I am constantly on the hunt for new makeup, and I love when I find a dupe that doesn’t break the bank, but still gives me the results I seek in a perfect makeup look. Since I’m so passionate about makeup and money, I decided to share my favorite expensive and inexpensive makeup items, and even listed them (roughly) in the order that I put my makeup on! Enjoy!
Primer
Above: Benefit Cosmetics POREfessional Face Primer
Above: NYX Professional Makeup Angel Veil Skin Perfecting Primer
Splurge: Benefit POREfessional
Save: NYX Angel Veil, e.l.f. Poreless Primer
I jumped on Benefit’s POREfessional bandwagon and I don’t regret it. It helps give your skin that flawless airbrushed finish, which I love! Find it on Ulta for $32. On the other hand, Angel Veil by NYX is almost just as dreamy, and can be bought at Ulta for $16. If Angel Veil still breaks the bank, the Poreless Primer by e.l.f. is also a good primer, and is sold for $10, or $6 for a smaller version.
Above: Too Faced Born This Way Medium-to-Full Coverage Foundation
Above: L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation
Splurge: Too Faced Born This Way
Save: L’Oreal Infallible Foundation
The Born This Way line by Too Faced is genius, the foundation itself has amazing coverage and the foundation comes in a huge variety of colors, you can snatch it from Ulta for $39. L’Oreal’s Infallible Pro-Matte foundation was my go-to in high school, and I still get it when I’m in a pinch! It also has amazing coverage and you can get it at Ulta for $12.99.
Concealer
Above: Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer
Above: NYX Professional Makeup Hi Definition Photo Concealer Wand
Splurge: Too Faced Born This Way
Save: NYX HD Concealer
Again, Too Faced really snatched my heart (and money) with the Born This Way collection. I love this concealer, it’s so amazing that sometimes when I’m rushing I’ll just use it as a full face of foundation. You can get it at Ulta for $29. I also love the Hi Definition Photo Concealer by NYX, which gives amazing coverage that doesn’t feel too heavy. I would highly recommend it, especially since it’s only $6 at Ulta and comes in color-correcting shades!
Powder
Above: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
Above: Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder
Splurge: Laura Mercier Loose Powder
Save: Airspun Loose Powder
I love Laura Mercier’s loose setting powder, it’s so silky and really does a good job hiding concealer creases and won’t make you a victim of looking like a ghost in flash photography pictures! Buy it at Sephora for $39. I can’t lie though, Coty’s Airspun loose powder is amazing. It’s just as silky and does the job just as well as Laura Mercier, but for only $4.49 at Target.
Bronzer
Above: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer
Above: Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer
Splurge: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil
Save: Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer
First of all, both of these bronzers smell AMAZING. The Chocolate Soleil bronzer by Too Faced smells like heavenly chocolate, and the Butter Bronzer by Physicians formula smells like a tropical oasis. Both are blendable and buildable, whichever you buy basically just depends on how much money you want to spend. Find the Chocolate Soleil bronzer at Ulta for $30, and the Butter Bronzer at Ulta for $15.99.
Blush
Above: Kylie Cosmetics Pressed Powder Matte Blush
Above: Milani Rose Powder Blush
Splurge: Kylie Cosmetics Blush
Save: Milani Rose Powder Blush
Just like with the bronzers, the blush you choose out of these two mostly just depends on what you’re willing to spend. I like the Kylie Cosmetics blush because it blends really well and is super pigmented. The Milani Rose Powder Blush is super cute because it’s in the shape of a rose, and the color choices are all super cute and buildable. Find the Kylie blush at Kylie Cosmetics for $18, and the Milani blush at Ulta for $9.49.
Highlighter
Above: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter
Above: Physicians Formula Butter Highlighter
Splurge: Becca Highlighter
Save: Physicians Formula Butter Highlighter
Okay, I live for the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter. It literally gives me life. It is intensely shimmery and leaves your skin GLOWING. I’ve gone through it and bought it twice. The only highlighter that meets my standards almost as well as Becca’s is the Physicians Formula Butter Highlighter. This one has a bonus because it also smells incredible, and is just about as glittery as the Becca highlighter. I absolutely adore both. The Becca highlighter is at Ulta for $38, and the Physicians Formula highlighter is at Ulta for $11.49.
Eyebrows
Above: Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade
Above: NYX Professional Makeup Tame & Frame Tinted Brow Pomade
Splurge: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomade
Save: NYX Brow Pomade
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomade is another product that is, in my opinion, amazing. I bought a new one a year ago, and have barely even made a dent in it, and I use it almost every day. A little goes a long way, it’s super pigmented, and is even lake-day proof. NYX Tame and Frame is a pretty close match, but if you can, I’d recommend splurging on Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomade. The Anastasia version is at Ulta for $21, and the NYX version is at Ulta for $5.62 (it’s on sale as of 10/24/2019 but is usually $7.50).
