Good Morning loves xoxo
Happy Sunday , I hope you all had an amazing week. Unfortunately I have been unwell since last Wednesday and I'm only starting to feel like myself again today so I've been M.I.A. off social media. Recently I have been asked on a daily basis what products from the drugstore that I would recommend as dupes for expensive high end products. Now don't get me wrong there are hundreds of drugstore products that I use that are my holy grail items and when I do purchase any of the higher end products I usually get them in +Sephora when we travel to the states. Recently I purchased a bunch of items in Las Vegas, they were mostly higher end products because I wanted to see if I could find dupes for them at home. I managed to find items that are exact matches or items that are extremely close to being dupes.
First on my list is The +CHANEL Tan Du Soleil vs Bourjois Bronzing Primer
When I first saw this cream bronzer I had to have it. I did a blog post about how much I love this product and 3 months later I love it even more. It is very pricey so I did some research and I found a drugstore dupe. Its not exact because the quality of the Chanel Bronzer is next to none but it is quite similar.
The Bourjois Bronzing Primer is the closest bronzer to the Chanel one that I found. Its not exact, it has a slightly different consistency and is just slightly darker but its so close it blows my mind. The Chanel bronzer is about €40 and the Bourjois bronzer is about €13. Personally I do prefer the consistency and blend ability of the Chanel bronzer but if you are looking for a dupe that wont break the bank, this is the one to get.
Next on my list has to be the +beautyblender vs +realtechniques Blending Sponge
+realtechniques Blending sponge on the left
+Beautyblender sponge on the right
I purchased the Beauty Blender from +Sephora early last year and I love it. A good beauty blender is a must in your makeup kit if you are looking for flawless, blended and airbrushed foundation. They are quite pricey at about €25 but they definitely do exactly what they are supposed to. I know €25 is expensive so I wanted to find a blending sponge that would do the exact same thing but at a fraction of the price. I found the +realtechniques blending sponge and I haven't looked back since. The Real Techniques blending sponge costs about €8 but you can get great deals if you buy the multipacks. These sponges are amazing and I have stocked up on so many that I wont need to buy any more until next year.
Next up is +MAC Cosmetics Ruby Woo vs +RimmelLondon Kate Lipstick in Kiss Of Life
Rimmel Kiss of Life on the left
Mac Ruby Woo on the right
I am a huge fan of bright lipsticks but my staple colour that I always turn to is red. My favourite red lipstick is +MAC Cosmetics Ruby Woo. Its an oldie but a goodie. I buy mine in BT2 and its €20. Recently I went in to buy one and they were completely sold out so I went on the hunt for a dupe because I needed it for that night. I think I must have swatched every lipstick in boots but I found a winner in Kate for +RimmelLondon lipstick in Kiss Of Life, it is €7.50 and it is almost identical even down to the blue undertones. The only difference is that Ruby Woo is very VERY matte and even though the Rimmel lippie is advertised as matte it is slightly more velvety.
Next we move on to Highlighters. +Benefit Cosmetics High Beam vs +NYX Cosmetics Liquid Illuminator
We all know and love this gorgeous little bottle of glowing sunshine. It is creamy, blend able and extremely pigmented. I love +Benefit Cosmetics as a brand and they have yet to let me down with a product but with a price tag of €27.50 this little bottle is definitely not cheap. I try not to use it every day as it is quite a small bottle and it is expensive. I did a little digging and found a dupe that will give High Beam a run for its money. +NYX Cosmetics Born To Glow Liquid Illuminator is so close you probably wouldn't know the difference unless you were a die hard Benefit fan. High beam is a 15ml bottle with a small brush applicator and the Nyx liquid illuminator is a 25ml tube and it is less than half price at €10. If you are looking to save money but still achieve that glowing goddess shine this Nyx Cosmetics illuminator is a must.
Whats more important when doing your makeup than having a super clean and smooth base to work with. This brings us to our next product. +Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Primer vs +NYX Cosmetics Pore Filer
The most important step in doing your makeup is the base. If you have a clean blank canvas to work with your makeup will always be flawless. I am a fiend for trying primers and I probably own about 15. One of my favourites is the +Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional primer. Its smooth, easy to apply and it helps your makeup look flawless and last all day. This primer is €34 and if you use it every day you quickly come to realise that you go through quite a lot of product in a short space of time. To save some money but still achieve that flawless base we all covet I found the perfect dupe. Again it was with +NYX Cosmetics and it came in the form of their Pore Filler primer. This primer is almost an exact dupe for the POREfessional. I will say that it doesn't last as long throughout the day but at a price of €15.50 compared to the €34 price tag on the Benefit primer its a no brainer.
Next on my list has to be one of my all time favourite products, +NUXE US Dry Shimmer Oil vs +Cocoa Brown Tan Golden Goddess
Ok so this one isn't so much of an exact dupe but I couldn't do this post without mentioning these products. I have been using this Nuxe dry shimmer oil for over a year and I love it. Its quite expensive at about €45 but its so gorgeous that I had to repurchase it a few times. Now on saying that when I discovered the +Cocoa Brown Tan Golden Goddess shimmer oil I was blown away. This little bottle contains the most stunning body oil I have ever seen. I think it costs about €9.50 and after trying my first swatch I went back and bought 4 more bottles, I absolutely love this shimmer. It is a lot more intense on than the Nuxe one so its definitely not subtle. I on the other hand pretty much douse myself in this when I go out and shimmer the night away.
+Cocoa Brown Tan Golden Goddess
+Cocoa Brown Tan Golden Goddess
+NUXE Dry Shimmer Oil
This next one I came across by accident. It is +MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix Powder vs +NYX Cosmetics stay matte but not flat powder foundation
I first purchased the NYX powder foundation last April when I was going to Gran Canaria because I wanted something that was light on the skin but still gave some coverage. If you are anything like me and you become a shiny mess in the heat then powder or mineral foundation is the way to go when you travel. Fast forward to April this year and I purchased +MAC Cosmetics studio Fix in Las Vegas. I have always been skeptical about powder foundations because even though my skin gets quite shiny in the heat, too much powder will dry it out (the joys of combination skin) trying to find the right balance can be hard. These two powders are not an exact dupe for each other but they are pretty damn close. The MAC powder does have slightly more coverage because it is better quality product but it does cost €32. The NYX powder is a little more chalky and slightly more sheer but I haven't experienced any problems with it yet and with a price tag of €14 it is definitely a steal.
Last but not least has to be a liquid foundation. +MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix Fluid vs Revlon Colorstay
I absolutely love love love MAC foundations on my skin. I have quite an uneven skintone because of my freckles so I love how much coverage these foundations give. Trying to find a dupe for MAC foundations proved to be a bit harder than expected but I found one that could give the studio fix fluid a run for its money. Revlon Colorstay foundation is €19 and its almost the exact same consistency as the studio fix, the colour range is amazing and the coverage is next to none. I do prefer the MAC one because it is slightly lighter on my skin (sometimes the Revlon one can be a bit heavy) but I would definitely recommend the colorstay if you didn't want to splash out €32 for the Studio Fix.
That's all for my makeup dupes for now. I do have quite a few more but I thought I'd keep it to 8 for this post otherwise it would have been way too long. I hope this helped some of you with choosing drugstore makeup that wont break the bank but will still do the same as some of the higher end products. Both drugstore and high end products have pros and cons, you just need to do some research to find what will work best for you. I hope you all have an amazing weekend.
Lots of love
Kim xoxo
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