I know times are tough and money is tight, and I must applaud you hivers who have been cutting back on your shopping sprees and behaving yourself in the face of tempting designer labels and reduced (but still pricey!) price tags. And although I admire self-discipline and thriftiness, many inexperienced yet determined smart shoppers aren't always the most well-informed, and in their attempt to take better care of their cash flow will sacrifice quality to save a few cents, fall for disguised deals that really just put them further into debt, and overall just end up not getting the real bang for their buck. One of the biggest frugal faux pas when it comes to shopping is the idea that drugstore makeup is the way to save. True, drugstores, mainly Walgreens and Rite Aid, carry loads of great brands for even greater prices, all conveniently in the same adjacent aisles for easy browsing and comparison, and don't get me wrong -- I'm all about the thrifty beauty finds, especially given all the products I compulsively buy on a regular basis. With that in mind, I know by experience as a makeup junkie that not all drugstore brands are a save, especially when it comes to quality. For example, ninety-nine cent eyeliner is a great idea in theory, but have you actually tried skidding it across your lids? And on the opposite end of the spectrum, while many L'Oreal products are on the high end of cosmetics aisle quality, have you checked out the price tag? Some of the products look beautiful but aren't a bargain in the least, more than breaking the $10 barrier and verging into high-end line prices. While this might seem like I'm just trying to depress you, or perhaps just discourage you enough to throw your financial saving out the window and succumb to your inner shopaholic like me, I assure you, it's not all bad news! The point to all this drugstore myth-busting is that smart beauty shopping doesn't mean you must limit yourself to Longs when it comes to buying makeup, especially with climbing product costs -- In fact, Sephora carries plenty of affordable brands (and not-so-affordable ones that go on sale!) that rival and even beat drugstore prices, and often provide better quality when it comes to beauty basics that you shouldn't skimp on. Check out the slideshow for some of the the priciest drugstore products exposed, matched with rival cheaper products from more upscale lines found at Sephora!