favorite lipsticks: drugstore dupes

Hi. Do you love lipstick? Do you love saving money? Perfect - read on.

A "dupe" is a cheaper alternative, or duplicate, to a higher end luxury product.  There are many self proclaimed dupes out there, but you never really know till you try.  For example - think GT Cola VS Coca-Cola, or Mountain Mist VS Mountain Dew. A lot of times, the cheaper version just seems off.

Revlon Berry Haute

Once I dabbled in high end lipstick, I realized for a fraction of the price, you really don't have to compromise on quality. Best part: they are nearly identical to popular high end lipsticks. Here are my faves. You can purchase all my favorite drugstore lipsticks at any drugstore (walmart, walgreens, CVS, target, ect ) or Ulta. You're about to notice an annoying trend, but whatever. 

Revlon Berry Haute
Dupe for: MAC Up the Amp
This gorgeous plum purple is so versatile and looks great on everyone. It's dark enough to look festive for the winter months, but it's got a bright toned purple to it that justifies wearing it in the spring and summer months too. It's super creamy and moisturizing.

Revlon Really Red

Revlon Primrose
Dupe for: MAC Snob
Ugh - this color! It's the perfect light pink that makes blondes look like barbie; and makes brunettes look like they are out for blood. Other than it's delicious hue, it's so light and smooth that you don't feel like you're wearing lipstick. I've repurchased this twice and will continue to do so! 

Revlon Really Red (I buy the matte finish)
Dupe for: MAC Russian Red
This is some Marilyn Monroe shixxx right here. I'm not a huge red lipstick wear-er, but when I am, this is my go-to. I also love blending this one with my next favorite to tone it down a bit. This color looks good on everyone, but I think it's best on blondes. 

NYX Circe 

NYX Circe
Dupe for: MAC Viva Glam Gaga II
It was a sad, sad day when the Gaga II lipstick stock was finally out, those pesky limited editions. So I was ecstatic to find something that would at least fill the void. Fortunately the color match is almost identical, but the formulation is sub par. Oh well - it's still one of my faves. The color is a nude with an orange tint. Sounds weird, but goes amazing with a smokey eye and a night out. And for $4, I love it!

Designer VS Drugstore

It’s easy to feel like you have to use designer brands to do a quality job, but ‘you get what you pay for’ doesn’t always apply in the makeup world. To this day, I still opt for many drugstore options because they perform the same as designer labels (if not better,) and you save a ton of money in the process. In the past week, I’ve worked with two professional makeup artists who agree that many high end products aren't worth shelling out the extra dough when given the option. 

Mascara: Go Drugstore

Drugstore brands tend to have tons of options for the exact effect you’re looking for (volume, length, shape) and IMO work much better than designer brands. The product lasts you a long time, and they exceed my expectations every time. For long and voluminous lashes you have to mix products anyway, so mascara price stays manageable when you go drugstore. So many drugstore mascara brands are kicking ass right now with their products, packaging, and marketing – it’s an amazing time for consumers right now!

Higher end products have the tendency to irritate your eyes, clump up your lashes, and dry out extremely fast. A designer mascara can easily run you anywhere from $20 - $50. For me, drugstore mascara is a no brainer.

Foundation: Go Pro

A wise woman builds her house upon a rock, right? Foundation is your rock: sturdy, reliable, & trusted. If you build your house upon the sand, aka cheap foundation, you may find yourself disappointed with the color match, coverage, skin reaction to the formula, and worst of all, you may have wasted your money because now you have a product you really can’t use. Oh and there’s the possibility doesn’t actually covering your blemishes, but just looking slapped on. Not cute!

Now hear me out - this is not to say that you have to spend a fortune on foundation. But you should definitely go to a store where you can sample the foundation, color match, test your skins reaction, and wear it for a day before purchasing. Places like Ulta, Sephora, and most department stores will even give you a free three day supply of foundation to test for a few days. AND they can help you pick which foundation will work best with your skin type. When you pick a random drugstore brand, you may end up disappointed with the color match, breaking out from the formula, and worst of all, you may have wasted your money because now you have a product you really can’t use. You can get away with just $20 for a good foundation. My favorite foundation (MAC Studio Scuplt in NW20) runs me $43.

I will say that lately, drugstore brands have stepped up their game in the foundation department. Maybelline FitMe and Loreal TrueMatch are helping consumers save money without losing too much quality. So tell me – have you found an amazing drugstore foundation?

Lipstick: It Depends

Lipstick is like shampoo. We’d all love to always use the super expensive shampoos, but most of us know deep down that a bottle of Herbal Essence will do the trick. Lipstick’s kinda the same way. I love my drugstore lipsticks almost as much as I love my MACs. Revlon lipsticks are always extremely impressive. I’m not a fan of Maybelline lipsticks because they are usually all shine and very little pigment.