We all love a bit of Chanel in our lives. But at £65+ a bottle, it’s not something most of us will buy ourselves on a whim! The same goes for high-end makeup or luxury skincare. It’s wonderful to have it, but more often than not we will turn to the cheaper alternatives to save some pennies. Particularly now with the cost of living rising so much!
But that doesn’t mean you have to go without. For every beauty brand out there with an amazing product, there’s another brand selling something very similar (if not the same) at a much lower price. These are called ‘dupes’, and quite often it’s difficult to tell the difference between the high-end or budget versions once they’re out of the bottle. So if you’re looking to treat yourself this autumn, or get ahead on some Christmas shopping, here are some of our favourite beauty dupes to try.
Suddenly Madame Glamour Perfume
One of Chanel’s signature scents – Coco Mademoiselle, retails at around £86 for 50ml, which is a pretty steep price, but about right for a designer perfume. If you want to get the same iconic scent for a fraction of the price, then hop over to Amazon and buy Suddenly Madame Glamour Perfume. Its blend of citrus notes that open into sweet florals and deep musks is a dead ringer for the Chanel, and even uses many of the same scent notes like patchouli, rose ylang-ylang and tonka bean to mimic the scent. Suddenly Madame is currently £19 on Amazon, but if you want an even better bargain head over to Lidl, which is full of amazing perfume dupes including this one.
E.L.F Illuminating Primer
If you’re a fan of the Charlotte Tilbury Wonderglow primer but can’t stomach the £40 price tag, take a look at the E.L.F Illuminating Face Primer. This little bottle is just £9, and not only does it give you the radiant glow of the Charlotte Tilbury brand, but it fills in fine lines and wrinkles perfectly, allowing products to sit better on your face. It leaves skin feeling smooth and silky just like its high-end alternative, with a little hint of shimmer to make sure you’re glowing all day. Side by side, you’ll struggle to tell the difference – but your bank account will know you saved £31!
The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution
Drunk Elephant may be pretty new on the scene, but it’s already become a cult favourite for skincare. In particular, their T.LC Glycolic Night Serum, which promises to resurface dull and congested skin, lifting away dead skin cells to reveal gleaming skin beneath. But at £76, you might be put off seeing if it really works! But the magic ingredient in the Drunk Elephant serum is AHA, and The Ordinary’s AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution is chock full of them. It’s an intense treatment for evening skin tone, and it’s actually a lot stronger then it’s pricier counterpart. And at £6 a bottle, it’s much kinder on the wallet!
5th Element
I don’t know about you, but my mother’s favourite perfume by a country mile is Chanel No5. It’s always on the Christmas list for her, but at £86 a bottle it’s sometimes difficult to manage. This year I set out to find a dupe, and it cropped up in the most unlikely of places – Aldi. Their Lacura 5th Element Eau De Toilette is the perfect dupe for this iconic perfume, with all the notes of rose and jasmine that give No5 its unique scent. If you didn’t see the bottle (which also looks similar), you wouldn’t notice the difference! And at £6.99 a bottle you really can’t go wrong!
At Elle Courbee we love a good bargain, and shopping for dupes is the perfect way to get the luxury experience without emptying your bank account to do it. Do you have a favourite go-to dupe? We’d love to add it to our list!