Thanks to TikTok and YouTube, interest in makeup is at an all time high, but then again, so are makeup prices. We are constantly testing new products to help you decide where to spend your money. Drugstore dupes (short for duplicates) are one way to enjoy the makeup that you love and save a little bit of coin at the same time.
When you compare the products head to head (all were purchased), you get a real sense of what is a true dupe and what is inspired by high end cosmetics. Products were tested for performance, lasting power and overall quality (all of which was really good). People have different skin types, eyelid textures and more and some products work better for oily skin versus dry skin.
Here are 4 of our latest drugstore dupes versus high end makeup favourites:
Concealers
The Competitors – Tarte Shape Tape $18.00-$40.00 at Sephora VS. COVERGIRL Trublend Undercover Concealer $11.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart
Tarte Shape Tape has been a cult favourite since it launched and it was impossible to get in Canada until it launched at Sephora Canada in May 2021. It is a full-coverage concealer that works well for oily skin. I put Shape Tape head to head in 2020 against another dupe in 2020, but I found one that is an exact dupe.
COVERGIRL Trublend Undercover Concealer has the EXACT consistency and is the best drugstore dupe for Tarte Shape Tape that I’ve tried. The large doe foot applicator is even the same. I wore each separately and then on my face at the same time, side by side and there was really no difference in the consistency, coverage and wear time. Both offer a lot of product and on lazy days you can use them without foundation and have enough coverage.
What You Are Missing Out On By Buying The Makeup Dupe:
About $28.00 from your wallet.
The Winner:
COVERGIRL Trublend Undercover Concealer – why pay more with drugstore dupes as good as this one?
Lip Tints/Balms
The Competitors – Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey $28.00 at Sephora VS. COVERGIRL Clean Fresh Tinted Lip Balm $8.49 at Shoppers Drug Mart
Clinique’s Black Honey recently went viral on TikTok, but the newly “discovered” Almost Lipstick has been around since 1989 (in it’s current stick form). This “your lips but better” colour has gone through several rediscoveries, but Gen-Xers know that it is a universally flattering go-to shade. Search Clinique Black Honey on TikTok and you’ll find videos with millions of views.
I decided to test out COVERGIRL’s Clean Fresh Tinted Lip Balm in Bliss You Berry. These tinted lip balms have been getting a lot of love as well, and with good reason. The texture is great and Bliss You Berry has a “your lips but better” tint.
What You Are Missing Out On By Buying The Drugstore Dupe:
This is really a matter of preference. Clinique Black Honey feels more like a tinted lipstick and applies very much like a slim lipstick with more slip. COVERGIRL’s Clean Fresh Tinted Lip Balm is, as advertised, more of a true balm. It feels very moisturizing on the lips. Obviously, there is a packaging difference, but both products have a great texture.
The Winner:
It’s too close to call. Both have pluses and again, it comes down to if you like more of a balm or a moisturizing sheer lipstick. The lasting power was similar and so were the colours with Clinique’s having a touch more pigment and COVERGIRL’s having hyaluronic acid for added moisture.
Lip Gloss
The Competitors – Fenty Gloss Bomb Heat Universal Lip Luminizer in Glow $31.00 at Sephora VS. Maybelline Lifter Gloss in Silk $14.49 at Shoppers Drug Mart
Rihanna recently admitted to buying most of her makeup at Walgreens, so I thought, why not try to dupe Fenty Beauty’s popular Gloss Bomb? Although the colours, Glow and Silk, aren’t dupes, I heard that this gloss was similar, so I put it to the test.
Both glosses have a large doe-foot applicator. Both wear similarly. Both smell good. The shades are different, but with 20 shades, you will find one from Maybelline that is close to your favourite Fenty Gloss Balm.
What You Are Missing Out On By Buying The Makeup Dupe:
At less than half of the price, we are scratching our heads. The packaging is definitely superior with Fenty Gloss Bomb and it smells like fruit punch. But….
The Winner Is:
Maybelline Lifter Gloss in Silk. With more shades to choose from and a great formula, Lifter Gloss is the clear winner. Drugstore dupes should be equal to or better quality as a high end favourite and this is just as good.
Lip Liner
The Competitors – Wayne Goss The Essential Lip Pencil in Natural Berry $18.00 (plus shopping) at Beautylish VS. Annabelle Lip Liner in Spice $7.79 at Shoppers Drug Mart
Nude lipliners have been a thing since MAC came out with Spice oh so many years ago. It is an essential. Not all lipliners are created equally, but some are. If you like a creamy-textured lip pencil, Wayne Goss has a beautiful formula available at online beauty e-tailer, Beautylish.
The creamy texture seemed familiar, so I pulled out an Annabelle Lip Liner in Spice. The Wayne Goss lip pencil was a bit lighter, but interestingly enough, both pencils were produced in the Czech Republic. Both look great with lipsticks, or fill in your lips with them and put lip balm over and you have your perfect nude.
What You Are Missing Out On By Buying The Makeup Dupe:
The joy of ordering from Beautylish (they really do package their products beautifully, and they offer some of the best gifts with purchase (think full-sized products).
The Winner:
Annabelle – available in Canada, is pretty much the same product and you don’t have to pay for shipping. Annabelle’s Spice is the ideal creamy lip liner and one of our ultimate drugstore dupes.
We hope that you enjoyed our latest drugstore dupes versus high-end favourites. More products are being tested right now, so you’ll find out about more great dupes soon.
