Dupe Search: Taupe Eyeshadow Comparison Swatches!

Woohoo! Don't you love it when I ransack my stash and do comparison swatches? What's more, these are swatches of taupes, glorious taupes! Now to be fair, these are just some of my taupes, definitely not all of them. It started when I reviewed the new Edward Bess eyeshadow single in Storm, and I thought - don't I already have these colours? So I looked through my stash, and dug out the colours that I thought would be most similar to Storm. So in other words, what you're looking at is just those of my taupe eyeshadows that I thought might have some semblance to Storm.



Here are the shades we're comparing today, in order:

1: NARS Belissima II (darker shade)
2: L'Orea HIP Electrified I (lighter shade)
3: MEMEME Beautifully You Eyeshadow Cafe 7
4: First Light Cosmetics Storm Grey
5: Bourjois Stretch Eyeshadow Brun Nylon 09
6: GOSH Glamorous Eyeshadow Grey Brown 7
7: Edward Bess Storm 07
8: Stila Cloud

Isn't it funny how many taupe eyeshadows that are numbered are given the number 7? And on another note, gosh, it's embarrassing how many taupe eyeshadows I've bought over the years of being a makeup fanatic. Anyway, here are swatches of all of them, in that order, with my thoughts on each of them below. By the way, the eyesahdow labelled L'Oreal Sassy is wrong. The duo is actually Electrified:



NARS Belissima II (darker shade) is the only true matte in the bunch, as the rest all have some sort of shimmer. This is a cool-toned grey-brown with hints of purple. Texture is decent, pigmentation is sheer but buildable.

L'Orea HIP Electrified I (lighter shade) is absolutely rockin'! Don't be fooled by the cheap plastic packaging or the drugstore brand - this is awesome taupe goodness. As you can see, it just stands out among my swatches. Its texture and pigmentation are also excellent, and it has a frosty finish that, depending on your preference, can be a good or a bad thing. I've actually reviewed the Electrified duo before and have even previously compared Electrified to a much more expensive Bobbi Brown Heather Mauve eyeshadow.

MEMEME Beautifully You Eyeshadow Cafe 7 is also another cheapy-but-goody. This is cheap, but good, and I really need to get around to reviewing this sometime. It's a brown-based taupe, and thus would be very wearable for warm-toned girls who find a lot of taupes pull purple or greyish on them. It also has slight shimmer, that for some reason isn't showing up in the photo.

First Light Cosmetics Storm Grey is another underrated gorgeous colour. Like Edward Bess's Storm and MEMEME's Cafe, it's a light brown-based taupe, only that it has more shimmer than either. Pigmentation and texture are also pretty good. An EOTD (Eye of the Day) with Storm Grey is available if you'd like to see more of this pretty little thing.

Bourjois Stretch Eyeshadow Brun Nylon 09 is not as similar to Edward Bess's Storm as I initially thought it would be. For one, it's less brown-beige-y and slightly more purple and grey on. They did look quite similar in the pan, however. Texture is good, and pigmentation is sheer but buildable. I've previously swatched Bourjois Brun Nylon before, and also once did an FOTD with it. My, that FOTD was just a year and a half ago, but I think I actually looked visibly younger then. And my photography skills back then sucked.

GOSH Glamorous Eyeshadow Grey Brown 7 is one of those I keep meaning to review, but never get around to it. No fault of the shadow, though. This one has the texture of baked eyeshadows (it comes in a round, hard dome), and pigmentation is sheer but buildable. It leans more grey than most of the other taupes featured here, and also has some sparkles in the eyeshadow.

Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Eyeshadow Storm 7 is a brown-based taupe. Honestly, compared to the rest of the taupes on my arm, it looks a little blah. But since it leans brown, it's less likely to pull purple or grey on warm-toned girls. Pigmentation was sheer, and not the best, but still buildable. Texture was also decent. I'm not going to say too much about this since I just reviewed it in the last post.

Stila Cloud is a taupe that pulls purple and grey, and has a frosty finish that makes it look silver, like how the L'Oreal Electrified taupe looks silver due to the frost finish. I actually should feature this sometime, I have had this eyeshadow since I first became a makeup junkie years ago and it's still with me...Brings back all the nostalgic times when Stila eyeshadows came in little paper pots, and when collecting Stila eyeshadows was the "in" thing of the day. Anyway, this one is cooler-toned that some of the other taupes, and is more purply-grey than some of the other more brown-based ones. It also has frosty shimmer, which some may like and some may not.

So here you go, eight of my lighter-coloured taupes! As a taupe junkie, I love all of these shades and I think they are all different enough to own all, although I'm sure not everyone would agree with me. They're almost like my babies! I hope this post was useful for some of you who wanted a comparison between some taupe eyeshadows.

Rock and Republic Seduce, MAC Flirt and Tease, First Light Cosmetics Sundowner: Dupes or Not?

Since First Light Cosmetics is currently having a 20% off promotion for OFAF (Of Faces and Fingers) readers, I thought some comparison swatches would be in order. The last time I featured First Light's blushes, I mentioned that there were some very similar colours for a higher price, and that Sundowner could potentially be a dupe for some of those.




