dupe Archives - Irish Beauty Blog Beautynook

Pixi Liquid Fairy Lights Cream Eyeshadows

Pixi is a brand I know quite a lot about, but I’ve never really used much of their products. The brand has only been available here in Marks and Spencer, and any time I went to have a look, nothing really stood out for me. The Glow Tonic is a staple in my skincare though. (I did a really old blogpost on it here, if you want to know more). I was super lucky to meet with the PR for Pixi Beauty a little while back. They let me swatch lots of their new releases, and I was honestly so impressed! I got to bring some home to play with, including three of the new Pixi Liquid Fairy Lights Cream Eyeshadows.

They are a cream eyeshadow with flecks of glitter running through them. There’s five shades of these to choose from in total including a gold and a rose gold, which I will be needing in my life.

The shades I have to show you are:

Bare Brilliance which is a shimmering taupe.

Passion Light, this is a coppery shade with sparkles.

And the third one is Crystalline. This is a white silvery shade with multi coloured sparkle running through it.

They come in a plastic tube, with a doe foot applicator and contain 5 mls of product.

There’s is lots of talk online about the Pixi Liquid Fairy Lights Cream Eyeshadows being dupes for the Stila Magnificent Metal Eyeshadows. Having tried both, I completely agree with that statement. They range in pigment opacity depending on the shade and are a choc full of sparkle, much like the Stila offering.

For me, they work best over a cream or shadow base as you would really need to build up the product for full on colour, and that can be potentially super messy as they are cream shadows. I usually apply them from the doe foot applicator to my finger or a brush and press it on the lid. I find there’s minimal fall out that way and you can disperse the glitter better by patting it down.

Overall, I am a big fan of the Pixi Liquid Fairy Lights Cream Eyeshadow. They are comparable to Stila and depending on where you buy them, are around a tenner cheaper! I found them online for the lowest price here. Have you tried them?

xxx

PR SAMPLE

February 20, 2018/2 Comments/by Gem

October Favourites 2017

A fresh month means a fresh start…..and monthly favourites 🙂 In this post and video we are delving into my October Favourites.

October Favourites for this year consist of all beauty products with one fashion fave! It’s been a bit of a pain in the arse of a month, I won’t lie. So I am very happy to see the end of it. Also, Halloween isn’t my favourite time of the year. Banger scare the bejesus outta me. I spent Halloween night cleaning up dog pee. Poor Rosie doesn’t like them either. I’m sure she is happy to see November come too 🙂

As always I’ll list all the products I mention and link what I can.

Missguided Babe Powder EDP. I found is cheapest from Cara Pharmacy here.
The perfume I am comparing it too is the Dior Poison Elixir. This is a really old perfume, actually I didn’t realise how old it it! I don’t actually use this bottle, I just kept it cos’ it’s fancy 🙂 I can’t seem to find it for sale online anymore. Brown Thomas have an eau de toilette version here.
I speak about the L’Occitane Shower Oil next. I have this link in my haul video here.
Barry M Liquid Chrome Highlighter Drops. I did a whole blogpost with swatches on these here.
Elf Mineral Primer. You can get your hands on this in Penneys. It seems to be the cheapest online in the EU from Superdrug here.
The Too Faced Hangover 3 in 1 Replenishing Primer And Setting Spray. Yes that is a mouthful 🙂 You can buy it from the Debenhams website here.
And then my last October favourite for this year is some very loud ankle boots from Penneys. I make no apologies, I love them 🙂

And there you have all my October favourites in a nutshell. Be sure to let me know what has been floating your boat. It definitely doesn’t have to be beauty or fashion related, I dabble in other subjects too. Be sure to click on the video above to hear me to more about everything. Or go directly to my YouTube channel here.

Thank you, as always.

Gemma xxx

CONTAINS PR SAMPLES**

November 3, 2017/by Gem

Bargain Buying, Makeup, Product Comparison

Mac Teddy Eye Kohl Dupe?

I do not use the word dupe lightly, in fact I rarely use it! ‘Tis a big statement. And I’m still dubious in my use of it here, but sure didn’t I have to get you to click, and I promise this Mac Teddy Eye Kohl ‘dupe’ is bloody good 🙂

I actually own the alternative much longer than I own Mac Teddy Eye Kohl. But I know how much it is beloved in the makeup world.

It’s a medium, warm bronzed brown eye kohl with flecks of shimmer going through it.

You can really build up the colour across the lash line, or it is really nice smudged out on the lid for a more bronzed effect. It’s available from all Mac Cosmetics retailers and from the Brown Thomas website here. It will set you back €18.00.

So onto my alternative! You’ve actually probably heard me talk about this before. I actually used it in my Urban Decay Heat video here.

It’s the H&M Colour Essence Eye Pencil in Raw Umber.