Eyeshadow
Above: Too Faced Sweet Peach Eyeshadow Palette
Above: Morphe 15H Happy Hour Artistry Palette
Above: Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Palette
Above: Profusion Cosmetics Pro Pigment Palette
Above: Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette
Above: Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow 10 Pan Palette “Rose in the Air”
Splurge: Sweet Peach Palette, Norvina Palette, Modern Renaissance Palette
Save: Morphe Palettes and Wet N Wild Palette
I like too many eyeshadow palettes to narrow it down to one, so I narrowed it down to three. They are the Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette (Sephora, $49) the Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Palette (Ulta, $42) and the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette (Ulta, $42). I found all of these palettes worthy because of the color choices, blendability, and their texture (the Anastasia ones are SO silky). The dupe for the Sweet Peach palette is Morphe’s 15H Happy Hour Artistry Palette (Morphe, $16). The Norvina palette’s dupe is the Pro Pigment Palette by Profusion (Profusion, $10), and the Modern Renaissance dupe is Wet N Wild’s Color Icon Eyeshadow 10 Pan Palette in the version “Rosé in the Air” (Wet N Wild, $5.49).
Eyeliner
Above: Benefit Cosmetics Roller Eyeliner
Above: NYX Professional Makeup “That’s the Point” Eyeliner in “A Bit Edgy”
Splurge: Benefit Roller Liner
Save: NYX Eyeliner
Both of these eyeliners are amazing! Benefit’s Roller Liner is super smudge-proof, and is at Ulta for $22. The “That’s the Point” eyeliner by NYX is super cool because it comes in seven different tip styles. The NYX eyeliner is nice and bold, but is just a little easier to smudge! All seven styles are found at Ulta for $10 each.
Mascara
Above: Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
Above: L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara
Splurge: Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
Save: L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara
Too Faced’s Better than Sex mascara is-and I can’t stress it enough-the best mascara I’ve ever used. I’ve bought it several times, and will definitely continue to buy it. I also love L’Oreal’s Voluminous mascara, and swore by it until I found Too Faced’s mascara. The Better than Sex mascara is at Ulta for $25 and L’oreal’s Voluminous mascara is at Ulta for $8.99.
Eyelashes
Above: Ardell Duo Brush-On Adhesive With Vitamins
Above: Lilly Lashes Faux Mink Lashes in “Miami”
Above: Ardell 5-Pack Lash Demi Wispies 5 Pair Multipack
Splurge: Faux Mink Lilly Lashes
Save: Ardell 5-Pack Wispies
First of all, the only lash glue I would recommend is Ardell’s Duo Brush-On Adhesive, many of the other ones I’ve used have not lived up to standards, and the squirt-on glue is always a huge mess. Buy this glue at Ulta for $6.49. Lilly Lashes makes amazingly soft Faux Mink lashes, and I’d highly recommend them! They’re $26 at Ulta, so make sure if you get them you treat them with care so you can reuse them! I usually get the 5-pack of Ardell Demi Wispies. These are a great deal, and really don’t look tacky at all. They’re also super lightweight but have a lot of volume which I love, and you get 5 of them for less than half the price of the Lilly Lashes. Buy the Ardell Wispies at Ulta for $11.99.
Lip Liner
Above: Kylie Cosmetics Lip Liner
Above: Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lip Liner
Splurge: Kylie Cosmetics Lip Liner
Save: Rimmel London Lip Liner
I have gone through a lot of lip liner in my time, and these two have become my favorites. Both go on very creamy, similar to a crayon. In my experience, less Kylie lip liners have broken on me, but the Rimmel Lasting Finish ones are also great for everyday use and are much less expensive. Buy Kylie’s lip liners at Kylie Cosmetics for $12 each, and Rimmel’s lip liners at Amazon for $5.31 each (with free shipping for Prime Members).
Lipstick
Above: Kylie Cosmetics Liquid Matte Lipstick
Above: Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick
Above: Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Color
Above: NYX Professional Makeup Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipstick
Splurge: Kylie Cosmetics Lipstick, Anastasia Beverly Hills Lipstick
Save: Revlon Lipstick, NYX Lipstick
Lipstick is another thing that I’ve gone through a lot of. I’ve bought lipstick from almost every brand in drugstores and many from Ulta. Out of the “luxury” brands I’ve bought from, my favorite lipsticks are from Kylie Cosmetics (Kylie Cosmetics, $17 each) and Anastasia Beverly Hills (Ulta, $20 each), specifically liquid matte lipsticks. My favorite drugstore liquid lipsticks are Revlon’s Ultra HD Matte Lip Color (Ulta, $6.99 each), and NYX’s Lingerie line of liquid lipsticks (Ulta, $7 each). All of these lipsticks are matte and don’t dry your lips out!
Setting Spray
Above: Urban Decay Cosmetics Chill Cooling and Hydrating Makeup Setting Spray
Above: NYX Professional Makeup Matte Finish Makeup Setting Spray
Splurge: Urban Decay Setting Spray
Save: NYX Setting Spray
Last but not least, the setting spray. To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember to use setting spray all the time. But when I do, these are my favorites. Urban Decay’s Chill setting spray is amazing, and actually feels like spraying ice water on your face. It makes makeup last even throughout hot, sweaty days, and can be bought at Ulta for $33. The Matte Finish setting spray by NYX is also amazing, especially if you’re really striving for an ultra-matte look. It locks your makeup into place perfectly and can be found at Ulta for $8.50.
I hope I helped you find some makeup you were on the look-out for! These are my personal favorites and I hope that if you do end up getting them, you enjoy them as much as I do. Also, shoutout to Ulta for the massive array of makeup, I LOVE IT.
Thanks for reading!
HCXO