Can you actually find good dupes for high end products on Amazon? As someone who is a self proclaimed shopaholic, I am curious to find out if you can find trendy but cheap items online that are just as good if not better than their high end counterparts.
Now I am all about splurging on something you really love and will wear for years come, but sometimes the trend is so fleeting it feels silly to shell out the big bucks for a single season stunner. Enter to the famous influencer approved Amazon dupe! I have always been apprehensive to buy certain things on Amazon, especially fashion or beauty items because of the horror stories I have heard of people getting junk items. Recently though I have been shifting my mindset and have become more open to dupes/ faux items as a way to have fun and get creative with popular trends.
To embark on this journey, I purchased a handful of items to test to see if you truly can find a cheap dupe on Amazon for some of the most popular items influencers swear by. Reviews are king on Amazon so for this experiment I tried to stick with items that had 4-5 stars for 90% of their reviews and worked to find items that were affordable but also cute/ versatile enough that I could style them multiple ways.
Item 1) Schoolgirl Tennis Skort – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P9PXQFM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This one was funny for me since I did wear a plaid skirt when I was in high school in NY at a girls Catholic school, so something about wearing a little plaid tennis skirt felt oddly homey.
I was really skeptical of this one mostly because the reviews were sketchy AF on this listing, but I did some measurements and opted for a larger size based on reviews saying it ran small.
Overall, I give this purchase a 6 – Is it a cute tennis skort that is “on trend” yes, but is it high quality and thick, no. Does it looks like a costume.. A little bit. My general verdict on this one is that it is perfect for the trend. I will wear it once or twice while the style is in and then will likely leave this skirt in my closet for Halloween next year. Not bad, but not great!
Item 2) Seamless Halo Hair Extensions – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D28PHD4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have been wanting to invest in hair extensions ever since I started my hair re-growth journey. (Read more on my hair journey here – https://wordpress.com/post/whowodwear.com/198) but professional grade hair extensions are not cheap and I have been on the fence on wether it is a worthy investment. For me I don’t plan to wear them every day and likely will only use them for going out or special occasions and because of this I decided it was wise to see if I could find an inexpensive set as a test run before taking the plunge into buying real ones.
Enter my Amazon dupe quest! My goal was to find a good color match and good length/texture match and to spend less than $20. So I began combing through reviews and looking at photos and decided on a dark brown faux hair halo for under $9.99.
The verdict – Sub 10 dollar hair extensions are exactly like they sound, very cheap/fake looking however I have to give this purchase a hard 3/10 as the length and color was 100% spot on and once applied correctly I have to say it looked pretty damn good for 10 bucks. But will I wear this out for a special occasion? No, certainly not as up close/in person it is very clear that this is a fake wig/halo. In photos I think it looks fire but for in person I would say this halo did not make the cut. Overall, if you are a photographer or creative type and want some extra hair then this is perfect. If you are hoping to find date night or wedding party ready extensions then these are not them! Fun for dressing up and taking photos at home for sure, but these are not really street safe if you ask me.
Item 3) Magnetic Eyelashes – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089JHV2TK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have wanted the Glamnetic or Silly George Lash kit for forever but ya girl cannot justify spending 75 plus dollars on fake lashes. So to Amazon I go!
I decided to try the Paulinrise magnetic eyelash set for less than 10 dollars because why not, even if they suck at least I did not spend 50 dollars on them.
The verdict – These are pretty great for sub ~10 dollars! They stayed on all night, were not that terrible to apply and overall looked nice. I think these are awesome for someone who likes the option to wear false lashes for a night out or special occasion but is not a hardcore false lashes everyday type. I think for a wedding or something I would want to spend a bit more to get a better product but for random nights out I have to say this dupe did the trick!
Item 4) Oversized Vintage Crewneck – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08LNLXSTL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have been obsessed with the vintage hoodie look and recycled crewnecks that have a good worn in look to them but I am sorry Princess Polly, 100 dollars for a sweatshirt is highway robbery. I was skeptical of finding a good dupe on Amazon as finding a sub 20 dollar vintage looking item from an online retailer is a gamble no matter how savvy you shop, but I decided to try nonetheless.
Decided on this listing as it had a cute photo and decent reviews however I was skeptical of if this item would even end up looking like the photos and unfortunately I was right.
The end rating – I give this purchase a 3 – Is is a long sleeve navy top that is oversized? Yes, does it look vintage or worn in at all? No, not even a little bit. I have to say this one was somewhat of an epic fail, the “sweatshirt” is really just a giant long sleeve shirt. It does not look even in the slightest “vintage” at all. Will I wear it to relax in, sure, is it the cute fashion stable I wanted, no.
Item 5) Vintage/Hype Girl Sunglasses – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BNHRLDW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I am so here for the vintage sunglass look that I could not wait for summer to get myself a pair of these fierce looking shades. I decided I wanted a white and black pair since why not and was shocked to find how easy it was to find the exact style I was looking for on Amazon!
The 2 pack set I found was less than 20 dollars and I cannot lie I was expecting to get a pair of super cheap plastic dollar store sunglasses. Damn was I wrong!
The verdict – These are amazing! Do not walk, run to get yourself these glasses. They are not only fly as hell but they are sturdy and decently high quality for an Amazon find. I could not be happier with these and have to say these are a solid 12/10 as they greatly exceeded my expectations! Overall, I am obsessed!
So to conclude this episode of Amazing Amazon Dupes, I have a few pieces of advice for finding trendy dupes online.
- Reviews, reviews, reviews – Read as many reviews as possible and look at customer photos. This will be the biggest help when it comes to choose which dupe is the best of all as there tends to be many options to choose from. Even one really bad review can get me to re-think a purchase if it is recent enough and there is good evidence to support the claims.
- Size up/ measure yourself – Most dupes are not going to be the same size as your traditional fast fashion finds because they are coming directly from the factory or manufacturer in most cases. Assume the sizing will be weird and be sure to look at the sizing chart and take some measurements for yourself. I typically wear a 2-4 in bottoms and I ended up measuring myself for the tennis skirt and buying a large/XL as the sizing chart was really wonky. The large fit perfectly even though it was a size 8/10. Do not assume the sizing will be normal, as chances are the item will be much larger or smaller than you are thinking it will be.
- Assume the quality is low – Sub 20$ sunglasses tend to get a bad wrap for being pastic-y and cheap looking, with good reason. When buying an item on Amazon that is 50-75% cheaper than a brand name version you should not assume the quality will be the same or even close to similar. Prepare yourself for a bad craft project and then be shook when the dupe is better than you thought. It is way better to be good surprised than bad surprised when your new purchase is not as cheap looking as it cost in reality.
- Weigh the pros /cons – Is this an item you hope to have a year from now? If so maybe re-evaluate whether you want a dupe or the real thing. Some items are worth spending on, others not so much. You have to decide if this is something you want to cherish forever or love for a season or two. Who knows, you may even love the dupe so much you decide to go all in for the real thing!
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