

12 comments:

  1. So cute! I love the advice! Do you feel like high end make up doesn't crease as much as drug store make up by the end of the day?

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    1. it doesn't matter what kind of eye shadow you have all you need is a good primer! i have super oily eye lids and they used to crease after like 3 hours. my favorite is the urban decay primer potion. its kind of expensive but i promise you it'll change your life!! haha or i like mac's paint pot in painterly.

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  2. I loved this. You're the best.

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    1. The make up products are also available in a drugstore and are cheaper. A lot of quality items are found in the local store as well.
      mineral make up

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  3. Looking for a good dupe for #1. Mac lipstick in Diva and #2. Benefit Mascara in They're Real.
    Thanks a million!

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    1. I've found Covergirl's The Professional to be a great drugstore dupe for They're Real! The brush is fiber so it doesn't give the kind of separation that Benefit's mascara has but it has the same volumizing and lengthening after a couple coats it looks almost identical! I still prefer They're Real! but at $4, Covergirl can't be beat! Hope that helps. :)

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    2. Wet n Wild matte lipstick in Cherry Bomb is a good dupe for Diva.

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  4. makeup dupes drugstore vs the high end stores are described here. Read all about it
    mineral make up

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  5. Thanks for this. Just what I needed. Just an FYI at the beginning it says "now buy crappy" instead of "not buy" crappy. Thought you might like to know that. :-)

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  6. Hello, I'm new at writing blogs ..... how do you get people to look at your blogs?
    its funny because I was in the process of writing a dupe blog without stepping anyone's toes when it comes to similarities. any advice?

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  7. I've been looking for a dupe for Chanel's Les Tissages De Chanel Blush Duo Tweed Effect in Rose #30. Any suggestions?

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