Base makeup dupes: foundation, concealer, powder and primer
Base is where the money goes and where the gap closes fastest: a $5 Maybelline Instant Age Rewind does what the $32 NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer does in the same 6ml, and $8 of Coty Airspun holds 65g against Laura Mercier's 29g for $43. What the cheap end still loses is shade range and wear on oily skin — Shape Tape's 30-odd shades against e.l.f. Camo's, and setting sprays that flash-dry rather than lock. Each comparison says which of the two you're trading away.
What are the best drugstore dupes for luxury foundation, concealer and setting powder?
Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder – Translucent Extra Coverage, about $8 ($3.49 / oz), against the $43 Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder — 92% less. A drugstore classic that makeup artists use for baking. Slightly more coverage and a heavier feel. You get more than twice the product for under a fifth of the price.
- 12
- 92%
- $394
1. Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder – Translucent Extra Coverage for Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
$8 against $43, 92% less ($3.49 / oz versus $42.04 / oz).
−92%per ozCost per oz
Laura Mercier$42.04 / ozCoty Airspun$3.49 / oz- Size
- 29 g
- 65 g
- Key ingredients
- Not disclosed
- Not disclosed
What matches
A drugstore classic that makeup artists use for baking.
What the dupe does worse
Slightly more coverage and a heavier feel.
2. L'Oréal Paris True Match Radiant Serum Concealer for Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Radiant Touch
$14 against $45, 92% less ($42.25 / fl oz versus $532.32 / fl oz).
−92%per ozCost per fl oz
Yves Saint Laurent$532.32 / fl ozL'Oréal Paris$42.25 / fl oz- Size
- 2.5 ml
- 9.8 ml
- Key ingredients
- Not disclosed
- Hyaluronic acid, Caffeine
What matches
Both brighten the under-eye with light-reflecting pigment rather than heavy coverage, and both come out of L'Oréal, which owns YSL Beauté.
What the dupe does worse
5% hyaluronic acid, caffeine and enough pigment to cover — which is why it can crease on dry skin where the sheerer pen does not. 5ml.
3. Makeup Revolution Skin Silk Serum Foundation for Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Foundation
$11 against $69, 84% less.
−84%on priceWhat each one costs
Giorgio Armani Beauty$68.02 / fl ozMakeup Revolution$11- Size
- 30 ml
- one unit
- Key ingredients
- Not disclosed
- Hyaluronic acid
What matches
Same serum-fluid texture and the same satin, skin-like finish that Luminous Silk is bought for, in a comparable medium coverage.
What the dupe does worse
Less shade depth at the extremes of the range and a shorter wear time on oily skin, around eight hours before it needs powder.
4. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Concealer for NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
$5 against $32, 84% less ($24.64 / fl oz versus $157.73 / fl oz).
−84%per ozCost per fl oz
NARS$157.73 / fl ozMaybelline$24.64 / fl oz- Size
- 6 ml
- 6 ml
- Key ingredients
- Not disclosed
- Not disclosed
What matches
The same medium, radiant-finish coverage under the eye, dispensed onto a sponge tip instead of a doe-foot.
What the dupe does worse
The formula is thinner and wants a second pass for full pigment, and the shade range thins out at the deepest end where NARS's does not.
5. e.l.f. SKIN Bronzing Drops for Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops
$8 against $38, 79% less.
−79%on priceWhat each one costs
Drunk Elephant$37.46 / fl oze.l.f. SKIN$8- Size
- 30 ml
- one unit
- Key ingredients
- Matrixyl 3000 peptides, Cocoa extract, Omega fatty acids
- Vitamin E, Sunflower oil
What matches
Same use: a few drops into moisturiser or foundation, or worn alone for a wash of bronze.
What the dupe does worse
's shimmers where D-Bronzi is matte, and it is a cosmetic rather than a peptide serum — no Matrixyl, no antioxidant claim to it. f. does not print.
6. e.l.f. Cosmetics Halo Glow Soft Focus Setting Powder for Hourglass Ambient Lighting Finishing Powder
$8 against $52, 77% less ($33.35 / oz versus $147.42 / oz).
