In the age of the beauty dupe, there’s no need to completely drain your wallet to be able to afford the skincare, makeup and hair care for the summer. Photo / 123rf
In the age of the beauty dupe, there’s no need to completely drain your wallet to be able to afford the skincare, makeup and hair care for the summer. Photo / 123rf
In a cost of living crisis, our luxury purchases tend to get left by the wayside, and rightly so. The good news is, in the age of the beauty dupe, there’s no need to completely drain your wallet to be able to afford the skincare, makeup and hair care you love because chances are there’s a similar product out there offering the solution at a fraction of the price. New dupes are popping up from beauty brands left, right and centre, but these are a few of our top product picks.
Bondi Sands Everyday Skincare Be Bronze Instant Bronzing and Hydrating Serum.
Bondi Sands Everyday Skincare Be Bronze Instant Bronzing and Hydrating Serum, $22.99
A dupe for the always-sold-out Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Sunshine Drops, this instant bronzing serum gives the same subtle glow for less than a third of the price. Mix it in with your face lotion for a super-soft bronzed finish, add a few drops to your foundation to tint the shade slightly darker for summer, or apply straight to skin post-SPF or moisturiser application for a more intense golden glow.
L’Oreal Paris Elvive Bond Repair Rescue Pre-Shampoo.
L’Oreal Paris Elvive Bond Repair Rescue Pre-Shampoo, $25.99
Hair that is regularly coloured or heat styled can become weakened and damaged, and many with hair in this state swear by Olaplex for its ability to repair hair bonds and make it stronger, and softer. Olaplex No 3 is a pre-shampoo treatment designed to reduce hair breakage, which is what the hero product from the L’Oreal Elvive range is said to do too, but for around half the price.
MCoBeauty Flawless Glow Luminous Skin Filter.
MCoBeauty Flawless Glow Luminous Skin Filter, $40
Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter is a viral sensation, but at $86 it’s not in the budget for many. MCoBeauty, an Australian brand which has launched dupes for a range of iconic beauty products, has its own version. This, like the original, is a four-in-one skin booster that gives your complexion a filter-like finish. It can be worn alone, under makeup as a primer, mixed with foundation to add radiance or used as a highlighter on top of makeup and it comes in 11 shades.
Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Red Dahlia.
Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Red Dahlia, $16.99
When Clinique Black Honey Lipstick went viral last year and sold out repeatedly worldwide, beauty-obsessed TikTokers helped us all out by discovering that Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Red Dahlia was a very close match, and a much more affordable one at that. While Black Honey’s formula adapts to the unique skin tone of your lips, often providing an enhanced, burgundy hue, the Burt’s Bees balm is a sheer tint, which means this isn’t exactly a straight dupe, but it’s a great option to have on hand with a very similar colour pay-off.
Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine Lipstick in Nude Illuminator.
Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine Lipstick in Nude Illuminator, $27
Another lip product to get TikTok in a frenzy in recent years was Charlotte Tilbury’s now cult-favourite lipstick shade Pillow Talk. Anyone looking for the same pinky-nude hue but in something with a bit more shine will love this dupe from Revlon, which goes on seamlessly and leaves lips looking glossy and feeling moisturised. It’s the ideal lippy to reach for if you want a bit more than a lip balm but don’t want to deal with the high-maintenance attitude of traditional lipstick.
Revolution Pro Miracle Cream.
Revolution Pro Miracle Cream, $22
Another product taking a piece of the Charlotte Tilbury pie is Revolution’s super plumping pre-makeup moisturiser, which is a dupe for the British cosmetics brand’s Magic Cream. This thick yet fast-absorbing cream feels luxurious to apply and leaves skin feeling incredibly hydrated and glowing, which makes it the perfect product to prime your skin before applying makeup.
Beauty School
Vida Glow.
Q: When it comes to hair growth supplements, what are the best ingredients to look for?
A: A well-rounded diet is integral to the proper functioning of the body, which includes hair growth, so taking a daily multivitamin is a good way to make sure you’re getting a good breadth of vitamins and minerals, and fill in any gaps in your diet. To give your hair growth a boost, look for supplements that contain vitamins and minerals such as biotin, vitamins A, B and C, zinc, iron and omega-3 fatty acids. High-quality collagen supplements can help with hair growth too.
Aede Power Activist Hair Growth Supplement.
Aede Power Activist Hair Growth Supplement, $83
The Beauty Chef Supergenes Healthy Hair & Nails.
The Beauty Chef Supergenes Healthy Hair & Nails, $65
Solv Hair Skin ‘N Nails Gummies.
Solv Hair Skin ‘N Nails Gummies, $29.99
We Love: Tronque X Tonic Room
Tonic Room has teamed up with Tronque to offer a 75-minute full-body treatment.
Holistic wellness boutique Tonic Room in Kingsland has teamed up with luxury New Zealand bodycare brand Tronque to offer a 75-minute full-body treatment designed to get your skin sloughed and smoothed in time for summer. Tronque’s Ionic Body Brush is first used to buff away dry, rough skin and stimulate blood flow to help the body eliminate toxins. This stimulating practice is then followed by a relaxing massage using Tronque’s Vitamin C Body Oil and gua sha tool to improve lymphatic drainage, before a final massage with the brand’s luxurious Firming Butter. It’s the ideal treatment for anyone in need of a post-winter pick-me-up and would make for a wonderful Christmas gift, too. The Tronque Summer Body Prep treatment, $235, is available to book via Tonicroom.co.nz now, and includes a complementary Tronque Ionic Body Brush valued at $70.
