Corrine StokoeThe seasons are changing and not only am I getting my hands on everything pumpkin and switching my wardrobe to cozier things, but I'm also all about finding the best fall makeup items that are high quality and won't break the bank. The past few weeks I went on the hunt for the very best makeup dupes and I found them at WALMART!
I tried tonsss of different drugstore makeup, and through a lot of trial and error, I've found some absolutely incredible options! These are the best drugstore makeup dupes – they're nearly identical, if not better than some high-end department store makeup products I've tried. And they're all available at Walmart! I'm so excited to give you all the details on how to achieve the perfect fall makeup look for less.
In a hurry? Shop my picks below:
The perfect fall makeup look + what you need
Eye shadow makeup dupe
This palette by Profusion is absolutely amazing. Sometimes drugstore eyeshadow palettes aren't that high quality, but this has great pigment and a great powder formula, and it really does last super well!
I use the Milani eye shadow primer which I think makes a huge difference in not creasing and having it last all day. So I’m really, really loving this Minimalist Profusion palette!
It reminds me a LOT of the Huda Beauty Rose Gold remastered palette from Sephora and has a lot of the same shimmer and colors in it. That's been a favorite of mine for a long time, and with this drugstore profusion palette you can create a super similar look for a quarter of the price!
Eyeliner
I’ve learned that if you want to do a good winged eyeliner with some dark eye makeup, you have to do that first and then put your foundation on AFTER. Trust me on this! Especially because you have to clean up the lines from your eyeliner and eye makeup.
So, here’s my step by step to achieving the best winged eyeliner:
- APPLY: First things first, put on your eye shadow primer and then apply your eye shadow.
- BE PRECISE: You’ll then slightly pull your skin by your eye away from your face and up a little to tighten your skin — this will help create a straighter, cleaner winged line! A lot of people will use a credit card or something to create a straight line, but what I like to do is just line up the tip so that it looks like it’s coming from my bottom waterline and connecting it with my top lash line, and then filling that little tip in. And remember, it’s never really perfectly perfect! There’s usually a little bit of fallout from the darker eye shadow, so the key to that is to use a makeup wipe.
- WIPE CLEAN: After I finish applying liner to both eyes I take a makeup wipe and I just clean up my eyes and go along the bottom of the winged liner to create a very sharp line!
- SMUDGE: Next I go back with a very small liner eye shadow brush and do a darker brown color and apply it to my bottom lid and smudge just a very soft, smoky look.
- GLUE: Once you’ve already applied your regular winged liner, you can use this glue to go over your eyeliner right before you’re ready to put on your false lashes and it’s AMAZING.
- APPLY LASHES: Plop on your false lashes and they'll stick incredibly well! It’s amazing. This is seriously one of the best things I’ve ever discovered as far as makeup goes.
Mascara
I first curl my eyelashes and then mascara. My heart is set on two different mascaras for very good reasons! For length, I love the Sky High mascara and for volume, I love Lash Paradise. I’ve used this one for years and it's definitely a good one.
Lately I’ve been layering these two mascaras together and they're literal perfection together. Doesn’t matter which you apply first, but I typically do Sky High first and then the Lash Paradise.
Primer makeup dupe
This pourless putty primer is reaaaally good, especially if you want a very smooth canvas/texture and if you have pores or fine lines you want to blur out, this stuff is amazing! It's better than a lot of the high-end primers that I’ve tried.
Foundation makeup dupe
Probably my very favorite of allll the drugstore finds is this Profusion Feel Good Skin Longwear Skin Perfector.
This foundation is amazing. It goes on very, very lightweight, lasts all day, has beautiful color to it, layers well with other makeup, and it’s really similar to Lancome’s full coverage foundation. They 100% made this to be a drugstore dupe for a department store, very high-end, super popular foundation and this stuff is maybe the best drugstore foundation I’ve ever used. It’s soooo good.
I apply this perfect dupe with my real techniques makeup sponge and it goes on very beautifully.
Highlighter
This profusion highlight and contour palette is also absolutely excellent. I really like both the highlight and contour in this palette! But if you’re looking for great highlighter only, I highly recommend this jelly highlighter because it literally stays put all day long.
