Beauty School Dropout: Designer Dupes, The Haircare, Bath and Body Edition
As part of our Designer Dupes series, we’re reaching for the affordable body oils, haircare products and fake tans that feature the same hero ingredients as their big-ticket counterparts. Your self-care routine is about to get an upgrade.
As
Aspart of our
Designer Dupes series, we're reaching for the affordable body
oils, haircare products and fake tans that feature the same hero
ingredients as their big-ticket counterparts. Your self-care
routine is about to get an upgrade.
There's only one thing better than a cult beauty buy and that's
a cult beauty buy that's half the price. As our financial futures
look (even more) uncertain, we're looking for ways we can save a
few pennies and get our wages to last until payday. Designer
products are out and dead-ringers are à la mode.
We're putting down the scissors poised for a home-haircut,
resisting the urge to give ourselves TikTok bangs and turning to
miracle-working at-home hair products that'll give our neglected
locks a boost. That means more than just a weekly wash, FYI. Throw
in some purse-friendly bath salts and invigorating, skin-buffing
detox soaps and your Sunday routines have been given an
upgrade.
Save on self-care with these standout products for hair, bath
and body
Confession time. Whose hair-washing routine has been downgraded
from three-times-a-week to once? Extend your messy bun for another
few days with the best dry shampoo on the market. It smells divine
and, unlike other products, there's no tell-tale white residue left
on your scalp.
Forget trying to snag a supermarket delivery slot, we're
hankering for a serious sit-down with our hairdresser - our root
regrowth is out of control. Fake a fresh cut-and-colour with
professional hairdresser Josh Wood's miracle root smudger. Think of
it as a beauty blender for your roots.
Rest, recuperation and reincarnation. Whether you're the victim
of a bad at-home dye job or your ends are brittle from too much
bleach, slather this mask on for 20 minutes to ease your
stressed-out tresses.
For the rare days (read: Friday Zoom quiz dates) that you turn
to your straighteners or curling tongs, run a pea-sized amount of
Cantu's heat protector through the ends of your hair. It's packed
with natural moisturisers that'll safeguard the ends of your hair
and boost shine.
After locks that looked like you've just surfed the shores from
Bondi to Coogee despite not leaving your sofa? A quick spritz,
scrunch and upside down hair-shake are all you need to nail this
low-maintenance look. All that's missing is your wetsuit.
A complete match to Kinky Curly's cult product. If you're
blessed with a thick head of curls, use this gel-based souffle to
hold, add body and keep shine - it's enough to elevate all
Monica-in-Barbados hair days.
It might not be as aesthetically pleasing as the Aesop
packaging, but it performs way better. Stuffed with hand-harvested
seaweed (to boost skin elasticity), coffee (to exfoliate), cinnamon
(which activates skin cells) and Hawaiian kukui oil (to hydrate).
Essentially, it's like a vitamin-shot for your skin.
The savvy beauty guru knows to turn to this German supermarket
for more than just fruit, camembert and bars of Milka chocolate.
Pretty much the same scent, ingredients and packaging as the staple
Jo Malone version, this body wash is a great addition to the guest
room or downstairs loo.
9. Body Moisturiser
Aldi Lacura Booty Balm > Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum
Cream
We're under no illusion that this booty balm produces the same
result as 1,000 squats and a five-times-a-week (virtual) PT
session, but it does make our skin feel more supple and it smells
insane.
Self-care has never been more important. Sink in for a
fragrance-filled soak with RoseVale's all-natural, vegan-friendly
bath bombs. They're as relaxing (and Insta-ready) as the OG Lush
versions, for a fraction of the price.
Sure, bathing in Laura Mercier's crème brûlée-inspired bubble
bath feels like bathing in, well, a Michelin-starred crème brûlée,
but its price tag is just too steep. Switch it out for the
paraben-free Herbivore version. It smells just as good, lasts
longer and you won't mind as much when your housemate "borrows" it
by mistake.
A carry-on essential as soon as we're allowed to travel again.
Smooth over shoulders, collarbones and legs or use as a liquid
highlight for your cheekbones and brow arch, it'll accentuate any
tan - real or fake.
This roller claims to aid detoxification through the lymphatic
system while metaphysical vibrations from the crystal correspond to
the heart chakra, the energy centre of love. Need we say more?
St Moriz has bottled that feel-good sensation of being freshly
tanned - except unlike other high-street fake-tanning products,
there's no streaking, no residue left on your sheets and no gross
biscuit smell.
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Beauty School Dropout: Designer Dupes, the Skincare Edition