Dupes/Alternatives: Lip Products

Hello Ladies!!

Today I wanted to do a post on some dupes/alternatives for higher end lip products! I was going through my lipsticks, lipglosses etc. and I was realizing that I have some affordable lip products that are SO SIMILAR to my higher end lip products! I thought this post would be great for anyone who is looking to save some money yet still basically getting the same look of a higher end lippie! Here are some great dupes/alternativies that I found in my own collection:




Nearly Nude by e.l.f. - $3 (matte lip color) vs Myth by MAC - $16 (satin lipstick)
     Both of these have a really peachy undertone. Nearly Nude is a matte and Myth is a Satin formula but honestly, they are both so creamy that they come off as similar finishes. Nearly Nude is slightly darker than Myth, but only slightly!

Top: Myth by MAC
Bottom: Nearly Nude by e.l.f.

Myth, Nearly Nude

Honeyed by Covergirl - $5.99 (lip perfection lipstick) vs Creme Cup by MAC - $16 (cremesheen lipstick)
     Creme Cup is more of a true pink and Honeyed is slightly lighter. But the formula of the two are so similar and they look almost identical on the lips! They are both very creamy! Creme Cup is my all time favorite pink and I think Honeyed is a great dupe for it!

Top: Creme Cup by MAC
Bottom: Honeyed by Covergirl

Honeyed, Creme Cup

#708 Pure Red by Kiko - $6.25 (luminous chrome lipstick) vs F-Bomb by Urban Decay - $22 (revolution lipstick)
     These two look exactly the same! The formula, the finish, the color... everything is so close to being identical! Even though I absolutely love F-Bomb, I love that I am able to get a much cheaper dupe from Kiko!

Top: F-Bomb by Urban Decay
Bottom: #708 Pure Red by Kiko

#708 Pure Red, F-Bomb

Honey Nectar by Pixi - $8 (shea butter lip balm) vs Peachy Nude Sinner by Lipstick Queen - $22 (opaque lipstick)
     These two are basically the same color but Peachy Nude is just more pigmented. Honey Nectar is a balm and I think it gives amazing payoff for a balm! If you like this nude color, go for the Pixi one and the color can be built up! Plus, it is going to be great for winter and hydrate your lips!

Top: Peachy Nude Sinner by Lipstick Queen
Bottom: Honey Nectar by Pixi

Honey Nectar, Peachy Nude Sinner

Apple Strudel by NYX - $4.99 (butter gloss) vs Mally Melon by Mally - $20 (high shine liquid lipstick)
     I posted on Instagram that we recieved a care package from home in the US. My family included my Birchbox from last month and it had this liquid lipstick from Mally in it. I saw it was valued at $20 and was excited to get something so great in my Birchbox! Plus, I have zero products from Mally so I was excited to try something out! But as I was testing it, I quickly realized it looked like one of my NYX Butter Glosses: Apple Strudel. Apple Strudel is more pinky but since they both give off a kind of neon pink/orange shade, they look really similar. And even though the Mally lippie is a liquid lipstick, the NYX butter gloss is equally as pigmented. If you are interested in the Mally liquid lipsticks, I would recommend trying out a different shade and if you like this shade - get Apple Strudel and save some $$$!

Top: Mally Melon by Mally
Bottom: Apple Strudel by NYX

Mally Melon, Apple Strudel

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone!! Have a blessed time with family and friends!

xoxo Kayla

Friday Five: 9/26/14

It's Friday which means it is time to share what I have been loving this week!

1. Maybelline Matte Lipstick in Nude Embrace

     There has been a lot of buzz about these new matte lipsticks from Maybelline so of course being the true makeup addict that I am, I had to get one! And of course being the true nude lipstick addict that I am, I had to get Nude Embrace! Although I probably own more nude lipsticks than I really need, I actually do think that this color is different than the other nudes that I own. Nude Embrace has a brown undertone to it, which I typically do not care for. But I love it in this formula! I don't think it comes of too brown on the lips and with it being a little bit of a darker nude, I love it for Fall! It is perfect for a daytime look and I love wearing it alone or with a gloss over it. Sometimes I feel like some matte formulas are too drying on the lips but this is super creamy and doesn't dry out at all. I really want the Wine color from this collection but it's always sold out wherever I go! Hopefully I can get my hands on it :)

Nude Embrace by Maybelline

Nude Embrace by Maybelline

Nude Embrace by Maybelline

2. Shea Butter Lip Balm by Pixi in Honey Nectar

     Another lip product that I have been loving is this lip balm from Pixi. I received it in my Birchbox and was impressed I got a full size product for once in my box! Immediately after trying it out I knew I was going to love it. It is SUPER hydrating on the lips which will be so useful during fall and winter when my lips tend to get dry and chapped. But what I love even more is that it has color to it and it is pigmented! And it's a peachy-nude. Perfect for me! I could wear this lip balm without any lipstick, gloss, etc and I am still going to have a great wash of color on my lips. I definitely see this being a go-to lip product over the next several months when I need something moisturizing for my lips but want something to go with my overall makeup look. (This would even look awesome paired up with Nude Embrace!)

