The splurge:Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, $59
The bargain:CoverGirl NatureLuxe Silk Foundation, $10
Money saved: $49
Why you'll love it: "As much as I love the amazing Armani foundation, CoverGirl's NatureLuxe Silk Foundation is just as good," says Miami-based makeup artist Marissa Nemes. "It has similar benefits while adding sun protection, and its oil free/paraben free formula is lightweight, smoothes out imperfections, and leaves the skin looking flawless and polished."
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Eyeliner
The splurge:Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Eye Pencil, $30
The bargain:Styli-Style Line and Seal Eyes, $5.50
Money saved: $24.50
Why you'll love it: "Giorgio Armani makes superb eyeliners," says New York City makeup artist Quinn Murphy. "The color range is fab and they glide on effortlessly and stay put. [But] I am also a longtime fan of Styli-Style Line and Seal eyeliners. The Black pencil is super-black and as good as it gets, and the liners' firm texture allows for maximum precision. Plus, they last for hours."
The splurge:Dior Diorshow Mascara, $21.85
The bargain:L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Mascara, $8.99
Money saved: $12.86
Why you'll love it: "[The L'Oreal] mascara is truly great and can definitely stand on its own as far as best drugstore mascara," says Warren Tricomi makeup artist Kristie Striecher. "The formula is rich and stays on well. For me, it's all about the brush -- and this brush applies the perfect coat each time. It doesn't clump and stays nice until the end of the tube. [It definitely] compares to Diorshow."
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Blush/Bronzer
The splurge:Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo in Orgasm/Laguna, $38
The bargain:E.L.F. Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder, $3
Money saved: $35
Why you'll love it: Mielke calls these two a 95 percent match. The only difference? The E.L.F. product is "lighter" and "less pigmented" so you'll need to apply a bit more for the same effect. But you probably won't mind when you're saving $35.
For the record, we're in no position to judge a good makeup splurge. Our makeup bags are loaded with MAC lip glosses, Nars shadows, and tubes of Lancome mascaras. We'd be giant hypocrites if we told you to always bargain shop for your beauty products. But...
It turns out you totally can (and maybe should) hit up the drugstore for your beauty products — even if you once swore you'd never use anything but your favorite $59 foundation and $24 lipstick. But before you blindly fill up your cart at Target with an aisle's worth of shadows, check out these makeup pros' tips on the drugstore products that are exact — or nearly exact — duplicates of high-end makeup.
Trust us, if anyone would know which cheap makeup products can sit next to your splurge-worthy ones, it's these experts. They literally try thousands of beauty products and definitely know a good match when they see one. With these picks you can do your entire face — from foundation to lip gloss — without breaking your budget. And the best part? These drugstore picks are all high quality, so no one will know you went the bargain route. Well, unless you decide to spill your secrets, but we'll leave that up to you...
