8 Drugstore Dupes For Your High-End Beauty Favourites
We're sharing 8 affordable dupes for your favorite luxury products that will encourage you to put your best face forward!
Mar. 5
Chanel Joues Contraste Blush VS e.l.f Candid CoralWhen you hear the word Chanel, your mind instantly wanders to the finer things in life. Known for their super popular fragrances, they soon expanded into skincare and makeup. A cult-like favorite, their Joues Contraste Blush ($45), has been coveted by beauty lovers and influencers for years. If you're looking for an affordable blush dupe, e.l.f makes a gorgeous alternative in the shade Candid Coral ($4). Achieve a radiant, healthy glow for a fraction of the cost with e.l.f. 's complexion enhancing blush. Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Lipstick in Kim K.W VS NYX High Voltage Lipstick in French KissCharlotte Tilbury ($34) is known for having some of the best lipstick formulas available on the market today. Their Hot Lips line is no different. This line features two formulas—signature Matte Revolution and K.I.S.S.I.N.G. Cult-fav Kim K.W have been coveted by many beauty bloggers and enthusiasts alike. To get the same look for less, we suggest NYX's High Voltage Lipstick in French Kiss ($7.99). Elegant, natural and the perfect soft, pinky beige color, you almost can't tell the difference between the two. Dior Diorshow Mascara VS L'Oréal Voluminous Volume Building MascaraThis is a mascara that many beauty lovers swear by. Dior Diorshow Mascara ($36) is known for transforming even the thinnest lashes into voluminous showstoppers. This mascara uses an extra-large wand and microfibers that effortlessly coat each lash for exceptional length and volume. To achieve similar, enviable, thick lashes for less, try L'Oréal's Voluminous Volume Building Mascara ($6.97). This unique formula helps to build and thicken lashes while conditioning them, so they remain strong and supple. The wand is also fairly large and plush, delivering exceptional coverage to each and every lash with little to no flaking.
Beautyblender sponge VS Real Technique spongesponge, once wet, can seamlessly blend your cream face products into your skin using less product. Has the beautyblender met its match with the Real Technique's ($5.99) equally as a fabulous egg-shaped sponge? We think so! With almost identical blending properties, shape, and density, this sponge can get the job done just as effectively as the popular beautyblender for less than half the price! Consider this a beauty STEAL! We promise, you won't be able to tell the difference with our dupes. We're confident you will save money and look great doing it with these affordable makeup and beauty options. What are some of your favorite drug store dupes? For more makeup and beauty advice, head to cherie.com and check out our latest articles.
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Best Reviews
wrinkles go away
I’m always one to be open to trying new products to see how they can benefit my skin. If it doesn’t work, I simply move onto the next product. If I ever come across something that works extremely well, I’ll add it to my list of must haves and will usually not steer away from that product unless I happen to stumble across a better working product.
ESTĒE LAUDER - Advanced Night Repair Limited Edition
ESTĒE LAUDER - Revitalizing Supreme Global Anti-Aging Crème
For my skin care routine to keep my skin hydrated, I’ve consistently been using Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night repair and their Revitalizing Supreme+. These two have worked great in keeping my skin hydrated which helps keep my dry skin away and whenever my skin is more hydrated, I look younger.
These two also have great anti-aging affects on your skin, and you can really see the difference after a few applications. Your lines and wrinkles start to disappear after a few application, that along with the more hydrated skin really makes your skin feel amazing. The Revitalizing Supreme+ creme is non-acnegenic, so it doesn’t clog my pores and helps me reduce my acne.
This works great with the advanced night repair because that serum is oil free. I’ve always had acne prone skin, so using these two has helped my acne and even helped reduce breakouts. I highly recommend these two products if you have acne prone skin, dry skin, or have dehydration. These two products go hand in hand and will work wonders for anyone with similar skin issues as me. Results may not show right away, but constant application will show great results!
My Acne Journey (Long Story)
Hi there! My name is Chelle, and like I’m sure many of you have dealt with, I have been in a battle with acne since I was a teenager. It’s been the bane of my existence and a constant thwart to my self-confidence.
