Sample Rundown #8 + Duping a Highlighter? Maybe?

We're back for 2016, and we're back with another edition of Sample Rundown! This particular rundown is going to feature a mixture of Korean and western beauty, makeup and skincare, "this is pretty sweet shit" and "why the Hell would you pay that much for this nonsense?" Also, there will be a "is this a dupe?" swatch comparison at the end, because this is my blog and I do what I want. ONWARD!

Skinfood Royal Honey Eye Cream -- This is a creamy, smooth eye cream with a bit of a gel texture. It provides light moisture and a hint of glow, and the formula feels weightless under the eyes, so it should work well for people with normal, slightly dry, or slightly oily skin who want a basic eye cream. With that said, it's also a tad sticky, so I wouldn't recommend it for under makeup. This made me break out, unfortunately, but I really did like the texture and how a little goes a long way. Purchase directly from a reputable Korean seller, like RoseRoseShop.com, unless you want to deal with major price gouging.

Clarins Super Restorative Night Cream -- Sweet God, can you believe that this things costs over $100 retail?! This cream feels thick and rich on your fingers, but when you actually rub it in to your skin, it provides only moderate hydration. It's also lacking in the kind of active ingredients and antioxidants that would make the price seem reasonable; in fact, the formula is extremely basic. Overpriced and did little for my dry skin.

 Wearing the Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint and ELF Shimmering Facial Whip.

Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint in PK001 Pink -- A soft, semi-sheer lip tint that applies smoothly and easily. Out the tube (packet?), this product looks and smells like strawberry milk. It's less pastel on the lips, however, and is very wearable. Just make sure you don't smear your lips together for a good minute, or it'll all settle in the center of your mouth. I'm torn on this one: I like how it looks on the lips and how easy it is to apply, but it's a smidge drying and it doesn't last as long as other stains. Maybe I'll grab a full tube if I can get it for the right price.

Too Cool For School Pumpkin Sleeping Pack -- Korean sleeping packs come in a range of formulas, but in my experience, most are like a moisturizer and a mask having a baby. The popular TCFS Pumpkin Sleeping Pack doesn't smell a thing like pumpkins--it actually has a bit of a sweet, floral fragrance--but it does have a light, smooth texture and a clear color going for it; this means it won't feel heavy or look creepy on your face. I wear a thin layer of this over most of my face (I skip my nose), let it sink in for 10 minutes, then go to sleep. The next day, I wake up and my skin is slightly more moisturized and quite soft. Makeup applies a bit better after I use this as well. The results are not dramatic, though, so I think I'll use up my sample sachets before deciding whether or not I want a full size.

Guerlain Maxi Lash So Volume! mascara -- Most high-end mascaras strike me as "meh" for the price, and this one is no different. While it claims to be a volumizing mascara, I found that it gave me only a little volume. I definitely got a lot of length from it, though, which may be due to the rubberized wand bristles. It was easy to remove at the end of the night, which is a bonus, but it flaked a good bit throughout the day. Definitely not worth purchasing a full size, in my opinion.

Now I want to talk about a supposed dupe that's been mentioned in the rumor mill! A few people mentioned that the ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Spotlight is a dupe for the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Pearl, and one of my acquaintances mentioned that Spotlight replaced their MAC Cream Color Base in Luna. I own all three products, so I figured I'd test them out and do some swatching.

The above swatches are Becca on the left, ELF in the middle, MAC on the right. As you can hopefully see, Luna has a more opaque white base than the other two, and Pearl has the most refined Shimmer. Spotlight will certainly give you a glow--see the full face picture above--but I would not say it's comparable to these two at all. It's heavily fragranced, a bit difficult to blend out, and nowhere near as adjustable.

Is it a bad highlighter? No, especially not for $1. But I would never consider it a dupe.

FOUL TEMPTRESS! Duping (most of) the Stila Convertible Color palette

Truth time: Stila is not a brand I am particularly drawn to. I think most of their products would sell better if they were priced lower and sold in the drugstore as "almost mid-end" stuff, like Hard Candy or Flower Beauty. However, there is one product Stila makes that I am madly in love with: the Convertible Colors, their cream lip-and-cheek product that is eh for lips, great for dry cheeks like mine. Through some mystical magic, I've resisted the urge to buy a ton of those things.

Now they've come out with a limited edition palette of Convertible Colors for their spring collection. My magic is fading. Those suckers are tempting. Imagine: having every color I could want for trips to visit my boyfriend, beach vacations, and rushed work days! With 12 shades for $49, I'm having a hard time not buying the thing.

So I decided to be proactive and steal a page from the bloggers who attempt to dupe eyeshadow palettes: I'm trying to find alternatives to this palette in my current stash. I use cream blushes exclusively these days, and I'm only interested in duping 8 out of the 12 colors (the top left corner has lots of brown tones, which I could give or take on my pale skin). Here are my results!

