Mybeautywaxstash

Tag: dupe

  • Cien’s Simple Dupe Refreshing Facial Wash

    Now that I have two teenagers (nearly) in my house, the hygiene and skincare products I’m buying has multiped. Deodorants, fragrances, body moisturisers and various other lotions and potions are now being bought not just for myself, but for my son and daughter too. One thing that is a regular buy is a facial wash. We seem to go through the stuff like crazy! Our latest cleanser purchased is Lidl’s Cien Refreshing Facial Wash. This cost £1.09 for 150ml with a 15% off promotion.

    Lidl’s Cien Refreshing Facial Wash
    Why did I buy this?

    For the kids (and occasionally me), I normally grab Aldi’s Lacura Moisturising Facial Wash but I didn’t have time to visit the store. So I opted for this instead. Both products are dupes of Simple skincare products (Simple’s Moisturising Facial Wash and Simple’s Refreshing Facial Wash), both are fragrance free (less irritating and more gentle on the skin) and both very affordable. We’ve never used this before but I thought we would give this a go.

    Cien Refreshing Facial Wash, what does it do?

    Lidl’s Cien Refreshing Facial Wash is designed to be a kind to the skin but be an effective cleanser. No fragrance, colour, alcohol and soap free, so this is suitable for those with sensitive skin. This also contains various vitamins (Vitamin B5 & E), all aimed to provide a gentle cleanse.

    Packaging

    The packaging reminds me very much of Simple’s Refreshing Facial Wash. Plastic tube, tainted green with the overall look of something that’s designed to be natural. Very basic in appearance but seems sturdy and fit for use.

    Consistency, Look & Fragrance

    Cien’s Refreshing Facial Wash is clear, liquid and more runnier than what I thought it would be. I thought it would be thicker but it wasn’t. And of course, no scent as it’s fragrance free.

    On the skin

    I applied this onto wet skin. Although it lathered slightly there wasn’t much of it. I could work it into my skin but I felt I needed more so I used more. It felt fine on the skin, but it didn’t quite feel as fresh and moisturising as other facial washes I’ve used before. It just felt ok.

    It didn’t make my skin feel or look dry, although it was clean. It removed eyebrow pencil and sun cream reasonably well so it did what it needed to do. But I didn’t particularly enjoy using this and I felt my skin needed something a little more comforting and as mentioned, moisturising in feel.

    Recommended?

    It did the job! A facial wash should clean the skin, make it look and feel fresh without stripping it. Lidl’s Cien Refreshing Facial Wash did this. This is absolutely fine for my kids and they will use it but I won’t. I’ve used others that I preferred more and felt were better suited to my skin compared to this one. But if you’re on a budget with normal to combination skin, even a little oily, this would be fine. If your skin is more drier, mature or you want something a little more hydrating (like me) this might not be the right formulation for you. But for £1.09, who wouldn’t give it a whirl?

  • Affordable Dupe Alert! Aldi’s New Lacura Almond Body Care Range

    The supermarket Aldi never fail! Every few months there will be a new bath, body or skincare product that will catch your eye. It will look familiar but not identical to something that you’ve seen before. Give yourself a few seconds or minutes and you will figure out that Aldi have struck again with a dupe of a particular product or brand. The latest brand they’ve been ‘inspired’ by is L’Occitane En Provence and their almond body care range. So what has Aldi’s Lacura own brand released now?

    Aldi’s Lacura Almond Body Care Range
    Lacura’s Almond Body Scrub

    How this body scrub is packaged made me notice these three new products. One of the top ingredients in this scrub is shea butter. This should make this product a very nourishing and rich exfoliator, which is what you want at this time of year.

    Aldi’s Lacura Almondy Body Scrub
    Lacura’s Almond Cleansing Shower Oil

    A shower oil isn’t something you see on the high street often, but I can imagine this would be indulgent and soothing on the skin. Great for dry skin or perfect for someone who wants something different from a shower gel or cream.

