The NARS Yu Dupe

It's not often that I come across dupes in my stash.  I'm usually quite good when buying make up and stick to buying things that are different to what I have already.  But whilst browsing my collection of pinks, I happened to stumble across a very good dupe for the NARS Satin Lip Pencil in the shade Yu - and you will be pleased to know that it costs just £7.99.

I actually said in my post on the Digital World Lip Pencil Coffret that I didn't own anything similar to Yu.  Turns out that was a big fat (unintentional, might I add) lie as my Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in the shade Lovesick is pretty identical in colour.  The Revlon Balm Stains are one of my favourite lip crayons, and I have pretty much the entire original release.  They're comfortable to wear on the lips, are moisturising, not sticky, buildable in colour and when the balm feeling fades, you are left with a great stain.  I remember being quite shocked at how good the pigmentation was in a balm stain, and Lovesick is no exception.

On the left is Lovesick; the Revlon offering is a bright fuschia pink which, because it applies like a balm, is slightly glossy with a slight sheerness to it.  It's still packing some pigment, but isn't quite as opaque in one swipe as Yu.  That said, I think you can layer up to get a decent colour intensity.  To the right, we have Yu.  Yu is opaque in one swipe, and is also a very bright fuschia pink.  Yu isn't as glossy as Lovesick as it has a satin finish, but I don't find it to be as comfortable to wear as the Revlon alternative.

In the photo above, Lovesick is on the left again and Yu is on the right.  As you can see, they are very similar in colour - Yu just has a touch more opacity which makes for a slightly bolder lip.  But, the photograph below, I'm wearing Lovesick on my top lip and Yu on my bottom - I honestly don't think I can tell the difference wearing it together!

I'm quite into getting my moneys worth, so I think if I ever lost both of these, I'd be buying Lovesick in a heartbeat.  Whilst I love my NARS lip pencil, spending £19.00 on something I could get which is nearly identical for just £7.99 just seems silly.  Especially with how much I love the Revlon Balm Stains!

Have you found any dupes in your stash?

Beauty Comparison: A MAC Sumptuous Olive Dupe?

A few weeks ago now, I won a MAC eyeshadow on Katie's blog Sugarfixx Beauty.  I chose the shade Sumptuous Olive, as it is one I hadn't heard much about, but had once seen on a Youtube video and fell in love with the shade.  It wasn't until I had chosen it as my prize that I started to panic after seeing comparisons to Sumptuous Olive and a shade from the Wet n Wild Comfort Zone palette, which I already had...

I wanted my first MAC eyeshadow to be a shade that I didn't already own, so naturally I felt a little disheartened that I had unwittingly chosen something I supposedly already had.  Last week, my prize arrived with the postman and I was relieved to find that Sumptuous Olive is definitely not a dupe for the shade from the Comfort Zone palette.

Right...finger swatching, they do look pretty similar, I'll give you all that.  On the left we have MAC's Sumptuous Olive, and on the right is the eyelid shade from the right side of the Comfort Zone palette.  You can see though that MAC has a brown undertone to it, with a gold shimmer running through it - sort of an antique bronze?  Whereas the Wet n Wild shade definitely has a lot more green in it.

The real difference is when the shade is blended out a bit.  Believe it or not, the shade on the top of my wrist is the MAC Sumptuous Olive.  The shades are completely different when reflecting light.  In some lights, the MAC and Wet n Wild shades are similar, but what makes the MAC stand out is its ability to transform from your somewhat standard golden khaki, to a beautiful golden copper.  It's nothing like any other shade that I own, and I am so pleased with it.  If you were thinking that you would save and go for the Comfort Zone "dupe," don't - whilst I love my Comfort Zone palette, Sumptuous Olive is just perfect.

Have you been disappointed/relieved from any supposed dupes?  Does MAC or Wet n Wild get your vote?