The Best Drugstore Dupes for High End Makeup

Hi guys, as you know, I’m obsessed with makeup, so I try an awful lot of it. This means that sometimes I find dupes for higher end makeup while testing products. So today, I’m sharing the best drugstore dupes for high end makeup!

These are the best dupes I’ve found in my collection so far, but there are always new products launching and I don’t own every single product ever released. I’ll probably end up doing more of these drugstore dupes posts because we all love a bargain!

I’ve tried to get a real mix of products in this post, from primers to eyeliners. It’s been my mission this year to try more drugstore makeup and that has developed into me wanting to find dupes for the high end products I’ve loved for years.

These are all tried and tested on me. For reference, I have combination, acne prone skin. Let’s get into these drugstore dupes!

DISCLAIMER: John Lewis and Look Fantastic links are affiliate, all products purchased by me.

High End – Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation – £34 from John Lewis
Drugstore – No7 Hydra Luminous Foundation – £15 from Boots

When I bought the No7 Hydra Luminous foundation and used it for the first time, I was amazed at how similar it was to the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder. I looked up the ingredients and, while they are not the same, they are very similar. A lot of the ingredients are the same, but in a different order (so different amounts).

The Hydra Luminous is slightly thicker in texture, although neither of them are particularly thick. They blend the same, the look the same, they perform the same. I did half of my face with the Charlotte Tilbury and half with the No7 and neither me nor my husband could tell a difference.

They both give you that natural healthy glow that makes you look like you’re glowing from within. They are both hydrating and smoothing. Neither cling to dry patches and they look seamless on the skin. They both come in plastic squeezy tubes, so are both travel friendly.

The No7 lasts slightly longer on my skin, but that’s the only difference. These are the perfect Summer foundations as they’re lightweight and breathable.

The No7 is half the price of the Charlotte Tilbury, so if you’ve always wanted to try the Light Wonder foundation, but don’t want to spend the money, then I’d highly recommend trying the No7 Hydra Luminous as it’s super similar and I love it!

High End – Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation – £37 from John Lewis
Drugstore – L’Oreal Paris Infaillable Pro Glow Longwear Foundation – £11-£19 from Amazon

I have not seen anyone mention these two as dupes. However, I think they are very similar.

They both give that radiant glow to the skin, they’re both super longwearing, flawless and they look very similar on the skin. Lightweight, skin like, no caking up or separating. They are both absolutely stunning on the skin. The Dior Forever has actually gone straight in at joint Holy Grail status with Armani Luminous Silk in my favourite high end foundations, so that’s how much I love it!

Again I’ve tried these side by side on my face and couldn’t tell a difference. I heard for years how the Pro Glow performed like a high end foundation and I completely agree. It really does and it’s only £12 (It’s Amazon, the price changes all the time, but I paid £11.99).

Obviously the Dior packaging is much sleeker (as it should be for the price), it comes in a glass bottle. However, the L’Oreal is definitely more travel friendly in its squeezy tube. So that’s completely down to personal preference.

I can get a good 14 hours out of both of these foundations without having to touch up. The texture is a little different; the L’Oreal is runnier than the Dior, but once they’re on the skin, you can’t tell a difference. If you’re into glowy, but natural bases, then either of these would be perfect. For the price, you can’t go wrong with the L’Oreal Pro Glow. I’m so glad we finally get it in the UK as it’s just beautiful!

High End – Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer – £24 from John Lewis
Drugstore – Maybelline Fit Me! Concealer – £5.99 from Look Fantastic

I feel like both of these are cult favourite products, but the Fit Me! Concelaer is definitely a drugstore dupe for the Nars. They are very similar. They have the same natural, skin like finish. Neither of them are full on glowy, they’re more on the matte side. I know the Nars is called radiant, but I don’t find it to be radiant. It’s skin like and not flat, but it’s not radiant. If you want a true radiant concealer, try the Armani Luminous Silk one.

I’ve been suffering with acne for the past 6 months, so I’ve needed plenty of concealer. These both perform the same and look the same on the skin. They’re both long wearing and give great coverage. They’re the same consistency and they blend easily. They don’t enhance the dryness of my spots and they last all day. I do have to give my chin a quick pat/reblend at some point during the day, but that’s the same with every concealer I’ve ever used. That one touch up will then do me the rest of the day though.

I don’t like either of these under the eyes, but plenty of people do. I find them too drying for my under eyes, but I do have incredibly dry under eyes. Howver, for blemishes, these are both fantastic and the Maybelline is an absolute steal at £5.99!

I tend to run through these pretty quickly as I have quite a few spots, so the Maybelline is definitely more purse friendly. I think I’ve gone through about 5 of the Nars ones in the past couple of years and I’m on my second Maybelline Fit Me!.

This is one where the drugstore dupe has replaced its high end counterpart because they perform the exact same and I save so much money buying the Maybelline one.

High End – Tom Ford Wet and Dry Eyeshadow Quad – £68 from Look Fantastic
Drugstore – Kiko Milano Bright Quartet Baked Eyeshadow Palette – £12.99 from Kiko

Here I’m concentrating on the formula of the Tom Ford one, not the actual shades I have, because my quad was a Limited Edition one from Christmas last year. Also I don’t know why, but John Lewis have all the quads on the same page; the standard formula and the wet and dry which is a little confusing. The wet and dry formula is the one with the TF embossed in each shadow.

With these products, they aren’t 100% identical. The difference between them is that the Tom Ford ones are much more shimmery and while the Kiko ones are shimmer shadows, they’re slightly more on the satin side. The Tom Ford ones are full on sparkle.

