Shopping the Sephora VIB sale? Why waste your money when you can shop K-beauty instead! Our intrepid contributing editor Coco Park scoped out even more Sephora dupes that’ll save you enough coin for the holidays.
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Paging through Sephora's website and wandering its aisles gives me major déjà vu. Where have I seen this before? Oh yeah, that's right, K-beauty! And it's always a better value. I've already picked out some Sephora dupes before. Here, more of my favorite Sephora dupes.
Glamglow Bubblesheet Oxygenating Deep Cleanse Mask, $9 for one sheet
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Elizavecca Milky Piggy Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask, $11 for 100g
Oh wow, what a novelty — a sheet mask that bubbles up and helps absorb excess oil and grime. Where have we seen that before?
Right here, baby. This mask does the exact same thing, but you get an entire tub of the bubbly fun for only $11.
(For a sheet mask version, try Goodal’s Black Charcoal Mask Sparkling Clear, which is $15 for a box of 5 sheet masks — that’s only $3 for one! — and which we raved about here.)
Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil, $48
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Swanicoco Organic Argan Pure Oil, $26
K-beauty didn't start the argan oil trend as it's been used since antiquity. But it did help popularize it as a standalone skincare ingredient as part of a multi-step routine. Josie Maran's version is organic and perfectly fine, but definitely nothing special.
K-beauty also has an organic pure argan oil offering, this one coming from the much talked about brand Swanicoco. I personally love their name … especially the Coco part.
Smashbox Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer, $36
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VDL Satin Veil Primer, $23.38
Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer is a classic that's been popular since the early 2000s. It's pretty basic as far as primers go, with the first three ingredients being cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, and dimethicone crosspolymer.
Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Trisiloxane, Silica, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Extract, Propylene Glycol, Water, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Cola Acuminata (Kola) Seed Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract
Here comes K-beauty with their version. For those that might be suspicious of this interloper and think that it can't possibly live up their favorite Smashbox version, have a gander at the ingredients. Guess what its first main ingredients are. Surprise! We've got a dupe on our hands, and it'll save you $13.
Cyclopentasiloxane, Water, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloydimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Squalene, Panthenol, Phenoxyethanol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Polysorbate 60, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Limonene, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Titanium Dioxide, Synthetic fluorphlogopite, Tin oxide, Fragrance
Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle 24k Gold Intense Wrinkle Sheet Mask, 6 masks for $68
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Eclado Gold Essential Mask, 10 masks for $50
Oh cool, gold! Wow, I can't wait to transform into a golden goddess *tears into the packaging and sees a plain white cotton sheet mask.* Eau, I see.
Actually eau is right, as water is the first ingredient in Peter Thomas Roth’s overpriced, supposedly golden wonder:
Water, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Gold, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Palmitoyl Dipeptide-10,Tripeptide-10 Citrulline, Tetrapeptide-21, Acetyl Hexapeptide-30, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Pentapeptide-18, Palmitoyltripeptide-38, Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Palmitoyltetrapeptide-7, Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, Arginine, Acetylarginyltryptophyl Diphenylglycine, Ascorbic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lecithin, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Peg-8 Dimethicone, Triethanolamine, Butylene Glycol, Octyldodecanol, Sodium Propoxyhydroxypropyl Thiosulfate Silica, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Chloride,Cocamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Tin Oxide, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Silica,Polysorbate 20, Dextran, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides (Ci 77491)
Gold is a gimmick, but Eclado's version of the gold sheet mask is actually gold — and a hydrogel! It also gives great results as far as luxury sheet masks go, not to mention being $6 cheaper per mask than the Peter Thomas Roth version, for a far superior masking experience. Compare the ingredients and see for yourself:
Water, Glycerin, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum, Butylene Glycol, Gold, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Extract, Monarda Didyma Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Freesia Refracta Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Beta-Glucan, Polyglutamic Acid, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Niacinamide, Calcium Pantotenate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Pyridoxine HCl, Maltodextrin, Silica, Sodium Starch Octenylsuccinate, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Bambusa Textilis Stem Extract, Pinus Palustris Leaf Extract, Allantoin, Adenosine, Castor Oil, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Calcium Lactate, Chondrus Crispus Powder, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Parfum, Mica (CI 77019), Tin Oxide (CI 77861), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Titanium Dioxide
Sephora Collection Foot Mask, $5
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Skinfood Shea Butter Foot Mask, $3.48
Sheet masks are so popular in the U.S., they've got you covered from head to toe now. Which, of course, you're well aware of if you're a K-beauty veteran. We've been feet masking for years! Not only do we have Skinfood’s moisturizing version, there's also the famous peeling version as well.
Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, $26
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VDL Expert Color Primer For Eyes, $17.19
Another much beloved product, Nars' smudge-proof eyeshadow base is pretty great. It kind of hurts to pay $26 for so little of it, though. Check out its ingredients:
Isododecane, Talc, Cyclopentasiloxane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Vp/Eicosene Copolymer, Dimethicone, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propylene Carbonate, Peg-40 Stearate, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Phenoxyethanol, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Oryza Sativa [Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil Extract], Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Castor Oil Phosphate, Sea Whip Extract, Mica, Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), Ci 77163 (Bismuth Oxychloride)
The good news is the ingredients for the VDL primer are almost identical through and through. The better news is it performs identically to the Nars. The best news is it's like $10 cheaper.
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+, $27
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SanDaWha Revitalizing Liposome Lotion, $30
Water and mineral oil are the first two ingredients in this dinosaur of a moisturizer that still has a cult following. There's nothing dramatically different about this, unless you've been transported back to the caveman days.
This isn't so much a dupe as an utter upgrade while still keeping the familiar glass bottle pump and color. The price is slightly more than the Clinique Dramatically Different, but once you factor in the dramatically different (ha) and superior formulation of the SanDaWha Lotion, you'll realize what a rip-off the DDM is.
Have you found any more Sephora dupes in K-beauty? Did I miss your favorite? Share with us what you’ve found!
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