NEW Avon Perfectly Matte lipsticks vs MAC... dupes?

Hi! I've been so excited about doing this blog post, so apologies if it's a long one!

Today I received some of the new Avon Perfectly Matte lipsticks, which boldly claim to be "More matte than MAC". This has created a bit of a storm in the beauty community!

I adore my MAC lipsticks and I currently have a collection of 64, but at £15.50 each they aren't cheap. When I saw that the new Avon mattes were £5.50 as a launch offer I just had to order some and compare them.

I compared the Avon shades to the closest MAC shades in my collection. I included a couple of Retro Matte finishes, as they were the most similar shades.

I think it's pretty safe to say that colour-wise there are some dupes in there, but what about the finish? Are they truly more matte than MAC? Let's find out...

Finish 

As you may have noticed, MACs mattes vary in matte-ness. Some of the darker shades seem to have more of a shine to them (eg. Diva vs Please Me). 

They have both the regular matte range and a retro matte range, which are super duper matte but very drying.

The Avon lipsticks equivalents are, judging from the ones I've tested, slightly more matte than MACs regular mattes on average. This is where their claim comes from, as their comparison was to the regular MAC Matte range (and didn't include the Retro mattes). Here is a link to more info regarding Avons claim: click me!

So, does the finish of the Avon lipsticks compare to MAC? Absolutely. They are definitely matte but still comfortable. 

Formula

The application varied between the five shades that I tested. Some went on very smoothly and opaque, whilst others were patchy and needed more application and building up to even them out.

You may be able to see from my swatch photo that Pure Pink, Superb Wine and Wild Cherry were kind of patchy, and this also happened on my lips.

Pure Pink wasn't a great formula, it was almost chalky looking on the lips which can happen with some lighter matte shades. The shade also doesn't suit me so I will be passing this one on to a friend.

                  Superb Wine

Wild Cherry was the hardest to make opaque as it isn't as pigmented as the others, so I found it impossible to achieve a smooth, even finish.

In comparison, MAC Diva also takes a little more application to even out, but is more pigmented so you get a much more even finish with the first swipe. It does, however, transfer a bit more than its equivalent Superb Wine - maybe because it's more pigmented or maybe it doesn't 'set' quite as well?

The other two Avon shades (Ravishing Rose and Ruby Kiss) went on very smoothly and were opaque with one sweep. In comparison to the equivalent shades in MACs Retro Matte range, application of the Avon shades was easier as the Retro Mattes are so drying that they drag a bit.

Scent

This is not something that I'd normally comment on as I don't really care too much what a lipstick smells like. Sure, it's nice when they smell nice but it wouldn't affect my decision to purchase.

However, given the fact that I'm comparing to MAC lipsticks, and everyone knows that they smell amazing, I had to mention it! 

If you're not familiar with the scent of MAC lipsticks, they have a vanilla/white chocolatey smell. This scent can disappear over time but when new they smell incredible.

The Avon Perfectly Matte lipsticks definitely have their own unique scent - it's so hard to describe as I recognise the scent but can't place it! I'd describe it as close to a lemon and lime soda scent, but don't quote me on that! Sweet but refreshing.

Price

Avon Perfectly Matte - RRP £8

Something to note - as with all Avon products, the price will fluctuate depending on when you buy them.

Two weeks ago they were £5.50 as an introductory offer. As of writing this post, in the current book they are £5 each. Either way they are half the price of MAC at the very least and a third of the price at the most. 

MAC Matte - RRP £15.50

2x-3x the price for the same amount of product. I think, to a degree, you're paying a premium for the brand name. MAC is one of the most globally recognised companies in the world and are known for their quality. However, I think that MACs lipstick quality does vary - the Retro Mattes are incomparable to others for me, like I said before I've found no others like them, but a lot of their other lipsticks are really no better than drugstore equivalents. 

Shade range 

Avon Perfectly Matte

Currently, at least in the UK, there are 15 shades to choose from. Here's a photo from the current Avon brochure:

Sadly I found that a few of the shades were very very similar, as you can see in my swatch photo - Wild Cherry/Superb Wine, and Ravishing Rose/Ruby Kiss. Wild Cherry has a slightly more red undertone whereas Superb Wine leans more purple, and Ravishing Rose is slightly more pinker than Ruby Kiss, but there's really hardly anything in it - the difference is so subtle it doesn't show in the photos. I was really hoping for Ruby Kiss to be more red!

A vibrant purple shade would have been nice (the US have an amazing looking shade that we don't have called Hot Plum!) and a purpley-mauve would have been a great addition to the collection too. Hopefully they add more!

MAC Matte

Currently there are 34 shades in MACs standard matte range, as well as 7 Retro Mattes. This includes many bold and unusual shades. In general, including all their ranges and finishes, MAC has more lipstick shades in total than any other company. This is just one of the reasons that MAC Cosmetics are so popular and loved worldwide. 