About 4 years ago, I started using Curology - Curology formula which, at first, worked absolute wonders! They prescribed to me a formula with azelaic acid, and for about 3 years, I felt like I had conquered and controlled my acne issues. Of course, I still had the scars and enlarged pores, but no new breakouts or cysts. I was incredibly satisfied and for once in my life, I had gained some the self-confidence that I never had growing up. I even enjoyed not having to wear as much makeup.
However, a couple months before my wedding last year, I started noticing some acne beginning to consistently form in my chin area. I at first attributed to pre-wedding stress (which honestly didn’t make much sense because I actually didn’t do all my wedding planning). But even after the wedding, the breakouts continued to worsen. I reached out to Curology and they switched my prescription to the more aggressive tretinoin. It helped to control it somewhat, but unlike before, new breakouts would surface every week.
So with that being said, I’m going back to square one with my acne journey. I’ll using Cherie as a journal to document my successes and failures as I try to, again, get the zits under control. I happily welcome recommendations and feedback! I am by no means a skin or beauty expert, but my hope is that my journey will somewhat encourage another individual that they’re not alone in this battle!
Here are the list of products that I am currently using. I’ll do reviews of them as I go!
AM Routine:
Neutrogena - Oil-Free Acne Wash Cream Cleanser
medicube - Zero Pore Pads
#Beautycounter - Countermatch Eye Rescue Cream[products]#[FiveStars]
 Neutrogena - Neutrogena Hydroboost Water Gel Moisturizer 50ml
PM Routine
Neutrogena - Oil-Free Acne Wash Cream Cleanser
Curology - Curology formula
God bless!
Chelle
an amazing line for dull skin + pigmentation
Georgette Klinger and Cherie gifted these products to me so I could review them honestly! I have been using them for ten days now, and I have thoughts to share! I supplemented this routine with a moisturizer, spf, and eye cream, as well as hydrating masks every three days.
Pre-Information
— I’ve used many vitamin c products in the past, and my skin likes the ingredient! I have combo skin, which is sensitive and acne prone. I also have rosacea, which makes my skin red, especially when using actives. Every product here has fragrance and all the products smell like an orchard (it’s strong!). If you are sensitive to fragrance, keep that in mind.
GEORGETTE KLINGER - Vitamin C Cleansing Gel 6.7 oz
I like this cleanser, and I don’t usually reach for gel cleansers because they tend to be fairly stripping. This one is gentle and doesn’t dehydrate my skin on impact; I use it as a second cleanse at night following an oil based cleanser. It doesn’t irritate my skin, but kind of soothes it instead — which is a lot to ask for from a cleanser. Not the best for daytime use for me, I find that in the mornings my skin is better off with water + toner. Three stars because it smells like dollar store hand soap and I cannot ignore it.
GEORGETTE KLINGER - Vitamin C Toner
I think it’s an okay toner! I don’t like the dispenser at all, because product comes out fast and it’s hard to control. The viscosity of the toner is pretty thin, but my skin feels smooth after application. It sinks in fast and isn’t sticky! I use this with a reusable cotton round and it preps my skin nicely for the rest of my routine. It’s not really a “special” product for me, and I’m the kind of person who wants skincare routines to be ritualistic and also make me feel good on the inside, so I’ll have to pass on repurchasing.
GEORGETTE KLINGER - Vitamin C Complex
This might be one of my favorite vitamin c serums! It’s a little tacky, but sinks in faster than some serums I’ve used, and once you apply a moisturizer, the tackiness disappears. It’s pretty gentle and I didn’t experience any discomfort, tingling, or excess redness after application. I really like the packaging on this, and it’s an easy product to slip into your routine.
GEORGETTE KLINGER - Vitamin C Mask
This is my favorite product out of the four! I LOVE the packaging — pump top for a mask? Revolutionary. The pump makes getting product so easy, and you can control it easily. The texture of this mask is like a thick smoothie, and it smells good, too. I noticed my skin becoming brighter when I use this for a midday pick-me-up. I can guarantee that I’ll run out of this one first.
Overall, my skin looks GOOD. I can’t tell if it’s just because of my cycle, or if these products did wonders for me (ten days is a short time to tell I think). I did notice some dehydration towards the five day mark, but overall my skin looks better!