I lined up my stash and, based on how the product looks in the pot/tube and how it wears on my skin, I made my choices. With two notable exceptions, I think my line-ups are close enough to count. And the two exceptions? Well, I think I kind of prefer them to the shades in the Stila palette.

Let's take a closer look at what I came up with, starting with the peaches and corals on the left.

I swapped Stilla Gladiola for MAC Neon Orange lipstick. Yes, this is a lipstick, but the formula is quite creamy, so I can use it as a blush. Neon Orange is a faux dupe because it has distinct red tones, whereas Gladiola is a true orange. Still, it functions fine on my cheeks. My only quibble: Neon Orange is so dense that I have to mix it with some moisturizer or foundation if I want to wear it as a blush and not look like a clown.

I swapped Stila Peachblossom for Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Moist Glow in Tansoleil and Stila Gerbera for Becca Beach Tint in Grapefruit. The swatches make it look like I should've alternated Tansoleil and Grapefruit; on my cheeks, however, Tansoleil pulls slightly darker and more orange, and Grapefruit has the softer, peachier tones. Beach Tints and CMGs are two of my all-time favorite formulas, so I'm glad to see they work as dupes!

The most accurate swap for this portion of the palette is probably Stila Petunia for Kiss Me Touch Me Lip&Cheek in Mango. An afforable Korean cream, Mango is incredibly smooth and super-pigmented. It's a pink coral that borders on neon.

On to the reds and pinks! I swapped Stila Tulip for the Lipstick Queen Rose & Shine pot. The Lipstick Queen product looks more red than the Stila in these photos, but it looks like a true berry shade on my cheeks. Beauteous.

The most obvious faux dupe in this whole set-up is Chanel Fantastic, meant to replace Stila Rose. The Chanel appears lighter and pinker in these photos than it looks on my cheeks; when I actually put it on my face, it has more of a plummy shade to it. Still, it's a far cry from the deep, purpled burgundy of Stila Rose. As much as I wish I could truly dupe that shade, I really do think this Chanel blush would be the more flattering option on my skintone. Furthermore, swatches of Stila Rose are varied: sometimes it looks burgundy, sometimes it looks dark pink. Hmmmm.

Two more very accurate dupes are Stila Hibiscus for Canmake CL01 and Stila Fuchsia for Kevyn Aucoin Isadore. I've owned Fuchsia in the past, and I replaced it with Isadore because I prefer the Kevyn Aucoin formula. I haven't owned Hibiscus, but I've had a similar red shade from Stila: Poppy. I prefer the Canmake because of its jelly texture. As the swatch suggests, this product is hard to overdo because it maintains that gooey, delightful jelly sheen on the skin.

Those are my dupes and faux dupes! Have you found anything to replace the Stila palette? Or have you tried the actual Convertible Color palette? Comment with your thoughts!

Potential Swaps for Chanel Dragon

Chanel's long-discontinued Rouge Allure Laque in Dragon has always prompted some polarizing, powerful responses. On the one hand, it's the most perfect medium red I've ever worn, and the formula is slightly glossy and decently long-wearing. On the other hand, it's one of ye olde liquid lipstick formulas, meaning it feathers easily and sucks every drop of moisture out of your lips.

So why was there such widespread panic when the product was discontinued? Why didn't people just march off to other red lipsticks?

Uh, yeah. It's THAT gorgeous. I've never found a red that looks exactly like that on my lips. And with a little lipliner and some q-tips, I'm able to get through a hot night on the town without excessive feathering or fading. It's just my perfect red.

I've been on a quest to find the best Chanel Dragon dupes for at least 3 years now. Every time I get a new red, I swatch it against Dragon. And while I've yet to find a product that looks just like Dragon on my lips--not only in terms of color, but also with regards to the finish--I've found several potential swap-outs.

The Armani Lip Maestro in shade 400 "The Red" is probably the closest match I've found in terms of color. Upon closer inspection, the Armani is a hair darker and slightly less blue; however, I think the darkness is partially because the product dries matte. Armani The Red is also a liquid lipstick, but its formulation is more creamy than liquidy, and it has a slight powdery feel on the lips. While the product lasts long, it also smears very easily; even with lipliner, the edges of my lips look quite soft after a few hours of wearing this one.

Hourglass Opaque Liquid Rouge in Icon is more blue than any of the other options seen here (to the point where it appears almost raspberry in these swatches), but it behaves the best. An incredibly long-wearing, only slightly drying liquid lipstick, Icon will last me for an entire day without feathering or fading. On my lips, it is about a shade darker than Dragon, and it dries down matte.

If you want the same bright, shiny red and aren't too concerned about longevity, Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Pomegranate is your best option. This shade lasts for about 4 hours on me with minimal feathering. What it lacks in wear time it makes up for in finish: it is every bit as glossy as Chanel Dragon. It's also the least-drying option here due to the rich, creamy formula.

