dupes

Too Faced Natural Nudes VS. Maybelline Nudes of New York

When Too Faced released their (yet another) version of a nude eyeshadow palette called Natural Nudes in January 2020, so did Maybelline with a drugstore dupe that released in the same month. Since makeup products take at least 6-8 months to create, formulate, and begin production, it’s highly suspicious that such similar palettes released in the same month. Who knows who was snooping on who!

Interesting to note, both brands describe their palette as “made for universal shades and complexions“. Both have 16 shades with a good range of mattes and shimmers.

The Too Faced palette is said to be infused with coconut water, alpine rose & hualuronic acid, which gives it a slight sweet scent and softer blendability. Whereas the Maybelline palette is a tad drier, with key ingridients being Talc, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride & Zinc Stearate.

Well, I tested them both out for myself and I can say that they’re VERY similar in pigmentation and wearability. Of course, use a good eyeshadow primer to prolong the wear of any eyeshadow. Shimmer shades can be amplified by spraying the brush with the product with a setting spray (MAC’s Fix Plus is the best for this step) before applying onto the eye.

See my post about BEST eyeshadow primers

Purchase Maybelline Nudes Of New York eyeshadow palette
Purchase Too Faced Natural Nudes eyeshadow palette

Have you tried either of these palettes? What do you think of the fact that they released during the same month with an identical concept? Let me know all your thoughts in the comments below!

Advertisement

Drugstore Dupes for Tarte Shape Tape Concealer

  • Covergirl Trublend Undercover Concealer – Conceal, shape and brighten with this new full coverage concealer. The large, fluffy doe applicator ensures an easy, even application and the velvety, smooth formula leaves behind a matte finish that lasts all day. With 30 shades that match 99% of skin tones, it’s easy to find your perfect hue.
  • Rimmel Stay Matte Concealer – This soft-matte concealer has a slightly creamier texture compared to Shape Tape’s drier formula, so naturally, it’s a winner for concealing undereye discoloration without settling into fine lines or looking dry. But this budge-proof and shine-controlling concealer still lives up to its long-wearing promises. Once it sets down, this product stays in place the majority of the day and it won’t smear or fade—even through a sweaty spin class.
  • L’Oreal Infallible Full Wear Concealer – This drugstore drop is another almost-identical dupe, from its extra-large doe to the formula. Like most of their complexion products in the Infallible line, this matte concealer-contour cream hybrid also lives up to its long-wearing claims. However, because we don’t sleep in our makeup (a beauty no-no), we can’t attest to a 24 hour wear time. It does, however, hold beautifully for a solid 10-12 hours.
  • ELF 16 Hour Camo Concealer – This full-coverage concealer is probably the closest dupe to the Shape Tape and it’s only $5. It only launched last year and has already achieved an impressive fan following. It’s formulated with a similarly lightweight matte formula and pigment-rich full coverage finish that doesn’t look heavy under the eyes.
  • Makeup Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer (not shown but used up!) – This beauty guru-approved concealer was one of the first products touting a nearly identical formula to Shape Tape’s, going viral in the beauty sphere after its initial launch. Similar to the Shape Tape, Revolution’s concealer is highly pigmented and matte so you can attain full coverage without having to build up a ton of product and avoid the dreaded cakey effect from multiple layers.

Do you use any of these concealers? What are your other favourites? Let me know in the comments below!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Palettes Dupes

With Urban Decay expanding their Naked eyeshadow palette line at an increasingly high speed, the collectors mentality comes to a halt for many beauty lovers. With the release of Naked Cherry and Naked Heat, drugstore brands Makeup Revolution and Rimmel London lost no time in making affordable quality dupes for those palettes. I’m still waiting for them to dupe the Naked Honey!

Here is the Naked Cherry and Makeup Revolution & Rimmel London dupes:

Here is the Naked Heat and Makeup Revolution & Rimmel London dupes:

Formula comparison: Makeup Revolution eyeshadows are slightly more pigmented and blendable, but do have quite a bit of fallout so tap off the excess from the brush before applying and do your eye makeup first. The Rimmel London eyeshadow formula is less pigmented, but allows for color buildup with less fallout.

Have you tried these palettes? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

BeautyBlender Alternatives

By now we’ve all heard of THE Beauty Blender – the magic sponge for flawless makeup. Since it came out in 2007 (13 years ago) there definitely appeared many alternatives at competitive prices.

Some of my personal favourites are:

– EcoTools Total Perfecting Blender $4.99
– Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge $5.99
– E.L.F. Cosmetics Makeup Sponges $5.00-$10.00
– Juno & Co Microfiber Fusion Sponge $6.00

– Morphe Sponges (individuals and sets) $6.00-$16.00
– Japonesque Kumadori Beauty Sponge $9.00
– NYX Cosmetics Flawless Finish Blending Sponge $10.00

– L’Oreal Blending Sponges $11.00-$13.00
– Sephora Collection Sponges $19.00
– Fenty Beauty Precision Makeup Sponge $22.00

Of course there is a myriad of textures, colors, functions, etc. Please consider your personal needs and online reviews if you’re unsure whether it’ll be right for you. And if it’s not – on to the next one! Sponges should be replaced around every 3 months, due to product buildup and bacteria. As well, please wash your sponges after every single use.

What are your favourite makeup sponges? Do you use them or brushes alone? Let me know in the comments below!