Quarantine Manicure 💅🏼
Hi my name is Katerina, you may call me Kat and I’m a neutrals girl. I gravitate to anything and everything neutrals. I may have 50 shades of neutral polish in my collection already. But that doesn’t stop me from adding more!
I found this pretty shade on amazon during my regular quarantine browse. I never tried the miracle gel line and decided to give it a go. Just so you know I prefer regular polish for myself. I know you may pass judgment but hear me out! I feel like gel and shellac and other long lasting polishes destroy my nails. They become dry, thin, brittle and break easily. I don’t think it’s worth it. So I prefer to experiment with different brands of regular polishes to see which lasts the longest. Also a couple of chips here and there really don’t bother me.
This is my 5th time using this product so I feel like I can give an honest review about how I feel about it. The color is called ‘Little Peony #247’🌸It’s a creamy baby pink shade. It almost reminds me of the OLD Essie Fiji color (my favorite shade of all time before they changed it to a darker pink color). It took two coats to get an even distribution of color and dried quickly when topped with Seche Vite top coat.
The color started chipping around day five. But before you click away let me tell you that my hands are always in water. I’m a Chef, so I’m always working with my hands. I’m also a clean freak that still gets on her hands and knees to clean the floors from a bucket twice a week. So my hands take a beating on a regular basis and this polish managed to stay intact through the daily torture. If you’re not working this much with your hands I’m pretty sure you can get away with a week of it not chipping.
I’m probably going to look into more shade from this collection and see if the Fórmula holds up for all their shades this well. If you’re still a regular polish fan I highly recommend this collection but especially this color because I die over it!
MYTH BUSTED! MIX THESE INGREDIENTS OR NOT?
You know what zodiac sign you’re compatible with, but do you know what skincare ingredients in your routine are compatible?
Vitamin c + Niacinamide
To mix or to not? Hmm
YES! Layer these bad boys up in your routine. (Obviously don’t go overboard, but yes apply these both)
The beloved and most sought out for serums have an iffy relationship. You can mix these ingredients together, but there is some things out there that state you shouldn’t or that you should do so in caution. Here’s why!
Let’s break it down and get to the point.
* Vitamin C protects the skin from free radicals and works towards brightening dark spots, scars, and the overall skin tone. This is best used in the morning to protect from free radicals as we go through our day. ALWAYS wear SPF with Vitamin C! Vitamin C will increase sun sensitivity, so please further your protection with SPF.
* Niacinamide is an anti-inflammatory that brightens and promotes a more even skin tone, improves skin elasticity and texture! It’s a Holly Grail tbh. On top of all of that it’s also great to fight free radicals damage and pollution.
Using Vitamin C + Niacinamide together?
Niacinamide is “said” to cancel out all of the good properties of Vitamin C! BUT there are plenty of studies that show there is NO HARM in using these together. These two serums together can be a powerhouse combo
We love these ingredients and need to use them in our skin care! You still can!
How to use vitamin c and Niacinamide in your routine:
use one ingredient in the AM and one in the PM. Try applying Vitamin C in the am (with spf!) and Niacinamide at night. This way you’ll still get both ingredient’s FULL benefits, but without irritation for reactive or sensitive skin.
space them out. You need to let each serum absorb into your skin and allow some time in between applying them and they should not be layered right on top of each other. * this is only if you really feel the need to apply both of them*
The results:
using these can help uneven skin tone, skin elasticity, texture, and dullness of the skin.
So if you plan on using these ingredients together, check out my two favorite below and featured in my photo.
Fourth Ray - Raydiate Vitamin C Elixir
This version of vitamin c is a mix of a serum and a face oil, so you’ll have to shake it up to mix the two together.
+ this is light in consistency and absorbs nicely into the skin.
+ not tacky or sticky.
+ smells great
+ ACTUALLY WORKS. My favorite one yet!
+ lasts longer than most vitamin C serums (shelf life)
+ $16
GOOD MOLECULES - Niacinamide Serum
This GM serum is among the best and very affordable.
+ light weight and absorbs well into the skin
+ has a sticky texture, but is gone after it absorbs into the skin.
+ smooths our texture and brightens skin.
+ 10% Niacinamide
+ layers well with other serums and skincare.
+ $6
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