Measured Updated dailyMarkdown copy
Cheap pick that beats the luxury one
A viral beauty format on TikTok and Instagram
Set a budget product against a prestige one, with prices or a blind test, and claim the cheap one wins.
14
accounts it worked for
4x
median, times their usual
#7
of 77 in beauty
Angle
Talking head, Voiceover, Slideshow
Why it works
Money-saving proof is easy to save and share. Framing luxury brands as the loser adds debate.
Hook formula[Drugstore products] that make you question luxury prices
How to make it
- 1Name the cheap and expensive items with prices
- 2Compare them side by side on skin or in a chart
- 3Declare the bargain the winner
Examples
Best first, one per account. Each links to the original post.
- @aromatic_austin
15K followers, TikTok
“5 ATTENTION GRABBING COLOGNES EVERY MAN SHOULD OWN”
18x their usual views, talking head, men's grooming
- @definitelytai
787K followers, TikTok
“5 FRAGRANCES UNDER $60... THAT SMELL LIKE $300”
9.7x their usual views, talking head, men's grooming
- @beauty_time09
4K followers, TikTok
“Expensive VS Cheap”
16x their usual views, slideshow, makeup
- @hydrationceo
297K followers, Instagram
“Why is Costco outdoing Sephora?? 😳”
10x their usual likes, voiceover, makeup
- @aamnaadel
1.8M followers, TikTok
“affordable skincare swaps i'd *ACTUALLY* buy *as a dermatologist”
6.7x their usual views, slideshow, skincare
- @shelbyannbell
2.6M followers, TikTok
“Burlington Dupes Honest Review”
3.7x their usual views, talking head, makeup
- @thesistersandscents
35K followers, TikTok
“Fragrances We DON'T own”
7.0x their usual views, talking head, fragrance and body
- @_taylormargaret
143K followers, TikTok
“DRUGSTORE PRODUCTS THAT MAKE YOU QUESTION LUXURY PRICES”
5.4x their usual views, talking head, makeup
- @rocio.roses
1.9M followers, TikTok
“So you're telling me I can find Makeup by Mario and Rhode at Burlington?”
4.2x their usual views, talking head, makeup
- @ga.sniffs
61K followers, Instagram
“SHMOOPS SO GOOD YOU DON'T NEED THE OG”
3.8x their usual views, talking head, fragrance and body
- @scenttakes
486K followers, Instagram
“If you want to smell delicious but you don't want”
3.2x their usual views, talking head, men's grooming
- @glamlifeguru
2.1M followers, Instagram
“Can you tell which side of my face is drugstore and which side is luxury?”
2.6x their usual views, talking head, makeup
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Get the MCPMore beauty formats
- Finished look shown first, then bare-face step one
41 accounts, median 19x their usual
- Flash the finished look before step one
11 accounts, median 24x their usual
- Red ❌ wrong way, then green ✅ fix
14 accounts, median 9x their usual
- Same test, two versions, side by side
9 accounts, median 25x their usual
- Expert stitches a viral clip to correct it
10 accounts, median 9x their usual
- Wrong way on one half, right way on other
11 accounts, median 7x their usual
- Full lineup in frame from second one
9 accounts, median 10x their usual
- Quote the doubter, then show proof
6 accounts, median 33x their usual
- Product bottle flashed before each step
9 accounts, median 9x their usual
- Finished look flashed for one second first
9 accounts, median 9x their usual
How this is measured
- Every post is compared with its own account's usual reach, not with other accounts. "14x their usual" means the post got 14 times the median views of that account's recent posts.
- TikTok videos and Instagram Reels are measured on views. Instagram carousels have no view count, so they are measured on likes against the account's usual likes, and say so.
- A post makes the library at 2x its account's usual or more. A format is a repeatable move (what is said or shown, or how it is edited) that several accounts used in breakout posts. It is listed here once it worked for 3 or more different accounts.
- Formats rank on how many accounts they worked for and how far above usual, damped so a fluke on one tiny account cannot outrank a format that worked for ten.