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! 

SAVE, SPEND, SPLURGE: BRONZER TIME

 Is a MAC bronzer really that much better than a MUA, Bourjois or Rimmel Bronzer? 

We both were sad little children who enjoyed the simple things in life, like racing to the back page of the newspaper just so we could look at the 'save, spend, splurge' article, which compared different clothes and furniture which were similar but hugely different in price. So here's our own, comparing 4 brands of bronzer, with very big price differences. 

SAVE: MUA - Bronzed Perfection
SPEND: Rimmel - Natural Bronzer & Bourjois - Bronzing Powder
SPLURGE: MAC 'Give me Sun' 

SAVE:

First things first, the money saving choice: MUA 'Bronzed Perfection.' 

Price: £3 

 Size:15g

Colour: The bronzer gives a really natural tan colour

Finish: It does contain a very subtle shimmer but you can't really tell when it's applied to the face, so it does appear pretty matte.

Pigmentation: Great pigmentation, you can get a lot of product from just one brush stroke.

Texture: Really smooth to touch

Smell: Very odd smell, maybe slightly plasticy? but this is only when you get up close and personal with it and properly give it a good sniff, so not a real issue. 

Packaging: Pretty sleek looking, however not very durable as the hinge has broken, however it does still close and for £3 I don't find this to be a problem. 
Lasting power: Stays on pretty well, you may need to touch up during the day if you wanted to maintain the intensity of the product, but it seems to last well. 

Expiry date time: The product is said to be good to use for 12 months.

Other: This bronzer does not contain many ingredients, compared to the other more pricey ones. 

SPEND:

Rimmel - Natural Bronzer 022 Sun Bronze

 

Price: £5.59

Size: 14g

Colour: As the name suggests, once again a natural tan colour, very similar to the MUA.

Finish: Very fine shimmer but not very noticeable on the skin, leaves a pretty matte finish.

Pigmentation: Not as good as the MUA or MAC; you do have to keep putting your brush back in to get more product but does build a good colour depth pretty easily.

Texture: Really smooth to touch 

Smell: Not sure how to describe it but it does have a really nice smell to it, like all Rimmel face products.

Packaging: Pretty simple, works well but the fact that the lid comes completely off can be annoying sometimes, especially is you're on the go.

Lasting power: Seems to last well all day, Rimmel claim 10 hours.

Expiry date time: 30 months, there's no way this would last you that long but apparently it would still be going strong!

Other: Contains spf 15 and is waterproof, so perfect for the summer!

Bourjois - Bronzing Powder

  

Price: £6.99

Size: 16.5g (The biggest amount of product out of all the bronzers)

Colour: Natural tan colour, very similar to the others

Finish: Slightly shimmery in the pan but on the face, once again you can't really notice the shimmer, looks more matte.

Pigmentation: Good pigmentation, colour comes out nicely and builds well.

Texture: REALLY smooth and soft to touch, also pretty creamy feeling.

Smell: Gorgeous! Bourjois say it's a chocolate scent but it's more of a vanilla. The smell also lasts, even when you come to the end of the product.

Packaging: I really like this packaging, it's really different looking, sleek, strong and effective as there's no fidly parts like dealing with the lid or the hinge braking.

Lasting power: Good lasting power, stays on all day.

Expiry date time: 18 months, possibly could last this long too! I've had a couple of these and they have taken me ages to get through and I am a bronzer lover, all year round! 

Other: Probably the most attractive. 

SPLURGE:

Finally the most expensive, by far! MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural 'Give me Sun' 

Price: £21.00

Size:10g The smallest of the lot!

Colour: Another natural tan colour, however slightly darker than the others.

Finish: Matte finish, no shimmer.

Pigmentation: AMAZING! A lot of product comes off in each brush stroke, so I like to use the Real Technique duo fibre brushes, (reviewed here), as they allow you to build the colour up more gradually.

Texture: Really smooth and creamy, but I wouldn't say any smoother than the others.

Smell:There is a faint smell to it, neither good or bad and very very subtle, so that you can only smell it if you really try.

Packaging: Feels really sturdy, the lid flips up very easily. Very sleek and professional looking, but you could argue pretty boring compared to the Bourjois bronzer. 

Lasting power: Lasts all day without fail.

Expiry date time: 24 months,the second highest, after the Rimmel bronzer.

 Other:I'm new to MAC so this is just exciting. 

Overall: I am definitely in love with my MAC bronzer, however I will admit, I don't see the huge difference in quality that the price suggests there should be. The MAC bronzer is definitely the most pigmented, so there's the argument that it will last longer as you really don't need as much. I do however love that the Rimmel bronzer has the added spf and waterproof factor, it's also a much more reasonable price. The bourjois wins on packaging and smell and has good pigmentation and lasts forever!! The MUA bronzer is definitely underrated and neglected by me, I'm definitely going to reach for it more often now as it's pretty amazing, especially for £3!! 

