As an avid makeup lover, I have probably tried too many products. Especially when I was in high school, I thought that I needed to buy every product Jaclyn Hill and James Charles were using. My slight obsession with trying makeup has helped me find some amazing drugstore dupes for viral, high end makeup products. So, I thought I would share my top 5 list of amazing drugstore dupes that won’t break the bank (especially as a broke college student).
#1: L’Oreal “Lash Paradise” as a dupe for the Too Faced “Better Than Sex” Mascara
The Better Than Sex Mascara by Too Faced has been a fan favorite of beauty lovers for years. However, in the spring of 2017, L’Oreal released its “Lash Paradise” mascara which is a near perfect dupe (packaging and all) for the Too Faced mascara. As soon as the product was released beauty influencers began hyping up the product all over Youtube so I immediately bought it and have been using it ever since. The L’Oreal mascara works just as well as the Too Faced mascara, but the difference is in the price. The price of “Lash Paradise” ranges from $9-11 compared to Too Faced mascara which retails for $24.
#2: Maybelline “Cheek Heat” as a dupe for the Rare Beauty Liquid Blush
If your TikTik “For You Page” shows you beauty content or you follow beauty influencers on social media, I am sure you have seen the amazing reviews for the Rare Beauty blush. Although I love Selena Gomez, and want to support her new brand, my wallet does not love the cost of this blush, and I cannot justify buying this product. However, my friend bought me the Maybelline Cheek Heat as a birthday gift, and I have been obsessed with the product since. The “Cheek Heat” has amazing pigmentation and is long lasting. Not only this, but the price of the product ranges from $6-8 compared to the Rare beauty blush which retails for $20.
#3: Essence “Soft and Precise” Lip Liners as a dupe for the Charlotte Tilbury “Pillow Talk” Lip Liner
I decided to try the Essence Lip Liners after I saw a viral video on TikTok of a user saying how she loves this product and considers it a dupe for the “Pillow Talk” liner. I got the product in a few colors and think it is good, for its low price. The liner applies very smoothly and is very long lasting. This quality is unmatched, especially for the amazing price of $3, which is nothing compared to “Pillow Talk” which retails for $24.
#4: Maybelline “Fit Me” Foundation Stick in Shade 355 (Coconut) as a dupe for the Nudestix Matte Cream Bronzer
This summer I was looking for a new cream bronzer. Naturally, I turned to TikTok for a new recommendation and saw a few videos that recommended using the Maybelline foundation stick in a darker shade, as a cream bronzer. I tried this hack out, and loved it. I consider the product very similar to the Nudestix bronzer, which I have borrowed from my roommates a few times. Both products are very good, but the price of the Maybelline foundation stick ranges from $7-10 compared to the Nudestix product which retails for $34.
#5: Nyx Brow Pencil for the Anastasia Beverly Hills “Brow Wiz”
Because the height of my beauty obsession was in 2016, I used to be obsessed with the Anastasia Beverly Hills eyebrow products. Specifically, I used to use the “Brow Wiz” pencil everyday to fill in the sparse areas in my brow. However, I tried the Nyx Brow Pencil last year when I was looking to save money and found the two products to be very comparable. The Nyx pencil ranges in price from $7-11 compared to the Anastasia product which retails for $23.