−77%per ozCost per oz
Hourglass$147.42 / oze.l.f. Cosmetics$33.35 / oz- Size
- 10 g
- 6.8 g
- Key ingredients
- Not disclosed
- Not disclosed
What matches
Both are finishing powders meant to soften texture while leaving the skin lit rather than matte.
What the dupe does worse
's is loose and lightly luminous, so it blurs less firmly than a pressed powder and travels worse in a bag.
7. e.l.f. Cosmetics Halo Glow Liquid Filter for Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter
$14 against $49, 73% less ($13.14 / fl oz versus $48.30 / fl oz).
−73%per ozCost per fl oz
Charlotte Tilbury$48.30 / fl oze.l.f. Cosmetics$13.14 / fl oz- Size
- 30 ml
- 31.5 ml
- Key ingredients
- Not disclosed
- Squalane, Hyaluronic acid
What matches
Same three uses (alone, as primer, mixed with foundation) and a similar soft-focus sheen.
What the dupe does worse
Slightly more pigment and a thinner texture, so blend quickly.
8. e.l.f. Cosmetics Poreless Putty Primer for Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Pore Primer
$10 against $35, 71% less.
−71%on priceWhat each one costs
Benefit Cosmetics$47.05 / fl oze.l.f. Cosmetics$13.50 / oz- Size
- 22 ml
- 21 g
- Key ingredients
- Not disclosed
- Not disclosed
What matches
Same silicone putty texture and blurring effect, in a jar instead of a tube, so it's less hygienic to dip into. Nearly the same amount of product for under a third of the price.
9. Maybelline Fit Me Loose Setting Powder for Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
$9 against $43, 70% less ($12.76 / oz versus $42.04 / oz).
−70%per ozCost per oz
Laura Mercier$42.04 / ozMaybelline$12.76 / oz- Size
- 29 g
- 20 g
- Key ingredients
- Not disclosed
- Not disclosed
What matches
Loose, finely milled powder doing the same job: hold foundation down and keep shine off the T-zone without a grey cast on camera.
What the dupe does worse
It is tinted rather than translucent, so the shade has to be matched, and the sifter is coarser than Laura Mercier's.
10. e.l.f. Cosmetics 16HR Camo Concealer for Tarte Shape Tape Concealer
$7 against $32, 64% less ($34.50 / fl oz versus $94.64 / fl oz).
Cost per fl oz
Tarte$94.64 / fl oze.l.f. Cosmetics$34.50 / fl oz- Size
- 10 ml
- 6 ml
- Key ingredients
- Not disclosed
- Not disclosed
What matches
Matches the full matte coverage and long wear.
What the dupe does worse
The tube is smaller and the doe-foot is narrower, so it's better for spot-concealing than for large areas. Shade range is wider than Shape Tape's original launch.
11. NYX Professional Makeup HD Studio Photogenic Concealer Wand for NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
$7 against $32, 56% less ($69 / fl oz versus $157.73 / fl oz).
−56%per ozCost per fl oz
NARS$157.73 / fl ozNYX Professional Makeup$69 / fl oz- Size
- 6 ml
- 3 ml
- Key ingredients
- Not disclosed
- Mica
What matches
Same medium-buildable coverage from a doe-foot wand, and the same slightly luminous finish that stays flexible under the eye.
What the dupe does worse
Fewer shades (23 against 30) and a drier set, so it wants a damp sponge or a dab of eye cream underneath.
12. e.l.f. Cosmetics Stay All Night Micro-Fine Setting Mist for Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Setting Spray
$11 against $36, 55% less ($4.07 / fl oz versus $9.02 / fl oz).
−55%per ozCost per fl oz
Urban Decay$9.02 / fl oze.l.f. Cosmetics$4.07 / fl oz- Size
- 118 ml
- 80 ml
- Key ingredients
- Not disclosed
- Glycerin
What matches
A genuinely fine mist that sets makeup rather than spitting wet patches onto it, which is where cheap setting sprays usually fail.
What the dupe does worse
f. puts the wear time at 16 hours where Urban Decay claims longer.
