There’s no better feeling than finding amazing beauty products for a bargain price.
And someone who knows about the best beauty dupes is Aberdeen based make-up artist and educator Bekah Cran.
“Some of the high end products aren’t worth it at all,” says Bekah, 24, who has been a make-up artist for over eight years.
“Some of the products you can find in the likes of Boots and Superdrug are just as good as the expensive products if not better.”
Today she opens up her make-up bag and shares her favourite dupes which won’t break the bank.
1: Bronzing drops
Splurge: Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Drops (£35 at Boots)
Save: e.l.f Bronzing drops (£11.99 at Superdrug)
Bekah’s pick: Liquid bronzing drops are great as you mix them in with your moisturiser and it gives you a bronze glow. The Drunk Elephant drops have went viral but I would say that the e.l.f drops are just as good. They give you a glow like you’ve been abroad.
2: Foundation
Splurge: Fenty Beauty Skin Tint Eaze Drop Blurring foundation (£23.20 at Boots)
Save: Maybelline Super Stay Skin Tint Foundation (£13.99 at Boots)
Bekah’s pick: The Maybelline Skin Tint is so good and gives great coverage. I prefer the Maybelline product over the similar Fenty skin tint as it’s so good.
3: Complexion boosters
Splurge: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (£39 at John Lewis)
Save: e.l.f Halo Glow Liquid Filter (£15 at Superdrug)
Bekah’s pick: The e.l.f Halo Glow Liquid Filter is basically the exact same as the Charlotte Tilbury version and it’s less than half the price. I think the e.l.f product is nicer and the colours are better. A lot of the Charlotte Tilbury shades are orange but the e.l.f shades are bronzy and have undertones to match your skin. If people want minimal coverage they’ll use it instead of a foundation but you can also put it on under your foundation to make your foundation really glowy.
4: Colour correcting concealers
Splurge: Huda Beauty Color Corrector (£20.80 at Boots)
Save: NYX Pro Fix Stick (£6.99 at Superdrug)
Bekah’s pick: Colour correctors are great for people with darker skin tones. I really like both of these products but the NYX one is just as good and it’s so much cheaper. I like their sticks because they have undertones to match darker complexions.
5: Creamy concealers
Splurge: Two faced Born This Way Multi-use Sculpting Concealer (£27.90 from Boots)
Save: HNB Cosmetics Soft Focus Airbrush Concealer (£5.28 from TikTok shop)
Bekah’s pick: I do love the Too Faced concealer, it’s my favourite but HNB have a great dupe which you can buy on TikTok shop for around £5 which is amazing.
6: Liquid blusher
Splurge: Charlotte Tilbury Glowgasm Beauty Light Wand (£30 at Sephora UK)
Save: e.l.f Halo Glow Beauty Wand (£9 at Superdrug)
Bekah’s pick: When it comes to liquid blush I absolutely love the e.l.f Halo Glow Wand – it’s a great dupe for the Charlotte Tilbury product. If you put them both on your skin and ask someone what blush is high end, they would never know.
7: Lip oils
Splurge: Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil (£33 at John Lewis)
Save: NYX Professional Makeup Fat Oil Lip Drip Lip Gloss (£7.99 at Boots)
Bekah’s pick: I only have one Dior Lip Oil and I would not buy any more as it has a toothpaste smell but not one you want on your lips all day. I prefer the NYX lip oils, I’ve got about four in my kit. Lip oils are in fashion right now. They basically make your lips quite shiny and keep them nourished.
8: Lip gloss
Splurge: Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer (£15.20 at Boots)
Save: Lip Lifter Gloss by Maybelline (£8.99 at Superdrug)
Bekah’s pick: I’ve got about six Fenty Beauty lip glosses in my kit but Maybelline have come out with lip glosses which are amazing. The shades are so similar to the Fenty glosses. I’m sure you get more product in the Maybelline gloss too.
9: Eyeshadow palettes
Splurge: Makeup by Mario eyeshadow palette (£55 at Sephora UK)
Save: BPerfect Mini Mattes Palette (£14.95 at BPerfect)
Bekah’s pick: I love the BPerfect palette as it’s so much cheaper than the Makeup by Mario palette and I think it’s just as good. It’s really long lasting but it’s worth having an eyeshadow base or primer underneath it so the eyeshadow sticks.
10: Make-up brushes
Splurge: Mac Blending Brush (£21 at Mac)
Save: Peaches and Cream brushes (Pick n Mix 4 brushes for £15)
Bekah’s pick: I’ve used so many Mac brushes and I don’t like them as the bristles fall out. I love the Peaches & Cream brushes as you can Pick ‘n’ Mix four brushes for £15 and they’re really good. I’ve got so many of their brushes.
11: Brow Powmade
Splurge: Benefit Powmade (£17.60 on Look Fantastic)
Save: Pink Honey Wonder Whip Powmade (£10 on ASOS).
Bekah’s pick: For filling in your eyebrows, these products are great. I only use the Pink Honey one which is a lot cheaper and it lasts a long time.
12: SPF face moisturiser
Save: Byoma Moisturising gel-cream SPF 30 (£11.99 at Boots)
Bekah’s pick: Byoma is just as good as the expensive Zo skin health cream. The Inky List have also just brought out an SPF cream which is also affordable and works really well.
For more information about Bekah Cran, check out her Instagram page @bekahcranmakeup
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