Have you ever gone to Sephora to buy new makeup, only to find you’ve spent over $100 for only a few products? It is super easy to blow your entire budget when it comes to makeup. However, with a little bit of smart shopping, you can save a ton of money by buying cheaper alternatives to designer makeup products that work just as well!
Here are nine drug store alternatives to popular makeup products that will help you save money while still looking fabulous!
An eyeshadow primer keeps your eye makeup bright and long-lasting. The Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion is one of the most popular ones on the market. However, at a price tag of $20 for an 11 ml tube, you may be better off using the Rimmel Stay Matte foundation as a primer. A foundation? Yes, this Rimmel foundation has a thick, sticky texture that works just as well as the Urban Decay primer. Rimmel also sells an actual eyeshadow primer, however, we find that the stay matte foundation works better, is cheaper, and comes with more product. You can buy the Rimmel Stay Matte foundation from Ulta for only $4.99. Even better? The Rimmel product is less watery and comes with much more product than the Urban Decay primer.
Kabuki brushes are the in makeup tools for applying powder foundations and bronzers. But why spend more than you need to on a brush? The e.l.f. Studio Kabuki Face Brush for only $6 from e.l.f. works just as well as the much more expensive Too Faced Retractable Kabuki Brush.
The Clinique Chubby Stick doubles as a lip color and lip moisturizer, and is much easier to apply than traditional lipstick. However, for $17, it comes at a pretty steep price. Luckily, the e.l.f. Essential Jumbo Lip Gloss Sticks work just as well. And for only $2 a piece, you can collect all eight colors for less than the price of one Clinique chubby stick. While the physical makeup stick isn’t as fancy as the Clinique one, there is little to no difference between the actual products.
No need to spend $20 on pencil eye liner. You can save $15 by buying Rimmel’s Soft Kohl Eyeliner, which works just as well.
Just because a mascara is more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean that it works better. We’ve found that the Maybelline Volume Express mascaras work just as well as the expensive, designer-brand ones. And while the Diorshow mascara seems to clump pretty easily, the Maybelline Colossal mascara keeps your lashes separated and long.
There are tons of pressed powders and translucent finishing powders on the market. Using a pressed powder helps keep your foundation in place, and can be used to touch-up your makeup during the day and get rid of shine. The Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder costs only $4.99 from Ulta, and works surprisingly very well. No need to spend $24!
Concealer is a staple to any makeup collection. And it is difficult to find a good concealer that is also affordable. However, for only $6 from Wal-Mart, the Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer is worth a try! Beauty gurus all over YouTube rave about this product. It is a heavy duty concealer, and is especially useful for helping shape your eyebrows. Plus, it also comes with a concealer pencil!
Gel and cream eyeliners are great for creating dramatic, winged lines. The L’Oreal Infallible Gel Lacquer for $9.99 from Ulta is a fabulous alternative to the more expensive Laura Mercier one.
As the contour craze is fairly new, contour sticks were only recently introduced to the cosmetics market. One side of the stick is a bronzer for contouring your face, and the other side is a shimmery highlighter. The Chiaroscuro Contour and Highlight Stick by beauty guru Michelle Phan’s cosmetic line is so popular that it was sold out on her website for a while. However, the NYX Wonder Stick has the same design and concept and costs less than half the price.
Stay beautiful everyone! And remember, the prettiest type of “makeup” is kindness, confidence and a smile.