As women, we’re surrounded by media constantly telling us that we need the newest mascara or Revlon lipstick. From trials and tribulations, we’ve been warned that drug store makeup is often lower in quality than the ones in beautiful packaging at Sephora.
That being said, makeup from Sephora, MAC and department stores cost a pretty penny for just one item. Luckily, makeup bloggers, vloggers and makeup fans strive to help find good alternatives for beauty enthusiasts – especially college students who can’t splurge $18 on a lipstick Kylie Jenner wears. Honestly who wants to spend $40 on a product that looks the same as one that costs $8?
Notorious MAC Lipstick dupe
The most notorious MAC Lipstick dupes are surpringly the boldest, most pigmented, and popular colors. For instance, Mac’s Rebel ($16) has been sworn off by bloggers for Wet n Wild’s Sugar Plum Fairy ($3). In a side-by-side comparison, the midtone berry shade with a satin finish look practically the same.
Another popular dupe color is MAC’s Ruby Woo ($16) a beautiful matte red that looks incredible on just about any skin tone. In a 10 swatch comparison test the color that most closely resembles Ruby Woo is Revlon’s Certainly Red ($7.19), or my vote for NYX’s Chic Red ($4).
For the mauve lip and Kylie Jenner enthusiasts, Mac’s Velvet Teddy ($16) or Faux ($16) are what she’s rumored to wear. On the other hand, what looks good on KJ may not fit your skin tone.
“There really are loads of options depending on your preference for undertone, finish and price point,” blogger Annebeth at The Styling Duchman said.
She suggests Rimmel London x Kate Moss 03 and 08 ($5.49), and Essence’s Barely There ($2.99). Personally I think Essence is a pretty close swatch, but NYX and Revlon also give MAC a run for their money with NYX’s Perfect ($4) and Revlon’s Muave it Over ($1.97).
Naked dupe
It’s pretty safe to say that if you don’t have an Urban Decay Naked palette, you certainly wouldn’t mind receiving one. Nevertheless, these palettes are $54 a piece and with a Naked, Naked 2, Naked 3 and a Naked 4 most likely on the way, these palettes can add up.
Whenever I look at friends palettes, I notice that they wear down one or two eye shadows from the palette leaving the rest of the colors untouched for the most part. If you crave the “Naked” eye look try, investing in a few MAC eyeshadows instead of buying the whole palette.
If you can’t bear to not have all the options, W7’s In The Buff Natural Nude Eyes Colour Palette is around $18 on Amazon. This palette is a favored alternative in the beauty community as an uncontested alternative to the Naked palette. These shadows have reviews slathered in comments like, ‘Buttery, blendable and pigmented” which are all the prerequisites for a good palette.
Be warned that not all dupes are created equal. If you’ve tried a MAC lipstick at a counter and loved every aspect of it, I urge you to buy it – I guarantee the dupe will most likely not look or feel as nice as the original. Yet, there are still some very good alternatives that might be worth jumping ship.
Often times expensive lipsticks or products are expensive for a reason. They have better quality ingredients and overall just a better application and pigmentation. Nothing truly feels better, however, than using a product that is one-tenth cheaper than the original.
Sonia Kumar is a sophomore in apparel, marketing and textiles.
