The dupe that just isn’t a dupe!!

Beauty lovers are constantly searching out affordable alternatives to high end products. Over the past number of months, the beauty world has gone mad for finding the next budget product that is a dupe for its more expensive counterpart. Bloggers are constantly trying out new items in the hope of hitting gold and finding that dupe that will bring the page views rolling in.

To me, a dupe is a rare thing. I true dupe, must act the same as the higher end product. It must both look and perform the exact same way to be classed as a dupe. Having the same shade, in my eyes, is not enough to be called a dupe. In the past few years, I personally have only found a handful of products that are the same as each other. For example, Wet N Wild Bare it all, is the exact same as Mac’s Velvet Teddy in every way. Colour, consistency, longevity. Also Makeup Geeks foiled eyeshadow, is also the exact same as the hard to get Loreal Infallible eyeshadow in amber rush. Although both of these eyeshadows are around the same price, so I am not sure if you would call that a dupe!!

A number of months back, the blogging community went wild for the Makeup Gallery products from Dealz. At €1.49 I too was desperately hoping that I could find a few decent products amongst the collection. Instead I decided to buy the Good to Glow Matte bronzer, as this was the one product people were hailing as the exact same as my much loved Mac Give me Sun. If you want to read an in-depth review of the Makeup Gallery collection, Aisling from Total Makeup Addict has a fantastic post here.

Over the past few months, Give me Sun has become a firm favourite of mine. It just gives the skin a beautiful glow. It is excellent for both contouring and bronzing and wears really well throughout the day. Yes it is on the expensive side at €30 but you will get an absolute age out of it, as there is quite a considerable amount of product in it.

Even at €1.49 I had high hopes for the Dealz Good to glow bronzer. So many bloggers had hailed this as the exact same product as Mac Give me Sun. Sadly apart from similarities in colour, there is nothing else that makes them similar. Where as Give me Sun is pigmented and easy to apply. I found that the Good to Glow bronzer wasn’t easy to blend, nor was it particularly pigmented. Give me sun will also last for the day, but the Good to glow wears off rather quickly. Good to glow is also very powdery while Give me Sun is on the creamy side. Shall I go on?

Yet again, the much hyped dupe falls flat. Yes I know I can sound somewhat of a makeup snob, but trust me, if this bronzer had of been anyway good I would have been screaming about it from the rooftops. Instead, I fear what exactly is going on my face, if they can afford to sell makeup for €1.49 and still make a profit, what ingredients are they actually putting into it!!

When it comes to dupes, air on the side of caution. A lot of the time, things that seem too good to be true are. Yes, when they are cheap they are worth a shot, but when it comes to more expensive drug store items, my advice is to do your research. Money is too hard earned and fair too easily spent to be buying stuff that is just a waste of your time and money.