If you're a makeup lover like me, you know that it can be an expensive hobby. However, there are lot of different "dupes" or similarities between certain high-end and drugstore brands and products. Here are a few that I have tried. While some of these might not be straight-across dupes, they can still serve the same purpose for someone, or show more affordable options!
1. Elf's felt-tip liner vs. Stilla's felt-tip liner.
This may be the only straight-across dupe on the list. The longevity of the wear and the color of the product holds true for both. They both have the similar applicator, but the Stilla has a slightly sharper tip. However, on this one I would save the money and go with Elf's.
Elf's eyeliner: $3.
Stilla's: $22.
2. L'oreal's Infallible Pro-Matte vs. Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation.
So for these foundations I would say they are best for people with oily or combination skin. If you do have dry skin, you could get away with it, however, you might be better off with a more dewy look, which neither of these foundations apply to. I personally like the L'Oreal's foundation more; however, the upside of the Estee's foundation is that there's a wider variety of shades to match your skin with. If you are someone who's successful in finding a true match in the drugstore, I would say L'Oreal's takes the cake. Estee's sets too much on the face and makes a lot more while L'Oreal'll seep into the skin for the more natural look.
Estee Lauder's Double Wear: $38.
L'oreal Infallible Pro-Matte: $10.
3. Urban Decay's Electric palette vs. NYX Brights palette.
OK so, I'm going to be honest here and admit I have just recently been playing with "out-of-the -box shades." Even though I'm more of a neutral shades gal, I have enjoyed bringing some color into my life. First let's talk about the Electric palette. This one is amazing! Colors are extremely pigmented and long-wearing. They go great under the eye, or as blush, and additionally, as eyeshadows. You also get a lot of product as well. The Brights palette on the other hand has 12 shades, so it has two more shades than the Electric palette. You can also wear the Brights palette under the eye; however, with their formula, it might rub off faster. I would say if you're someone who likes a good value in a palette, then the Brights palette is for you. But, if you're serious about the extremely color and extreme wear, I would go with the Electric. Both have good pigmentation, so it comes down to the variety and longevity with the palette. For variety go with Brights, for longevity go for Electric. Also, the Electric Palette comes with a double-ended brush and the Brights palette does not come with any.
Urban Decay's Electric palette: $49.
NYX's Brights palette: $18.
4. Make Up Forever ultra HD translucent press powder, and Milani's translucent press powder.
I would like to first say that Milani is a kickass drugstore brand. Their lipsticks smell amazing and have great pigmentation, so I can already vouch for this brand. Don't get me wrong, Make Up Forever has amazing products as well, but the prices can be a little intimidating. Make Up Forever's translucent powder is great; however, it is costly. The biggest difference between these products besides cost would be the feeling of the product. Make Up Forever's powder is creamy and has good pigmentation. However, the Milani's comes off more naturally onto the skin, and does not need much blending. The drawback for Milani's is the product (this happened to me halfway through) gets chalky and is almost unusable. Make Up Forever's formulations hold up, but you do not get a lot of product, thus you hit pan quickly. So, with my review it might not sound like you should get either of these products, which is simply not the case. Both of these products at the end of the day do their job, but I will investigate into other products to see if there are better powders out there.
Make Up Forever HD translucent powder: $35.
Milani's translucent powder: $9.99.
5. MAC's Veluxe Brow Pencil and NYX's eyebrow pencil.
So, for this dupe I would have to say that Nyx eyebrow pencil takes the cake, and here's why: the eyebrow brush that it comes with blends out the product perfectly, while the blending tool on MAC's leaves my eyebrows like an unblended mess. Surprisingly, NYX has more variety of eyebrow shades than MAC does when it comes to the eyebrow pencils. The one benefit to MAC's is that it is an actual pencil and not a rollup one, so you can sharpen it the way you please to get a more accurate shape.
MAC's brow pencil: $22.
NYX's brow Pencil: $5.99.
6. NYX's liquid suede lipsticks and Kat Von D's liquid lipsticks.
We all know that Kat Von D's brand is known for her eyeshadow contour palettes and her liquid lipsticks. However, NYX has a wide variety of shade just like Kat Von D's does. NYX is also one of those brands that keeps up on the newest trends so you can get some interesting colors. The one difference would be that you might have to touch up your NYX lipstick more, which may not be as food and drink friendly. However, drugstore or high end, I have yet to find a perfect lipstick that won't budge for drinks or food.
NYX's liquid suede lip sticks: $6.99.
Kat Von D's liquid lipsticks: $20.
