**Drugstore Dupe" of the week

Battle of the Face Primers: Smashbox & Benefit vs. Maybelline

Anyone interested enough in makeup to be reading this blog has at least heard of face primers. There are so many of them out there, and almost all of them claim to do the same things:
                                   
                                    reduce pores
                                  fill in fine lines
                                blur imperfections
                   create a smooth canvas for our foundation

I have found 3 products that do all of these things, and do them well. The only difference is that one of them is significantly cheaper than the other 2 more well known ones.

First, we have the infamous primer by Smashbox-"Photo Finish Foundation Primer"

 
This one does work really well, but it retails for $36. Enough said.let's move on..

Benefit is another wonderful cosmetics company,and I own quite a few of their products and love them-but they can also be a but pricey. An example is "the POREfessional"

This also does all of the miraculous things listed above, just like the Smashbox primer..but retails for $30. So, although it is $6 cheaper, I know we can do better..


Which brings me to a very well known, and loved drugstore brand, "Maybelline".. They have a product out now called "Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser".

I bought it (for $6), not expecting it to do all of the things those other 2 can.I simply thought it would make my pores appear a little smaller. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it does EVERYTHING the others do, and I personally cannot find a single difference between the three. Except for the price, of course.

I'm sure there are going to be people, that for whatever reason will still continue paying $20+ more for the higher-end primers, but I can tell you from personal experience-there is no reason to. If you want a primer, go out and get this little gem from Walmart (or CVS,etc..) and I guarantee you won't be disappointed!!

**Drugstore Dupe of the Week**

The Balm Cindy Lou Manizer highlighter VS Elf Baked Blush in Pinktastic 

 

Summer is here and it's time to change up our makeup routines! As our skin gets more color from our days out in the sun, most of us start using less foundation and more highlighters to emphasize that golden glow.There are many to choose from, but we don't have to spend alot to look great, which is the whole reason for this weekly post.

The Balm "Cindy Lou Manizer" highlighter is really nice, but the cost ($24) is a bit high.....

There is an alternative to this product though, at a much cheaper price .Anyone who reads my blog knows that e.l.f. (eyeslipsface)is an amazing line of cosmetics at a super cheap price. Their baked blush in the color "Pinktastic" is  slightly less pink than "Cindy Lou", but for only $3, it's a terrific find! Personally, I prefer the elf one, because I get dark in the summer, and I don't want a highlighter that is too pink..

 http://www.eyeslipsface.com/
  
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 **free shipping on $15** EC1pM2
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**Drugstore Dupes!!** UD vs WNW **

Urban Decay vs Wet N Wild

These are only a small portion of the many Wet n Wild dupes there are for Urban Decay shadows. I basically just buy every WnW shadow I can find, because they all seem to be either a dupe for UD or MAC!!

Urban Decay Summer of Love Palette & WNW Comfort Zone & Dancing in the Clouds

*BONUS* Dupe #2 !! Urban Decay VS Wet N WIld

Wet n Wild Coloricon Nude Awakening Palette vs. Urban Decay Naked Palette

 

 

We all know the vast difference in price between Urban Decay and Wet N WIld. Compare these two palettes and tell me they are not identical to each other!! AMAZING considering there is a $45 difference in price!! Yes, the UD palette has more shadows, but who ever uses every color in a palette? I rarely do.If you must have the entire UD palette, by all means buy it(go to aliexpress.com/)-but if you want to own some fabulous colors for much cheaper, check out Wet N Wild!!

~amber

Drugstore Dupe of the Week!! NARS vs NYX

NARS Galapagos Eyeshadow VS. NYX Golden Amber Eyeshadow

NARS shadow retails for around $25, and the NYX is $5. That is quite a price difference! So, how do they compare?These shades are practically
identical, although the NARS shadow is slightly more pigmented, so you have to apply an extra coat of the NYX to duplicate the exact color.(with a $20 price difference, you can afford to swipe on one extra layer!).The NARS also contains harmful ingredients such as triclosan, BHA, and aluminum powder.NYX does not contain these or other harmful ingredients.

I honestly cannot think of one good reason to choose the NARS shadow over the NYX.(unless you just HAVE to have the "name" on your package)..

Wet N Wild Palettes

I recently purchase 4 new Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palettes, and I love them all! They were on sale buy 1 get 1 50% off, so i got a great deal on them! (Prices run from $2-$5 normally).