I got this after I saw Anna from The Anna Edit chatting about it. Like Teddy it’s a medium brown kohl with flecks of gold shimmer running through it. You can buy it in store or on the H&M website here. It’s actually on sale at the moment for £1.99. They’re usually €4.99 in store I believe.

I was just playing with my makeup randomly. Yes, I do this, no it’s not weird. It’s a past time and I enjoy it 🙂 I happened to swatch all the pencils I had in my reach for a closer look, still not weird! Mac Teddy Eye Kohl and H&M Raw Umber happened to end up side by side on my hand and I noticed that that they are super similar.

Now, the reason I don’t use the word dupe willy nilly is because it’s rare that products are exactly the same and that’s what I feel that word is reserved for. Teddy is drier in formula and has less sparkle to it. As a result it is more precise. Raw Umber is much creamier in texture and has more sparkle running through it. It also sets better and on me lasts longer on the skin. They’re both really similar in tone though and give a very similar look applied on the eyes.

You can see here the two swatches side by side after I let them set and then swiped across them with my finger. Teddy definitely did the worst out of the two.

For me I prefer a softer texture when it comes to eye kohls as I don’t like to tug on the skin. So if I had to choose between them, I think Raw Umber would be for me. Complete personal preference though, they are both lovely.

Have you tried either of them?

xxx

August 23, 2017/1 Comment/by Gem

Makeup, Product Comparison

YSL Touche Eclat Vs W7 Concealer

I’ve seen this comparison being made a few times online, so I had to investigate it myself! Today I am comparing (and contrasting) the cult beauty product that is the YSL Touche Eclat to the purse friendly W7 Light Diffusing Concealer.

I will say, when it comes to the word ‘dupe’, I am very reluctant to ever use it, and in this comparison it will not be muttered again, because in my humble opinion, these products are not the same!

Just in case, you haven’t encountered either of these products throughout your makeup journey yet, I’ll give you a quick synopsis of both.

We’ll start by talking about the YSL Touche Eclat. It comes in encased it the well known sleek metal plated gold packaging.

Mine says ‘no need to sleep’ on it. They brought out some slogan collectors edition ones not too long ago. They’ve also since released colour correction variations of the YSL Touche Eclat. What I have here is just the original highlighter in number 1.

You click the top to release the product into the brush.

The YSL Touche Eclat is a skin highlighter. It’s not a concealer, although I know alot of people use it for this purpose, as it does have some coverage to it. It does have a salmon hue to it aswell so can work to help brighten under the eyes. It has a creamy really blend-able texture. For me and my skin tone, it doesn’t do much highlighting unfortunately, I can get away with it a little under my eyes. Overall, it’s a really unnecessary purchase (that I’ve made about 5 times in my lifetime) because everyone loves it so much, I want to aswell 🙂

On to the W7 Light Diffusing Concealer.

This product does claim to be a concealer.It comes is a similar looking to the YSL Touche Eclat (from afar) plastic pen.

You twist the top of the pen to get the product out onto the brush, again similar to the YSL.

For me, this is where the comparison ends. The product itself,to me, is just crap. It doesn’t have any major coverage, doesn’t really conceal and can come out of the pen in little hardened balls which makes it hard to blend into the skin.

Here’s both pens swatched side by side. The YSL Touche Eclat is on the left and the W7 Light Diffusing Concealer is on the right. The YSL is more peachy toned and the W7 pen is definitely a more suited colour for highlighting for lighter skinned people like myself.

Here’s both products in action.

My eyes with nothing underneath

I buffed both of them in with the same Real Techniques Brush

The W7 concealer is here on my right eye

Close up, I can’t seen any major difference between either eye, except there is a build up of product on the side of nose where I applied the concealer.

Onto the YSL Touche Eclat.

I applied it in the same way

The W7 Concealer is on my right and the YSL Touche Eclat on my left.

I personally think the YSL Touche Eclat does a better job at concealing even though it’s not actually formulated as a concealer. The W7 Light Diffusing Concealer just doesn’t nothing really.

There is a pretty huge price difference between both of these products. The YSL Touche Eclat will set you back €35, you can get it from Debenhams online here And the the W7 Light Diffusing Concealer will set you back around 5/6 euro depending on where you pick it up. I can’t find a direct Irish stockist link to it, but here it is on the W7 website.

What do you think, would you pick up either? Are you a YSL Touche Eclat advocate?

xxx

July 6, 2016/1 Comment/by Gem

Makeup

Maybelline The Blushed Nudes

This is the first time I’ve picked something up because I was asked so many times had I tried it before and what did I think about it. It’s a nice feeling 🙂 So we are talking here about the new (here in Ireland) Maybelline The Blushed Nudes Palette.

