The Best Drugstore Stand-Ins for High-End Makeup Favorites

Saving money has never looked so good.

Who can resist a good beauty bargain that will get you glam without costing you the big bucks? We scoured drugstore shelves and consulted the industry’s top makeup artists and experts for the ultimate list of inexpensive dupes for your favorite high-end makeup products.

Mascara
Just a few flicks of Boots No7 Extreme Length Lash mascara will give you the same luscious, sky-high fringe as its high-end counterpart. “It adds a ton of length, and the formula is soft and clump-free,” says Kerry Cole, style director of Becca

Liquid Liner
Wet n Wild’s intensely pigmented formula and simple brush applicator make it just as easy and effortless to create precise lines as the Lancôme cult classic. “The royal blue and teal are super rich shades,” says Lauren Cosenza, a professional makeup artist and founder of DIVAlicious blog.

Eyebrow Pencil
Andrea Pomerantz Lustig, a veteran beauty editor and author of How to Look Expensive: A Beauty Editor’s Secrets to Getting Gorgeous Without Breaking the Bank, loves Sonia Kashuk Brow Definer’s perfect texture, which isn’t too soft or too hard. For a natural look, she applies quick pencil-like strokes to just the areas that need filling in but scatters some strokes throughout her brows to blend in the color. Lustig recommends going a shade lighter than your actual brow color for the most natural effect.



Bronzer
Becca’s illuminating bronzer has a cream-to-powder formula that perfects and primes the skin. It’s great for layering over foundation, giving your skin a subtle golden glow. But if you can’t get your hands on it, Cole says Sonia Kashuk’s cream bronzer will do. “It creates a beautiful natural glow and is great for contouring and low-lighting your cheeks and lids,” she says.

Blush
From peachy corals to tawny reds, Revlon’s highly pigmented colors and lightweight formula gives you the hue of naturally pinched cheeks. Cosenza also likes to use these multi-purpose cream blushes as an eye shadow and lip color for a monochromatic makeup look. Revlon’s Charmed mimics the same rosy pastel pink as Rouge Bunny Rouge’s Vermeer.


Foundation
Compact foundations are the perfect budget-friendly buys because you can control how much product you use, and L’Oréal’s True Match compact foundations come in a wide variety of shades. Lustig likes to focus on application at the center of her face, using a dabbing motion with her foundation brush to avoid applying too much. Blend the product with your fingers by tapping instead of smearing for a more natural look. “I also dab a little on my eyelids and use it as a shadow primer,” she says.


Lipstick
Cosenza loves NYX’s velvet finish and shade range, which are all worthy of a higher price point. If you’re looking for a full-bodied red lip, NYX’s Perfect Red provides a crimson pout that rivals NARS’s sultry Vesuvio.


Cream Eye Shadow
Mother of pearl particles are the secret to Aqua Cream’s luminous shine, and you can achieve the same highlighting effect with Maybelline’s Color Tattoo shadows, which have a creamy gel-like texture that glides on smooth and can double as an eyeliner.