Blush
For a more fall look, I used this Elf Putty Blush in the shade Caribbean because it’s more of a dark, apple-y red color. Perfect cream blush for fall!
Brow Gel
The second favorite thing I tried out of all the drugstore items (and I tried a lot of different makeup that didn’t make the list) was this Elf Brow lift. It’s absolutely incredible.
If you’re the kind of girl that loves the look of brow lamination but you haven't been able to get out and do it/keep up with it (I'm looking at you, bed rest), this will give you that same effect! Obviously it won’t last like a true brow lamination and you’ll have to reapply every day, but it'll give you that exact look and will stay all day.
Brow pencil makeup dupe
For my brows I used this Profusion Good Brow Day Ultra-fine pencil. It's absolutely a dupe for my favorite department store and cult favorite Anastasia brow pencil that I’ve been talking about for years and years.
Concealer
I went back to a favorite concealer I’ve gone back to time and time again in my last few drugstore roundups. I haven’t found anything I love more and I’ve tried a couple others and still came back to this one: Revlon Color Stay Skin Awaken. It even has caffeine and vitamin c in it, so it brightens and wakes up tired eyes… always a plus.
It looks so good and has great coverage! Lasts well, layers well, not cakey, doesn’t crease, hides dark circles + imperfections, and it’s just beautiful. Honestly better than a lot of even the department store concealers that I’ve tried. It’s that good.
Lips
I used a combo of the Milani French rose lip liner and these Maybelline Vinyls and they’re alllll the TikTok rage right now. I’ve put this to the test and I’ll put it on at the beginning of the day, drink several different beverages, eat a sandwich for lunch, even use a napkin to wipe my face and it'll STILL stay. It’s a very, very amazing long-wear lip color. It goes on a liquid lip gloss and then settles more like a lipstick. I love the color shade called Peachy! It goes together very nicely with the Milani French rose lip liner and would look great on any skin tone.
The best makeup dupes: brush edit
I use my Elf makeup brushes all the time, even when I’m using my really nice department store makeup. That’s how much I truly love these brushes. And they’re so affordable! I’ll always reach for them because they’re so good and blend all my makeup super well.
My secret to pretty fall makeup:
Self-tanner! And not just any self-tanner. be.tan Just Act Natural self-tanner.
This tanner is amazing because it’s completely clear so while I've been on bedrest it's been a game changer. Before, I used to be able to use any kind of tanner with bronzer in it and do things for a few hours while it dried and then shower it off. But right now I need to be resting and sitting in bed with my pregnancy, so this clear be.tan Just Act Natural tanner is a necessity! There’s no waiting involved and you can immediately hop right into bed because it won’t stain your sheets or clothes and it gives the perfect bronzed color.
I love this for a very natural, subtle tan without it looking like, “woah, that’s way too much”. It’s just the perfect solution for someone who wants a little extra color during those pasty white skin moments!
Top it off: one of the BEST curling irons ON SALE
This curling iron isn't cheap BUT it's also basically NEVER on sale, and it's one of the best I've ever owned. If you have long hair, listen up because you don't want to miss this. This curling iron has a LONG barrel, so it's quicker and easier to curl all of your hair in a short amount of time! Also the cool tip end is super convenient, and it has multiple heat settings. This is the exact curling iron that my hairstylist uses and I've had it and loved it for a couple years now. Let me repeat: it NEVER goes on sale. Except it IS on sale right now at Walmart!
ALSO – best hairspray ever? Not just according to me, but 300+ other reviewers who agree! ALSO on sale.
Need a less expensive curling option? We also absolutely LOVE this curling and straightening tool that's brand new from one of our favorite brands, Hairitage!
It curls OR straightens super quickly and this is by far THE easiest flat iron I've ever curled hair with! The curved edges make it super easy and the cooling air helps lock the style in place.
I used it to create two different looks on my girls – traditional curls on Lyla, and looser waves on Ani, and they both LOVED their hair! Also curls that you create with a flat iron tend to last the very longest, eliminating additional heat to your hair over time. We are in love with this tool!
High quality for less
I've been SO impressed by all of the incredible, high-quality makeup products I've found at Walmart and how similar they are to a lot of department store brands. These are all drugstore makeup dupes I've been completely giddy about, so I've rounded up everything below so you can fall in love with them yourself!
