Friday, January 3, 2014

Save vs. Splurge: Top 5 Dupes Collab with the Pursuit of Novelty

For our second collab, Christina from Pursuit of Novelty and I decided to choose our top 5 dupes. Some products are impossible to replicate. Others you can totally get a way with a drugstore dupe and have the same results. These options may not be EXACTLY the same in the tubes, pans, or packaging, but the finish and overall look are difficult to differentiate.


The left side (my left side) of my face is all drugstore products, and the right side is all high end products. The dupe I chose for lips is a color I didn't like pairing with the other makeup, so I included an additional picture below.

 


What I used:
Eyeshadow
Save: L'Oreal HIP Concentrated Shadow Duo in Sassy (the taupe shade) $8- True to the name, the shadows in this line are packed with pigments. This option is very slightly deeper than the high end counter part, but it has the same silvery shimmer. When applied, you really can't tell a difference!
Splurge: MAC eyes shadow in Satin Taupe $15- This classic must-have eye shadow from MAC is one of my all time favorite shadows. It is an awesome crease color and looks amazing on every eye color. The silver shimmer gives this taupe shade gorgeous depth and dimension.

Liquid Liner
Save: L'Oreal Infalliable The Super Slim Liquid Eyeliner $8- This one is truly a steal! The felt tip is identical to the Stila Stay All Day liner, but at a much lower price. The finish is impossible to tell apart (see picture), and it makes applying liquid liner a breeze.
Splurge: Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black $20- I'm sure you're tired of reading about this liner! The ONLY benefit of this liner over the L'Oreal version is that is does have a bit more staying power. It's never been a problem, but I do notice it takes a little bit more to get this liner off at the end of the day!



Mascara
Save: L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess $9- I found this gem when I did our $20 challenge. The original Voluminous formula is a cult favorite, but I really love the brush on this version. It makes it easy to separate my lashes while building up the volume. Awesome alternative to my true all time favorite mascara.
Splurge: Benefit They're Real! Mascara $23- My holy grail mascara. I never thought I would find a high end mascara that I would love enough to spend the money on. The formula is amazing. Lush, full, but separated lashes every time. Can't. Get. Enough. I highly recommend trying this out. Get the trial size if you don't want to commit to a full size tube.



Blush
Save: Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso $8- All of the shades in this line are highly pigmented and have a gorgeous finish. Compared to Coralista, this option does have a little more of an apricot tone, but is still very similar to the Benefit blush. Because it is so pigmented, you have to be easy handed on the application. Start with a small amount on your brush and add more if  needed.
Splurge: Benefit CORALista blush $28- A favorite of mine for several years, this blush is the perfect coral. The pigment is not as intense as the Milani blush, which is good and bad. I usually have to work a little more to get this to show up on my skin tone. It also has more shimmer which gives the cheekbones a beautiful sheen without using highlighter.

Lips
Save: Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor in Blissful Berry $5- I love the formula of these lipsticks. They feel moisturizing, but still have great color payoff. Berry Blissful has more of a satin finish than the MAC option, and has a slightly more blue tone. It is also more sheer, but buildable. Can't go wrong!
Splurge: MAC lipstick in Diva $15- Diva is a matte lipstick, so the finish is obviously different. As most matte lipsticks, it is a little bit on the dry side, but the color is gorgeous. It is described as an "intense red-burgundy", so I realize the shades between these two options are classified completely differently. However, when you compare the two, I don't think they look much different! Even in the tubes, the colors look very similar.




The drugstore dupes are on the left, and the high end products are on the right.
 
 
If you've been eyeing any of these high end products but are trying to save money, give these dupes a try! Let me know what you think! What are your favorite dupes I'm missing out on?

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