However, they are both baked shadows and they perform very similarly on the eyes. And the Kiko quads are a fifth of the price of the Tom Ford quads. Of course, if you are looking for a luxurious palette, the Tom Ford wins hands down. However, in terms of performance on the eye, you can’t really tell a difference.

I do wish Kiko would release more shades with their baked quads as they’re really good. I get no creasing, they last all day and they perform beautifully. They’re easy to blend and the colours don’t become muddy when you blend two colours togeter.

The Tom Ford ones are stunning, but it hurts my soul to spend £68 on four eyeshadows hahahaha. I had to wait until John Lewis were having 20% before I could stomach the price and it was still expensive! I don’t mind spending £70 on an eyeshadow palette, but I like getting bang for buck, so I’d usually be looking for around 12-18 shades for that price.

The Tom Ford shadows are beautiful and I love that you can get a really intense look when you use them wet. I do find that I get quite a bit of fall out with a couple of the shades in my quad, but I don’t mind that because the finished look is so beautiful. They blend easily and last all day, just like the Kiko ones.

If you’re going to treat yourself to one really luxurious thing, then I would recomment the Tom Ford quads. However, if you want similar performance, but you don’t want to blow the budget, then the Kiko shadows are awesome too!

High End – MAC Mineralize Blush – £23.50 from John Lewis
Drugstore – Milani Baked Blush – £11.50 from Boots

I adore both of these formulas. They are some of my favourite blush formulas going, but I really think the Milani blushes perform just as well as the MAC ones and they’re half the price.

They are both baked products, they are both easy to blend, buildable, glowy on the cheeks and they make you look radiant and healthy. The formula is really light, but pigmented and I love that you can get a sheer wash of colour, or build it up to be more intense.

A couple of the Milani shades have big bits of glitter in, which I am not a fan of, but all the other ones are either a matte or a satin finish like the MAC ones.

I tested the two most similar in colour on my cheeks and they looked the same on the cheeks. They both last all day without fading and always look gorgeous. I really rate Milani as a whole actually, they’re one of my favourite drugstore brands.

I’ve got 5 shades of each of these formulas and I can honestly say they are some of my most used blushes. I wear these so often and I still can’t tell a difference between the two. The Milani blushes are a dead on drugstore dupe for the MAC blushes

The Milani packaging is a little bulky as it comes with a mirror and brush underneath that I never use. However, it’s not a big deal to me. The MAC packaging is more sleek and has a magnetic closure.

High End – MAC Cremesheen Lipsticks – £17.50 from John Lewis
Drugstore – Kiko Smart Fusion Lipsticks – £3.99 from Kiko

I love me a MAC lipstick. I have loads of them! The Cremesheen formula is one of my all time favourites. However, when I first tried Kiko makeup last year, I bought one of the Smart Fusion lipsticks and I was amazed at how similar it was to the MAC cremesheen formula.

They are both a glossy finish, so not long wearing. They’re both creamy, opaque, hydrating, don’t sink into lines on your lips and the finish is pretty much identical. I can’t believe the Kiko ones are only £3.99! What a bargain.

The packaging isn’t anything special, but I don’t really care as it’s the product I want to fall in love. The MAC packaging feels more sturdy and has that black shimmery packaging that is synonymous with MAC.

These two lipsticks formulas are so similar. The Kiko performs like a higher end product. I have lipsticks that are £30+ and the formula isn’t as good as the Kiko. Both of these formulas are so easy to wear and instantly make your lips look healthy and glossy.

The Kiko Smart Fusion lipsticks are available in 36 shades, while MAC has about 100 (they have different formulas though) but I think Kiko have done a good job with the colours they have. There are nudes, pinks, corals, reds, browns and purples, so you’re bound to find something you love.

High End – Hourglass 1.5mm Mechanical Gel Eyeliner Trio – £44 from John Lewis
Drugstore – Physicians Formula Eye Booster Gel Eyeliner Trio – £11.99 from Boots

For years, the Hourglass eyeliners were my Holy Grail. I struggle so much with eyeliners just vanishing on me. I put them on, blink once and poof it’s gone!

My eyes are very sensitive, so I often find normal eyeliners too big and irritating for my eyes. The Hourglass liners are teeny, tiny and I still love that. However, the Physicians Formulas eyeliners are bomb!

The tip is slightly bigger on the Physicians Formula, but the formula is just as good as the Hourglass. They are smooth, richly pigmented and you can get full opacity in one swipe. They last all day and don’t smudge/budge.

The Hourglass eyeliners are super easy to apply as the tip is so thin, but be aware that once you twist the tip up you can’t twist it back down like you can with the Physicians Formula. The Hourglass ones are also partial to snapping if you’ve twisted up too much. They last all day as well and once they’ve set they aren’tgoing anywhere.

You can also get the Hourglass eyeliners in a single for £17. With the Physicians Formula ones you’re getting three of the same colour, but they have different finishes. There’s a matte, satin and shimmer which I think is great as it covers all bases for me. I only wear brown eyeliner, so a matte, satin and shimmer are the only ones I’m going to need.

And there we have it…

The best drugstore dupes I have in my collection. I’ve been so impressed with a lot of drugstore makeup this year. They’ve really upped their game and some stuff performs just like high end. I love finding cheaper alternatives to high end products and I was so excited to share them with you because I wholeheartedly believe all of these drugstore dupes perform just as well as theiy high end counterparts.

What are some of your favourites drugstore dupes?