Once again, the most expensive splurge item is definitely not hugely, hugely better, I would say that it's the one I'd chose if money wasn't an object, however, the cheaper alternatives do a very good job too at a much more purse friendly price.

 

REVIEW: MUA POWER POUT

These new Power Pout's by Make up Academy are highly underrated! They looked pretty cool, when I originally saw  MUA advertising them, however they never really excited me much, until now.  I will confess that the main reason why I picked these two up was because of Superdrug's 3 for 2 offer, more for the value than the products themselves. I had picked up the Maybelline ' The Eraser concealer' which I previously reviewed 'here'. I know I'm not the only one, but 3 for 2 deals make you think that you really do need 3 products and for some unknown reason I couldn't think of anything else to pick up...No idea what came over me because I normally need want everything in Boots or Superdrug. Anyway, I decided as I wasn't really being drawn to anything, I would pick up these Power Pouts as it would only cost me an extra £3 for the two, which is pretty good.

There are six choices of colours and they are all pretty basic colours which would accommodate every one; nude, coral, pinks, reds, raspberry... I don't think any of them include any shimmer or anything, they are just glossy colour. They really remind me of the Revlon Just bitten kissable lip balm stains, however the MUA one's are under half the price of the Revlon balms. Moreover, they have the same texture and minty scent to them. The balms contain a treatment which is supposed to moisturise the lips, which I would agree with as the balms are very moisturising and smooth on the lips. These would be really great for on the go as you do not need to apply with much precision due to them being so creamy.

The silver part at the bottom of the balm is a roll up device which makes the lip balm stick increase when more is needed, so no need for annoying sharpeners! The pigmentation is really amazing and you really do not need hardly any product as it is also very creamy so the colour comes out really well and gives a slightly natural gloss sheen to the lips. I think that the Power Pouts would last a very long time, as you get a lot of product and not much is needed for each application. Initially I wasn't too intrigued as MUA's photos of the Power Pouts didn't seem to give much colour to the lips, or much difference between the shades, however this really isn't the case. Each Power Pout gives a very different and great colour pay off.   

The only reason why I would chose the Revlon balms over the MUA Power Pouts is that the Revlon ones come in 12 different shades, so there is more colour choice however, MUA do have a good colour selection and in every other aspect MUA are just as good and if not better for only £3. 

colour - Rendezvous 

I was very surprised by the colour of Rendezvous, as the packaging is a nude beige colour, however as you can see the balm comes out a pretty light pink colour. This personally did not bother me as it's a really nice colour and I only picked them up on the rush anyway, but it is something to be aware of as for a few of the Power Pouts, the outside colour isn't a true representation of the balm colour. 

 Have you tried any of the new MUA Power Pouts?

Colour - Runway

SAVE vs SPLURGE PRIMER TIME

MUA -  Matte Perfect vs. Benefit - The Porefessional

L-R:MUA Primer(SAVE) vs. Benefit primer(SPLURGE)- (Tester size)

It's the age old question; do we need to spend more to get better quality beauty products, or do the cheaper brands work just as well and we're simply just paying for the higher end name?

The prices of these primers couldn't be much further apart with MUA's at only £4 and Benefit's at a shocking £24.50! MUA's primer has 15ml of product and although Benefit's primer does contain  slightly more product at 22ml, this definitely does not justify its much greater price tag. 

The MUA primer is described by MUA as a product to make the skin look smooth and flawless, while controlling oil and reducing shine. It minimises the look of pores and other minor imperfections to create an even canvas for make up application. 



The Benefit primer is said to be the UK's number one selling primer! Benefit say it quickly minimises the appearance of pores & fine lines for smoother than smooth skin.

So Which one is better? 

 The texture of both primers is almost identical; both are fairly thick but lightweight, which is nice as it actually feels like you're putting something on your skin that will actually do something, rather than the primers that purely feel just like moisturisers.  Both feel very velvety smooth on the skin and give a great base for make up. Also they both do a pretty good job at minimises pores and fine lines. Overall, we honestly cannot tell the difference between the two primers once on the skin. They look the same, feel the same, seem to do the same thing and make up applies the same over both of them. The only difference is that the Benefit Porefessional has a nice subtle smell to it, whereas the MUA one doesn't smell at all. Further, the Benefit primer claims to have Vitamin E derivative, known to protect skin from free radicals. However, just by wearing the primer there is not much proof of how good this claim is.

 The MUA primer is suppossed to control oil, we haven't really noticed any difference but for £4 we would definitely pick up the MUA primer over Benefit's, as it is so much cheaper and is so close to being an identical match. 

Outcome: MUA's save wins!! 

Have you tried either of the primers? 

You can purchase MUA's primer in Superdrug stores or online, or if you're feeling frivolous you can get Benefit's online from their website.