Video summary
The video explores the concept that high-end luxury makeup products often have affordable drugstore alternatives that perform just as well if not better, primarily by saving consumers significant money without sacrificing quality. The host begins with lip liners, comparing Fenty Beauty's long-wearing "Trace Out" line to Morphe's Signature Lip Pencils in similar shades like Girl Talk and Bubble Teeny. While the luxury version offers superior longevity, the drugstore option provides an almost identical texture and color match at a fraction of the cost. This trend continues with lipsticks, where Maybelline's Color Sensational is presented as a fantastic dupe for Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk Fair; although there are slight differences in sheen, both formulas deliver a creamy satin finish that feels luxurious on the lips.
Moving beyond color cosmetics to skincare and treatment products, the host highlights impressive formula matches between expensive brands and their budget-friendly counterparts. A standout example is the setting spray comparison between Charlotte Tilbury's Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray and ELF Makeup Mist & Set; despite being released years apart, they share nearly identical active ingredients like co-polymers that fill pores for a flawless finish, with the drugstore version offering double the size at a much lower price. Similarly, Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil is compared to L'Oréal's Extraordinary Oil Miracle Hair Serum, which provides comparable hydration and fragrance without weighing down fine hair. The host also notes that while Fenty Beauty glosses are unmatched in their specific pillowy texture, Revlon Super Lustrous offers a very close alternative for those seeking similar hydrating effects.
The review expands to face products including highlighters, primers, blushes, brushes, and concealers, where the differences between luxury and drugstore items become increasingly negligible upon application. Haus Labs' Glassy Opal stick highlighter is matched with Morphe's version, which dries down slightly faster but delivers an equally beautiful glow on the cheeks. For priming, Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Primer finds a strong rival in L'Oreal Prime Lab 24-hour Pore Minimizer, both of which blur pores and create a perfected skin texture using similar dimethicone-based formulas. The host also demonstrates that Rare Beauty's luminous blushes can be effectively replaced by Catrice baked blushes with comparable pigmentation and sheen, while Patrick Ta contour brushes are shown to have affordable equivalents in the Real Techniques collection that offer even more versatility for various makeup types.
Finally, the video concludes with a look at concealers, where NYX Wonder Skin is praised as an exceptional alternative to Tower 28's popular serum foundation concealer. Both products spread evenly without creasing or looking mottled throughout the day, making them suitable for mature skin that requires lightweight coverage. Throughout the presentation, the host emphasizes checking ingredient lists and swatching colors side-by-side to verify performance rather than relying solely on brand reputation. Ultimately, the message is clear: consumers can satisfy their desire for high-quality makeup without breaking the bank by choosing these well-researched drugstore dupes, allowing them to allocate savings elsewhere while still achieving a flawless look.
Read the full video transcript
Hey friends, you know the drill. We're
going to do cheaper and better
alternatives to your favorite high-end
and luxury makeup products, but I don't
use the D word because apparently some
companies don't like the D word, so it's
right here. However, that's what it is.
We are looking at all kinds of
substitutions that you can use that for
me are just as good, if not better,
because of how much money they save you
when you're going to purchase them.
That's exciting. Now, I don't have a lip
beyond. We're going to do that first so
I can share with you the lip products
that I found and I found some fantastic
ones. And also we have that number
system and all you have to do is watch
the number on the screen, go down into
the description box, find it, you'll
find the color and everything else in
case I don't say that to you. Let's get
started. The first one is lip liners and
I absolutely adore the Fenty Beauty
traced out, let's see, the Fenty Beauty
traced out lip liners. Now, these are
special because these really are very
[clears throat] long wearing.
The one that I'm going to show you isn't
super long wearing, but it's got the
same texture. However, these are just
there's something different. This one I
think it's called bubble teeny.
Let me find my spectacles. Got me
spectacles by the way, you guys. I'll
make sure I link them for you. I think
they're fun. So, [laughter]
this one is called, let's make sure I
got that right, bubble teeny. Yes. So,
we're going to put that on this side of
the lips.
I can't talk while I'm doing this. So,
enjoy the fast forward.
