Take Tasty Bite, which makes much of Trader Joe’s Indian food. Just like the Lancome liner, it’s easy to apply, stays on all day, and, given how small the bottle is, it lasts a freakishly long time. During my time as a receptionist at an AVEDA salon, I developed an unhealthy obsession with their Nourish-Mint lipstick. When I forgot my makeup bag on a visit to my home town a few years ago, I grabbed up this Wet N’ Wild liner at Walgreens to tide me over and it turned out to be the best $3.19 I’ve ever spent! I used to use Pureology often before they started putting Linalool &/or Limonene in their products which caused me severe allergic reactions. The key ingredient for most high-end makeup primers is Dimethicone, which gives skin a smooth texture and helps those with normal, oily, or combination skin achieve a semi-matte finish when foundation is applied over it. I’d long been a believer that only pricey eye shadows have the color payout and finely-milled texture that makes for beautiful application. These two additives are insidious as you may not experience reactions with just a couple of uses, but as they build up in your system worsening reactions can occur. That said, consider this just a friendly reminder that there may be more to those store brands than meets the eye—and giving them a try can save you lots of dough. Private label brands are owned by the retailer or supplier but the items are made by other manufacturers and just packaged differently. There's a real-life human behind every post on Brad's Deals. Johnson suggests splurging on a dry texturizing spray. While Lumenesse is not as extensive as Pureology, they have taken some of Pureology's key items and made comparable, less expensive alternatives. pureology strength cure shampoo and conditioner 8.5 oz set –ingredients and description. A bottle of this stuff also lasts way longer than its more expensive counterpart, which I noticed dried out rather quickly. Luckily for my dwindling finances, I finally discovered what my more thrifty friends had been telling me for years – lots of drugstore makeup is just as good (or better!) Personally I'm not a Costco member, but luckily my boyfriend is. Save yourself $30.50, seriously. There are lots of other places that might have major manufacturers behind their store brands. Many high-end brands have “sister” companies which share the same manufacturing process and materials, but simply are priced lower: Whether or not a major brand is behind the generic or cheaper versions, there are some products you should always buy generic and times when the brand name really makes a difference. Unfortunately for us, retail stores and their manufacturing partners prefer to keep mum about their relationships, so we can’t assume that a generic white bread is made by the likes of Pepperidge Farm or Wonder Bread. Plumping Lip Venom was all the rage a few years later, even though it left my lips stinging and raw after just a few applications, and in college I discovered the magic of lipstick and foundation and spent a few rocky years with red teeth and a ghost-white face. Monistat Chafing Relief has the same ingredient and does the same thing at a fraction of the price. Enjoy! I hit my cosmetic stride while working at a salon after college, and once I knew how to expertly apply makeup, I started investing the good stuff: AVEDA hair products, MAC lipstick, Benefit mascara… Pretty soon I was way spending too much money I didn’t have on brand-name beauty products. I’ve tried pretty much every kind under the sun, and for a while my go-to was Benefit’s BADgal Lash, which thickened my wispy Nordic lashes without clumping and stayed on all day smudge-free. I recently ran out of my Pureology Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner. Any help or advice is appreciated. Research stores & brands like Pureology. See the highest-rated hair care products brands like Pureology ranked by and 50 more criteria. The Tasty Bite Punjab Eggplant ran $3.39 at a Whole Foods in Manhattan.