    Aldi’s Lacura Shower Oil
    Lacura’s Nourishing Body Lotion

    With this being a lotion and not a cream I’m guessing this won’t be particularly thick. Perfect for those who want moisturising but with a lighter consistency and suitable for normal skin, possibly even dry.

    Aldi’s Lacura Almond Body Lotion
    What are they dupes of?

    I’m comparing the products from Aldi to the L’Occitane equivalent by product type and packaging, not ingredients. Remember these are more likely to be ‘inspired’ by and not copies so there will be differences:

    Lacura’s Almond Shower Scrub 200ml – L’Occitane En Provence Almond Shower Scrub 250ml £21.50.

    Lacura’s Cleansing Shower Oil 200ml £4.99 – L’Occitane En Provence’s Almond Shower Oil 250ml £19.50.

    Lacura’s Almond Body Lotion 200ml £4.99 – L’Occitane En Provence’s Almond Milk Concentrate 200ml £44.00 or L’Occitane En Provence’s Almond Milk Veil 240ml £34.50.

    Recommended?

    How good these products are, their smells and textures I can’t comment on because I haven’t bought and used them. But in the past I have used at least one of their L’Occitane counterparts. Packaging wise the Lacura products look great, very stylish and VERY similar to the L’Occitane versions. Size wise these are decent and quite standard although smaller than L’Occitane’s. But the price difference is INSANE! I would definitely give this range a go and I think these make perfect Christmas gift ideas or stocking fillers. Even the type of products these are and it being an almond range is perfect for this time of year. Question is, how long will it take for these to disappear from stores?

  • Treacle Moon’s Frosted Candy Angel is a Snow Fairy Dupe!

    If you’re a fan of the Snow Fairy range from high street retailer LUSH, then you will be very familiar with how that range smells. You will also have a pretty good idea how much these products cost and because they’re seasonal, you can’t purchase them throughout the year. So what’s currently on the market that can give you that fragrance hit without it hitting your pocket? How about Treacle Moon’s Frosted Candy Angel Shower & Bath Gel? I bought this from Boots for £1.99 for a 500ml bottle.

    Treacle Moon’s Frosted Candy Angel Shower & Bath Gel
    Why did I buy this?

    I love the brand Treacle Moon. I’ve used their shower & bath gels, hand creams and body scrubs and enjoyed each product. So when I read online that Frosted Candy Angel was a dupe for Snow Fairy I thought it would be pretty silly NOT to see if this was similar in fragrance considering how much it costs.

    Packaging

    500ml of Treacle Moon’s Frosted Candy Angel Shower & Bath Gel comes in a clear, plastic bottle with a flip top lid. Super cute labelling depicting the shapes of snow angels which gives it a slightly Wintery seasonal look. Quite attractive in look and doesn’t look like it’s sub £2.00 in price.

    Fragrance

    Think of pear drops the sweets. The sugary, fruit scent of these sweets mixed in with a slight candy floss type of scent and this is what this shower & bath gel product smells like. Love the scent personally and doesn’t overdo the sweetness in my opinion, it’s just right.

    Does this smell like Snow Fairy?

    It actually does! I can say this confidently because I have Snow Fairy Bubble Blowing Wand in my collection so I can literally compare the two. Not identical because I think Treacle Moon’s Frosted Candy Angel is a little more heavier on the pear drop scent AND I actually prefer how this smells to the Snow Fairy bath product!

    Consistency & Look

    This is quite liquid but with a decent thickness to it. Easy to pour, very similar in consistency to similar products on the market and pink in colour.

    In the bath

    Even though this is a shower and bath gel I used this in the bath. I didn’t need to use much because under warm running water this created lots of frothy, soft bubbles. I didn’t notice the water changing colour so if it did it was barely noticeable. But it would be hard to spot anyway under the mass of white foam sitting on the top.

    Fragrance was their immediately. As always, I can take a power house when it comes to scent. The strength of this could’ve been a touch stronger but was absolutely fine for what it was. It was there, it was comforting and it was enjoyable.

