They say that imitation is best form of flattery. We agree on a certain level, yet it does come with a limitation. Sure, who wouldn’t say no to a great bargain, right? We’ve all had our give-me-that-voucher and I-must-get-that-discount-code moment with all the passion we can muster. We can’t help it—a great item for less is always a steal.
But we draw the line when it involves fakes and replicas. Especially when it comes to luxury beauty products, which we actually put to our skin with the risk of altering them for the worse.
The Main Principle
So there should always be three things that you should ask when confronted with a situation involving high-end makeup and skincare replicas:
- Is it an outstanding alternative to the original one?
- Is it healthy for my skin?
- Would this be worth my money?
And if you weigh the pros & cons and consider the permanent effects of using substandard products (especially on your face!), we’re sure you’ll come to answer each question with a resounding NO. We’ll break down to you why.
First, replicas will never be as good as the original one. How can we say that? If manufacturers did not spend the time to create a new formulation, concept and design and opted to just copy ideas from an already well-known brand and product, chances are, they didn’t put it much time to improve on what they’re trying to copy.
Second, with replicas always ending up way cheaper than what they’ve copied, you already know that they cut around the corners to produce the product. It’s either less special ingredients, or just a replacement of the ingredients with who-knows-what… which brings us to our last point.
It wouldn’t be worth your money—no matter how cheap it is—to risk the condition of your skin just to save a few bucks. Sure, dupes are fine—but make sure to get them from trusted drugstore brands that at least have a reputable name in the beauty industry.
The Originals vs The Fakes
Here are some of the best high-end beauty products out there that are so good they’ve got outright replicas, look-alikes, photocopies, or imitation.
Pixi Glow Tonic ($29 – 250ml)
The copycat: Lacura GLycolic Glow Tonic ($5)
Kat Von D Shade + Light ($48)
The copycat: Makeup Revolution Ultra Eye Contour Light & Shade Palette ($15)
Glamglow Supermud ($59)
The copycat: Lacura Charcoal Clearing Mud Mask ($7)
Urban Decay Naked palettes (discontinued)
The copycat: Aldi Naturals Eyeshadow Palettes
Tarte Shape Tape ($27)
The copycat: Makeup Revolution Concealer ($7)
Too Faced Sweetheart Blush ($30)
The copycat: Makeup Revolution Blushing Hearts Blush ($7)
While some of the fakes listed above don’t actually do a bad job and in fact can be great dupes for the luxury items, we can’t deny that of course, they would be lacking in one or two aspects. For makeup, although color choices can be copied, the longevity and color payoff of the original ones are usually unparalleled. For skincare products on the other hand, while the copycats may not have disgusting effects on the skin, can’t have a full moisturizing and rejuvenating effect the original can offer.
Spot the Fakes
So how do you spot the fake ones, especially those who are actually phony versions of the originals? Here are some questions you can ask to determine whether a product is just a replica before wasting all your dollars in it:
- Will you buy it from an authorized counter or store? If not, think twice.
- Is there a huge discount involve that isn’t announced by the brand itself? “Store discounts” are a little suspicious if the actual original source point is selling the item for full price.
- Are you seeing a sketchy website with broken grammar and not-so-pleasing aesthetic? Or maybe a broken website? You can determine fraud work easily because it’s always a sloppy job.
- Does the product actually look like a high-end product? And even if it is, you have to do some comparison tests with some photos of the original products.
So there, consider yourself warned: DO NOT BUY REPLICAS!
Image credits: Glamour, TV3 Casting, Pixi, Aldi, Kat Von D, HQHair, Good Housekeeping, Bonnie Garner, Daily Mirror, Makeupvie, Emily Mace.
