The days of only buying cosmetics at department or specialty stores are over! In the last few years drugstore brands have taken their products to the next level. The formulas are on par with their higher end counterparts and shade ranges are too. The best part, of course, is the price. At a fraction of the cost we can enjoy the benefits of new technology in cosmetics regardless of budget. Make up dupes are in fact a thing, and today I am sharing my favorite products with you!
Drugstore Make Up Dupes that Deliver
The dupes I am sharing today are drugstore beauty products that really work! They are all products I have been using for some time and have repurchased or will definitely repurchase. My mature skin looks and feels just as good (in some cases actually better) as when I was spending double on the same types of products.
I am finding that brands I thought I’d left behind with my youth like ELF, Wet n Wild, and Milani are now front and center in my make up routine! Let me also share that I found out about all of these products through social media. Youtubers and Tik Tok creators review and share their results on products and that allows me to become a more educated consumer. I hope you’ll feel that way as well as a result of reading this blog post!
ELF Make Up Dupes
ELF Power Grip Primer ($10) is a dupe for Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer ($36). Of course it’s much more affordable but still delivers great results. I swear my foundation stays put even in the heat! I also use this setting spray and I’d say it helps as well. I especially love that this primer can be used with any kind of foundation – whether it’s cream, powder, or liquid! The key is in the application – I pat it on and let my face feel tacky – do not try to smooth it or rub it in.
ELF Halo Glow is hard to find in stores and for good reason. At only $14 it is a dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Filter ($44). I have tried both and prefer ELF Halo Glow over the Flawless Filter. In fact, I actually threw out my partially used Flawless Filter. I didn’t like the way it felt on my skin and honestly didn’t see any change when I used it. The ELF Halo Glow seems to give me just a little extra lift or light if that makes sense. In the summer I can imagine wearing it without foundation. Since it is so hard to find in stores, I ordered my first one from Target and then got lucky enough to grab another while I was in store and they were restocking one day!
Wet N Wild Contour Stick
The last memory I have of owning a beauty product from Wet n Wild was in high school when I purchased a hot pink lipstick! Now I use their foundation and loose powder so I had no problem trying this contour stick in the shade Where’s Walnut. It’s great dupe for the bronzer stick offered by Rare Beauty. Again, this was hard to find in store so I ordered it on Amazon. I use this brush to blend it in, and let me tell you – it blends like a dream! I would like to try the blush in the shade Floral Majority too!
I am also loving this Essence lash primer! I’d say it’s a dupe for Lancome’s primer but I stopped using that years ago and used L’Oreal’s instead. This one is even more affordable and the applicator seems to get every lash!
Dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s Beauty Highlighter Wand
Makeup Revolution makes a highlighter that is a dupe for the Beauty Highlighter Wand from CT. Both have the same type of packaging – a sponge applicator and twist bottom. But at only $10, compared to CT’s $40 version, I found the Makeup Revolution Highlighter to be the clear winner! A little goes a long way with these highlighter creams and while I dab it on with the sponge applicator, I use a brush to blend it in.
Here’s my finished face! The majority of the products I am using are all drugstore brands.
The Next Drugstore Product I’ll Be Trying
As I have gotten older, it seems everything is drying out except my eyes! They water and tear more than ever. While I used to be able to wear any mascara, now they all end up running and I have racoon eyes by noon! I started using Prime Prometics Tubing Mascara and it has been the only one that stays put. Thrive makes a tubing mascara that has rave reviews and quite the following. The problem with both Thrive and Prime Prometics is that they need to be ordered from the company’s website and pay shipping unless you reach the threshold to get it free. Milani has a tubing mascara, called Highly Rated Lash Extensions Tubing Mascara that is reported to perform just as well. It is only $14 compared to $25 for Thrive’s mascara!
I hope you enjoyed this post – I appreciate you being here my friend and look forward to having you visit again! Please be sure to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest!
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