Dupe #7 NARS Orgasm Blusher

This dupe came apparent by complete accident whilst looking through makeup. This elf studio blusher in 'Candid Coral' reminded me immediately of Nars' 'Orgasm', and sure enough, they are too similar not to mention! 

Nars Orgasm is one of my favourite blushers but, being a high end product, is a little more on the pricey side coming in at £21.50.

On the other hand, this elf blusher was just £3.95, making it more than considerably cheaper. Although elf is more difficult to get in the UK and most of Europe, it can be purchased online so is still available. (+ elf often have great online deals, so keep an eye out) These also come in a large selection of colours, some which may be even more similar to NARS' Orgasm!

The shades are not exactly the same as the elf shade is slightly more dusty and as the name suggests, Coral, although they are remarkably similar, both pink tones with a golden shimmer under-tone. Not only this, but the packaging is also similar, with a sturdy black casing and a mirror. 

In the swatch below, the shade on the right is NARS, and elf in the left.

For the price, the pigmentation of the elf blusher is fantastic, so although I would say if you already have the NARS option, you would not need both, but it is definitely worth a try of the elf blusher before splashing out. 

Thanks for reading,

Lou 

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Dupe #6 Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Moisturiser

"Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions All-Over Clearing Treatment" and "Essence Pure Skin Anti-Spot Moisturizer"



On my recent holiday to Greece I forgot my Clinique Moisturiser so I had to take a trip to the Hondos Centre near my hotel to try and find an anti-spot moisturiser as I had my prom the following week and I did not want to leave anything to chance! This is when this dupe was found, like many of our other dupes, this was also totally by accident.

I had never heard of the brand Essence in the UK before however when I got home I conducted some research and turns out Essence makeup is available in Wilkinson although I could not find the moisturiser still. On the other hand I think I will have to try out some of their nail polishes as they look like a good dupe for the Bourjois ones. Anyway to other international readers it seems to be quite a widely available in most drugstores in Europe and beyond. Admittedly in Greece I did not have a lot of choice of anti-spot ranges, one thing that quite surprised me, as in about every drugstore in the UK there is a whole section dedicated to blemish defense. In Greece this market is obviously not as big. Even Clean and Clear only had 4 products in the whole 3 story shop!

Onto the Essence moisturiser it has a good texture like the Clinique one, maybe even more matte, which makes it perfect to use as a primer under makeup. It applies well and feels smooth on the skin, while providing a little moisture which is just enough for my normal type skin however would not be moisturising enough for someone with even slightly dry skin by any means. One thing that I first noticed about this moisturiser is that it has a green tint however after thinking about this it is probably designed to combat redness although I'm not sure that it really does in particular as it sinks into the skin pretty quickly rather than covering any blemishes. Smell wise it smells of a mixture of sun cream and cucumber even though it does not say that it contains an SPF. The claims on the packaging says that the cream does the following things:

• Fights spots and blackheads
• Refines and Mattifies the Skin
• Visibly reduces redness

I agree that the cream reduces and mattifies the skin and to some extent it helps to fight spots and blackheads but I think it more helps to keep them at bay rather than helping any existing spots to go down. And as to reducing redness, I must say I haven't really noticed this.

Now onto the clinique one. For the price difference, I must say that this one is not amazingly different. It does have a very nice texture and is more moisturising than the Essence one which I prefer in terms of making my skin look healthy and meaning makeup apply well. The packaging is very similar to the Essence one, with the only thing making it slightly more luxurious is the more metallic packaging and obviously the brand logo. It battles blemishes at about the same rate as the Essence one so overall obviously the Essence one is better value although the Clinique one has a slightly nicer smell but that does not justify the price difference with the Clinique Moisturiser (50ml) coming it £19 at compared to the Essence moisturiser converting to roughly £2.90 (75ml) depending on where in the world you buy it.

So overall I can confidently say that although I do love the Clinique moisturiser the Essence one definitely puts up an amazing battle for the price.

