Beauty on a Budget: Drugstore Dupes for High End Products (Pt.2)

Beauty on a budget is back! Thanks to the great product suggestions from the last Beauty on a Budget post, I’ve found some new favourites. I’m guilty of spending ridiculous amounts of money on high-end/luxe products but it isn’t always practical. This year I’m on the hunt to save some bucks when it comes to my oh-so-extensive beauty routine. Enjoy!

YSL Touche Eclat Foundation ($62) VS L’oreal True Match Lumi ($19)

I feel that both of these foundation would  work best for dry to combination skin due to the pearlescent glow it gives your skin. If you have oily skin it could easily make your skin look greasy and shiny.  The YSL has more staying power and is a bit heavier than its competitor.  The L’oreal True Match Lumi gives you more of a natural finish and feels lighter.  Both foundations provide light to medium coverage and glow that is perfect for the spring months ahead!

MAC Lipstick in Girl About Town ($18) VS Covergirl Lipstick in Spellbound ($7)

I’ve had several people tell me about this dupe but after finally trying it for myself, I can officially say that I agree! I find the Covergirl lipstick to be slightly less creamy than MAC and Girl About Town is a touch darker but overall, they’re pretty similar. The scent of Spellbound is too perfumey for my liking – if the smell doesn’t bother you then get it girl!

YSL Babydoll Mascara ($36) VS Maybelline The Rocket Mascara ($7)

Okay, so I fell in love with the Babydoll Mascara a few months ago when I got a sample of it. This stuff is amazing if you’re into lengthening your lashes! I then realized that I can’t justify, nor afford to spend, $62 on a tube of mascara and tried out a suggestion from one of you! The formulation of The Rocket is fairly wet so it took me awhile to get use to letting it dry completely in order to prevent smudging; but once I got over that I became obsessed!

NARS Turkish Delight Lipgloss ($29) VS L’oreal Colour Riche Gloss in Baby Blossom ($11)

This isn’t a lip colour I would normally gravitate towards, but it was given to me as a gift and I LOVED how it looked layered over top of a pinkish/nude lipstick. It became my go-to lip colour for over a month (which is a huge deal if anyone is wondering). And then one day I ran out of it…. And needed to find a dupe ASAP because hello, we live in Vancouver and need to save whenever and wherever we can!  I looked up some swatches online and headed over to the drugstore to pick up the L’oreal Color Riche. It feels a bit heavier on your lips and the colour is slightly muted but it still does the job!

Benefit Hoola Bronzer ($36) VS NYC Sunny Smooth Skin Bronzer ($3-$5)

So there’s been a lot of hype about Benefits Hoola and I find that it shines most when used on fairer skintones –  it adds a very natural warmth to the skintone.  NYC’s Sunny bronzer has a hint of an orange undertone so they key is to use a light hand.  At the end of the day I would much rather spend my bucks on NYC.

MAC Pressed Pigments ($25) VS L’oreal  Infallible 24hr Eyeshadows ($9)

I’m prepared to get some mixed feedback about this dupe and I couldn’t find any exact colour matches, but I found that the pigmentation of both of these products are quite similar. Overall, the L’oreal shadows are creamier than the MAC ones and pack a shocking amount of pigment.  These shadows definitely need to get more love from the beauty community!

Drugstores are killing it these days! Stay tuned for more dupes, I pretty much live for them! Now for the grand total:

Total amount for all high end products: $206

Total amount for all drugstore products: $58

SAVINGS: $148

It IS possible to look great for less. If you know of any other drugstore dupes comment below or tweet me @NavanArtisty! Until next time, your thrifty, neighborhood beauty addict!

Xo