SAVVY SWAPS
I’ve tested 100 dupes as a beauty editor – here’s the ones that REALLY work including LED mask that saves you £366
Read on to see if an Aldi hairdryer is as good as a Dyson
ALMOST daily, I am asked if dupes are any good.
Like most of life’s big questions, the answer is complicated.
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Despite the fact that it can be seen as companies benefiting from someone else’s hard work, the thrill of finding a bargain means I just can’t help myself.
And I’m in good company.
According to market researchers Mintel, 64 per cent of Gen Z believe buying dupes is a good way to save money, while 74 per cent agree that affordable products work just as well as premium ones, which is becoming a problem for luxury brands.
This month Charlotte Tilbury launched “Legendary. For A Reason”, its campaign which promotes her “undupable” products.
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“I’m an innovator, not an imitator,” says Charlotte, who won a legal battle with Aldi over its mirror image blush palette in 2019.
“When you dupe, you dupe the consumer.”
But there is a smart way to shop for cheaper copycat products.
Many budget brands are owned by the same parent companies as luxury names, where factories and research are often shared.
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Take regular brand L’Oreal, which owns luxe names such as SkinCeuticals, La Roche Posay and CeraVe, as well as make-up brands YSL and Lancome, among others.
So here I present my top ten dupes.
Remember, once they’re on your face, nobody’s going to know what you paid for them.
JELLY CLEANSER
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REAL: Drunk Elephant Beste No9 jelly cleanser, 150ml, £31,
DUPE: Byoma creamy jelly cleanser, 175ml, £9.99,
SAVE: £21.01
BOTH have a jelly-like formula that lightly foams to melt away grime without upsetting the skin barrier – perfect for skincare-obsessed teens and adults alike.
And both contain vitamin E and glycerin, to hydrate skin, but Byoma is missing the soothing aloe vera found in the Drunk Elephant.
Neither is a match for a make-up remover, however, so best used after micellar water or a balm cleanser.
CLEANSING BALM
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REAL: Clinique Take The Day Off cleansing balm, £34,
DUPE: Superdrug B. Melting cleansing balm, £9.99,
SAVE: £24.01
AT face value, these don’t look very similar and it’s important to note you only get half as much product in the Superdrug tub.
But the formulas used in each of these balms overlap heavily.
Both contain vitamin E, as well as linoleic acid to brighten the skin, and seed oils to moisturise it, as well as the same blend of emollients that are responsible for the balm texture.
In a blind test, I would struggle to tell them apart.
LED FACE MASKS
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REAL: Dr Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro, £465,
DUPE: StylPro Wavelength LED, £99,
SAVE: £366
NEARLY £100 for a dupe – really?
But when you consider the cost of high-end LED masks, it’s by far the best value on the market.
Both boast red LED, near-red LED and blue LED to reduce breakouts, wrinkles and inflammation, but I like that the StylPro is made from a flexible material which makes it comfier than the upmarket version, and easier to pack for travel.
PERFUME
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REAL: YSL Black Opium eau de parfum, £67 for 30ml,
DUPE: M&S Midnight Blossom eau de toilette, £6 for 30ml,
SAVE: £61
IT took less than five seconds for me to draw this parallel the first time I sprayed M&S Midnight Blossom, as it’s so similar.
As they dry, the two scents differ slightly, with M&S’s being more cosy and masculine, while Black Opium remains sweet and attention-grabbing.
But at a tenth of the price, you can afford to reapply the M&S version as often as you need to.
NIGHT SERUM
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REAL: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair synchronised multi-recovery complex serum, £48.75
DUPE: Revolution Pro Miracle night serum advanced complex, £12,
SAVE: £36.75
THERE are incredibly similar ingredients listed on both these night-time products, though the Estée Lauder one has far fewer overall.
It has less perfume, too, but both contain a heavy dose of antioxidants as well as the same three skin-identical moisturising ingredients (glycerin, hyaluronic acid and squalane) and plenty of microbiome-friendly additions to bolster the skin barrier.
