HOT TIPS : COMPARABLE BEAUTY AT DRUGSTORE PRICES.

Byline: Barbara De Witt 

Upscale cosmetics are swell, for sure, but drugstore beauty has its charm. And it's mainly low prices.

For instance, this week at Rite Aid in Woodland Hills, Miz Hottips noticed that L'Oreal's new Espresso lipstick for $7.59 is a dead ringer for Chanel's new fall lipstick shade at one third the cost.

And although she loves Chanel's new body gloss for $25, she found a similar version by Fetish for $3.79.

Major department stores carry a cool kit with CD packaging that contains tiny decals for your nails for $20, but you can buy packages of similar decals (the champagne bottle and party favors images are way-cool) by Cosmar for $2.99.

Those same upscale stores offer trendy hair mascaras for about $20 to produce temporary color highlights, but there's a drug store version called Hair Color Candy Pomade, for $4.99.

Another idea from the drugstore is Pond's Cucumber Eye Treatments to diminish eye puffiness. The pads treated with chamomile extract, aloe gel, orange peel and rose hips, actually look and smell like cucumbers and work great if you keep the jar in the fridge. They're $7.99.

Miz Hot Tips also discovered some trendy Euro-wire earrings with little jet beads for $3.99, and jeweled barrettes and hair pins for $5.50, compared to those at Nordstrom and other stores for $20 to $30.

Emmy trivia: So, when you're huddled with friends in front of the tube on Sept. 13 to watch the 50th annual prime-time Emmy Awards, don't feel too bad for the nominees who don't win. Miz Hot Tips learned they all receive gifts, including a huge basketful of Laila fragrance products made from Norwegian wildflowers.

If you want to feel like a star, you can find the statusy scent at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills.

And just so you'll be up to speed on Emmy trivia, check out the new book ``The Best in Television: Fifty Years of Emmys'' (General Publishing Group; $30) by Morrie Gelman and Gene Accas. It's packed with behind-the-scenes anecdotes, personal interviews and fashion photos.

Hipster alert: Always wanted to get into those swank L.A. clubs where the stars hang out, but never even made it to the front of the line?

Virgin Megastores in Burbank and West Hollywood are offering free MTV Ignition Key Cards that will give you front-of-the-line privileges now through Thursday at the Derby, the Garage, Garden of Eden, the Gig, Hollywood Athletic Club (former home of the Emmy Awards), Luna Park, Martini Lounge, Opium Den and the Troubadour.