    This created a very relaxing bath which I was happy to experience. It didn’t dry out my skin at all. But what I did notice was an area of irritated skin on my body that didn’t like this. Thanks to the heat, a small patch of my skin is sore and wasn’t too fond of being bathed in this. No fault of the shower gel, blame 30 degree heat! I know my skin and fragrance sometimes needs to be avoided if my skin hates me and I give it some fragrance free time or very little fragrance in my body care routine.

    Treacle Moon’s Frosted Candy Angel & Lush’s Snow Fairy Bubble Blowing Wand
    Recommended?

    If you love your shower and bath products to be sweet in scent, then you will really like this. It smells so good, great size and performs well in the bath and will make your bathing experience a nice one. But if you are a Snow Fairy fragrance fan then this is a MUST! At a fraction of the price you can bathe till you run out of water and save yourself money too in the process. But if your skin is feeling sensitive, maybe put this purchase on hold or try with caution. If not, head towards Boots, ASDA, Tesco, Waitrose or even direct with Treacle Moon themselves to pick up this bath time treat!

  • *New* Glow’s Madame Coco Rollerball Perfume

    One of the most exciting product launches for me isn’t from a brand you find on the high street, but from a small business. Glow is known to their customers as being a wax melt vendor. Their range of home fragrance products has increased over the last few years. But recently they’ve ventured into creating and selling bath, body and fragrance products. I was gifted various items from their new collection, including Madame Coco Rollerball Perfume. This retails for £4.50.

    Glow’s Madame Coco Perfume Rollerball
    Packaging

    Madame Coco comes in a a typical shaped rollerball vial. It’s made from clear glass and has a screw top lid which covers the metal roller ball that releases the fragrance. Perfect size to keep in your pocket, bag and easily transportable.

    Fragrance

    This smells to me like a classic, sophisticated fine fragrance. It’s feminine, floral based (I suspect mostly white florals) with a hint of something a little stronger floral wise, possibly rose. It’s quite clean in scent with a delicate citrus to it and slight woodiness to it as well.

    Is this a dupe?

    I’m guessing it’s ‘inspired’ by Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle. I’ve never owned this fragrance or smelt it recently. So how accurate as a dupe this is I can’t say, but it’s definitely a great and affordable alternative.

    On the skin

    When I apply this, what I like is this perfume is actually quite moisturising. I didn’t expect it to go onto my skin almost oil like but it does without a greasy or oily feel to it. When it’s rubbed between my wrists, it leaves no obvious residue but somehow feels as if something is on this area and doesn’t dry it out.

    Strength & Longevity

    This is medium in strength. There’s only so much perfume you can apply onto the wrists or the neck. So the strength can only remain the same (if reapplied) or naturally becomes less. When I use this I can smell it clearly, but not in the same way a mist or a sprayed fragrance would hit. Longevity is good. I’ve used this and I’ve found it’s still on my skin a good number of hours later without reapplying but lesser in strength which is expected.

    Glow’s Madame Coco Rollerball Perfume & Body Mist
    Recommended?

    A rollerball perfume wouldn’t be my first choice of fragrance delivery and not something I would gravitate to. I’m a spray kind of girl. What I’ve noticed with Madame Coco Rollerball Perfume is it’s a very personal way of using fragrance because you’re literally applying it for yourself, which I like. It smells amazing, great quality, easy to use and keep around and is brilliantly priced. What a lovely gift idea this would be for someone who loves fragrance! Or a great introduction to fragrance for someone just getting into it. I’m won over and would happily purchase this for myself and for others. This is totally a product that’s on my recommended list!

    Other fragrances are available on the website are La Vie EST Belle, Baccarat Rouge, Perfect, Olympea and Lost Cherry. The majority of these are inspired by well known designer fragrances but at a fraction of the cost of the original fragrances. Who said luxury wasn’t affordable?