Afternoon beauty fix: What to do when your favourite product has been discontinued
Help! I went to repurchase my favourite product and found out it’s no longer available! Is there any way to find it again? The feeling when you’ve polished off a perfect makeup product can be sad—it’s the loss of a true love! For me it was a pink blush I found while in university: it was a perfect pretty fuchsia that had an almost-blue metallic texture under the light, and I used it right to the very end. If only there was a reserve of products that we could search through to try to find our beloved items again! But I digress.
One way to prevent discontinued or limited edition product regret is to proactively stock up on your favourites while they’re still available. However, if you forgot to do the double buy, it’s time to go hunting for an almost-exact alternative—known within the beauty community as a “dupe.” Discontinued formulas, colours, and even brush types (think mascara) have ensured that an onslaught of peer-reviewed dupe listings exist online. A quick Google search of your fave product name plus “dupe” will set you on the right path. (And possibly down a rabbit hole of in-depth product knowledge!) For instance, if you loved Chanel‘s sunny-yellow limited edition “Mimosa” Le Vernis nail colour, you’ll be ecstatic to know that Essence Colour and Go nail polish in “Wanna Be Your Sunshine” ($2, at Shoppers Drug Mart) has the same subtle shimmer, making it an extremely close match. And who knows—with the assistance of your fellow product fanatics, you may just find a new true love.
In need of an afternoon beauty pick-me-up? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.