Thanks for Reading,
Rose
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Kiko Unlimited Stylo 'Shade 04' Lipstick Dupe #5

I stumbled upon this dupe really by accident. A couple of weeks ago we payed a visit to the Kiko store on Regent Street and it was so exciting I felt I couldn't leave without buying something! I settled for this lipstick as after swatching it on my hand I realised that the texture was incredible and I thought I would use it for my prom (I still haven't decided yet though!).

When I got home I realised I had an MUA lipstick in a very similar shade and bam a dupe was found! The Kiko 'Unlimited Stylo' Lipstick in Shade 04 has an amazing velvety soft texture that feels so nice to apply and has a smell resembling a MAC lipstick. The packaging is really sleek and original and overall this is a lovely product. The price is also very reasonable (comparing very well to your standard drug store lipstick prices) at only £6.90! It glides onto the lips and applies well and is not too drying on the lips. Kiko claims that this lipstick is long lasting and so far it has been however as with most lipsticks I don't think it will survive a meal. 

On the other hand the MUA lipstick in Shade 16 also lives up to most of these points. It smells good and the packaging may not look like a high end product but is still sturdy and pleasant to use. Also the MUA lipsticks have the added feature of the little pot of lipstick on the end which I'm not entirely sure of the purpose of but it's amazing none the less! The price of the MUA lipstick is definitely good value along with most other MUA products, coming in at just £1. 

To compare the MUA lipstick does not have quite as much staying power as the Kiko one as it is more easy to smudge. Also I personally prefer the colour of the Kiko one as I think it is more natural compared to the more orange tones in the MUA one but for the price the MUA one is definitely better for the bank balance. One thing that also gives MUA an edge over the Kiko one is that it is much more widely available as you can get them in almost all Superdrug stores where as the Kiko one is only available in 3 stores in the UK, all of which are in London. As with any of our dupes, we try to be as honest as possible, and I do still prefer the Kiko one even though it is more expensive but the MUA one is still worth a try! 

Thanks for reading, 

Rose 

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Urban Decay 'Naked' Palette Dupe #2

Urban Decays 'Naked' Palette is quite possibly one of the best neutral palettes on the market and is definitely a collection essential. It comes packaged with a gorgeous chocolately velvet case, and includes 12 bronze-hued classic eye colours. Unfortunately, the price isn't as gorgeous, so that's where we come in...

The Naked Palette (£36)

Twelve beautiful shades in the Urban Decay 'Naked' Palette.

Fortunately, this time around, MUA have come to the rescue with their 'Undressed' Palette. Firstly, take the £36 Naked prize and divide it by 9, for those of you who are quick with maths - that leaves £4 - the fantastic price of the 'Undressed' Palette.

The Undressed Palette (£4)

Similar colours? YES! To say the very least!

With every single shade being an almost exact duplicate, you can't really go far wrong.


As well as the colour, the similarities don't end there. MUA's palette also has intense pigmentation (which is always great.)
As expected, the lasting power isn't as strong as the UD shadows, and there is a considerable amount of fallout, although, when it comes to travel, the MUA palette has the better packaging in comparison to the flimsy lid of the Naked Palette.

Here are some swatches of the shades...

The MUA shades are simply named Shades 1 - 12 in the
Urban Decay Palette order. For example, UD 'Virgin' would
be MUA 'Shade 1' and UD 'Darkhorse' would be MUA
'Shade 8' and so on.

I also did a look, to show you guys the comparison on my eyes and the shade similarities.

As above, the UD shadows are on my left eye (right eye in image)
and the MUA on my right eye (left side in image). I used 'Virgin' (Shade 1)
in the inner corner, 'Buck' (Shade 5) over the lid and 'Darkhorse' (Shade 8)
in the outer corner and crease.

Overall, in my opinion, if you don't have the Naked palette, then don't rush straight out, with your almost £40 to buy it, but certainly try the Undressed palette first, even if to simply see if you're a fan of the colours. If you already own the Naked palette, then of course, the Undressed is not an essential, but if you're a regular traveller, the Undressed palette may be good to look at if you don't want to carry the Naked around a lot, as the packaging is lighter are certainly more durable.

Thank you for reading,
See you again soon,

~ Lou x