MAC Ruby Woo seems very off here--if you were going by swatches alone, you'd easily judge this too matte and too pink. And while, yes, it is easily the most matte option here, it also applies much more red on the lips--I think it looks pink here because the matte formulation appears more "chalky" on skin than these liquid and cream products, so it's not catching as much light. It's not particularly comfortable to apply or wear, but the color is gorgeous, and it does. not. budge.

Here are the swatches after one quick swipe with a baby wipe. The Armani and Hourglass lipsticks appear to be the most waterproof; the Hourglass lipstick also stains slightly and takes a bit more elbow grease to get off.

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS: If you want the most similar formulation and a very close color, go for the Armani. If you want something that is spot-on in terms of color and finish, but performs and applies quite differently, go for the Bite. If you're willing to go a bit darker and give up all glossiness in exchange for a long-wearing, non-feathering product, go for the Hourglass. Last, but not least, if you want a similar shade in a more classic lipstick formulation, go for the MAC.

Review: Shiseido Lacquer Rouge in Nocturne

Imagine my unbelievable surprise and joy when a sweet friend from MakeupAlley sent me this gorgeous, still-in-the-box baby (along with an assortment of other goodies)! After my debacle with the YSL Glossy Stains (they almost killed me with their stench), I turned my attention to the new Shiseido Lacquer Rouge liquid lipsticks, which promised to be perfect replacements for the discontinued Chanel Rouge Allure Lacque liquid lipsticks I adored so much. Nocturne, in particular, looked like a good dupe for Chanel Dragon, one of my all-time favorite reds.

While my tube was a gift, these lacquers regularly retail for $25, $7 cheaper than the old Chanel RALs (before taxes). Each sleek black tube contains 6mL of liquid product, and trust me, those 6 mils will go a long way. My only problem with the packaging? They only list the number (RD 607), not the shade name, on the box and tube, which can be a bit trying if you're like me and you suck with numbers.

The applicator is a soft doe-foot that, as you can maybe see, tends to pull out a little too much product. It's not that it gets messy or absolutely globs it on--the bead of lacquer on the end of the doe foot seems perfectly harmless--but again, a little bit goes a long way. I pretty much always wear lipliner with darker lipstick shades, especially if they're a liquid formula, but you do get a decent amount of control over this product with the doefoot. Just do yourself a favor and build slowly: wipe a good bit of it off on the inner rim of the tube before you apply.

The formula is very smooth and creamy, like a thick-but-not-sticky gloss, and it applies opaque without any streaking. I actually didn't exfoliate my lips before I applied this the second time around, and it still went on smooth. It dries to a satin finish. You can feel it a little on your lips; it's not heavy, tacky, greasy, or otherwise unpleasant, but those who prefer a "weightless" lip product will probably want to pass. This product does dry my lips out a bit after 8 hours of wear, but it's nothing too extreme, ie, you won't have leather handbag lips, but you'll definitely want some lip balm.

Here are some photos of the Nocturne lacquer right after I applied it (left) and 4-hours-and-a-cheeseburger-later (right). I was stupid and didn't bring a real camera, necessitating the dirty mirror cellphone picture at my friend's house, but hopefully it gets the point across: this is definitely a long-wearing lip product. It did feather the absolute tiniest amount, ie, the edges were slightly softer than they'd been when I'd first applied the lacquer, and most of the shine was gone, but the majority of the actual color stayed in place. I added a smidge more on top to get back that shine, and it layered just fine without any caking.

Unfortunately, Nocturne does not replace my beloved Dragon. For one thing, the formulas are somewhat different: I can reapply Nocturne without having to worry about it caking up, which is often an issue with Dragon, but I also pretty much never have to reapply Dragon: it stays on my lips like nothing else. The formulas are very similar otherwise--satin finish, slightly drying, long-wearing, opaque, etc.--and the Shiseido lacquers are cheaper to boot. It really comes down to the fact that they aren't color dupes: Nocturne is darker and has a slight berry edge to it, while Dragon is a bright true red. Based on swatches, I'm thinking that Drama might be a closer Dragon dupe.

Regardless, this is a truly beautiful, amazing product. I love how long it wears and how gorgeous it looks on my lips. I also love the price...honestly, if the Chanel RALs were still around, I'd probably pick similar Shiseido Lacquer Rouge shades instead because of the similar quality and range at a lower price. If long-wear lip products are your thing, you definitely need to check these out.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Faux-Dupes: ELF Essential Bronzer in Luminance and theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer

I thought I found a dupe for theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer, but the products are actually very different when swatched/applied. On the left is theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer, a pigmented golden highlight, and on the right is the ELF Essential bronzer in Luminance, a subtle gold-based bronzer. They look eerily similar in the pan and even on the fingers, though, don't they?!