High End vs. Drugstore. #2

It's time for another high end vs drugstore post. I challenge myself to create a look using high end products, and then re-create the look using products that can be found at the drugstore for MUCH less. This time I did a smoky look. One of my eyes in the photo below is done using products worth well over $100. The other eye is all elf products worth a total of 11 dollars. Can you tell the difference? Take a guess. Which eye is which?





Here are the products used!





The eye on the right, above was created using the following products:
Elf essential eyelid primer in Pearl ($1)
Elf essential duo eyeshadow cream in black licorice ($1)
Elf studio single eyeshadow in Sand Dollar ($3)
Elf essential brightening eye color quad in drama ($1)
Elf essential shimmer eyeliner pencil in black bandit ($1)
Elf essential shimmer eyeliner pencil in gunmetal ($1)
Elf studio Lengthening and volumizing mascara in black ($3)
total: $11

And the eye on the left, above was created using these products:
Urban Decay eyeshadow Primer Potion- travel size ($9)
Urban Decay Naked palette- creep, gunmetal ($50)
Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette- pistol, verve, blackout ($50)
Urban Decay Fun Palette- Uzi ($34)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on pencil in Perversion ($19)
Maybelline Falsies mascara (I don't own a high end mascara)- $7- but i will not include it in the total.
total: $162

note: These prices reflect the original retail price, and are not necessarily what I paid for these products. i often find things in set and on sale. Also, These looks could probably be created using different, less expensive products (i.e. single urban decay eye shadows rather than palettes), these are simply the products I own and used!

So, did you guess right? What do you think of the looks above? Do they look close enough to identical to be considered dupes? If you have any questions or comments, or would like more information on the looks created above, feel free to leave them down below! Thanks for reading!

High End vs. Drugstore. Can you tell the difference?

Yesterday I challenged myself to create an eye look with all high end products, and then try to re-create that look for a fraction of the cost using drug store make up. I did one eye with all Urban Decay products (except mascara- I don't own a high-end mascara) and I did the other eye with brands that can be purchased at the drugstore. Before I tell you which eye is which, take a guess. Which eye do you think has the high end products?




Obviously the eyes aren't exactly the same. There are some subtle differences. But I think that I got pretty close. Especially considering, to create the look on one eye I used $78 dollars worth of products, and on the other eye I used $14 worth of products (including the brushes!) So are you curious to know which eye is which?

The eye look on the left was created using these products.


Urban Decay Travel Size Primer Potion- $9 (I actually got this as a part of a set that was on sale, so I did not pay $9 for it, but that's the price to purchase the travel size primer potion on their website, so that's the price I used for this!)
Urban Decay Naked 2 palette- $50 I used the brush provided with the palette to create the look. The colors I used were YDK (lid color), Tease (crease color) and Foxy (brow bone high light)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on eye pencil in whiskey- $19 (oops, I forgot to include it in the picture. But, again, I got mine in a set, so I did not pay that price, however, to buy this full size, that's what you will pay. Mine is actually a travel size)
Maybeline the Falsies Volum' Express Mascara in Black Drama (i didn't have a high end mascara so I went with my most expensive one. This one costs about 7 dollars, but i did not include it in the total price of 78 dollars, just for the record)

On the eye on the right, above, I used these products:


Elf eyelid primer in sheer: $1
Elf duo eyeshadow cream in Butter Pecan: $1 (as a base on the lid)
Elf brightening Eye Color Quad in Day to night: $1 (I used the bronze shade from this quad as an all over lid color, and the cream color as a brown bone highlight)
Elf Matte Eyeshadow in Burnt Brown: $3 (crease)
Elf shimmer eyeliner pencil in Boldly Bronzed: $1
NYC Instant Lash Mascara in Black $1
Elf eyeshadow "c" brush- $3
Elf contour brush- $3

So there you have it. It's possible to a look nearly identical to a high end look for just a fraction of the cost! Before I go I just want to show you exactly how close a couple of these shades that I used are.


L to R: Urban Decay YDK, Bronze shade from the Elf brightening eye color quad, Urban Decay Tease, Elf Matte Eyeshadow in burnt brown. And under those we have Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on eye pencil in whiskey on top and Elf shimmer eyeliner pencil in boldy bronzed.

So, what do you think of this look? Do you like the high end version or the drugstore version better? Do you think that the colors are close enough to be called dupes? Leave me a comment down below and let me know. Also, leave me a comment if you would like to see more posts like this in the future!

Save or Splurge: Make up Brushes

It's the second entry in my save or splurge series. This time, it's all about make up brushes. Make up brushes are so important. I think that if you have quality brushes, you can make even the most inexpensive make up items work, and work well. But, a good set of make up brushes can be very expensive. So i did a little research, and found great brushes for all price ranges! Starting with the most expensive, and finding comparable items for less!