I’ve been talking about Maybelline alot of late, just because they’re really consistent with releases at the moment. Some of the releases I am liking, some are a little meh!

Within the Maybelline The Blush Nudes Palette you get 12 eyeshadows with the palettes total weight at 9.6 grams.

Without Flash

With Flash

The packaging is alright, just your basic plastic encasing. The colour does compliment the name and the shades. It has a clear lid so you see the shadows within it, and you get a dual ended applicator too.

Maybelline say of the palette: ‘This 12-shade eye shadow palette features dazzling colors infused with rose gold pigments. From bold beiges and sultry sands to brazen bronzes and tempting taupes, this makeup palette is perfect for creating versatile eye makeup looks‘.

The colours within are what you would imagine, complimenting blushed tones. All of them but one is shimmery. It is being compared to the Urban Decay Naked 3 online alot and I can understand why looking at it in the pan, although the one that was launched in America seems a little different to the palette we’ve finally gotten across the pond here.

Onto the swatching 🙂

Top Layer

Bottom Layer

The colours swatched well on my arm, but for me the shades don’t really vary alot when it comes to applying them on your eyes. I think any look you do with this palette is going to look very similar. For me, I would have to incorporate another, maybe brown tone palette (with a couple of mattes) into the look.

I can’t say I would call it a dupe for the Naked 3 really either. The shadow quality is definitely not as good as Urban Decay and you have to work harder with them to build up the intensity of the colour. What I will say though, if you want to get the same tonal eyeshadow look without forking out for the Naked 3, you can do so with The Blushed Nudes, it just might take a little longer.

I used the lightest shade here on my brow bone and inner corner, the matte shade in the crease, the last colour on the top row on my lid (and on the lower lash line),with a bit of the golden shade (the first on the bottom row) on top of it here, to show you some of them in action. The colours do blend and they are pigmented, although there is alot of fallout. However, you can probably see for yourself here, there is no real differentiation of colour after you blend them into each other.

You can pick up the Maybelline The Blushed Nudes Palette in-store from Boots or online here. It costs €14.99.

xxx

July 3, 2016/by Gem

Makeup

Nyx Micro Brow Pencil

I had seen the Nyx Micro Brow Pencil when Nyx first released them all over social media. I was still using my Soap & Glory Archery pencil and was happy with it and although we now have Nyx stands in Ireland, we rarely get the new releases in store, so I couldn’t see it in the flesh. Then, I saw Sinead from The Beautiful Truth raving about it and had fomo, so I ended up picking it up.

And may I add, I am so glad that I did.

I’ve done the Anastasia Brow Wiz in the past. It’s a great pencil, but the damn thing just kept breaking on me. I think I lost probably half of the pencil to the floor. They’re not cheap, so that wasn’t ideal. I then discovered the Soap & Glory Archery Pencil, a very similar looking pencil. I love it, but it only comes in three shades.

The Nyx Micro Brow Pencil is super similar to both of these.

One one end is a spooley which is always appreciated.

Then, the other end contains the retractable brow pencil.

The pencil itself has a really fine nib.

I like my brow pencil to have a bit of hardness to it, so you can draw onto the skin without it crumbling and so you have control over what you are doing.

I have the shade ‘Ash Brown’. I did some googling and looked at some swatches beforehand and I got lucky, it works really well for me. I would deem it a neutral brown so no red or warmness to it.

You can buy Nyx online from Boots here and they have 8 shades to choose from. I ordered my Nyx Micro Brow Pencil from Asos here. They have 7 shades and I got free shipping because I ordered a few other things aswell.

The Nyx Micro Pencil definitely ticks all of them boxes for me. I have been using this for a good solid month now and the pencil has yet to break, it’s pigmented and easy to apply. It works really well for days where you just want to do the bare minimum to your brows or when you really want to beef them up.

So here it is in action:

My Brow With No Product

I Comb Through With The Spooley Before Application

I always hold my brow pencil with a loose grip and quite far back to get a lighter application.

Before

After

My brows are quite frankly a pain in the arse. I try in vein for a little symmetry and I rarely get it. I find with the Nyx Micro Brow Pencil, it’s a little easier to achieve some sort of brow shape that doesn’t make me want to cry. That alone is worth a tenner in my book 🙂

The formula does set, but you get a little play time beforehand. For some reason I get super oily around my brow area so I would usually then set the pencil with powder which I still do most of them time. But I have used the Nyx Micro Brow Pencil on it’s own to test it out throughout the day and it lasted really well on me. No smudging or oxidizing.

I think it’s safe to say I’m a big fan and now that we are getting our own Boots Nyx stand in Liffey Valley (opening the 4th of August apparently), hopefully we’ll be able to buy in store very soon too. Wohoo!!

xxx

June 22, 2016/by Gem

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