So pretty, easy to work with, but the
one that I got that I think is very very
close is from Morphe. And this one, look
at that colors. They are so dang close.
Maybe Maybe has a little bit more blue
in it, but I kind of like that. But as
far as the actual formula, it's really
close. It just doesn't last as long as
the ones from Fenty Beauty.
Got to fill in the corner. I will do
that now with Bubble Teenie.
All right, look at the difference. No
difference, right? And yet you're saving
so much money with going for the Morphe.
So, I think this is a fantastic dupe.
I'm so excited to bring that one to you,
and I better tell you the name of it,
huh? Let's talk about the name. The name
is the Morphe signature lip pencil
pencils, and this is in Girl Talk. So,
Bubble Teenie and Girl Talk. So pretty,
love them, excited to bring those to
you. Now, the next one is a lipstick. I
feel like they've been talking about
Pillow Talk forever, but when Pillow
Talk Fair came out, I was like, oh yeah,
because I always felt like Pillow Talk
was just a little bit too much. This
goes so well with the lip liners that
we're using today. So, this is Pillow
Talk Fair, very pretty, and it's very
very smooth. It is a satin lipstick.
So pretty, but your one that is going to
be so close is from Maybelline. It is
the Color Stay, and I think it's Color
Stay. It might be Color Sensational.
There we go. This one is Peach Buff, and
it says it's matte, but it's not that
matte. It actually is very creamy, and
it seems to me, yeah, it probably has a
little bit less of a sheen than Pillow
Talk Fair from Charlotte Tilbury, but
it's really darn close, and when you get
it on your lips, you can't feel that
this is matte at all. It actually feels
more like a satin lipstick. Look at how
close those are. Mhm, I can't believe
the color on them is just so good. And
then, the only difference is the sheen
on it. So you got a little bit of sheen
here and not much there. But oh my gosh,
you're saving so so much money. So
that's our number two. Our number three
is from Fenty Beauty. And these are the
ones that are her gloss bombs, just the
regular ones with a little bit of
shimmer in them. Now this isn't a color
match. This is a formula match. If
you've ever used these, they're very
pillowy, they're very soft and
luxurious, and they really do give you a
ton of hydration. I don't even know if
you can get this one anymore. I think I
got it during the holidays. It's pretty
close to what we're going to be looking
at right now. Fussy Flex. Yes, I think
it says Fussy Flex. So this is so
pretty. They are just these lip glosses
that really bring your lips to life. I
just think that they're ones that
really knock it out of the park. I love
them so much. But guys, if you want
something that is so close, go for the
Revlon. These are the um ColorStay ones,
I do believe. Super Lustrous.
Revlon Super Lustrous The Gloss. Now
again, this is not a color match.
However, this is a formula match and it
is so luxurious again. It just feels
fantastic. And look at how close that
is, even on what we're talking about for
a color. Let's put this one on our
finger or or hand here, so you can see,
and I will tell you what the color is in
just a second. And this we'll put the
Fenty one on the other side. I'm going
to say that the one from Revlon is going
to be more color saturated. Not on all
of theirs, because I do have another one
right here, which is called Lean In, and
it's really pretty. It's a pink. Um I'll
show you it as well.
Just a really soft light pink to go over
things, not really to have any color.
This one that is the color pretty close
to the color match. I would say that's
pretty close.
Uh this one is called Dusk Darling. So
pretty. Just love these so much. Give
your lips so much life. Give them that
juiciness, the hydration. I love them
and you again, you're saving some major
dollars here. First of all, I'm going to
share with you how budge-proof those
ones from Fenty Beauty are. Look at
that. Isn't that incredible? So yeah,
that that is where you are kind of, you
know, doing the alternative just for the
money because they do really have a
budge-proof formula on the Fenty Beauty
lip liners. They're pretty darn good.
Next one, hold on to your butt because I
honestly was shocked.
