If you're anything like me, you love makeup, absolutely love it. However, being addicted to makeup can have quite the impact on your pockets. I did not start being super conscious about the cost of makeup until I got to college and realized I needed to allocate my money a little differently, but why wait? You can start saving a few extra dollars now!

1. Mascara

When it comes to makeup, I'm typically much more of a simpler girl. A little mascara, a little illuminator/highlighter, a nude matte lippie or gloss, and maybe even a little wing on my eyeliner if I'm feeling fancy that day. However, the secret to really making your natural look POP is finding a really great mascara that adds volume and length to your lashes. Originally, I used to use Christian Dior's Diorshow mascara which retails at Sephora for $27.50. I love this mascara because it really adds volume to my naturally curly lashes while simultaneously elongating them, but I found a very similar, arguably better mascara for much less. The dupe for Dior's Diorshow mascara is Maybelline's Volum' Express The Falsies Mascara - Black Drama. This dupe can be found on Amazon for only $5.49. This is an amazing dupe mainly because I think it's a little better than the Diorshow formula as it's not as thick and clumpy. In addition to it not being super thick or clumpy it also does a great job of giving you the length and volume Dior's Diorshow mascara typically would.

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2. BB Cream

So when I do like to get a little fancy with my makeup routine I like to apply some Beauty Balm Cream, otherwise known as BB Cream in the makeup world, just to give my face a nice smooth foundation. I prefer using a BB cream over foundation in my makeup routine because a lot of times depending on the brand the coverage of a BB cream isn't as heavy as a foundation. Unlike foundation BB creams do a lot more than just conceal or act as a base for your makeup. They also act as a primer, moisturizer, sunscreen, skin treatment, foundation, and concealer; it's like six products in one. The more expensive BB Cream I used to use was MAC Cosmetics's Prep + Prime BB Beauty Balm SPF 35 which retails at $31. It gave me the perfect amount of coverage and worked wonders for my often oily to combination skin. Now I use a much more inexpensive version of this BB cream, and it is Maybelline's Dream Bronze Beauty Balm. You can pick this dupe on Amazon for $13.99. Once again I found myself loving this dupe more than the original because it has a few more benefits. This particular BB cream illuminates skin, warms skin tone, evens skin, veils any imperfections, protects with SPF 25, hydrates skin, and refreshes and smooths skin. It's basically eight products in one, not to mention it gives you a bronzy, glowing look. Also, it's brown girl friendly as I use the Medium-Deep Bronze shade.

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3. Primer

Ok prior to putting on any makeup you should always try and prime your face because it's going to make your makeup appear much smoother overall. Originally I used to use Benefit Cosmetics's The POREfessional Face Primer which retails at Sephora for $31. I was a huge fan of Benefit's primer because it really helped to minimize the appearance of the pores near my t-zone and made applying my makeup so much easier. However, I recently came across E.L.F Cosmetic's Mineral Infused Face Primer and I absolutely love it. It retails on Amazon for $5.69. First of all, I love this primer because my skin tends to be a little more on the oily side but this primer stops my skin from appearing too oily. Also, this primer has a really light feel to it and minimizes the appearance of my pores. All in all, I think Elf's Primer is definitely worth investing in.

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4. Highlighting/Contouring

So when I'm not being a simple girl and I want to get super duper fancy, I highlight and contour my face. With highlighting and contouring being such a popular makeup trend lately, it's safe to say there's a bunch of different products out there to help you achieve that chiseled, defined look. I found myself using Smashbox's Step by Step Contour Kit in Medium/Deep which retails at Sephora for $45. When I first started using this product I loved, loved, loved it because it was super easy to use and it even came with a how to manual for specific face shapes. In addition to coming with a manual this contour kit even came with a brush, which is super helpful because I didn't have to purchase one separately. However, when the bronzer that came with this particular contour kit began to “hit pan" I went in search of another contour/highlighting kit. On a trip to Ulta I stumbled across NYX's Wonder Stick in Deep. This dupe costs about $6.73 on Amazon. I think this is like the holy grail of highlight and contouring kits for several reasons. First of all it's a stick so it's compact and super easy to apply because you're applying the product directly where you want it to be on your face. Secondly, the stick is creamy so it's easy to blend and build upon. Finally, unlike a lot of other NYX's products for the face this contour stick is actually brown girl friendly as the Deep contouring shade is actually dark enough to contour my brown skin. I absolutely love this dupe and I believe you will too!

