9 Best Makeup Dupes [High Quality Minus the High Cost]
It is always exciting trying out new makeup, knowing that you might find that one product that will make your routine easier. Expensive makeup is not necessarily better than drugstore, and besides, there is nothing better than discovering the best drugstore dupes to high-end products for half the price.
So many drugstore makeup products work just as well (at times even better) than high-end makeup products. Usually referred to as “makeup dupes,” what that means is that one product can be similar in quality and/or shade to another product for an affordable price.
I have found my must-have dupes for most makeup products over the years, and through trial and error, these one listed have remained as some of the best makeup dupes in my book. From duplicates for the Brow Wiz to the Luminous Silk foundation, read on to see the alternatives that I can not live without.
e.l.f. Poreless Face Primer
Perfect for summertime, this multi-purpose primer helps prep your skin, so makeup goes on evenly for a long-lasting matte finish providing that glowy, sunkissed look. It has a unique formula which helps reduce the appearance of enlarged pores, fine lines, and shine while also minimizing redness and unwanted undertones. It’s a weightless, silky formula for all skin types that keeps skin looking youthful. For the price difference and how truly great it is, this one can be considered just as great as the Benefit POREfessional.
Maybelline Fit Me Liquid Concealer Makeup
This concealer has an oil-free, yet creamy finish just like NARS Radiant Cream with a slight hint of radiance. It’s a natural coverage concealer and super lightweight, ideal for the summer. The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is a bit thicker and has slightly more coverage, but in terms of finish and how comfortable it feels on the skin, the Fit Me is a close duplicate. It doesn’t dry out your under-eye area, doesn’t crease (when set with powder), and doesn’t make your skin look cakey.
NYX Professional Makeup Micro Brow Pencil
This double-sided ultra-thin eyebrow brush is the only and best duplicate for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. Perfect for shaping and defining eyebrows, the precision pointed tip makes it easy to create those hairlike strokes. Easy to use and lightweight, so you won’t have to worry about going overboard. Use a little pressure for a soft brow and more pressure to defining and shaping the ends of the brow.
Milani Make It Last 3-in-1 Setting Spray
The holy grail of makeup dupes, this spray is the best affordable match to the MAC Fix+. This one preps your face, reduces the appearance of imperfections, and locks in makeup for up to 16 hours without a crease or smudge in sight. This setting spray feels so refreshing and dries quickly. It comes in two versions: matte and dewy for every skin type.
Maybelline New York Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder
While this powder is not translucent, it is available in 8 shades, which is generous for a setting powder. It is so finely milled and feels like silk, the closest you’ll find to the Laura Mercier Translucent Powder, for much cheaper. It leaves a beautiful finish and doesn’t get cakey, has the softest texture just like Laura Mercier, only the latter adds a hint of coverage.
Milani Baked Blush
This is a richly pigmented and highly buildable blush that has a touch of radiance to add a bit of a glow, however nothing too overpowering. Even though Luminoso is the infamous shade of the baked line, if you are looking for similarity in color to the Nars Orgasm Blush, the Rose D’oro is closer, while Luminoso is more of a gorgeous pinky peach. Much like Orgasm, the color lasts all day, and you get color plus a touch of glow in just one sweep.
NYX Slim Lip Liner Pencil in Mauve
The MAC Lip Liner in the shade Whirl is a cult favorite that everyone loves and swears by. The NYX Mauve is similar in color and a classic bestseller. It applies smoothly and is easy to blend without any tugging, pulling, smearing, or clumps. It contains coconut oil to hydrate and condition your lips. It makes for a beautiful color on any skin tone.
L'Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Foundation
This foundation and illuminator offers shades that can flatter any skin tone and undertone. As a dupe to Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk, this one truly goes on smooth as satin. The consistency is not too thick and not too thin, which gives you a hydrated look without being oily or greasy. While it is lighter, it is also buildable, and that moisturized feeling lasts all day. This foundation makes the skin look healthy, vibrant, and younger.
wet n wild Color Icon Eyeshadow 10 Pan Palette
Even though the quality of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Palettes is incomparable, the Wet n Wild Palettes are $5 and of astounding quality themselves. These palettes perform great without fallout, the shadows last for a long time and vibrant in color that won’t crease or fade. You can find matching shades in the Rosé in the Air palette that are a close match to those of the Modern Renaissance from ABH. Nonetheless, the other palettes do not disappoint either.
