5 Drugstore Dupes for 2026’s Most Viral Beauty Products

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Every few weeks something blows up on my feed and suddenly everyone’s talking about a $23 blush or a $21 lip gloss like it’s going to change their life. Sometimes it actually is that good. Most of the time, there’s a drugstore version sitting two aisles over doing 90% of the same job for a third of the price.

I went through this year’s most-hyped products and found the dupes that actually hold up – not just “kind of similar,” but close enough that I’d tell you to save your money. Here are five worth trying before you buy the original.

1. e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter dupes Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter

Price: $14 vs. $44

The Flawless Filter is the product that made skin like glass a whole makeup category. e.l.f.’s version gives you the same soft-focus glow without the powdery finish some drugstore highlighters have. Shake it well, use one drop at a time, and pat it in, don’t rub.

2. Maybelline Lifter Gloss in Pearl dupes Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb in Diamond Milk

Price: $10.99 vs. $21

Diamond Milk is the gloss that’s been in everyone’s makeup bag since it launched, and Lifter Gloss in Pearl is the closest I’ve found – same milky sheen, same non-sticky feel. If you only buy one thing from this list, this is the easiest yes.

3. NYX Lift and Snatch Cheek Tint dupes Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush

Price: about $9 vs. $23

This is the pairing I get asked about the most, so it’s getting its own full worth it or not post – but the short version: NYX nailed the pigment, the blendability, and the wear time. The applicator tip is sharper than Rare Beauty’s, so dot it on lightly and blend fast before it sets.

4. Revlon ColorStay Foundation dupes Estee Lauder Double Wear

Price: $13 vs. $43

Double Wear built its reputation on lasting through anything, and ColorStay is the drugstore formula that’s been chasing (and mostly catching) that reputation for years. Full coverage, genuinely long wear, and it doesn’t oxidize as much as some budget long-wear formulas do.

5. e.l.f./Essence Brow Gel dupes Glossier Boy Brow

Price: $5-7 vs. $20

Boy Brow made fluffy, no-makeup brows the standard, but a tinted brow gel is one of the easiest things to dupe well – it’s mostly about the wax-to-pigment ratio and the spoolie shape. At this price gap, there’s no real reason to spend $20 on this one.

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The bottom line

None of these are close enough if you squint dupes – I only put a product on this list if I’d genuinely tell a friend to buy the cheaper one first. If you try one and still feel like you’re missing something from the original, that’s useful information too, and worth telling me in the comments so I can dig into it.

Got a viral product you want me to find the dupe for? Send it my way through my contact page.

Updated for this week: the five clone-house perfumes people are searching right now, with current prices and what each one is compared to.

Keep reading

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• e.l.f. Camo Concealer vs. Tarte Shape Tape: Which Actually Covers Better?