Great 'big brand alternatives' Hunt

[MSE Debs]

Great 'big brand alternatives' Hunt

It's easy to fall into the trap of always opting for big brands - they're convenient, familiar and have huge marketing budgets behind them.

Yet there are decent alternatives at a fraction of the price, such as Mega Bloks instead of Lego, £2.99 light diffusing concealer instead of £26 Yves Saint Laurent or the Line Up 4 board game instead of Connect 4. What are your tried and tested big brand alternatives?

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[VT82]

I am quite enjoying my X-Bolt from Lidl (rip off of Hugo Boss bottled but only £3.99 for 50ml). The bottle's too ugly to give as a Christmas gift though!

And their Suddenly Madame Glamour is a well known cheaper alternative to Chanel Madamemoiselle.

[VT82]

Ooh ooh ooh one more good one! Not exactly a gift idea but a real money saver for me.

I got into taking Berocca daily because of my immune system, but even if your immune system is fine, they are great for perking you up (I don't go near energy drinks), and for hangovers and fighting colds.

They might always be on 3-for-2, but is still always at least £4+ for a tube of 15. Instead, buy 'Energy Release' - it has exactly the same percentages of every active ingredient, it just leaves a tiny bit more residue in the glass. I kept my old Berocca tubes as they were emptied, and just started decanting Energy Release into them, so now they are indistinguishable to me. And the best part is the price; about £1.69 for a tube of 20 in B&M bargains, but I stocked up recently in Savers at 99p a tube! Great for the winter months, and for the New Year's Day hangover

[mgfarley]

I take 2 caffeine tablets every morning to kick start my day (I don't like the taste of tea, coffee or energy drinks and drinking cola first thing in the morning just feels wrong).

Anyway, Poundland sells 'power kick' in packs of 30 (3p per tablet). Boots sells pro plus for £2.55 for 36 tablets (7p per tablet). They both contain the same amount of caffeine, so no competition.

[unixgirluk]

M&S Isis perfume instead of Issey Miyake. Still nice as a gift but a lot cheaper!

[naggy]

I have to agree, M&S perfumes are brill!!

[starrygazer]

Instead of Stickle Bricks which have poor reviews on Amazon, try Thistle Blocks. We've ordered a bucket of them for our two and a half year old grandson for Christmas and they look OK

[jenniewb]

Thorntons is similar to M&S (or the same or at least very very similar!) according to a chocolate fanatic family member of mine.

Apparently Chanel are something to do with Bojours but what I will say is...not in my experience! I wear mascara every day and if I wear Bojous mascara, it crumbles and flakes as the day goes on. I wear rimless glasses and they are now ruined due to these flakes being trapped in the invisitble wires arond the lenses. A year ago my mum bought me a Chanel mascara. I loved it and there were absolutly no flakes at all. I know they are made by the same brand but they really are not the same product.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for those mini caffeine drinks? Lucosade Alert used to make them and there are a few brands sold in places like Holland and Barratt. But they all cost around £2 which is way too much- even a fresh coffee is cheaper! I prefer the versions which don't taste like Red Bull (I hate the taste and can't stand the smell!)

[quinechinoise]

Sainsbury's unicorn ponies instead of My Little Pony.

Is it just me or are the modern My Little Pony toys really hideous and distorted compared to the old ones of my childhood? They used to look like fairly normal horses and now they have long spindly legs and huge scary eyes! The Sainsbury's own brand ones look like the ponies I remember.

[mand-mcr]

Anyone who is a fan of Ralph Lauren 'Romance' or Chloe should try Next Perfumes. Pretty in Pink is exactly like 'Romance' and London is just like Chloe. Both reasonably priced at approx £12 for 100ml

[juliamarsh]

[QUOTE=jenniewb;57765415]Thorntons is similar to M&S (or the same or at least very very similar!) according to a chocolate fanatic family member of mine.

Haven't bought choc from M&S from a while but my uncle worked as their solicitor before he retired and he confirmed to me that they sold Thorntons and Lindt chocolate but with their own wrapping on - it was about 2/3 of the price of the actual named choc too! That was some years ago now but presume it is still the same.

[stroppy cow]

Please - what is the £2.99 light diffusing concealer instead of the Yves St Laurent concealer? I have been asked for this for Christmas!

[squirrel]

Ballycastle Irish Cream Liqueur from Aldi is apparently supposed to be very similar to Baileys and a lot cheaper. I haven't tried it yet - so if anyone has please confirm!

[sobeitjedi]

Originally Posted by squirrel

Ballycastle Irish Cream Liqueur from Aldi is apparently supposed to be very similar to Baileys and a lot cheaper. I haven't tried it yet - so if anyone has please confirm!

Ballycastle is lovely. We've had people round and offered them a Baileys and they've not noticed. It tastes the same to me, but I think the alcohol content is maybe a % less.

[mippy]

Originally Posted by quinechinoise

Sainsbury's unicorn ponies instead of My Little Pony.

Is it just me or are the modern My Little Pony toys really hideous and distorted compared to the old ones of my childhood? They used to look like fairly normal horses and now they have long spindly legs and huge scary eyes! The Sainsbury's own brand ones look like the ponies I remember.

They're to tie in with the modern animated series. Which, apparently, a huge amount of adult men really like - so the toys are popular with 'bronies'.

[missy80]

B & M or Poundland do "fake dont bake" i have been told its same as fake bake. i was also told from a friend who works with Next, that Adsa gets their clothes from Next!! n Far cheaper.

[jenniewb]

Originally Posted by stroppy cow

Please - what is the £2.99 light diffusing concealer instead of the Yves St Laurent concealer? I have been asked for this for Christmas!

Do you mean the Touch Eclait? Its not a concealer, its a highlighter- it wont hide things but does brighten things (don't use it under your eyes then go sit infront of a camera with a flash or wear for a wedding where you'll be photographed...!)

The one most people seem to rate is by Aldi but many others say its nothing like the same. There is no Aldi near me for me to sample it and rate for myself so I can't give my own opinion.

[stroppy cow]

Jenniwb - thanks so much for this. I will have a look at Aldi today though it seems I may be looking at the wrong thing. It is Touche Eclait I have been asked for!

[sharon7]

Originally Posted by stroppy cow

Jenniwb - thanks so much for this. I will have a look at Aldi today though it seems I may be looking at the wrong thing. It is Touche Eclait I have been asked for!

Hi

I heard the superdrug one is very similar.

S

[annieb_101]

Originally Posted by stroppy cow

Please - what is the £2.99 light diffusing concealer instead of the Yves St Laurent concealer? I have been asked for this for Christmas!

i think its the collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer lots of beauty people on youtube rave about it and i love it

also collection 2000 do the light diffusing concealer too in a pen form but i haven't used it. some people use the YSL for a concelaer some use it as a highlighter but these two prodcuts are very very similar xxx