It seems that every day there is another major beauty trend being referred to on fashion blogs and websites – contouring, colorful eyeliner, bright lipsticks, and fantastically-colored highlighters being just a few of them. Every day, there’s a new celebrity example, a new look to try and emulate.
While these looks can be fun and look beautiful, affording them becomes difficult at times. The products shown in YouTube tutorials and advertised in magazines are often expensive, sometimes costing 20 dollars for a single lipstick or over 50 dollars for a foundation.
However, there are often drugstore alternatives that are cheaper, and of the same – if not better – quality.
One of the best tricks to be aware of are makeup ‘dupes’, short for duplicates; there are pages and articles devoted to finding affordable products that look like high-end, designer pieces. Cult-favorite NARS blushes have drugstore alternatives; ColourPop lipsticks, usually only about six dollars, are almost exact replicas for the sell-out Kylie Lip Kits, which can sell for more than three times the price. Buzzfeed often has lists and lists of duplicates for popular high-end products, and those lists can be a lifesaver for your wallet.
Drugstore brands can often be just as high-quality as a more expensive product. NYX Makeup has great colors and products, and their lipsticks often rival similar and more expensive items. Their setting spray also works better than most, and their eye shadows are fun, high-quality, and inexpensive.
“My favorite drugstore brand is NYX. I use their liquid illuminator highlighter, as well as the soft matte lip creams. Those are both some of my favorite products ever; the highlighter keeps a glow all day and a little bit goes a long way so a 0.6 ounce bottle has lasted months. The matte gives the most amazing and lasting look, for a fraction of the price of most products,” said Jordan Hanley, a junior music industry student.
While I personally use some high-end products, especially when it comes to eye makeup and lipstick, there are several items that I would never consider buying outside of a drugstore. I’ve used Maybelline’s Fit Me matte foundation for nearly two years now – it’s high quality, does everything that it promises, and costs no more than seven dollars at most retailers. I do a full face of makeup nearly every day, so I go through products like foundation and concealer rather quickly, usually in two months or less – so, for me, there’s no reason to use a more expensive brand. I’ve also never noticed a significant difference in quality – the Maybelline formula is just as good as the more expensive ones that I’ve tried out.
“I’ve used pretty much every foundation known to man,” said Hanley, who also used the Maybelline foundation. “This one is the least cakey. I also usually use Maybelline mascara because all of them have the same effects that they advertise.”
Julia Robson, an associate lecturer at Regent’s University London, who specializes in fashion communications and journalism said, “A lot of people want to try new products, but they don’t necessarily want to run the risk of not liking them,”
Robson continues, “Especially when it comes to a more fast-fashion or trendy product – something like blue lipstick may be hot right now, but tomorrow it might be a joke. People don’t want to spend a lot of money on a trendy cosmetic in the same way they don’t want to spend a lot of money on a currently in fashion blouse or dress. That’s where they turn to drugstore makeup, and other affordable lines.”
Using drugstore makeup is a great idea to try out a new product or satisfy your need to try a trendy makeup look. While brightly-colored eyeliners are an increasingly popular trend, that dramatic look is not for everyone. Rather than spend 20 dollars on an Urban Decay (my personal favorite high-end brand, especially when it comes to trying fun colors) product, I was able to get a similar color for just over six dollars.
Drugstore makeup is both affordable and high-quality, often just as good as the designer labels that one finds at Sephora. Between duplicate products and up-and-coming brands, there’s a wide variety of stock at affordable prices, and with so much available, it’s easier than ever to find affordable and high-quality makeup.
IMAGE TAKEN from www.gurl.com
