"12 Must-Have Beauty Dupes for Christmas: Save £165 on a Stunning Perfume & Achieve Long Lashes Without a Curler!"

IT’S easy to think a more expensive makeup brand equals a better product.

But that’s not always the case, and nowadays, there are some stellar dupes on the market.

Here are the most viral, tried-and-tested and highly recommended beauty dupes, from foundations, to perfumes, mascaras and body butter…

Night serum

The two serums were put to the test by Beauty Editor Tara Leddon

Splurge: Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair, £48.75

Save: Revolution Pro Miracle Night Rescue Serum, £12

Fabulous’ Beauty Editor Tara Leddon that she personally rates, and she spoke highly of Revolution’s Serum.

“There are incredibly similar ingredients listed on both these night-time products, though the Estée Lauder one has far fewer overall,” she explained. “It has less perfume, too, but both contain a heavy dose of antioxidants as well as the same three skin-identical moisturising ingredients (glycerin, hyaluronic acid and squalane) and plenty of microbiome-friendly additions to bolster the skin barrier.”

Liquid blush

Save with Primark’s liquid blush – but you’ll need to apply more to get a bold cheek

Splurge: Huda Beauty Blush Filter Liquid Blush, £24

Save: Primark Liquid Blush, £3

“Creamy, pigmented and dewy,” were how , whilst Primark’s version blended “really nicely” despite being “not as pigmented”.

For £3, however, you could afford to add a little more colour to your cheeks to get the desired depth.

Body mist

Sol de Janeiro vs MCoBeauty No.1

Splurge: Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 40 Perfume Mist, £24

Save: MCoBeauty No.1 Black Plum & Vanilla Fragrance Mist, £11

Last year, launched a lawsuit in the US, claiming MCo had copied its fragrances. MCo has hit back and the case continues, but there’s no doubt this scent uses very similar fragrance notes and packaging to Sol de Janeiro’s popular Cheirosa 40.

In a , she said “they smelled similar initially”, with the dupe developing a “peppery smell that was distinct from the original”.

Shampoo and conditioner

Splurge: L’Oreal Elvive Fibrology, £7 each

Save: Aldi Hair Refine Shampoo and Conditioner for Volume, £1.19 each

Professional , testing the Hair Refine Shampoo and Conditioner for Volume, and Tropical Essence Leave-in Conditioner, which is slightly more expensive at £4.99.

She reckoned the range was a dupe of the viral L’Oreal Elvive Fibrology line, and praised it for helping your “hair feel thicker”.

Cleansing balm

ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm is a firm favourite with millions of customersCredit: Elemis Lidl’s Collagen Balm is only £4.99Credit: Lidl

Splurge: Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, £52

Save: Lidl Deluxe Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm, £4.99

but there are a few differences beauty fans need to be aware of. The texture is unlike Elemis’ but it is a super lightweight oil that melts into the skin really quickly and loosens makeup well.

When you add water, it emulsifies into a lovely milky texture and leaves skin feeling soft, but some say you have to triple cleanse when using it to remove all your makeup. It also has a subtle, inoffensive scent, which isn’t as dreamy as the OG Elemis.

Perfume

Splurge: Le Labo Bergamote 22 Eau De Parfum, £170

Save: Home Bargains L’ardeur Parfum Body Spray, £3.99

“Smells like pure luxury” is how They explained, “it was giving designer vibes without the designer price tag”, but some said the fragrance didn’t last as long as the original and infamous Le Labo.

Lip mask

Boots’ Berry Lip Sleeping Mask is said to be a good dupe of Laneige

Splurge: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, £21

Save: Boots Berry Lip Sleeping Mask, £4.50

You may not have heard of the brand Laneige, but Kendall Jenner and Kate Moss are both said to be customers!

The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask quickly banishes flaky lips and leaves you with a kiss-worthy pout. But it’s pricey for such a small pot…

Boots’ Berry Lip Sleeping Mask, not only will your lips be quick to thank you, but you’ll save yourself cash too.

Foundation

Tara also tried Aldi’s Lacura True Base against Estee Lauder’s iconic Double WearCredit: Lorna Roach

Splurge: Estee Lauder Double Wear, £40

Save: Aldi Lacura True Base, £5.99

against one of her all-time favourite brands, Estee Lauder.

She said: “Estee Lauder Double Wear hardly requires any blending or buffing. It also melts into skin so you don’t feel like you’re wearing any , which is a miracle given how high the coverage is and how long it stays in place.”

Tara faced gale-force winds, literally, when wearing the Estee Lauder foundation, and it “still looked perfect” when I got back.” by the end of the day.

Aldi’s, on the other hand, is not waterproof and doesn’t contain SPF. After a couple of hours, the formula had “separated around the oily areas” of Tara’s face, leaving her blotchy. To make it look flawless, the Beauty Editor had to add extra products, and apply it differently – but when she did, she got lots of compliments.

Face cream

Splurge: Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, £54

Save: Home Bargains Victoria Harper Mystical Cream, £3.99

This bargain beauty gem promises to plump and firm the skin, at a fraction of the iconic Magic Cream, and shoppers were not disappointed .

Mascara

Laura couldn’t tell the difference between the two mascaras

Splurge: Benefit’s Roller Lash Mascara, £27

Save: Essence Lash Princess Volume Mascara, £3.95

, knew she’d bee “hooked” on Benefit’s mascara the moment she read about how it can “lift your lashes without a curler”.

She said: “While it did leave my lashes looking long and luscious, I could not justify splurging nearly £30 every time it ran out.

“Instead, I now buy Essence Lash Princess Volume Mascara which costs just £3.95 – and I could barely tell the difference between it and the expensive Benefit one. Unlike other cheap mascaras it doesn’t clump or smudge.”

Body butter

Splurge: Sol De Janeiro body butter, £21

Save: Savers Summer Beach Tropical Beach Body Butter, £2.99

Employees at Savers took to TikTok to share the new products that they believed were similar to Sol De Janerio.

Concealer

The high end concealer Laura swapped from to the £4.50 buy

Splurge: Nars radiant creamy concealer, £29.50

Save: Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, £4.50

about Collection’s concealer that is a whopping £25 cheaper than Nars.

She said: “I’ve been using the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer for the best part of a decade and it’s honestly better than any high-end brand. The product is very buildable on your face and gives a natural, skin-like finish.”