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5. Beauty Blender

What good is purchasing that great contour and highlighting wonder stick if you can't probably blend it out? It's simply no good! I'm all about compact easy beauty tools so when I got word of the beauty blender or the “egg" as some call it I immediately had to get my hands on it. I picked up the very first beauty blender I saw at Sephora and it was The Original Beautyblender's Beautyblender which retails at $20. After my first beauty blender got all beat up and worn out I decided it was time to get new one, so once again I took a trip to Ulta. I decided to try Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge which retails at $6 on Amazon. I really like this beauty blender because it's three dimensional so the different sides of the beauty blender allows me to blend on all parts of my face. In addition to being three dimensional this beauty blender is also really firm, definitely a purchase you should consider in the near future.

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6. Setting Spray

Typically you spend quite a bit of time doing your makeup, so you want to invest in a setting spray that will leave your makeup just right. When I first started wearing makeup I looked to YouTube for a lot of suggestions, and a lot of beauty gurus talked about Urban Decay's All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray which retails at Sephora for $30. I swear by this setting spray because it literally keeps your makeup in place all night long, trust me on this one. However just recently as I found myself trying to spend my money wisely I came across NYX's Matte Finish Setting Spray which retails for $6.37 on Amazon. I love this setting spray because it comes in a bottle that will last quite a while and it's available in two finishes. Personally, I use the matte finish as opposed to the dewy finish because my skin is already oily so I don't want to add more shine. In addition to the bottle size and multiple finishes, this setting spray actually keeps my makeup in place all throughout the day and night so it's definitely worth a try.

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7. Liquid to Matte Lipsticks/Lipstains

If you're into makeup at all right now, you should already know that liquid to matte lipsticks are all the craze right now, and rightfully so because they're absolutely amazing and can go with almost any look. I have tried almost every liquid to matte lippie out there from Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipstick that retails at Sephora for $20 and Coloured Raine's Liquid Lipstick that retails on their website at $16. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love these brands and the array of different colors that they have, but there's a much more inexpensive brand out there and it goes by the name of Colourpop Cosmetics. Colourpop Cosmetics is an up and coming brand that's gaining a lot of popularity with its most recent collaborations with beauty guru “ItsMyRayeRaye" and celebrity Karrueche Tran. I absolutely love Colourpop because their liquid lippies are only $9 on Amazon and they come in an array of different colors from nudes to dark purples, it's an amazing brand and you should definitely go and check it out.

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8. Eyeliners 

When I'm not being a simple girl when it comes to doing my makeup, I am all about colors and making sure my colors pop! When I first used to wear makeup and my mom would finance my addiction she would get me NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner that retails on their website for $25. The name for this eyeliner is so accurate because after applying it to my waterline and sometimes my creases my eyes instantly began to pop and definitely were larger than life. After I came to college and started buying my own makeup I started trying out a much more inexpensive brand, which was NYX Cosmetics Slide On Eyeliner Pencil which retails on Amazon for $7.99. I love this dupe because it comes in almost all the same colors as NARS eyeliner pencils and it glides on so effortlessly, not to mention that it is waterproof and it stays on all day.

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So what are you waiting for? Get out and try a couple of these dupes, you and your pockets will thank me later!

Please note that prices are accurate and items in stock as of the time of publication. As an Amazon Associate, Odyssey may earn a portion of qualifying sales.