Spinster PSA: Lipstick Dupes
I have two favorite lipsticks. One is Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine in #54 Boy, and the other is Nars's Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien. I love everything about them - the texture, the color, and in the case of Rouge Coco Shine, even the smell. In most cases, if something is a l little pricey but you use it a lot, it's worth the money. Where cosmetics are concerned, though, that just means you'll be spending more money more often. To date, I have absolutely used up four tubes of Rouge Coco Shine and at least two Chanel eyeshadow pallets. That may not seem like a lot, since I think that's been over the span of about four or five years, but I don't know...I started wondering if there was a better option.
So, I did a little research. Since I'm not a beauty blogger, I won't show you photos of my lips or color swatches on my arm. For that, I'll direct you to the posts where I found the suggested dupes. And for my own brand of visual stimulus, you can watch the above time lapse sketching video. It's 30 seconds long, so I think you have time.
Ok, so for Chanel's Boy, you'll pay around $35 a tube. the cheaper version, according to Bloomin' Beauty Blog, is Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait. You can find it anywhere, and as you cans see, it's much more affordable than the Chanel version. So, I bought this one, and since Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine is the lipstick I always carry in my purse, I opened the new lipstick when I got out of the store.
The color for this one is pretty close, and it has that little bit of shimmer like the Chanel version. The application feels a little thicker, though, and the smell is different. Chanel lipsticks generally smell like roses, and while some people think that's a little old-ladyish, I quite like it. The Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter smells like vanilla which doesn't strike my fancy nearly as much. In fact, I'd consider it a detriment to this product. The other downside is that the packaging doesn't feel as sophisticated as the black-and-gold Chanel tube. It's cute, not fancy. But alas, I bought this on at a drugstore. On the whole, I'd say this is a good product. It's not quite as smooth as Chanel, but it looks like it, and like the Chanel version, you don't end up with dry lips. So, I say go for it!
For the Nars Rikugien Dupe, blogger Jules Darling suggests Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in Blushing Mauve. Now, you'll note that the Nars version is a lip crayon, and the Revlon version is a lipstick. I have to say that this seems like a bit of an upgrade with the Revlon. While I do like the precision the lip crayon offers, I do not like the mess it creates when I sharpen it. Sharpening something the texture of lipstick, even if you do it over the trash can, always leaves residue on your hands and on your counter. It seems unavoidable. The color on this lipstick seems only slightly brighter than the lip crayon, and it doesn't feel as light as the crayon. However, the color is really nice, and I think this is a good option for less money. Bonus: It does have a black-and-gold tube. Plus, if you like a little more color than Chanel's #54 offers, this could be for you!
So, those are my lipstick dupes. I also purchased a NYX lipstick that I thought would be the same color as Boy, but unfortunately it was completely opaque and the same color as my face. So, that was a bust. Don't worry about that one.
Bonus round! (This is not about lipstick)
A couple months ago, I had used up three out of the four colors in my Chanel eyeshadow palette. I was limping along with the other random eyeshadows I had in my makeup collection, but there was a reason those weren't the first-string colors. In Marshall's one day, out of necessity, I was looking for some sort of mascara and eyeshadow combo (basically, I had scheduled myself too tight and needed to do eye makeup in the car), and I happened upon the e.l.f. Everyday Glow Kit on sale for maybe $4. The eyeliner was OK, the mascara wasn't great, but that eyeshadow is amazing. Drugstore.com sells the eyeshadow palette for $4 by itself, and I think you can find it at most CVS and Walgreens. The colors are high in pigment, and there's a little shimmer. It actually reminds me of the three colors I used the most in my Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick back in college. So, I say try out the e.l.f. baked eyeshadow compact. If you don't like it, well, it was probably only $4. So...you can't hate me too much.
All right. That's all for the beauty PSA. Happy Tuesday!