Honey Nectar Shea Butter Lip Balm by Pixi

Honey Nectar Shea Butter Lip Balm by Pixi

Honey Nectar Shea Butter Lip Balm by Pixi
I apologize for you having to see my veiny wrists in all my swatches! ;P

3. Anastasia Beverly Hills Custom Contour Palette

     Of course I have been loving my contour palette otherwise I would have not written about it this week! If you haven't checked out my review, click here to read about how amazing this palette is!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Palette

4. Blush Brush by Real Techniques

     This is my first ever Real Techniques brush! I always intend on trying out Real Techniques, but I just have never gotten around to it. But I am happy I finally DID get around to it and I absolutely love this blush brush! I have not been using it for my blush though, I have been loving it for contouring! I love how it tapers up at the top and it is just the perfect size and shape for contouring! It does an amazing job at dispersing my bronzer and blends it out perfectly. This brush is also incredibly soft! It feels amazing! I am so happy with this brush and I can't wait to try out other brushes from Real Techniques.

Blush Brush by Real Techniques 

5. Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (in 3W1 Tawny)

     HOLY. MOLY. I am going to try to keep this to a minimum, but if this gets a little long I just can't help myself! I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS FOUNDATION!!! It is hands down the best foundation I have ever tried in my entire life and has already made it as a holy grail product for me. About a month ago, I had talked about how happy I was with the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation. I still think it is a great foundation and will continue to use it. But then I tried out this baby. And this is the love of my life! This gives the most flawless look to my face I have ever seen. It is a full coverage foundation and if I apply it at 8am, at 6pm it is still going to look exactly like it did at 8am. I am not even kidding! It covers any imperfection and this foundation alone gives me so much confidence just knowing how amazing it makes my skin looks. I have mentioned before that I truly believe that having a great foundation is the key to having a beautiful makeup look... and this exceeds all my expectations! Stop at an Estee Lauder counter and ask for a sample of this if you have not tried it out! I think you will agree how incredible it is!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Have a wonderful weekend, lovelies!

xoxo Kayla

Find all the products I mentioned here:

Nude Embrace by Maybelline

Honey Nectar Shea Butter Lip Balm by Pixi

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Palette

Blush Brush by Real Techniques

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Friday Five! 7/11/14

Yay! It's Friday!

I love when beauty lovers post their weekly favorites. Sometimes, we are just overloaded with reviews and opinions on new products that we forget about the oldies, but goodies! And weekly favorites can be a perfect mixture of both new and older products! I love seeing products that aren't always brand new because I either am reminded to use them from my own collection or I find out information on products that I want to buy and try! And if they are in someone's favorites, they are most likely going to be great products that I will like as well!

Each week I will let you know what five products I have been loving. So here we go!!

1. Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer

     I got this in my Ipsy bag a few months ago and I honestly kind of forgot about it! I didn't initially try it when I got it and just threw it in with my other primers. I decided to try it out a couple weeks ago and I have been using it every day this week! I love that when I put it on my face, it is illuminating and gives me a a soft glow. It is super moisturizing and gives the perfect base for my foundation. The luminosity is not overpowering at all and makes my skin look like it has a natural, dewy glow!

2. Victoria's Secret Sparkling Citrus Hand and Body Cream in Tangerine and Passion Flower

    I got this lotion at the semi-annual sale for only $3.75! I usually never buy different scented lotions...I am not a big lotion hoarder and I typically just use Jergens! But I saw this, thought it smelled good, and how can you go wrong spending four bucks on a lotion?! I am absolutely loving it. The scent is heavenly! It smells so light and refreshing! The lotion is extremely rich and leaves my skin feeling so soft and hydrated! It is infused with avocado, almond oils, and honey. How luxurious :)  I hope this is in their permanent collection because I need to get more in my life!

3. Too Faced Sweethearts Blush in Candy Glow

     If you follow me on Instagram (@beautyandbasketball) you will have seen that I recently purchased this blush. I have had my eye on it for so long and I love Too Faced products so I don't know what took me so long to get my hands on one! I have been using it every day this week and I am loving it! I like this blush because it creates this really soft, pink glow when you mix all the colors together.  I also love that with these blushes, you can use just one of the three shades in the blush or mix them all together. You can truly create your own individualized color!

4. L'Oreal Collection Privee Lipstick in Jennifer's Nude

     Every time I go to Target, I look for this collection of lipsticks! Nude Lipsticks are my absolute favorite! I have been wanting to get one of these for a couple months now but Target never had them! I was at Walmart one day, and what do you know, there they were! I decided that the J.Lo one looked like the one I would probably most likely use. I hate that you can't swatch drugstore products ! When I got home I tried it on immediately to see how it looked. I was kind of in shock at how much I instantly liked the lipstick! It is such a beautiful color! It has to be the prettiest pinky-nude lipstick I have ever tried from the drugstore. The formula is super creamy and the color is perfect for day or night!

5. Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil

     This oil is truly amazing! I have been putting it on every night after I wash my face this week and the next morning, my face feels so soft and looks so brightened! You can also use it on your hair and nails, but I just have been loving it so much for my face! I have acne prone skin and I really believe this helps! If I have a little breakout, the next morning it will look significantly better after putting this on! It also has anti-aging properties and is the most hydrating product I have tried! This little bottle has so many wonderful things going for it! If you are interested in trying it, the smallest bottle is only $16! A few drops of the oil go a long way so it does last quite a while! I highly recommend!

Let me know if you have any favorites this week! I love having excuses to try new products :)

xoxo Kayla

ps.... Please forgive me. I know my pictures are not great quality! I am hoping to invest in a nice camera soon :) I just want to snap a few pictures so you all have at least a reference of what I am talking about!