Amazing Beauty Dupes #2 | Comparison & Swatches

I'm sure a lot of my newer readers never saw the first Amazing Beauty Dupes post as it was a while back, however now I feel like I've amassed enough similar products to do a Part 2. As before, I've only chosen products where I've tried both the budget and the high-end versions so I can properly compare. There's no skincare as I'm actually going to be doing a special post focussed on cheaper alternatives to cult products. There are also swatches of each product so you can see how they differ and how they're the same.

Original: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light | £38

Dupe: Makeup Revolution Radiant Light Highlighter in Breathe | £5

Makeup Revolution is so on it with dupes! Last year they released the Radiant Light Highlighters, which look very similar to the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. Dim Light is a pearly neutral-beige shade and Breathe looks extremely similar. For me, the main difference is the formula; Dim Light is a setting powder with a highlighting aspect, whereas Breathe (whilst being incredibly soft in texture and natural on the skin) is a straight highlighter for me. I had to layer up the swatch more with the Hourglass to get the same payoff. Personally, I sort of regret spending so much on the Hourglass powder as it really hasn't changed my life so if you're after more of a highlighter then go for Breathe.

Original: MAC Satin Lipstick in Faux | £15.50

Dupe: Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 08 | £5.49 

As I mentioned in my MAC Lipstick Collection, the Satin finish is one of my favourites as it offers a similar finish and almost as long of a wear-time as a matte but it's more creamy, moisturising and has a slight sheen. The Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks offer something similar in terms of formula for roughly 1/3 of the price. The shade match I found was MAC Faux and Rimmel Kate 08. Whilst Faux is slightly cooler and Kate 08 has a little bit of a plummier tone, they're both mauve/dusky pink nude lip colours that are perfect for everyday wear. 

Original: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal | £33

Dupe: Revlon Photoready Skinlights Face Illuminator in Bare Light | £11.99 

With Strobing being the trend of the moment, liquid illuminators have seen a newfound popularity. You can use them under foundation instead of a primer, mixed in with the foundation or strategically placed on top like a highlighter. Opal by Becca is just the perfect pearly-nude shade that isn't to pink and iridescent or too golden-bronze. I think it's almost universally flattering. Whilst I really love it, I'm not sure I would pay so much for this type of product again. I've previously featured the Revlon Photoready Skinlights, so I thought there may be a dupe in the range. I found it in the shade Bare Light, which is pretty much identical in colour to Opal. The main difference for me is the texture; the Becca is smoother whereas the Revlon has some larger bits of glitter in there. I don't find they show up on the face but I think the Becca formula does sit a little better on the face. The Becca is almost 3x the price of the Revlon so I would probably recommend going for the dupe here. 

Original: By Terry Ombre Blackstar Melting Eyeshadows in Misty Rock and Bronze Moon | £29 each

Dupe: KIKO Long-Lasting Stick Eyeshadows in 05 Rosy Brown and 06 Golden Brown | £6.90

I won't dwell too long on this one as it had its own post here (as well as the KIKO offering having its own post here), but it was too good not to mention in this post! Not only is the formula of the KIKO spot on, but the shades are identical. The By Terry shadows are a tiny bit creamier and smoother when applying, but really the differences are minor so I would definitely recommend the dupe on this one. Misty Rock is a gorgeous mauve shimmer and it's dupe is 05 Rosy Brown. Bronze Moon is a beautiful golden-bronze shimmer and it's dupe is 06 Golden Brown. Whilst they are the sort of shades I wear all the time, the KIKO ones are insanely similar and you could get 4 of them for the price of one By Terry and still have a bit of change!

Original: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush | £28

Dupe: Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Seductive Pink | £8.99

My love of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes is well-documented on this blog, as I just think it's the best formula around.  Earlier this year when I saw Max Factor had released some potentially similar marbled highlighting blushers, I snapped up a few shades (featured here). I have 2 from Hourglass and 4 from Max Factor and the closest shade match I could find was Luminous Flush vs. Seductive Pink. Luminous Flush is a little more vibrant and coral-toned whereas Seductive Pink is more muted, however they're similar enough. I do find Hourglass's formula to be superior, and the Max Factor range seems to vary a lot in quality between different shades. Seductive Pink is definitely my favourite in terms of the colour and quality from Max Factor and it's a good alternative on the high street, however I still think the staying-powder, pigmentation, and ease-of-application make Hourglass worth the splurge. 

Original: MAC Lip Pencil in Whirl | £12.50

Dupe: KIKO Precision Lip Pencil in 301 | £4.20

The Beauty World is split into two types of people: those who do lip liner and those who don't. Whilst £12.50 isn't a huge splurge, for those who don't there's always something you'd rather spend your money on. MAC lip pencils moved me from the former category into the latter, however I think that KIKO's are extremely similar in formula and quality. It's hard to get the balance right between being waxy enough to stop lipstick bleeding and increase wear-time but being creamy enough to apply nicely. Both of these products get it spot on but one is almost half the price of the other. This is more of a formula dupe but I think that KIKO's 301 is similar in colour to MAC's Whirl. Whirl is a little more red-toned however they're both great for a 90s dark brown nude lip. 

Original: Lorac Unzipped Palette | £28

Dupe: Makeup Revolution Naked Chocolate Palette | £8.99

I've done a full post on this one with all the shades from each swatched that you can find here, however I haven't seen many people talk about it so I thought I'd spread the word again. Both the Lorac Unzipped and Makeup Revolution Naked Chocolate contain a gorgeous selection of both mattes and shimmers in rosy, brown and golden shades. Although there are more shades in the Naked Chocolate, each can be matched up to one in the Lorac Unzipped (you can see a few of my favourites above). The quality of Lorac shadows is out-of-this-world good and they are more buttery, long-lasting and pigmented, however the Makeup Revolution shades are still really good. The Lorac palette isn't just more expensive but it's less accessible to those of us in the UK (I ordered through Amazon, find out how here), so the dupe is a great alternative.

Original: Nails Inc Gel Polish in Porchester Square | £14

Dupe: Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Almond | £3.99

I'm a huge fan of the 'greige' nail, as it looks stylish but still professional. I rarely spend a lot on nail polish but I made an exception for Porchester Square by Nails Inc. However I find that Barry M's Almond is very similar in both formulation and colour. They both have a high-shine finish but Porchester Square is the tiniest bit more stoney in colour. Porchester Square lasts a little longer on me (5 days vs. 3 days), however given the price difference it's well worth checking out Almond.

Original: MAC 217 Blending Brush | £20

Dupe: Zoeva 227 Luxe Soft Definer Brush | £6.95

Everyone and their mum seems to own the MAC 217 as it's just the perfect do-it-all brush; you can apply the base shade, blend in different colours or apply eyeshadow to the crease. However I'm a huge fan of Zoeva's brushes and I think the quality is very much comparable for close to 1/4 of the price. The 227 is extremely similar to the 217. The 227's bristles are slightly longer but I find they do an identical job. As much as I love my 217 and you always need more than one blending brush, you're better off getting a set of 12 Zoeva brushes for less than the cost of 3 from MAC (and getting the gorgeous rose gold finish too!)

If you've tried any of these products I'd love to know whether you think it's worth splurging on the high-end version or saving your money. What are your favourite dupes?

 

Don't forget to follow me on:

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram

P.S. If you enjoy reading my blog, please take a moment to nominate me for Best in Beauty at the Cosmo Blog Awards here