I am somebody that goes down the rabbit
hole of looking at ingredients also when
we're talking about alternatives. And
one of my favorites forever, for a very,
very long time, has been the Charlotte
Tilbury Tilbury Airbrush Flawless
Setting Spray. The mist on this is
fabulous. I will say I have not found
very many that really can come and
compete against that mist. However, like
this one, this one is a little bit
heavier than ones I've gotten in the
past. Um but the ingredients have not no
alcohol in them. They have other
ingredients in here that that do hold
your makeup on, but they have these
little cold polymers in there, which are
little polymers that go in and they
airbrush your face. They just make you
look like your skin is just flawless.
That's what the name is for. However, I
was like, I remember so much about there
being another one and I when I started
to remember it and think about it, I was
like, holy moly on a stick.
You guys, this elf makeup mist and set,
this has been out, oh my gosh, way
before Charlotte Tilbury had hers.
Go pair compare ingredients. You're
going to be shocked. It's like the first
three or the first four ingredients are
exactly the same. The first one is
water, obviously. But, oh my word, it
has the same co-polymer in it, the
little
polymers that fill in pores and make
your skin look absolutely flawlessly
airbrushed. It has the same hydrator in
there, which is an alcohol, but it's not
the bad alcohol for you.
Oh my word, I was in shock. So, this is
my find for 2026. I am so excited and I
am in shock, I'm telling you. The only
difference is I'm not crazy about this
mist. It's kind of spitty, but I can
deal with it because this is so
expensive, but this is a huge one, like
a double one, and it is so inexpensive.
But,
compare ingredients. You're going to be
shocked. I'm not kidding, you're going
to be shocked. And so, yeah, cuz just go
do it, take my word for it. Next, we're
going to talk about this product, my
favorite hair oil from Olaplex. It's the
number seven bonding oil. I have very
fine, very limp hair, and this oil is
fabulous for my hair. You need an oil
for your hair, whether or not your hair
is fine, the and you need one that's not
going to weigh it down. And this does
not. I am so impressed with this oil. It
has this fantastic smell to it. It is
weightless. The bottom of your hair is
an open tube. It's either broken off
from you having breakage, or it's cut
off when you get your hair cut. So, you
need something that's going to seal it,
hold the moisture in. This is what does
it. So good. But, this is expensive.
This is like $30 for this. L'Oreal comes
in for the save and it is L'Oreal LV
Extraordinary Oil Miracle Hair Serum.
It is really good, too. I would say that
this might be a tad, and I mean a tad,
not a lot, heavier than the other one.
But, it has a
wonderful fragrance to it. Same thing.
So, your hair's going to smell good
besides. And it does not weigh my hair
down. I actually use a little bit less
of this on my hair than I do the
Olaplex. I love them both, but I'm here
to tell you, this is $30 and I think,
sorry, backwards, I think that this one
is probably holy cow, I don't know,
maybe $15
at the maximum for what, like 40 times
as much? I'm I'm exaggerating. Four
times as much, five times as much.
It's amazing that we can [clears throat]
get these products at the drugstore that
are every bit as good and we can satisfy
our want to have the very best, but we
don't have to break the bank. I've been
talking about this one for quite a
while. This is from Haus Labs. This is
for stick highlighter. It's a balm-like
product. So, you're going to want to put
this on top of your makeup. You're not
going to want to use this under or
anything like that. The balm itself on
this particular one has a little bit of
an opalescent sheen to it. But, mostly
it's just the product is super balmy and
makes your skin look a little bit wet
and gives you that pretty sheen.
Hopefully, you're going to be able to
see it here and we can just compare the
two. Glassy Opal is what this one is
called. But, again, Haus Labs is
sometimes untouchable, but what isn't
untouchable is Morphe. Now, Morphe came
out with these stick highlighters. They
have a little cap on them inside, so the
top screws down, so you're holding in
the moisture, and then this has a cap on
it as well. And again, same exact
product, although I feel like the Morphe
one feels more cooling, and it doesn't
really have any sort of an opal in it,
but by the time you get it on your
cheeks, you're not going to be able to
tell a difference there. Hopefully, as
I'm turning this, you can see the Morphe
is over here, and the House Labs is over
here. I will say that the Morphe does
dry down a little bit, and the House
Labs doesn't. I like that because I
won't feel like during the day that I
feel sticky or anything like that, but I
do have that little bit of glow, that
little bit of sheen, and I think that
they are a fabulous substitution for the
House Labs because we can't maybe afford
that amount. Let me switch here. So,
here's the one right here from House
Labs. Here's the one from Morphe. I love
these. I think they're so very pretty,
both of them, but save yourself the big
money. One of my favorite primers of all
time when they came out with it was this
one from Hourglass. It is called the
Vanish Airbrush Primer, and it is so
pretty. Now, this one is almost gone. I
have used it clear down to nothingness,
but it is so beautiful. I'm going to
have to put it down here. It has the
effect of giving you that blurred, just
very perfected look on your skin. It has
that dimethicone in it. You can feel it.