Sigma
Sigma is considered by many the go to place for amazing make up brushes. They have tons of sets, as well as individual brushes. They can be very costly, but they are amazing quality, and many would consider them a worthwhile investment. You can snag Sigma's Premium Professional Kit with brush roll for 149 dollars. This kit comes with 15 premium brushes (7 face brushes, 7 eye brushes and a lip brush) and a brush roll. This is the kit you want if you need a large assortment of brushes. Want another option? You can get the Sigma 12 piece brush kit. You get 12 different brushes- a variety of face and eye brushes in a handy storage container that transform into 2 stylish brush holders. This one will run you 109 dollars! Sigma has tons of other kits too, and of course, you can buy brushes individually if you just need to add a certain type of brush to your existing collection. Individual brushes cost around 9-15 dollars depending on what you are looking for.

Sonia Kashuk
Another great brand of brushes, that are more inexpensive are Sonia kashuk brushes. These are available online or at Target. I've heard great things about these brushes, and they have overall good reviews online. Want a full set of brushes? You can get the Haute Couture brush set, which comes with an assortment of 10 brushes- all the brushes you will need to apply your make up, and a brush roll for around 65 dollars! Another option if you don't need quite so many brushes is the Tres Chic brush set. This one includes 6 brushes, and a case all for 35 dollars. A cheaper option still is the Brush couture 5-piece Brush set. This one is adorable and affordable at just $14.99! Individual Sonia Kashuk brushes are available as well!

Coastal Scents
Another great company for make up and tools. I personally own these brushes, and they are fantastic, at a great price point. You can get the coastal Scents 22 piece brush kit for 35 dollars. This one comes with a huge assortment of brushes, and a brush roll. (I have these and I can tell you they are amazing for the price!) Or you can get the Sterling Divine Brush Set - 6 cosmetic brushes and a brush case- for $24.95. They even have a 12 piece brush set that includes a case for a steal at just $9.95 (I have no experience with these, but the reviews look good!) Individual brushes are, of course, also available.

E.L.F.
E.L.F. (Eyes Lips Face) also have a lot of really great brushes. You can score a set of 11 studio brushes for 30 dollars. These brushes have gotten great reviews! Want a cheaper option? Their Essential brushes come in a kit of 12 for 12 dollars! Some of this range of brushes are better than others, but this is a great set for someone who is just starting out with make up! A super cute option? How about a set of three super cute bejeweled brushes for around ten dollars? You can also buy individual brushes. They've got options here! Their Mineral Brushes run 5 dollars a piece, their Studio Brushes are around 3 dollars a piece, and their Essential brushes are just a dollar a piece (you can see my review on some of these brushes here)

So there you have it. Just a quick overview on some great make up brush options. Any of these would make a great gift for someone you love, or even yourself! I personally snagged the Coastal Scents 22 piece brush kit (Well, it was actually a gift from my mom- Thanks mom!) and the E.L.F. one dollar essential brushes and they are great! Which option do you think is best? I'd love your feedbak! There are plenty of other brushes out there. Just make sure you check out reviews and do your research so you can get the best bang for your buck!

Save or Splurge: Riding Boots

I've decided to start a series called Save or Splurge. There are a lot of amazing clothing, accessory and make up items out there. Some, obviously are going to cost more than others. In this series, I am going to take an expensive item, and find less expensive versions of them.

The first item I wanted to cover are riding boots. These are gorgeous tall boots that are really in for fall. You can wear them with skinny jeans, skirts or dresses. They're functional in the wet and snow that comes with fall and winter while still being super cute. They can also be pretty pricey. Especially if you want real leather. Of course, there are also tons of faux leather options out there that can dramatically cut the cost. I've found three gorgeous, similar pairs, but in very different price ranges.

Anne Klein Carloew
These boots are absolutely Gorgeous. They sell on Zappos.com for $169.00 I am sure they are worth that price. They are made of leather, with a synthetic lining and sole. They've got a stacked heel and a cute vertical leather strap detail and buckle. And they got great reviews.



Annie Kensington Riding boots
Next, I went looking for a synthetic leather boot that was similar to the Anne Klein boots above. I found these beautiful Annie Kensington boots, also on Zappos.com The price point on these beauties is $79.95 These boots are very edgy looking. They boast a Faux distressed leather upper with plain toe and hardware accent for a motorcycle-mama look. A sturdy 1 and a half inch heel and a full zipper closure with hidden gore panel provides a calf-hugging fit.



Old Navy Riding Boots
Next I went looking for an even more inexpensive, but still attractive riding boot. I found my winner at OldNavy.com These riding boots will run you $38.00 They are available in Black, Brown and Gray. They feature a Faux leather upper, Side buckle detail and a one inch heel. To me, they have the same motorcycle boot feel as the Annie Kensington boots above, but at half the price!



So there you have it. Three fashionable, gorgeous pairs of riding boots at Three very different Price points! I personally chose the most inexpensive option, and snagged the old navy riding boots (in black!) Which pair is your favorite?