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Makeup Review: Designer vs Drugstore

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26 September 2016

By Bronwen

For those of us who love nothing better than finding a killer make-up tutorial on YouTube, you may have stumbled upon a new type of makeup video in which the host uses only ‘drugstore’ products. A ‘drugstore product’ is an American term for an item that is from the likes of Wal-Mart or a chemist’s. In the the UK, our drugstore makeup can be found in shops like Boots and Superdrug. If you do like watching drugstore makeup tutorials, you’ve probably found that the cheaper versions sometimes work just as well, if not better, than their designer rivals. We decided to do a comparison between the cheap makeup versus its designer rival to find out whether you can, in fact, have a makeup bag full of products that didn’t cost you an arm or a leg.

Bronzer: Soap and Glory vs Nars – We should mention first of all that Soap and Glory isn’t the cheapest drugstore item but it is still much cheaper than the branded makeup. Bronzer is something that is really easy to get wrong and certain types don’t work on certain skin tones. The Nars bronzer is suitable to more skin types as more shades are available, whereas the Soap and Glory is pretty much a one shade for all. So if you have really light skin, it may look too dark and if you have darker skin, it may not be very effective or give you the colour you want.

Winner: Nars

False eyelashes: Collection vs Urban Decay – The trick with false eyelashes is to have people wondering whether you have naturally long eyelashes or if they’re really convincing fakes. Urban Decay’s slogan is “beauty with an edge”, so you can’t really expect them to produce natural-looking eyelashes. Their false lashes are quite bold and obviously false. Collection do a huge range of more subtle lashes which enhance your natural lashes.

Winner: Collection

Primer: Rimmel vs Lancome – If you have oily skin, it’s worth buying a water-based primer with few chemicals so as to not aggravate your skin. The Lancome doubles up as a bit of a moisturiser and makes your skin feel soft and silky. The Lancome primer makes your foundation last a lot longer than the Rimmel primer but it is a lot more expensive. If you want your foundation to last for a full school or work day, the Lancome will probably be a little more trustworthy, although the Rimmel does a good job too.

Winner: Lancome (but only just)

Powder: Maybelline vs Urban Decay – Another piece of skin advice for people with acne or oil prone skin is to never ever ever use a sponge to apply makeup. The holes in sponges collect dirt and oil that you will then be reapplying to your face every time you use it. The Urban Decay powder comes with a sponge and doesn’t provide the same amount of coverage as a loose powder but is easy to apply and comes in a range of shades. The Maybelline Matte Maker powder isn’t technically a loose powder but it becomes loose quite quickly when you use a brush to apply it. It’s also a gentler colour and doesn’t come up a little orange like the Urban Decay powder can.

Winner: Maybelline

Contour Palette: Revolution vs Dior – Revolution offers six shades plus two additional highlighters all for under ten pounds. Dior only offers a matte highlighter and a dark contour colour so there’s no ability to mix and match. Dior is a little easier to blend that Revolution but not enough to take the crown.

Winner: Revolution

Foundation: L’Oreal vs Clinique – Both of these foundations are incredibly heavy which a lot of people like. Clinique dries very quickly so you have to move quickly when applying it but the coverage is very even and it doesn’t clump very easily. The L’Oreal, however, gives a great coverage and makes it look like you have great skin. They currently have a ‘True match’ range which includes foundation suitable for every skin colour, from the lightest to the darkest.

Winner: L’Oreal

Concealer: Collection vs Bare Minerals – Bare Minerals’ concealer comes in a whole variety of tones but it’s a very thick liquid which makes it difficult to blend. It can also be quite clumpy if you don’t blend it straight away. The Collection concealer is also quite thick but is easier to work with and isn’t as dense.

Winner: Collection

Eye makeup: Revolution vs Urban Decay – Revolution sell a whole range of different eye shadow palettes and they’re all fairly cheap. Compared to Urban Decay, the colours aren’t as rich or easy to apply and need to be brushed quite roughly in order to get the full, deepest colour. However, the Urban Decay palette is worth every penny as the shades are all useful so you don’t have a huge palette in which only three colours are ever used. For the money you pay, you can’t argue with Revolution though.

Winner: It’s a tie

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