It feels like it's going to fill
everything in. It doesn't feel sticky,
and yet it does feel like it's going to
give your skin that airbrush look. It is
beautiful under makeup, and your makeup
looks flawless, but I did find from
L'Oréal Prime Lab. This one is the
24-hour prime pore minimizer. And this
one has AHA, LHA, and BHA in it. Blurs
pores, skin looks smoother over time.
So, we're getting a little bit of
ingredients that are that skin-loving
ingredients in there as well. So, we're
getting a bonus with the L'Oreal. Here
it is right here. Little tiny dot. The
pink and
Wow. It goes on You know what? It feels
a little bit more moisturizing. So,
you're feeling a little bit of cooling
because you're when the air hits it,
it's kind of dissipating that moisture.
But, I am telling you texture-wise,
wow, exactly the same thing. And as I
wore them on my face, I could not
believe that a side-by-side comparison
showed me that these are identical as
far as the way they perform. But, wow.
For me, this was a no-brainer. Rare
Beauty came out with their blushes that
are the luminizer and the blush in one.
And it's really a pretty product. Now,
you have to be somebody that likes
having a glow on their skin. You can't
be somebody that just likes a matte
blush to in order to wear these. First
of all, look at this brush right here.
How saturated that is. So, you're going
to want to kind of tap tap tap in order
to not get too much on you. But,
already, can you see that sh- really
beautiful sheen on there? So, I already
put the other thing on here, but let's
just kind of tap tap tap on here. We're
going to kind of glow up big time. Now,
I've got the balm on there. That
probably wasn't the greatest thing. But,
anyway, you get the gist. They're
pretty. They're beautiful. They have
color in them. Catrice. Catrice came out
with their soft glam baked blush. And
that's what this product is right here.
It's a baked blush. Let's We better look
at that.
Yeah. You know me. Okay, this is in
Hope, by the way. This is the powder
blush. Just says powder blush. It
doesn't even say illuminating blush.
That surprises me. But, you get the
gist. So, here is the one in Hope from
Rare Beauty. Let's swatch it so we know
exactly what we're dealing with. So
pretty. It is not a blush that is going
to knock you over, but it does have that
extreme highlight in there.
Catrice came out with their baked
blushes as well, and we have this color
in What color is it? Da-da. The color is
and I don't think these are color match,
but I do Midnight Berry. But, I do think
that this formula is exactly the same.
This has a luminous finish to it. This
is going to have more pigment in it, but
it is almost identical when you are
looking at how they have the sheen and
the performance of the two. I will say
that the Rare Beauty one, let's switch
this here. I will say that the Rare
Beauty one does have a little bit finer
of a mill on it, and it's not quite as
powdery. However, they're both powder
products, they've both been baked, and
they do look very, very similar. This is
a Patrick Ta brush. It is an angled
contour and blush brush. It's very
light. It's very airy. It's very fluffy.
It's so pretty. It's a beautiful brush.
It does the job so well. It really does
a great job of chiseling things out. If
you want to do your nose with this, it's
an easy way to do this.
However, this bugger is pretty darn
expensive. Real Techniques, look you
guys. Look at this. So, I actually like
the Real Techniques a little bit. It's a
little more fluffy. With the angle
brush, which is right here and is the
same, it's a little bit easier to go in
around the nose and buff it out a little
bit to definitely chisel everything in.
Little bit fluffier on the end of the
blush brush. I actually like that, too.
