This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Read my disclaimer for more info.

We all love good quality makeup.  And that means sometimes investing in high-end brands. Name brand makeup can be great for a bunch of different reasons. The main one is because they’re made of higher quality ingredients than their less expensive counterparts. That’s why we love NARS makeup so much.

However, more expensive doesn’t always mean “better” in a sense that will get you better results. Sometimes higher price also means you’re paying to have more shade options. Or —  let’s be honest — sometimes we’re just paying for better advertisement.  More often than not, name brands are overhyped (in my very honest but humble opinion).

But we’re all different in what we’re looking for in terms of makeup, especially foundation. There are many different issues one can address as you probably know.  Is it your goal that your make-up lasts longer? Or is it that it has buildable coverage without caking?  Or is it that won’t melt in your face when it’s 100-degrees outside?

As you can see, there are a lot of different factors to consider when choosing between name brands and less expensive drugstore foundations.

One foundation that consistently performs well in almost every category is the NARS Sheer Glow foundation, which gets glowing reviews from almost every expert and beauty blogger out there.

I agree that NARS is a pretty good foundation, and you do get your money’s worth. However, when you keep investing in high-end brands over time, it can add up to a pretty penny. And I’m not knocking down the brand in any way. I’m a fan as much as the next person. Not just of their foundation but of their whole line of products. I just happen to think that sometimes it’s nice to save some money — and who doesn’t like a good dupe?

So I went on a quest to find the perfect drugstore version of the NARS foundation. After a lot of trial and error, I finally settled on one. It’s none less than the famous drugstore brand  Neutrogena with its Healthy Skin liquid makeup foundation. The coverage is comparable to NARS — from sheer to medium — and it’s just as buildable. I also love that is lightweight and won’t clog your pores. The choice of shades is more limited, but for a fraction of that price, you can expect as much. On the flip side, you get SPF 20 coverage.

Overall, in terms of coverage, I give both a solid A + . Both brands do an excellent job at that. Bonus points for Neutrogena though, because it feels a little bit lighter on the skin.

FINAL WORDS

As good as a dupe can be, it will never replace the original because the ingredients will never be the same. But Neutrogena is a pretty solid alternative in case you forget your NARS foundation on a trip, or you are on a tight budget and want to save money.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you did, don’t forget to share it with your friends on social media.

Xo,

SHOP THE POST