High End vs Drugstore (Dupes)

For those of you who don't know me, I am a huge bargain hunter and I am quite strict when it comes to spending money on anything. I love high end make up and I own a lot of it, however, when I am spending that much money on a make up product, I want to know that it will perform far better than a drugstore alternative or that it is completely different to anything else on the market. If there is an affordable dupe, I will always purchase the affordable version! These are some of the high end products that I own, that I have also found a drugstore alternative for. Most of these are very, very similar so I wish I hadn't wasted the money on the high end version, so hopefully, this will help you to avoid spending too much.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water 116ml (£22.00) vs. Primark Primer Water 150ml (£2.00)
In the past year or so, Primark have been killing it with their beauty products, both in make up and skincare and I have been loving how affordable their products are. I've owned the Smashbox Primer Water for a while now, and I absolutely loved it, however, once I saw that Primark had brought out their own version, I had to pick it up, especially seeing as it is only £2 and you actually get more product in the bottle! They both have a similar scent, that is a mild, fresh scent. They both leave your skin feeling refreshed and very slightly tacky, which is great for adhering foundation to the skin. The only slight difference I would say, is that the Smashbox Water leaves my pores looking slightly more blurred and smooth than the Primark one does, but the difference is so minimal that I would definitely recommend saving yourself £20 and just picking up the Primark one!

Illamasqua Precision Brow Gel 6ml (£18.50) vs. Elf Lock On Brow Cream (£5.00)
I've tried quite a few brow pomades now and they all seem to dry out very quickly, are too waxy or aren't pigmented enough, except these two. These brow products are both very creamy and pigmented, they don't seem to dry out (I've had them both for a while and they are still like new) and they are very easy to apply. Once I have applied the brow product, I use a clear brow gel to set them in place and they both last all day without budging. Even the shades of these two products are very similar and they both come in glass pots. Overall, the formula is so similar between these two products that I would definitely recommend saving yourself the cash and picking up the Elf Brow Cream.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara (£19.00) vs. L'Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara (£11.99)
A few years back and even still now, the whole beauty community raved about how amazing the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara was, especially in America as it took a while to be available in the UK. These two mascaras are very similar - the wands are almost identical, the way it makes your lashes look are very similar and the packaging of the mascaras look very similar too. Both these mascaras give really good volume and length, they are both super black and don't make your lashes look clumpy or spikey. Overall, I actually prefer the formula of the L'Oreal Lash Paradise, because I find it has a very slightly drier formula and doesn't transfer to my under-eyes in the same way the Too Faced Mascara does, so I would definitely continue to repurchase the Lash Paradise Mascara over the Better Than Sex, just to save a few pennies.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation 30ml (£33.50) vs. Primark Ultimate Longwear Foundation (£5.00) 
When the Primark Ultimate Longwear Foundation was released, I bought it instantly because they actually had a good pale shade. After trying this foundation once, I realised how similar it was to the Estee Lauder Double Wear and soon after that, the whole beauty community was saying how similar it was. They are both fantastic foundations that last really well throughout the day, provide good coverage and have similar consistencies. The bottles are very similar (rectangular glass with no pump) but the main difference is the huge shade range in the Double Wear and the very small shade range in the Ultimate Longwear. If you can find your shade in the Primark foundation, or even mix two shades, you are going to be saving yourself a lot of money as I don't think you need both in your collection. I do have a full review on the comparison between the two foundations, so check that out if you are interested.

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (£25.00) vs. NYX Matte Bronzer (£8.00)
These bronzers are similar in shade but also in how they perform. Both of these bronzers are pigmented, blend out easily and don't have too much kick back when you swirl your brush in them. The packaging has now changed for the Too Faced Bronzer (I have the old packaging) so I wouldn't say the packaging is very similar, but the actual product is very similar. The main difference between these two bronzers (besides the price difference) is the scent - the Too Faced Chocolate Bronzer has a strong, sweet scent (hence the chocolate name!) and the NYX Matte Bronzer doesn't really have a scent, so if you don't like scented make up and want to save yourself some money, I would recommend picking up the NYX bronzer.

KIKO Gold Waves Blush - 03 Damask Mauve (£16.90) vs. Max Factor Creme Puff Blush - 10 Nude Mauve (£8.99) 
KIKO Cosmetics aren't really classed as high end or drugstore, they are kind of somewhere in the middle as they have some expensive products and some very affordable products. The Gold Waves collection was a Summer 2018 collection (the specific seasonal make up is always more expensive) and it is no longer available on the website, but it is still in some stores and you can find it on Amazon and eBay too. These blushers are both beautiful on pale skin - the shades are very similar and they both give a glow to the skin without being glittery (I don't know how they do it!). They also have a good amount of pigment for a blusher - not too pigmented that you look like a clown, but still gives a nice flush of colour that lasts all day. Both of these have a really nice formula that doesn't kick up any powder and feel very soft to the touch in the pan. The main difference here, besides the price, is the size of the pan - you do get a lot more product in the KIKO blush, however, I have never actually finished a whole blusher before, because I use such a small amount each time. I would definitely recommend the Max Factor blush and overall, I think drugstore blushers are just as good as high end.

The Balm Mary Lou-manizer Highlighter (£20.00) vs. W7 Glowcomotion Highlighter (£2.99) 
The Mary Lou-manizer Highlighter is a cult favourite and has been for many years in the beauty community as it suits so many different skin tones and it was one of the first highlighters to appear on the market. Don't get me wrong, it is a fantastic highlighter and I love it, however, when I tried the W7 Glowcomotion Highlighter, I found the finish is very similar and the shade is almost identical. They both come with a mirror in the packaging and they have very similar formulas, but the price difference is huge. These highlighters are both quite intense and give a beautiful sheen, but if you prefer a natural looking highlighter, I wouldn't recommend these. Both The Balm and W7 are also cruelty free brands. I would definitely recommend picking up the Glowcomotion highlighter over the Mary Lou-manizer if you want to save yourself some pennies!

So overall, if you wanted to buy all of the high end products listed in this blog post, it would cost you a grand total of £154.90, however, if you switched them all to the drugstore versions, it would cost you £43.97 - a total saving of £110.93 for very similar products!

Let me know of any other dupes you have found in the comments section below!

Sarah (aka. Pale Princess) x