The Beauty Diary by Rebekah Scanlan: Make-up dupes Vs the bougie originals

Brands are deliberately taking inspiration from bestsellers and creating “dupes” of popular items — but this one is better than the $50 original.

Should I spend or save? It’s the question that haunts the best of us when stand in a David Jones beauty hall surrounded by gorgeous looking high-end cosmetics.

Let’s be honest though, most of us head back to trusty Priceline or Chemist Warehouse because the price of those luxe products just doesn’t mesh with our bank balances.

But there are some pretty amazing budget buys that many claim are just as good as the bougie ones out there. So I’m putting them to the test, so you know whether to splash out on that palette you’ve been eyeing for months, or snag the budget supermarket version.

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MCOBEAUTY VS M.A.C

M.A.C EYESHADOW X 9 PALETTE

The eyeshadow staple has been copied by many over the years. Picture: Supplied

Available at M.A.C, maccosmetics.com.au, adorebeauty.com.au and Mecca

Price: $59

There are certain products that spring to mind when you think of the makeup artist-preferred brand M.A.C — and this signature palette is one of them. It has been around for what feels like forever and is a staple in make-up bags across the globe.

We love this palette because it’s so simple to use, even for novice blenders like myself. You pick your starting shade and follow the line down (or up depending how you’re looking at it) and you know they will all blend well together. It’s foolproof.

Product wise there’s a mix of mattes and shimmers as well as base tones and feature colours. There’s also very little fallout from the trays, which is great as no one likes to lose their product. I love how well it blends and the fact I really can’t go wrong with it colour-wise. It’s my favourite everyday palette.

MCOBEAUTY EYESHADOW PALETTE

This supermarket brand are known for its brilliant dupes on exxy beauty products. Picture: Supplied

Available at Woolworths and Mcobeauty.com.au

Price: $18

If you’re sick of me banging on about MCoBeauty, sorry — but I’m not sorry. You need to get involved as it really is a haven for the best dupes around. On social media, a few influencers have been comparing this mini palette to the M.A.C X 9 for a while, and I can see where they’re drawing the comparisons.

The smoky, nude shades that blend easily together are similar to those found in the M.A.C version — and just like the original, MCoBeauty has nailed how well the colours work together.

It applies easily and the neutral tones wear well from day to night too, which I love. The biggest difference is probably in the tray fallout, as I found I lost quite a bit with this one. However, because of the price — I wasn’t too fazed. Overall, it’s a lovely product that is a steal compared to some of its competitors.

SPORTSGIRL VS GLOW RECIPE

GLOW RECIPE AVOCADO MELT SLEEPING MASK

This baby is made from a sh*t tonne of avocados and is deliciously rich and indulgent because of it. Picture: Supplied

Available at Mecca

Price: $69

Look, I’m going to be honest from the get go about my love of Glow Recipe products. I’ve been using this one since it landed in Mecca stores a few months back and it’s become a steady part of my night-time skincare routine. It’s thick, super hydrating, and even though it’s made largely of avos, which when smashed on my toast definitely doesn’t smell of anything, it has a lovely scent, probably down to the manuka honey in it.

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Despite being creamy, it’s not heavy on my skin, and when I wake up in the morning, my skin is dewy and fresh — it literally eats this stuff up. However, I do understand that 70 bucks is a high price point, most probably commanded because of its fresh and natural ingredient list. You have to remember, 74 per cent of this mask is made from actual avocados, there are no oils or essences in sight.

SPORTSGIRL BRAVOCADO OVERNIGHT FACE MASK

This ticks a lot of boxes, but it’s made from avocado oil rather than avos so fresh you’ll want to smother it on your bland rice cakes. Picture: Supplied

Available at Sportsgirl stores and online

Price: $14.95

If you want to give your skin a bit of avocado-inspired TLC but can’t justify $70 on a face mask (I feel you) Sportsgirl has a great option. The Bravocado — I do love a good pun — overnight face mask ticks a lot of boxes.

It has hyaluronic acid, which is always a massive yes in my books as it adds instant moisture to dry skin, as well as shea butter and avocado oil. You’ll have noted the word oil in that list, as there’s no fresh greenies in this mask.

It’s still a cracking and enjoyable skincare product that I would have no hesitations using and recommending. It left my skin feeling full and moisturised. But you definitely need to use more of this than Glow Recipe’s version and I prefer that the original has a lot of natural ingredients.

So, a good alternative if you’re on a budget — but if you can afford to splurge, I’d ditch the dupe on this one and go for gold.

FLOWER BEAUTY VS CHARLOTTE TILBURY

CHARLOTTE TILBURY MATTE REVOLUTION LIPSTICK — PILLOW TALK

This shade of Charlotte Tilbury lippie is one of her most loved by fans. Picture: Supplied

Available at charlottetilbury.com

Price: $49

This nude pink shade is one of Charlotte Tilbury’s most loved lipstick colours, with it regularly selling out.

The British make-up artist is known for her fantastic quality lippies that are long-lasting, come in stunning packaging, and smell divine. I swear they all smell like a caramel chocolate bar — YUM. The reason Pillow Talk is so highly regarded is also down to the fact it goes with and flatters all skin tones.

While $49 isn’t a super high-end price, it’s enough to put a lot of people off. Especially if you only wear lip colour on special occasions. However, if you’re going to splash out, CT is the brand you should do it on.

FLOWER BEAUTY PETAL POUT LIPSTICK — SPICED PETAL

It might not look as fancy, but this lippie is a quiet over achiever. Picture: Supplied

Available at Chemist Warehouse

Price: $9.99

When I stumbled across a Reddit post from earlier this year that claimed Drew Barrymore’s Flower Beauty had recreated the iconic Pillow Talk shade but better, I didn’t believe it. The chemist brand created by one of Hollywood’s most famous faces launched in Australia earlier this year to rave reviews — but an improvement on Charlotte Tilbury? No way.

However, I am prepared to eat my words as this product is bloody fantastic. The lippie glides on really smoothly and doesn’t dry out, which is something I struggle with all the time — even on the exxy brands.

What I really loved about it is the colour, which is the perfect blend of pink and nude. It has just enough pink to pop and not make you look washed out which other neutral tones can.

Side-by-side you can barely tell the two apart. Picture: Reddit

It doesn’t have the same caramel-like scent as Charlotte’s Pillow Talk, but it lasts longer. I can easily wear this flower product to work in the morning and not need to top up until after lunch — and I talk a lot, so that’s quite an achievement.

For the price, lasting power and slightly pinkier tone, I’d choose the dupe over the original.

This column is not advertorial content. Every review is independent, honest and ad free.

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