Ok so the word “Dupe” is one you’ll hear bandied around the place constantly at the moment and although it’s great to think of yourself practically getting the same product for a mere fraction of the price, often times this really isn’t the case. What I aim to do here is point out some of my favourite products from the high-end bracket and tell you about their high street counterparts. Personally I love to splash out sometimes on a “high end” treat but at the same time I’m a sucker for a bargain, I’m an equal opportunities consumer especially when it comes to beauty products. So let’s take a look at what I’ve found!!
Primers
High End- My favourite primer of all time is Prime Time by Bare Minerals. I love it so much, it makes your skin feel so smooth and soft when you use it and I think it’s phenomenal at keeping makeup on. It’s suitable for all skin types and what I love about it is how little of it you have to use so I think that helps to justify the €26 price tag. Just pop a little on over your moisturiser and under your foundation and watch how quickly the longevity of your make up changes!!
High Street- Very recently I discovered Coverall Primer from Wet n Wild and I must say I’m very impressed with this one too. Although I do feel it’s probably less suitable for anyone who has very dry skin but for those with a more combination/oily skin type it’s impressive. Now Wet n Wild is a brand that I’ve built a little love affair with over the past while ever since I discovered their Coverall Foundation (more about that in a minute), it’s an incredibly well priced brand and the quality of any of the products I’ve tried has been incredibly good. Now I bought the primer in a set including a colour correcting concealer palette in Penneys for €6.50 which was a complete bargain but I don’t think the primer is going to set you back any more than that on its own and that’s for a 25ml tube.
Eyeshadow Primers
While we’re on the subject of primers I’m going to tell you about my two favourite eyeshadow primers. Why do you need an eyeshadow primer I hear you ask..well imagine spending all that time creating a gorgeous masterpiece on your eyelids only for it to melt off two hours later, all because you didn’t take that extra second to add this step to your regime…Criminal!!
High End- My high-end choice here is Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. Now I’m going to specify that it is the original one that I’m talking about as I have used the anti-aging version and I don’t find it as good at all. For me this is a must have product because I do a lot of strong smokey eye looks so I wouldn’t be without it in my make up bag. It’s simple to apply and leaves the eyelids so smooth and ready for the application of your eyeshadow. I find my eyeshadow always blends so much easier when I use it and it doesn’t budge. I have had eye makeup looks last for 16 hours + without having to touch it up after using this product, it is truly incredible. It comes in two different sizes, the 5ml travel size which is €11 and a great way to try the product to see what you think and the 10ml size which is €21. Again a little of this product goes a long way so well worth the money in my opinion.
High Street- My high street option here is I 💙 Stage from Essence. What a find, I would never have known about this little gem if it hadn’t been for Jen from Too Dolly Makeup. I saw her use it and rave about it so I thought I’d give it a go myself. It’s just a brilliant product considering the price of it which is €3.09 for 4ml. Now I’m not going to lie and tell you it’s an exact dupe for the Urban Decay one because it isn’t but what a great alternative to use during the week at work so you can hold on to your more expensive product for nights out or days when you want your eyes to be beyond flawless. Another must have in my opinion , I picked mine up in Penneys but it will be available nationwide on any Essence stand.
Concealer
High End- Now I’m a massive Urban Decay fan, anybody who knows me or reads my blog will know this about me so generally speaking if I’m looking for a new high-end beauty product then the Urban Decay counter is usually my first port of call. That’s exactly how I ended up using Naked Skin Concealer for the first time. Unsurprisingly I love it, I wanted to use it specifically for highlighting under my eyes, just to lighten up the area and add a contrast to my contouring. I love the texture of it, it covers exceptionally well without being thick, it adds a lovely brightness to my undereye and most importantly it doesn’t sit in your under eye wrinkles which to be fair is the Holy Grail of under eye concealing!!
Priced at €22 for 5mls, it comes in 11 different shades so there’s bound to be one to suit everybody.
High Street- My pick for best high street brand is Seventeen Wow Skin Concealer. You need to buy this product, honestly it is ridiculously good considering the price point!! To be honest Seventeen aren’t a brand I’d gravitate towards normally but I had started to hear great things about this concealer a number of weeks ago online and in magazines so I thought I’d chance it myself, I’m so glad I did. It comes in a pen style so application couldn’t be simpler and it’s so illuminating I couldn’t have imagined how much brighter it made my skin look. In fact since I’ve discovered this product I’ve used it instead of my Naked Skin concealer every day which trust me is high praise coming from me. The only issue might be the lack of colour options as it only comes in two shades, Light and Medium. Hopefully if it turns out to be as big of a success as it deserves to be then more colours might be introduced. Currently retailing in Boots for €6.99 for 2.5mls but keep your eyes peeled for special offers.
Foundation
And finally the most difficult product everybody finds to get right…Foundation. I shudder to think about how much I’ve spent over the years trying to find “the perfect” foundation and I suppose what I deem to be perfect for me may not be the same for others but I judge “perfect” to be , the foundation with the best coverage.
High End- With this is mind, the best high-end foundation I’ve used thus far is Inglot HD Perfect Coverup Foundation. This is a product I’ve only started using recently and I have to admit I’ve been blown away by it. The coverage is incredible, I mean incredible but without making you look like you’re wearing a mask. It doesn’t feel heavy in the slightest, it just makes your skin look flawless. I always get compliments about my skin when I wear this foundation and even in photographs your complexion looks brighter and honestly what’s not to love about that? Don’t laugh but I keep it as my “good foundation”, so I only take it out for special occasions, nights out etc because it’s a little bit pricey at €35 for 35mls but boy is it worth it!!
High Street- For my high street choice I give you the aforementioned Coverall Foundation from Wet n Wild. It was a complete stroke of luck that I found this foundation to be honest, to be blunt it was the name attracted me to it, I’m all about coverage when it comes to foundation so when I saw the name Coverall I felt it was worth a shot! Although it’s not a complete coverage foundation it is totally buildable and is absolutely perfect as a day-to-day foundation for work if you don’t want to be forking out loads of money. It claims to be suitable for all skin types but because it has a satin finish I would advise those with a oilier skin type to avoid it because I really don’t think the finish wouldn’t suit. An absolute bargain at €4.69 for 29.6mls, so for that price I really can’t see you regretting trying it.
So those are some of my favourite High End and High Street products. I hope you’ve seen something in there that you haven’t tried before but interests you now. I think it’s important to never rule any brand out based on price, especially if you think something is “too cheap”, you never know you might just find one of your new favourites. Same for the high-end products, if you’re investing a big sum of money in a product then do your research, ask for samples or ask to try the product on on counter before you go straight into buying.
We all deserve a treat every now and then xx
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