Duped

In the world of makeup, there exists “holy grail” products. The ones that every beauty blogger and makeup artist seem to have, but your account balance won’t tolerate. Well, you no longer need to shy away from the amazing makeup that seems to be all over Instagram because this list is full of highly rated and “holy grail” products for all skin types and tones along with their dupes, so you can get a Gucci look with a Walmart budget.

Foundation:

NARS Sheer Glow ($45)    L’Oréal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation ($12.99)

The NARS Sheer Glow Foundation has a wide range of light to medium skin tones, so whether your skin is porcelain or sun kissed, you’ll be sure to find your shade. With medium to full coverage, a little foundation goes a long way, so you get your money’s worth. There are only two possible downsides: it’s formulated for dry skin, so those with combination or oily skin risk breaking out when using this, and it’s high-end, AKA, expensive. Not to worry, L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte foundation is a great dupe with equal variety, coverage, and longevity; all for a quarter of the price.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation ($28)  Revlon Colorstay Liquid Makeup ($12.99)

Beauty bloggers rave about the MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation, and how could they not? It has a great range, especially for medium to dark skin tones, provides medium to full coverage with a natural matte finish, minimizes pores, controls oil, and the list goes on. It is truly a “holy grail” product, and it’s affordable at less than $30. But, if that’s still a little pricey, the Revlon Colorstay Liquid Makeup is a pretty good dupe, with more longevity, but it dries quickly, which makes blending tricky unless you work fast. And unlike MAC, which is made for all skin types, Revlon has a Dry and Combination/Oily foundation for each shade, which may be a plus. Either way, both these foundations are moderately affordable and have great benefits.

Black Radiance Color Perfect Liquid Makeup ($4.99)

This foundation is great those with dark skin, although it only comes in six shades, if you’ve had trouble finding a foundation that’s dark enough, Black Radiance probably has your shade. Its oil free formula is great for normal to combination, it’s long lasting, and leaves skin with a natural finish, all for less than five dollars!

Concealer:

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat ($42)    Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch ($7.99)

Touche Eclat is a staple in every makeup artist’s bag, mainly because it’s brightening effect makes it a great highlighter too. It’s formulated for all skin types although its shade range is made for lighter tones and provides a natural, luminous finish; no wonder one is sold every ten seconds. Despite the benefits, it’s pretty hard to ignore the price tag, which is where Maybelline comes in with all the same benefits, and a gel formula at one fifth of the price, it’s a pretty good dupe!

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer ($29)   L.A. Girl HD PRO Conceal ($5)

The NARS concealer is great for medium to dark skin tones and provides medium to full buildable coverage, not to mention it’s versatile. It can be used as a concealer, contour and highlighter and it corrects and hydrates skin instead of masking it. But if the price tag poses a problem, L.A. Girl also has a buildable formula, is crease-resistant and has a wide range of shades, which includes color correctors.

Contour/Highlight:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit ($40)   NYX Conceal Correct Contour ($11.99)

The Anastasia Beverly Hills (ABH) Contour Cream Kit is a legendary product in the world of makeup. Reviews rave about how creamy, blendable, and pigmented the ABH kit is, but that price tag can’t be overlooked; that’s why we have NYX. The NYX Contour palette may not provide as much product and tends to crease, but you get what you pay for and each shade has a different undertone, so color correction is much easier. Both palettes come in three shades: light, medium, and deep, so most skin tones will be able to find their shade. And for those of us who prefer powder, both companies make these palettes in powder form, so don’t worry. Overall, ABH is a quality product with a fair price, and NYX is lower in quality, but just over a quarter of the price of ABH.

Blush:

NARS Blush ($30)                                           Milani Baked Blush ($8.49)

The NARS Blush in the shade Orgasm is another “holy grail” product for all skin tones, with a translucent, shimmery finish that’s perfect for a natural look. The powder is soft, blendable, and highly pigmented; basically everything you would want in a blush. Beauty bloggers like Tati and Chloe Morello swear by it and reviewers stock up on it after the first try, so it’s no surprise that four Orgasm blushes are sold every minute, making it the number one selling blush in the US. For those of us who are unwilling or unable to shell out $30 for blush, there is hope in dupes like Milani Baked Blush. Although it’s not as pigmented, it is buildable and can also be used to contour and highlight, not to mention it provides a shimmery glow similar to that of NARS.

Highlighter:

ABH Glow Kit ($40)                                                           e.l.f. Illuminating Palette ($6)

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit came out last December and has already made its mark in the world of makeup, with youtubers like Kendall Alfred and Donovan Gibb touting it as a makeup essential, and with good reason. The Glow Kits comes in three different shades: Sweets which is perfect for a more silvery, metallic glow and looks perfect on lighter skin tones, That Glow, which works well for highlighting dark skin, and Sun Dipped, which is great for medium skin tones and can be used to highlight and contour. Every shade is buildable, and can be layered with different shades, not to mention it’s very pigmented, gives an amazing glow, and lasts all day. But the price of quality can sometimes be too much, which is why some of us turn to dupes. The e.l.f. Illuminating Palette is cheap, but that’s about the only benefit; it’s also not very pigmented, doesn’t last long, and only comes in one shade, so it’s not multi-use like the ABH palettes. As far as highlighters go, it’s best to accept the loss and get a quality product rather than struggling with the low pigmentation of e.l.f.

Finishing Powder:

Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder ($38)            Ben Nye Bella Luxury Powder ($15-25)

The Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder is another “holy grail” product that looks perfect on all skin tones. The powder sets makeup while blurring wrinkles and fine lines, which gives the face an overall softer look with no creasing and a natural, matte finish that lasts all day. With all these benefits it’s not a surprise that the Laura Mercier loose powder is one of the bestselling finishing powders in the U.S. An alternative for those who focus more on the price tag than the product, there’s the Ben Nye Bella Luxury Powder. This powder is especially famous for its Banana shade, which is touted as the perfect baking powder for women of color; it has all the benefits of the Laura Mercier powder with no risk of ashiness and adds a warm glow to the face. The shade range also includes Cameo, which works well on light skin with pink undertones. By going with the dupe, you receive the same benefits and spend a little more than half as much.