4 Generic Products That Are Just As Effective As Costlier Name Brands

Greetings beauty lovers!  I’ve recently come across a random beauty tip/trick that’s saved me over $20 and it made me think of a few other items in my makeup bag that have a similar story so I’m sure it’s no surprise that I’m ready for another bargain post, hopefully you are too!  It’s sort of a broad spectrum as far as what I’m covering, but rest assured all 4 are useful and fabulously so.

Now, the first one of these products I’m going to talk about is probably the one you’re scratching your head over.  Yup, the Monistat “Chafing Relief Powder-Gel Skin Protectant.”  Can you guess it’s use?

If you guessed “skin primer” you’re spot on, doll!  My aunt recently showed me this trick passed on to her from a friend.  This one is exciting for me because it contains the same exact ingredients as the infamous Smashbox primer that I would guiltily splurge on at Sephora which is over $30.  Plus you get 50% more in the monistat tube which is only $7 at walmart.  I’ve been using mine for a couple months now and I’ve barely dented the tube.  It does exactly the same thing as the Smashbox primer, and for a less than a third of the price I’d say it’s even better!

My next favorite out of the bargain bunch is the “AcneFree Advanced Cleansing Brush” which is one of the many new cleansing brushes that have just debuted.  I exfoliate my face nightly so I’m used to feeling the difference of smoother and softer skin after scrubbing all the makeup and grime off my face, but the bristles on the spinning brush head are literally no joke.  The brush invigorates your skin in a way that causes you pores to dispel more congestion and blackheads than washing your face normally can.  The “AcneFree” brush I got was only $14.99 at Target, but the one that inspired me to look into these brushes is actually the “ProActive” one that came with the $19.99 acne treatment kit.  I didn’t really want to buy a whole face wash system that I’m not interested in using so I went to Target instead.  I was surprised at how many brushes they had that were over $30, I ended up choosing to spend $15.  I’m happy with my choice as I doubt I’d get better results paying for a more expensive brush, it’s only been a few days that I’ve been using it now and already my pores look smaller and clearer.

The third product I wanted to share with you guys is actually my replacement for another “Smashbox” product.  For what felt like years I’d been in search for a really good waterproof cream eyeliner and I was both happy and sad when I found the “Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eyeliner” because it went on smoothly and worked really well as far as lasting all day goes, but the price was just out of this world insane.  I can’t comfortably spend $20 on an eyeliner so I tried using the “E.L.F.” versions that I purchased at Target and I fell in love with the $3 price as well as the long lasting and smooth wearing results that were uncannily similar to the “Smashbox” version.

Now, last and certainly not least of the 4 is the “So Baked Bronzer” I’ve been using from “Hard Candy” (available at Walmart stores).  I started looking into affordable bronzers once I used up the rest of my favorite bronzer, “Faux Tan All Over Face Color” from “Bare Minerals” which, at $19, is just way too expensive for me right now.  But luckily I found the “Hard Candy” bronzers in Walmart’s makeup section.  They’re $9 and come in a few different shades.  I chose “Hula Hula” because it seemed to match “Faux Tan” the best.  Either way I’m glad to be saving $10.