Makeup
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Drugstore or Department Store?
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Product
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MASCARA
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Verdict: Drugstore
Most makeup pros agree that some inexpensive mascaras are as good, if not better, than their designer counterparts. Mascara also has a short lifespan, so it can get expensive to replace every three months.
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Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
Who doesn’t recognize the ubiquitous pink-and-green tube? Since the ’70s, Great Lash has been the go-to mascara for teens, housewives, movie stars, and runway models. $5.99, available at CVS
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FOUNDATION
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Verdict: Department Store
“It’s nearly impossible to get an accurate idea of a color, finish, or texture through the packaging of a drugstore brand,” says Westchester makeup artist Meredith Hayman of About F.A.C.E. Head to a makeup store or counter, where you can have an expert help you try different shades in good lighting.
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Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick
Hayman swears by this product so I tried it out myself and it was love at first dab. It offers a soft matte finish with medium-full coverage and, because I’m cursed with combination skin, I was psyched to find that it controlled my oily spots and stayed smooth on my dry spots.
$46, available at Neiman Marcus
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LIPSTICK
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Verdict: Drugstore
Thankfully, good, relatively inexpensive lipsticks are easy to find, particularly in the mid-range drugstore brands. “The wearability is about the same as the more expensive brands, and some even last longer and feel better,” says Hayman.
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Revlon ColorStay Overtime Lipcolor
“It’s very similar to the Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip, but for a fraction of the price,” says Hayman. $10.79, available at Walgreens
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EYE SHADOW
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Verdict: Department Store
Some women think drugstore brands are just fine, while others (like my editor, who says there is a huge difference in texture and wearability, and insists there is a “telltale cheap-looking shimmer” to drugstore shadows) wouldn’t be caught dead in anything but BECCA or Bobbi Brown.
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BECCA Eye Palettes
The tone-on-tone Ombre Nudes “glide on seamlessly, subtly, with no cakey creases or wrinkles,” says Carol Caffin, Westchester Magazine’s features and wellness editor. “The mattes are not dead-flat and pasty, like some drugstore brands, and you can use every color in the palette.” $40, available at Sephora
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FINISHING POWDER
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Verdict: Department Store
Powder is a great mattifier. “It pays to splurge on a good finishing powder,” says makeup artist Patricia Margro, owner of Maison Rouge in Bronxville. “A finely milled powder is essential to soften the look of the skin.”
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Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder
This is the Holy Grail of finishing powders. It sets makeup perfectly, evens tone, and makes skin look flawless. $35, available at Sephora
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BRONZER
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Verdict: Department Store
If you don’t want to look like Lindsay Lohan circa 2010, stick with a department-store bronzer. “Drugstore brands tend to be highly pigmented and hard to blend,” says Hayman.
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NARS Laguna Bronzing Powder
Oh, NARS Laguna bronzer, how I love you so. You are barely there, but you manage to brighten up my pasty complexion in just a sweep.
$39, available at Neiman Marcus
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BLUSH
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Verdict: Drugstore
Next to mascara, blush may be the easiest makeup product to cheap out on and get away with it. You can find high-end imitations for a fraction of the price of the more expensive (hello, NARS) brands.
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NYX Cosmetics Powder Blush
“The Pinched shade of NYX Cosmetics blush is the perfect dupe to NARS Orgasm, which has a cult following,” says local makeup artist Ally Martinn. Sign me up! $6.49, available at Target
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EYELINER
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Verdict: Drugstore
Unless you use a liquid liner, for which high-end is essential (you need a clean, smooth line and a really good applicator), it’s usually fine — even preferable — to go for an inexpensive gel or pencil liner.
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Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner
“This is among the best eyeliners,” says Martinn. It is comparable to the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner.” Many women (including me) swear by its long wearability. $7.15, available at Walmart
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