SAVE, SPEND, SPLURGE | MAC LUSTERING LIPSTICK DUPES

A couple of months ago, Debenhams had a 10% offer on all of their beauty products, which included MAC Cosmetics and as a new MAC addict I couldn't resist ordering a few things... I pondered over which shades of lipstick to get, as I was relying on online swatches, that all seemed to look different, therefore it's not the easiest way to pick lipstick. I chose Vegas Volt (reviewed and swatched here) and Lustering. I really wanted a nice bright but wearable pink and Lustering seemed a good choice. 

When I first tried Lustering, I really liked the colour, so I was pleased with my choice. However, after wearing it a couple more times and also wearing Revlon's Lip Butter in Sorbet, in between, I realised that they are nearly identical! Now, this is a good realisation for those who don't want to fork out on a MAC lipstick as they are pretty pricey! However, this is pretty annoying for me, as out of the 100's of exciting colours that I could have chosen, I chose one which I pretty much already own! 

Left-Right, MUA Shade 3, Revlon Lip Butter Sorbet, MAC Lustering

Dupe #1 MUA Shade 3 Lipstick - £1!

Even more annoying is the fact that I also own ANOTHER lipstick that is very similar and so much cheaper! MUA shade 3 looks a very similar colour in the stick, however, it is quite a bit darker on the lips and has more of a matte finish than the Revlon Lip Butter and MAC Lustering. However, for £1, you are getting a good lipstick of a very similar colour shade! I would probably use this lipstick to top up Lustering and carry it around with me on a night out, as I would much rather risk losing a £1 lipstick, that wont break the bank to replace, than a £15 one! 

Dupe #2 Revlon Lip Butter Sorbet - £7.99

As the Revlon Lip Butter is the closet Dupe to MAC Lustering, I'll be focusing on only those two for the rest of this post. 

The colours are very true to how they are shown in the photographs. I would describe both as quite bright but darker toned pinks, that are very wearable and would look great on the majority, if not all skin tones. Not only are the colours very similar in the stick and on the lips, the texture is also nearly identical. When I first applied MAC's Lustering, I was quite surprised how different the texture seemed than the other lipsticks that I own. I now realise that it's due to it's lustre finish which means it is more sheer and gives a wet-look glossy finish. Similarly, the Revlon Lip Butters give a very similar finish. Although both lip products can be applied sheer, you definitely don't need to apply much more for a much fuller and darker colour, which I really like. Both apply really smoothly and so easily onto the lips. They also last really well and I don't find either of them drying at all. You do need to reapply after a few hours, to bring back the intensity in the colour, however, they do slightly stain the lip so the hint of colour remains on the lips for a very long time, even if you do not reapply. 

 As you can see both the Revlon and MAC lipsticks look identical on the lips. I do think MAC's Lustering does have slighlty more pigmentation and I do think you get more product from MAC lipsticks than the Lip Butters, however for the price difference(Revlon = £7.99 & MAC = £15), I would definitely go for the Revlon Lip Butter for a nearly identical dupe, if you don't want to splurge on MAC. The MUA lipstick is a close match however not as exact, but definitely worth trying out for only £1!