Overall verdict 

I prefer the MAC lipsticks in every way expect for the price. The quality is more consistent and they are (mostly) more opaque. Are they worth the huge increase in price though? For every day use, no, but for a special occasion I'd definitely reach for my MAC lipsticks over other cheaper ones.

I love a good dupe, and I've tried enough dupes to know that you don't always get what you pay for when it comes to high-end makeup. I sometimes even prefer the quality of the cheaper versions.

Very often you're paying for the brand name rather than the quality. Some high-end products, however, are incomparable and definitely worth the extra cash outlay. 

Whilst I'm not a huge fan of most of the Avon makeup that I've tried, (I think most of it is pretty 'meh'), I do have handful of favourites and a few of these new lipsticks are definitely up there. On another note - Avon, if you're reading this, please either make Wild Cherry more different to Superb Wine in colour or drop it and replace it with another colour, because the formula was pretty bad on that one and in hindsight I wish I hadn't bought it! And please make Ruby Kiss more red than pink!

I'm planning to order some more shades now that I've tried them, so I will probably update this blog post with more swatches if I find any more dupes.

Have you tried the new Avon Perfectly Matte lipsticks, or any Mac matte lipsticks? What did you think? Let me know below!

Thanks for reading :)

Sarah xx

Dupe? Makeup Revolution Iconic palettes vs Urban Decay Naked palettes

Coming from my favourite low-cost makeup brand, here are some fabulous alternatives to some of the most loved and talked about palettes in the beauty world - the Urban Decay Naked palettes!

Iconic 1

A dupe of the famous original 'Naked' palette by Urban Decay. A mixture of matte and shimmer shades. The shades have been carefully matched and, although the texture of the UD palettes are a bit easier to work with and have a better colour pay off, the Makeup Revolution palettes are almost 10x cheaper at £4 each. This makes them incredible value!

Iconic 2

Another dupe here, this time of the Urban Decay 'Naked 2' palette. A mixture of matte and shimmer shades. As above, really good quality, and only £4 for 12 shades!

On another note, I think that the sponge applicator brushes that come with these palettes are useless. It's essential to use a good set of brushes to get the most out of any eyeshadow. However, I wouldn't want Makeup Revolution to put a good brush in each palette and bump up the price, so they made the right decision by not doing that.

Iconic 3

Yep, you guessed it - a dupe of the 'Naked 3' palette!

The Naked 3 is my favourite of all the Naked palettes, and the Iconic 3 is almost identical. 

The packaging on the Urban Decay palettes is obviously much prettier and more premium - but also comes with a £37 price tag.

Overall verdict

These shadows are less pigmented than the original Urban Decay palettes, which is to be expected for the price difference, so a good quality primer is recommended to make the most out of them. Using a cream product underneath (like a MAC Paint Pot) would also give you a much stronger colour. You could even try using them with a wet brush!

Whilst I love my high-end makeup, I'm also a sucker for a good dupe, especially when it costs so much less! 

The Iconic palettes are available from www.makeuprevolutionstore.com and www.superdrug.com, and can also be found in selected Superdrug stores.

What do you think of these palettes? Which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!

Sarah xx

Color Club Pastel Neon collection and NotD

Hello, today I would like to show you a collection from one of my favourite polish brands - Color Club! 

The Pastel Neon set is one of their Spring 2015 collections and contains seven polishes, all with 80's roller disco-themed names. Here they are, without and with flash:

L-R: Under the Blacklight, 'Til the Record Stops, Meet Me at the Rink, Diggin' the Dancing Queen, Feathered Hair Out to There, Hot-Hot-Hot Pants, Disco's Not Dead

Below I am wearing Under the Blacklight which is my favourite from this particular collection - it definitely lives up to its claims to be a pastel neon! It's a lemon sorbet yellow in some lights with a slight hint of neon green in other lights. 

  

Pictured without and with flash. Two coats with Seche Vite top coat.

So far I've tried three of these polishes, and I've found them to be less pigmented than other Color Club polishes of similar colours that I own and love. Some require three coats, whilst others only needed two. 

In the bottle, 'Til the Record Stops looks almost identical to London Calling (which is my favourite ever polish and can be seen here) and I was reeeeally hoping it'd be a dupe. LC is really hard to get hold of as it was part of a limited edition mini set :(

However, on the nails 'Til the Record Stops is quite a bit lighter and nowhere near as pigmented - it needed three coats. To be honest I'd class LC as a pastel neon and TTRC as a straight pastel.

I expected a little more from this collection - they weren't quite up to the high standard of previous Color Club polishes. Whilst being easy and smooth to apply they need thicker coats due to being less pigmented - but this is a common issue with pastels.

With the exception of 'Til the Record Stops they all lean more towards the pastel side than neon, which is a shame as I love my neons, but they are still super pretty :) 

What do you think of this collection? What's your most favourite pastel or neon polish? 

Love, Sarah Nailsfromnothing xx