Here's what I dug up from my makeup stash for comparison - the much vaunted and raved about Rock and Republic Seduce, the one-with-the-fangirls MAC Flirt and Tease, and First Light Cosmetics Sundowner. All three of these were powder blushes, and they were in the same colour family. All three are plummy blushes with a hint of brown - a bit overwhelming to look at in the pan, perhaps, but lovely if applied with some caution on the skin. And yes, I do think fair girls can wear these colours too! (I'm NC20, and these happen to be some of my favourite shades.)

Anyway, enough with my gushing about plummy blushes. On with the swatches:



L-R: Rock and Republic Seduce, First Light Cosmetics Sundowner, MAC Flirt & Tease

Now, first off the bat, you'll notice that these are very similar. Very, very similar. They aren't 100% dupes for each other, but I guess once worn it's a little difficult to tell the difference. But there are some small differences.

The first small difference is that Sundowner is a lot more shimmery than either Seduce or Flirt and Tease. It doesn't have huge glitter bits, but it's more light-reflective than either the Rock and Republic or the MAC colour.

The second tiny difference is Sundowner is more plummy and rose in colour, while both Rock and Republic's Seduce and MAC's Flirt and Tease are more brown. But as you can see in the photo, the difference isn't very great.

The last difference is that of pigmentation. Rock and Republic had the best pigmentation, while MAC was the least pigmented. Now before I get lynched by all the MAC fangirls for even daring to suggest that MAC can be less pigmented than another brand, let me offer an olive branch by saying that Flirt and Tease is a Sheertone colour, anyway, so it isn't meant to be super-duper pigmented. It isn't sheer by any means, though, and you can definitely build it up to the level of kabuki clown cheeks, but it is a little sheerer than Seduce and Sundowner.

So, are all three blushes dupes for each other? Colour-wise, I think the Rock and Republic and the MAC blushes are more similar to each other than the First Light Cosmetics version. So if you want the closer dupe of Seduce, then Flirt and Tease is the one to get, even if it's a tad sheerer. But they're all similar enough that I can't tell you which one to pick definitively - it's going to depend on your brand preference (high or low end?), budget (cheap or expensive?), and other preferences in terms of form (loose powder blush or pressed powder blush?), pigmentation (more pigmented, or less?), and colour (more red, or more brown?).

20% Discount Code for First Light Cosmetics!

You've read my raves about the brand, now you can try it for 20% off! From now to 28th November, enter the code "First1040" when you checkout at the the First Light Cosmetics website and viola! A 20% discount! And the minimum order size is a measly £5, so if you haven't been tempted to try out the brand yet, you really should. It's rare to find a small indie brand with great product great service, great packaging and generous sizes. The packaging is sensible and sturdy, and for your money you get a lot of product.

For the indecisive, here are my recommendations, which I've previously reviewed before. I've included swatch pictures from previous posts, but I've also included links for those who would like to read the entire review:

Blushes: Sundowner and Kohilo:



Sundowner is a gorgeous plum shade, in the same vein as Rock and Republic's Seduce and NARS Sin.

Kohilo is one of their best sellers, and is a neutral pink suitable for everyone. It's pretty universal.

Eyeshadows: Golden Bronze and Storm Grey



Golden Bronze is a bronzey brown that's gorgeous, and particularly suited to warmer-toned girls.

Storm Grey is one of my favourites right now. It's a taupe. Oh - did I not make myself loud enough? IT'S A TAUPE, PEOPLE! AND IT'S ON SALE! TAUPE ON SALE! (You know I love taupes.)

Here's an EOTD of Storm Grey that was previously posted, just because I love it so much:



Anyway, normally I don't bother to engage in promotion when a brand has a discount (I just post the code on my blog in a realy short post), but I'm making an exception for this since I've actually tried the products myself and really like them.

Taupe of the Day EOTD: First Light Cosmetics Storm Grey!

I'm a shameless taupe hoor, but it's been awhile since I did a Taupe of the Day post. (In fact, I think there's only ever been one. LOL. I keep intending to do more but I kind of suck. :X ) So to atone for my oversight, here is a recently discovered taupe I'm currently having a love affair with.

The taupe in question is First Light Cosmetics Storm Grey. I know I've talked about First Light Cosmetics before, but I just can't get enough of this taupe! I've swatched Storm Grey before, so here is the swatch picture again for anyone who can't be bothered to look for the previous post:



Storm Grey is to the right. It's gorgeous, isn't it? I've been using it a lot to do a simple EOTD (eye of the day) look with just Storm Grey alone, and I really love the simplicity of this look. It's a light taupe, not a dark taupe, so it's awesome for girls who feel sdarker taupes can sometimes overwhelm their eyes. The look I get with this is simple, clean, and very elegant. I think if you foiled the colour, it would be more metallic and vibrant. I totally need to try Storm Grey wet one day.



It does have a bit of fallout, but that's fortunately rather minimal. Lasting power was pretty good even without a base. It lasted for half a day on me without any base at all. I think if you used a base, it would probably last longer.

