Walmart
It’s the age-old dilemma: you’ve found the holy grail of makeup products, but the price tag puts the item out of reach. Rather than shell out big bucks for the designer name, however, you can try a more affordable iteration. These days, drugstore brands have stepped up their game, creating products and developing formulas to rival the best-in-class beauty at a fraction of the cost.
One of the most entertaining places to find cheaper versions of your favorite high-end products is TikTok, where reviewers are on the prowl for all things affordable beauty. Ahead, we’ve listed some creators’ most popular picks (all of them available at Walmart, an emporium of low prices). Scroll on for the best of TikTok’s wallet-friendly beauty finds — some are even better than their luxury counterparts.
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HuffPost receives a share from retailers on this page. Every item is independently selected by the HuffPost Shopping team. Prices and availability are subject to change.
1
Clarins
Clarins Instant Light lip oil
TikTok reviewers swear by Clarins’s highly-rated lip oil to deliver a shiny finish while hydrating lips. (Many find it offers a comparable intense gleam and moisture as a pricier option from Dior retailing for $38.)
2
L'Oreal Paris
L’Oreal Paris Infallible foundation
L’Oreal’s “infallible” foundation is the star of a now-famous TikTok post where creator Sean Anthony compares it to a similar $49 formulation from NARS. (His quotable declaration — “This and this are the same thing!” — can be frequently heard on TikTok “dupe” videos.) Some commenters disagreed with the comparison, but L’Oreal’s foundation remains a popular option, with a 4.4-star rating and over 1,800 reviews on Walmart’s website.
3
Maybelline
Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High mascara
TikTok-er Katie Raymond demonstrated in a recent post that the rubber wand on Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Sky High mascara is very similar to the one found on Benefit’s $27 BADgal Bang mascara — and both are intended to coat and separate each lash for eyes that pop. With a 4.2-star rating at Walmart and a sub-$10 price tag, Maybelline’s formula seems worth a try. “This mascara is literally the best one I have,” wrote a reviewer named Nicole.
4
Maybelline
Maybelline Lifter lip gloss
According to TikTok, Maybelline’s hyaluronic acid-infused Lifter lip gloss in pearl will deliver the same brilliant gleam as Fenty Beauty’s $20 Gloss Bomb lip gloss — both are super shiny and shimmery like a diamond (cue the Rihanna song).
5
L'Oreal Paris
L’Oreal Paris True Match highlighting moisturizer
This unique “glotion” is part highlighter, part tinted moisturizer, offering a unique layer of all-over illumination for radiant-looking skin. In a side-by-side comparison, TikTok-er Christxiee explains that she prefers L’Oreal’s moisturizer over the similar (and very popular) Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter, which costs up to $46. The “glotion,” she explains, has a more refined texture, less sticky application, and minimizes the appearances of her pores.
6
Real Techniques Beauty Blender
Real Technique makeup blending sponge
It seems like everyone on TikTok (including creator Rocio Soria) is choosing Real Technique's super-sized makeup blending sponge over the original $18 Beauty Blender — a brand that changed the game with its innovative egg-shaped make-up applicator. In addition to the recognizable oblong shape, the latex-free sponge has a flat side for applying contour. Soria’s video also shows the tool expanding almost to the size of her palm when immersed in water.
7
L'Oreal Paris
L’Oreal Paris True Match serum foundation
In a viral TikTok post from last year, makeup artist Samantha Taormina shows off the hyaluronic acid-infused L’Oreal Paris True Match serum foundation, asserting that it offers the same buildable coverage and glowy look offered by the renowned (and pricey) Luminous Silk foundation from Giorgio Armani, which costs $69. “I am seriously blown away ... at the radiance it gives my skin,” Taormina explained of L’Oreal’s formula.
8
NYX
NYX Lip Lingerie liquid lipstick
Alessandro, who goes by the username mualesandro on TikTok, said in a recent video that NYX’s matte liquid lipstick goes on smoother than any high-end brand, calling it “the best liquid lipstick he has ever tried.” Even better, the creator finds that this one doesn’t dry out his lips (unlike most matte lip products).
9
Maybelline
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind perfecting makeup
TikTok-er Sarah_wolak recently found that Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind Perfector blends in smoothly for the perfect bronze glow, and offers a better color than the similar (and currently out of stock) Hollywood Contour Wand from Charlotte Tilbury, which normally clocks in at $40. “Catch me wearing this color all summer long,” she said of Maybelline’s under-$10 tint. The multi-tasking, glow-boosting product promises to prime, conceal, highlight, and even out skin tone — and it’s equipped with a built-in sponge for easy application.
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