Up until the last 6 months or so I was strictly a MAC/Sephora shopper for my makeup. I was a bit of a snob when it came to cosmetics and turned up my nose at most drugstore brands. However, in more recent months I had begun seeing an increasing amount of beauty bloggers using bargain cosmetics so I figured I should give them a shot. Shortly after dipping my toe into the world of drugstore makeup I became completely hooked and dove in head first! Brands like Wet ‘N’ Wild, NYX, and Milani have really stepped up their game and I am extremely impressed. I have been finding more and more dupes of my favorite Sephora products at CVS. I want to share a comparison of a few of these high and low end products with you and let you know which I prefer!

Splurge VS. Steal Makeup Edition

 

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LIQUID LIPSTICK

Recently I have become totally obsessed with liquid lipstick. It’s pretty much the only lip product I wear anymore! There are so many great ones out there at a wide range of price points. Two of my absolute favorite liquid lipsticks are the Jeffree Star Lip Velour in Rose Matter ($18) and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes($5.99). The colors are extremely similar, but the formulas are very different.  JS applies smoothly and is completely opaque after one swipe. It dries down matte and stays flawless all day. The only time I have to touch up is when I eat, and even then it’s just near the center of my lips. The NYX requires a couple of layers and takes longer to dry. However, it is super comfortable to wear and not as dry-feeling as most liquid lips. It does wear off a bit more easily than the JS.
In this comparison, I slightly prefer the JS splurge.  However, I love NYX liquid lips and will continue to repurchase many of the other colors (like the Soft Matte Lip Cream in Tokyo that I wore in this accompanying shoot).  Plus, since JS colors are often out of stock for months at a time, Cannes will certainly do well in a pinch!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes (left), Jeffree Star Lip Velour in Rose Matter (right).

CONCEALER

I just love high-coverage concealers. They are the best for contouring and correcting the under eye area! It can be tough to find ones that are pale and neutral enough for my skin tone. My two favorites are NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly ($29) and Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer in Ultra Light ($6). As you can see in the swatches, the NARS is slightly cooler than the Hard Candy, but they both work for me. The NARS is a dryer, thicker consistency and the Hard Candy is creamier. The both apply super opaque and blend very easily. I adore both of these and have been scraping the bottom of my NARS for months now. The one thing I slightly prefer about the NARS is that it has an awesome doe foot applicator, and the Hard Candy is just in a squeeze tube.
A convenient applicator is not a good enough excuse for me to spend 5 times more on the NARS. I am choosing the Hard Candy steal in this comparison!

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer in Ultra Light (top), NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly (bottom).

CONTOUR

I love me a good cream contour stick. A lot of people prefer a powder product for contouring but there’s something really satisfying about drawing lines down your face and then blending them out. Unfortunately, there are very few contour sticks on the market that are grey/taupe enough for my pale skin. I have managed to find a few though, and my favorites are the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Stick in Shadow ($25 for .32 oz) and Life’s Entropy Contour Stick in Neutrino ($8 for ~.18 oz). Life’s Entropy is only sold on their website, but it’s such a bargain that it makes the mild inconvenience worth it.  It comes in an annoying Chapstick-style tube, but the product itself is wonderfully pigmented and blendable. The ABH one has beautiful packaging and is very easy to use.  The product is creamy and the pigmentation is similar to the Life’s Entropy. The ABH is approximately 3 times the price for about twice the product.
Call me crazy, but I will actually be repurchasing the ABH splurge and not the Life’s Entropy steal. I prefer the convenient tube so much more, plus Life’s Entropy customer service does not have the best communication or organization.

Life’s Entropy Contour Stick in Neutrino (top), Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Stick in Shadow (bottom).

EYELINER

I have been wearing winged liquid eyeliner every day for most of my 20s. I am extremely picky about what eyeliner I will use. It has to have a super precise applicator and be ultra waterproof. My current favorites are Too Faced Sketch Marker ($20) and L’Oreal Telescopic Precision Waterproof Eyeliner ($9.99). I believe that I have tried all of the waterproof pen eyeliners on the market (including the popular Stila Stay All Day Eyeliner and Kat Von D Tattoo Liner). Of the pens, the Sketch Marker is by far the most waterproof and lasts the longest before drying out. The L’Oreal has a classic liquid eyeliner bottle with a little pointed felt applicator. Both of these products will stay perfect all day, even through a sweaty workout!
The Sketch Marker is a little bit easier to use precisely, but I’m comfortable enough applying liquid liner that this isn’t a good enough reason for me to spend twice as much. In this comparison, I will be repurchasing the L’Oreal steal!

L’Oreal Telescopic Precision Waterproof Eyeliner (top), Too Faced Sketch Marker (bottom).

BROW PENCIL

I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Taupe ($21) for several years. It’s so easy to apply and blend, plus the color is a perfect match for my brows. However, recently I discovered the NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe ($9.99). This NYX mechanical brow pencil is an absolutely perfect dupe for the ABH one. So perfect, in fact, that I once did one brow with ABH and one brow with NYX and I could not tell the difference! The NYX is ever so slightly more dry-feeling when you apply it, but it is almost imperceptible.
I am without a doubt choosing the NYX steal in this comparison! Definitely my brow holy grail.

NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe (top), Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Taupe (bottom).

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Do you think you will give any of these splurges or steals a try? Do you prefer drugstore or high end makeup?

xoxox
Emily

Dress by Bebop, shoes by Christian Louboutin, lipstick by NYX