Anyway, if you want it, the First Light Cosmetics website has it for sale. But if you're a taupe hoor like me, you know there isn't really question about whether you need another taupe - every taupe deserves to be loved!

First Light Cosmetics: Golden Bronze and Storm Grey Swatches and Review!

Last time I took a look at First Light Cosmetics' blushes, I said I loved them a lot, for the quality, colour selection, and sturdy packaging. I'm glad to say the eyeshadows are just as great.

I have two shades, Golden Bronze and Storm Grey. These come in the same sturdy packaging as the blushes - in plastic jars with firmly attached sifters and lids that screw on tight. Another thing I really like about First Light Cosmetics is that the jars are literally filled to the brim with product. Just take a look at these jars:



They're packed all the way up to where the sifter jars are! I've removed the sifter jars so you can see the colour more clearly, but I sure had to remove them carefully to prevent product from falling all over. These are definitely value for money, no stinging on product here!

And swatches of both Storm Grey and Golden Bronze are of course in order:



I know, I know, aren't they gorgeous?

Golden Bronze is, as the name describes a golden bronze that's actually pretty neutral in undertone. It kind of reminds me of Stila's Golightly, that famed colour, and while it isn't a dupe, you get what I mean - it's a similar brown with a hint of gold that's not so brassy as to be unwearable. I like this.

Storm Grey is such a misleading name. This isn't grey at all, but it's a GORGEOUS AWESOME BEAUTIFUL TAUPE. TAUPE ALERT HERE PEOPLE!!! I think they should have named this something Taupe or Taupe something, or you know...so taupe hoors like me can just rush for the colour. Fortunately, my taupe-detective skills are now at such a great level after years of taupe hooring that just by looking at the colour swatch on the First Light website, I KNEW this was going to be taupe. I don't know why either - I think I'm starting to develop a taupe sixth sense. Eerie, right?

Anyway, Storm grey is a gorgeous beautiful taupe that's wonderfully balanced - not too much purple, brown, or grey. Just my kind of colour. It's not a deep, dark taupe (like MAC's Satin Taupe), so this may disappoint girls looking for a deeper colour, but it's a light-medium neutral taupe, kind of like Bourjois Brun Nylon. But you know me - I don't discriminate between taupes, and I love 'em all.

Anyway, if you haven't heard me rave enough Storm Grey yet, you so need to go and get it already, especially if you're into taupes like I am. And if you're not, then you need to check out their other colours, because if these two shades are anything to go by, then you're paying drugstore prices for colours that are worthy of a high-end brand.

(Product was sent to me for review. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company. This review is my honest and complete opinion.)

First Light Cosmetics: Sundowner and Kohilo Blush Swatches and Review

I love it when smaller makeup companies make products that are just as good, if not better than, makeup from bigger brand names. Discovering these brands is just like finding a gem before anyone else has found it - sometimes, they're way cheaper, better value for money, and provide much better and more personalized customer service too! I don't know about you, but I really get a kick out of discovering these diamonds in the rough.

The latest one that I really love is First Light Cosmetics. They have a wide range of products - foundations, blush, eyeshadows, lip products - but I'm really loving their powder products, in particular the blushes!

Everything First Light does is really well done, even the packaging. The jars come with sifter tops, the seal on the sifters are stuck on (so no messy powder everywhere when you open your product), and the lid is secure enough so that powder doesn't leak out, and the containers are sturdy, and of really good quality. I really like that, because one of my fears of ordering mineral makeup online is that by the time it gets to me in the mail, the lids of the jars have come loose and the powder ends up everywhere (it has happened before!). But the packaging is really secure here. And to top it off, they come in this absolutely adorable little bag:



Isn't that cute? One of the things I love about niche companies is that they're often pretty creative when it comes to differentiating their companies or packaging. In the case of First Light Cosmetics, their little pouches bearing the company logo are not only cute, they're also made by disadvantaged women in Tanzania too!

But of course, you know packaging doesn't count for much if the product sucks. I'm glad to say it doesn't - in fact, I'm really impressed. Both Sundowner and Kohlio have both made it into heavy rotation in my blush stash. First of all, the quality is excellent. These blushes are very finely milled. I don't know how they do it - maybe they send them to Mars for milling or something (LOL), but the formulation is excellent. It's smooth, it's finely milled, and it goes on beautifully. Even the high end brands could learn from this!

Here's a close-up of Sundowner blush, so you can see that finely-milled goodness:



Here are swatches of both Sundowner and Kohilo:



Sundowner is a gorgeous plummy-pink blush, reminiscent of NARS Sin and other such colours. It also has a slight shimmer that isn't OTT at all. I normally prefer my blushes matte, but the shimmer in this is very glowy on.

Kohilo is a gorgeous bright neutral pink with shimmer. This is one of the more popular shades from their line, and I can definitely see why! This one will be universally flattering for most girls out there - I mean, everyone can use a bright neutral pink blush, right?

With wearable colours, good packaging, and an excellent formula, I don't think I have any complaints. If you're interested the the First Light Cosmetics website takes orders and offers free shipping on purchases more than 50GBP.

(These products were sent to me for review. I am not affiliated with or compensated by the company. This review is my honest and complete opinion.)