Dupes That Deliver: Student Budget Edition

 

Student life often means finding a balance between tight schedules and tight budgets. It also brings new social connections, personal growth and an opportunity to build a new beauty routine! Many drugstores worldwide supply dupes (duplicates) which offer an impressive and competitive quality when in comparison to high-end brands. This means you can stay fresh and focused whether you’re preparing for a presentation, a party or a study session without excessive spending. 

So let’s discuss where to save, and when to splurge…

Using a fragrance that allows you to feel luxurious is important for that feel-good start to your day as well as the finishing touch to your look for an evening out in the town. Before diving into high-end expensive fragrances which may hurt your bank account, it is vital to explore other smaller, but similar brands which help to capture the feel of these designer scents, at much lower prices. A personal favourite is a UK-based fragrance brand, ‘Verset Parfums’, which are sold in a number of pharmacies as they give such good value for money. These would really help a student on a budget as they offer a large collection of popular scents in  a variety of different sizes (15ml, 50ml, 100ml) for an appropriate cost of approximately £12-15. Because of the lower cost, this increases flexibility of use as there is no ‘guilt’ when using your perfume compared to expensive fragrances which you may hope to salvage for longer. The 15ml bottle can also be seen as handy for on the go, whether you keep on in your uni bag or your handbag you can freshen up with a quick spritz whenever you feel necessary. My personal favourite dupes are ‘It’s Mine’ replicating Lady Million, ‘Lia’ replicating Dolce and Gabbana and ‘Black Gold’ replicating Good Girl.

Moving onto skincare, students who love the ‘glass skin look’ must try the No7 Good Intent Skin Sip Moisture Milk. It is an affordable, lightweight moisturiser designed for young skin to give that silk, glazed finish. This is available in local Boots stores, which provide a student discount scheme for all students juggling tight budgets throughout their semester. This moisturiser is kind to the skin, as well as your wallet, and has been commonly been placed in comparison to the Rhode Glazing Milk by Hailey Bieber. This will allow you to get that hydrated, dewy look that Rhode has to offer, but at a student-friendly cost.

If you love the Charlotte Tilbury look but not the price tag, e.l.f. has some amazing swaps that deliver the same vibe for way less. Their Halo Glow Liquid Filter is the ultimate dupe for the Hollywood Flawless Filter - that same glowy, flawless finish but on a student budget. You can also swap the e.l.f. Power Grip Primer for Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Filter Primer (keeps your makeup in place all day), and the e.l.f. Halo Glow Setting Powder works just like the Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder to give that smooth, soft-focus look. You can basically build an entire Tilbury-inspired routine with e.l.f. products and still have some money left over for a coffee date and some nights out with friends! 

These drugstore dupes show that smart shopping can help dupes deliver the same high quality, luxurious results as high-end favourites, without emptying your bank account!