I’ve been fascinated with makeup ever since I can remember. With a thick Chanel foundation being one of my staples through high school. I then flitted between MAC, Estee Lauder and Dior to name a few over the years. Always with the high-end brand name as my go to I’ve never used ‘drug store brands’ or wear makeup dupes.
When Beauty Base set me the challenge of the dupe swap I was eager to see if I could actually swap my luxury brands for these more affordable brands. In particular Milani, a brand which I’ve heard some of my favourite beauty YouTubers champion.
Let’s get to work then? I had quickly applied my make up last Thursday for a conference call and general day wear occurred. By the time I was heading out of the house on the evening I checked myself in the mirror and had to reapply. This was the perfect opportunity to try out the ‘dupe challenge’.
Makeup dupe challenge
A little apprehensive about using this makeup and seeing a noticeable difference I began to apply the Milani 2-in-1 Conceal + Perfect foundation and concealer (£12.95). Currently using Dior Flawless (£32.50) with Tom Ford as a base I began to apply the foundation. Slightly thicker in texture than my current foundation and a little darker in colour (a better colour than my current foundation) I began to blend. So far so good.
Next up the Easybrow Tinted Fiber Brow Gel (£8.95). I found this slightly disappointing. This Milani product didn’t give the desired look that is achieved by using the Wunderbrow Fiber Gel (£19.95).
Related Read;
Brow mad
As eyebrows have become massively important in terms of makeup artistry over the last few years. I am utterly obsessed in ensuring they are preened to perfection so the Eye Tech Define is a great choice. This angled felt tip pen, similar to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pen. Combines with a precision-tipped eyeliner to really create the winged liner of dreams.
Both the brow and eye pen is an absolute godsend and it’s probably my hero product from Beauty Base. It comes highly recommended.
Milani all over
Next up, the Milani Contour & Highlight (£12.95). A massive fan of a contour stick this light brown is perfect for fair skin like mine to chisel my cheekbones and give that summer glow. This, a dupe of Benefit Hula contour stick (£23.50) and Iconic illuminator drops (£29.99). This Milani duo also boasts a liquid highlighter which is great for making the areas on your face pop.
The penultimate item was the LA Girl concealer (£3.99), a dupe of Naked Skin (£19) this brushed tube is great for covering up blemishes. The only downside of online shopping if you don’t know the colour you should best purchase is that sometimes the swatch onscreen is totally different to in real life. On this occasion, I chose the wrong colour and it’s slightly off, nevertheless, it is a great quality product for fraction of the Naked Skin concealer.
Related Reads;
- Read Lindsay Davidson’s guide to the best 5 concealers here
- 6 top beauty hacks that won’t break the bank
- Top 10 traits of successful beauty school graduates
A top tip I’ve picked up from Micheal, Urban Decay’s nationally recognised MUA. If you use a little concealer on top of foundation on the nose cheeks and forehead and blend with an optical brush, you obtain a flawless finish.
Finally the Milani Blush (£9.95). This marbled effect blush is an Urban Decay dupe. It is gorgeous for the Summer giving a pinky iridescent pop it certainly is an essential for all makeup bags. The pigment is intense and can be used as a blush or highlighter.
Were you duped?
All in all the dupe challenge opened my eyes up to the world of ‘drug store make up’. Using the Milani and LA Girl brands instead of my regular high end make up made me really see that beauty can be done well on a budget.
In most part, I’ll incorporate these products especially the liner and blush into my daily routine. The challenge really got me to think twice about buying different brands that aren’t necessarily high-end.
Disclaimer: These items were provided complimentary, all views are our own. Read more about disclosure here.