I would use this one more for powder or
bronzer or that kind of thing.
These are exactly the same. I'm not
kidding, they're so close. But, guess
what? For the price, we're not just
getting this brush, we're getting all of
these brushes in here as well.
I was shocked. I was in absolute shock
that you get all these. First of all,
this little bugger right here is a dupe
for the Beautyblender one, this one
right here. I use this every day. I use
the Real Techniques one.
I'm too excited. The Real Techniques one
all the time as well. But, here you're
getting this in this little package,
too. And I cannot wait to use this
particular one right here. It is a
straight liner brush, and I can't get it
out right now, but I'm excited to use it
as well because it has this liner in it.
You could very easily do the stamping on
your eyes and get a really soft look
with your eyeliner on that. So pretty.
You have a foundation and a
concealer brush right here. You have
another foundation brush right here as
well, which is the angled one. It's
actually smaller than the normal
foundation brushes that are out there,
which is nice. I actually love to do
cream other cream products with this,
bronzer, lighter, blush, anything like
that. So, you're getting this entire
thing right here with this brush for a
fraction of the cost of the Patrick Ta
one.
Hello. I mean, obviously, this is such a
good deal. I could not believe what a
good deal it is. So, yeah. Buy this, not
that. Oh, baby, all the way. All the way
to the bank. One more, do we all know
that my favorite concealer of all time
is Tower 28? I have mine in K-Town. I
think it's 7.0. It is so pretty and I
absolutely love it. I love that it is a
serum foundation. I love that it spreads
out very evenly. I love how it wears. It
doesn't crease. I love that it is super
thin for my 58-year-old skin and it
never looks bad underneath my eyes. It
always looks so good.
In locks.
>> [laughter]
>> I was so surprised at this. I'm really
surprised because I never thought that I
would ever find anything that was as
good. This is the NYX Wonder Skin. This
is the wonder Why do they put these
things where you can't see them just
even from space if you got problems?
Wonder snatch. This is the up to 24-hour
wear concealer. Mine is in natural.
Okay, not a color match just so you know
that. It's a little bit darker but I did
that on purpose. I love this stuff. I
absolutely love this stuff. This to me
has been one that I could easily change
out. It doesn't matter. You could very
easily put these on me and I would tap
them out and I would go, "Oh, I don't
know which is which other than the color
right now." But, it is so good. It
doesn't crease. It doesn't look mottled
during the day. It doesn't look make me
look older. It's very easy to work with.
It's very thin but very pigmented at the
same time.
Very, very good. I'm so excited about
it. It is a great alternative at the
drugstore. All right, boom, boom, that's
it. Everything I wanted to bring to you
today. I'm so excited to be doing these
for you. These are your very favorite
videos and they are some of my favorite
videos to have fun with and bring to you
especially when I'm looking at
ingredients and we're talking about the
big bucks. And besides that, how much
controversy has Charlotte Charlotte
Tilbury had up right now. If you don't
know, you need to go on to Instagram or
you need to go on TikTok and find
[clears throat] out because there's a
bunch of brouhaha going on about
Charlotte Tilbury. Everybody's kind of
lost their mind about it, but yeah,
we'll stay down-to-earth here as usual.
I love you guys so much. I had a lot of
fun with this video today. I haven't
been filming for a while, but I did have
fun. No, my back is not any better, so I
am on a Cossacks pillow right now and
yeah, my butt hurts, but I have only got
two more videos to film and then I'm all
done for the day and I hope you did
enjoy it. So, if you did, please give it
a thumbs-up and if you're not
subscribed, please do because about 40%
of you or 60% of you, I can't remember,
are not subscribed to my channel and you
have no idea how much it would help me
if you would subscribe to my channel.
Make sure you know that everything that
I have on is going to be down in this
description box as well. So, the the
top, the earrings, and all the makeup
will be down there along with the nails
as well, unless they're sold out. So,
thanks for being here with me. Have a
great week or weekend wherever this
video catches you and please come back
and see me very soon in my next video.
Take care of yourselves. Love you much.
Bye-bye, friends.