BRONZER
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REAL: Benefit Hoola Matte Bronzer, £26,
DUPE: Natural Collection Bronzer, £3,
SAVE: £23
THE Natural Collection Bronzer surprisingly comes in more shades and a formula that’s just as pigmented and easy to blend out.
Although it doesn’t have a mirror in the compact, it shares the same square-shaped pan.
Arguably, the plastic of the Natural Collection bronzer is more durable than the cardboard of the Benefit, although it’s not as easily recycled.
EYEBROWS
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REAL: Glossier Boy Brow, £22,
DUPE: Essence Make Me Brow gel, £4.44,
SAVE: £17.56
THERE’S a whole Reddit thread from make-up insiders dedicated to this trendy dupe, so that’s a pretty fair indicator that it has what it takes to impress.
They both have a long-hold, waxy consistency and added fibres that grip on to brow hairs to make them look fuller – perfect for disguising years of overplucking.
Boy Brow’s shade range is better, but if you are a brunette, there are plenty of Essence options to choose from.
FOUNDATION
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REAL: Estée Lauder double wear foundation, £39.50, l
DUPE: Collection Lasting Perfection matte foundation, £7.99,
SAVE: £31.51
WHILE they don’t look alike from the outside, the formula, consistency and staying power of both foundations is pretty similar.
Unfortunately, the Collection only comes in 20 shades versus Estée Lauder’s 60 options, which is a common problem with dupes.
So this money-saver is only worth buying if you can find your match.
LIPSTICK
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REAL: Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk, £29,
DUPE: L’Oreal Paris Color Riche Satin Lipstick Beige A Nu, £9.99,
SAVE: £19.01
THE shades of these two lipsticks are virtually identical on the lips and both come in luxurious metallic cases.
However, the Charlotte Tilbury version is noticeably heavier – it’s actually made out of metal, in contrast to the plastic of L’Oreal Paris.
Another difference to note is that the Charlotte Tilbury has a matte finish, while the L’Oreal’s is satin, which makes it more comfortable to wear for long periods.
PRIMER
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REAL: Milk Makeup Hydro-Grip, £35,
DUPE: E.l.f. Power Grip, £10,
SAVE: £25
THESE two share a similar green hue, as well as the same long-wearing, mattifying properties.
Milk’s is slightly more hydrating and has a cooling sensation when you apply it.
But otherwise, neither make a visible difference to skin and both do a great job of ensuring make-up goes on smoothly and lasts for hours .
In addition, E.l.f’s is so popular it’s just as hard to get hold of.
ALDI’S DRYER VERSUS DYSON
THE Supersonic hair dryer from Dyson has been my most used beauty tool of the last five years.
I put it into action three or four times a week – and it shows no signs of slowing down.
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But at £329.99, it’s an expensive purchase and for the same price you could buy 22 of Aldi’s new Visage Ionic hairdryers, £14.99 each, and still have change to spare.
So how does it fare?
It definitely looks the part, but the power and results were lacking.
It took twice as long as the Dyson to dry my hair, despite being much hotter (this is true of most affordable hair dryers) and my tresses became frizzy and static in the process, a major pet peeve.
If you have shorter hair, you might find the time difference is negligible.
The other obvious downside is that it’s much louder than the Dyson and doesn’t have nearly as many attachments.
Luckily, I only tend to use the concentrator nozzle, but it comes with just that and a diffuser.
On the plus side, the Aldi hairdryer is smaller than most on the market and super lightweight – even lighter than the Dyson.
Aldi’s tool has three heat settings and two speed options to Dyson’s three of each, and they both have a cool-shot button, too.
It also has a slim handle, which is great for small hands.
The temperature and speed controls are on the handle, so are easy to change without looking, while Dyson’s are on the head of the dryer.
Given the price, I was expecting something akin to a hairdryer on the wall of a hotel bathroom, which it’s certainly not.
I’m extremely impressed with the design and the tech it houses in such a small build.
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And it outperforms dryers I’ve tried that are up to five times the price.
★★★★☆
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