"Comfort Zone"

This palette has gorgeous colors. All of them have a shimmer to them, and a few of them are actually duochrome. The "crease" color on the right is a dupe for Kat Von D's shadeshifter shadow "On The Road". There are so many different looks you can create with this palette.If you are only going to buy one Wet N Wild palette( although I don't know why anyone would just want ONE lol), this one should be it!!

 

"Poster Child"

I LOVE the bright colors in this palette!I also like that all of these are Matte , with one exception: the yellow "browbone" color has a very faint shimmer to it. You can use every color in this palette as your lid color! As with most WNW palettes, there are limitless looks you can achieve with this. If you don;t like bright ,colorful eye looks, this one is probably not for you-unless you only use the pinks.

"Art In The Streets"

This is quickly becoming my favorite palette. I really like the bright colors, and I LOVE the orange. I own ALOT of eyeshadows and palettes, and this is the FIRST orange shadow I have ever owned!Orange is a very "IN " color this year, for eyes and for lips.You should look at some of the tutorials on youtube for this one- it is amazing all the looks people have come up with for this one!!I can't wait to play around with it and see what I can do with this one! I will be sure to post any good looks I come up with!

"Spoiled Brat"

Even though this one only has three colors, they are so

beautiful!!The lid color is a super bright (MATTE)fushcia and very pigmented,the crease color is a black with silver sparkles, and the browbone color is a very pigmented silver(use that one sparingly!) I bought it because of the fushcia color- I have been looking for a dark pink shadow for a while. and this is perfect!!

There are so many more palettes that Wet N Wild have that I want to get, but this is all I have for now.If it has been awhile since you used the WNW brand, you really should give them another try! Their shadows are all super silky and have wonderful pigmentation!And recently they have been coming out with some fantastic colors!! You can't beat the price, even if you have to buy them at retail. (You can find alot of them on Amazon.com and Drugstore.com)

~amber

Drugstore Dupe of the Week

NARS Orgasm vs NYX PInched


NARS Orgasm Blush retails for $30. NYX Pinched Blush retails for $5. Worth the difference?? You be the judge!!

*Bonus*( MAC )drugstore dupes

  Yes ladies, It is time once again to learn how to look like you spent a bunch of $$$$ to look pretty, when you really haven't. Sometimes,(most of the time) all you are really paying for is the name or the fancy packaging. For every high-end overpriced makeup item out there, there is a drugstore dupe that looks just as fabulous! These weekly posts are my way of helping you to do just that!! So read on, then head on out to Wal-mart (or wherever)!! :-)

Today I am doing more than one , because "MAC", one of the most expensive cosmetic companies out there, has soo many dupes..I figure I may as well throw a few of them into this post for you!..(well, it's more than a "few"..)..today, you get 4 MAC Dupes!!

Happy Monday, Ladies!! :-)


MAC PAINT POTS/MAYBELLINE EYE STUDIO METAL COLOR TATTOO

MAC Paint Pot in" Bare Study" & Maybelline EYE Studio Metal Color Tattoo in" Barely Branded"

MAC FLUIDLINE/MAYBELLINE GEL EYELINER

MAC Fluidline in "Blacktrack" & Maybelline Gel Eyeliner in "black"

MAC CREMEBLEND BLUSH/NYX CREAM BLUSH

MAC Cremeblend Blush in "Ladyblush" & NYX Cream Blush in "Natural"

MAC EYESHADOW/L'OREAL INFALLIBLE EYESHADOW

Mac Eyeshadow in "Satin Taupe" & L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in "Bronzed Taupe"

Drugstore Dupes

   Urban Decay Naked Palette vs. We N Wild Naked Awakening

Urban Decay Palette is $54, Wet N Wild Nude Awakening is $4.99. With UD 
you get 12 eyeshadow, with Wet N Wild you only get 8, but considering the difference in price, personally I could live without the 4 shadows!! Wet N Wild shadows are highly pigmented, but I recommend using a primer just so the shadow stays on longer!( I use primer with any eyeshadow!)..
Now, let's compare these shadows to see just how similar they are..I don;t think the decision of which one to buy will be a difficult one !!

Crease/Gunmetal,Definer/Creep,Eyelid/Toasted

Browbone/Virgin,Eyelid/Sidecar,Crease/Buck,Definer/Darkhorse

Wet N Wild Swatches

Urban Decay Naked Swatches