Foundation Dupes for DESI Skin! Drugstore vs High End

When you’re not sure about a product or you’re looking for a cheaper alternative, dupes make life much easier.  It’s even quite common for many high end products to be limited edition, discontinued or sold out which then makes a dupe list extremely handy. Taking into consideration desi skin tones, types and country product availability here is a DESI dupe list for some of the most popular high end foundations out there.  Will be doing a lot more of these, so if  you can’t find a dupe of a particular foundation please comment below :).

1.  Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation $49 vs Revlon Colorstay Foundation $10

 Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation is an all time favorite.  It’s truly an amazing foundation which is build-able medium to full coverage.  It looks great on camera and gives good yet natural coverage.  The highlight of the foundation is that it LASTS very very long (I’ve worn it for 18 hours and it didn’t budge!).   An awesome dupe for it is Revlon’s Colorstay Foundation.  It isn’t exactly the same in quality of course but is a great cheaper version of the Double Wear.  It has a great color selection to suit South Asian skin tones, looks good on camera, lasts long with very minimum touch ups and gives medium to full coverage.

2.  MAC Face & Body $35 vs Lakme Invisible Finish Foundation 185 rupees ($3)

MAC Face & Body is a cult favorite.  Truly an incredible foundation which works well for that NO make up look or to blend with fuller coverage foundations.  Lakme’s Invisible Finish Foundation is a fantastic dupe. Lakme is designed for desi skin so the color range is just fabulous.  Also, as the name suggests it does give that light invisible finish look to the skin but desi skin generally requires a little more coverage then Caucasian skin even for a natural no makeup look.  Lakme’s Invisible Finish foundation gives the right amount of coverage that isn’t too light but still looks flawless and natural.  A great buy!

3. Giorgio Armani Maestro Foundation $64 vs L’Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation $11

 Giorgio Armani Foundations are AH-MAZING…but come with a hefty price tag.  L’oreal’s Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation is honestly pretty much like the Giorgio Armani Maestro Foundation – exact same finish.  Of course designer foundation have their plus points over drugstore brands but considering the price difference it’s a good dupe!  The color range for both are good for light to medium toned desi skin.

4.  Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation $36 vs Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation $7

Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation is a really good foundation that gives a flawless medium coverage.  I love the finish of the foundation but honestly the color range is very limited (THEY NEED MORE COLORS!!).  Rimmel’s Wake Me Up Foundation is comparable as it gives a similar medium coverage, which you can achieve by building up the foundation on the skin.  Rimmel has a pretty decent range of colors which would suit many desi skin tones.  A great buy!

5.  Makeup Forever HD Foundation $42 vs Revlon Photoready Foundation $11

Makeup Forever HD Foundation and Revlon Photoready Foundation to me are pretty much the same foundation.  Both are pretty long lasting once set with a powder.  Both have a slight radiance to them but not overly dewy and both come in similar colors.  Why spend the money when you don’t have to?!

6.  Guerlain Spray Foundation $64 vs Bourjous Spray Foundation $10

There’s nothing easier than a bronzing powder spray for the perfect tan! NO need to rub it in, Nothing beats Guerlain for their range, color selection and product quality of bronzing products.  I particularly love their bronzing spray foundation, but don’t love the price.  A great dupe for the Guerlain Spray Foundation is the Bourjous’s Spray Foundation – similar colors and literally the same application.