Welcome to Beauty Juke, where you’ll find tried-and-true effective, inexpensive substitutes for your department-store favorites. No, really. Maybe that $30 holy-grail mascara really can’t be beat, but there’s a drugstore alternative that will come pretty damn close (some might even hit the mark). We’ll give it an honest once-over so you don’t have to trudge through the trial-and-error. It’s Fake It ‘Til You Make It beauty at its best. Now, let’s get on with it.
Since Smashbox recently upped the price on my beloved Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer (a whopping $2 increase from $18 to $20—trust me, $2 is a lot for this baller on a budget), I’ve been on the lookout for a sufficient substitute. This pained me to consider, since it took me years to find Smashbox’s holy grail of concealers. It’s creamy, blends well, covers EVERYTHING, and stays put. And it matches my skin tone to a T (not an easy feat).
So, you can imagine my delight when, whilst gallivanting down a CVS aisle, I stumbled upon this little number, Revlon’s PhotoReady Concealer (the name was a dead giveaway), for a measly $10.99. At first glance it looked just like its department-store predecessor so I snatched up a stick in Medium 004 (I’m a 5 in Smashbox’s version). I couldn’t wait to get it home and slather it under my eyes and all over my brown spots.
Once in the private confines of my home, I ripped off the plastic wrap and went to work. To my surprise, for the most part, Revlon’s product delivered! Not to say that drugstore brands generally don’t (God forbid I leave the house without multiple coats of Maybelline’s The Falsies mascara), but I have a VERY hard time finding concealers and foundations that match my yellow-undertoned skin. This is usually only achieved by more expensive brands that have a wide range of tones from which to choose. Anyway… Here’s my experience: Revlon’s PhotoReady Concealer’s creamy stick formula applied smoothly and evenly, and provided may-jah coverage—just the kind I need for dark spots and darker circles. I suggest applying with a concealer brush (finger-blending seemed to lift too much color, but will work in a pinch). Super bonus? The formula contains SPF 20. Whaaaa? I know, it’s great. Double-duty, two birds, one stone, etc.
The only downsides I found were: 1) the formula was a tad light for my shade (i.e. fine in natural light, not so awesome in a flash picture—way too apparent); and 2) as the day wore on, the concealer dried out, highlighting any patches of dry skin my moisturizer left behind (I don’t foresee this being an issue for you more combination and oily skin type ladies, however).
All in all, a decent substitute. Beauty Juke success!
