WHICH DUPE IS THE BEST DUPE? CONCEALER EDITION

Hey guys!

So I try to dupe as much as I can here for you guys because, well, who doesn’t love dupes? While it’s nice to splurge on high end goodies from time to time, let’s be real; we can’t all afford to live the beauty high life.

I’ve noticed that, after much playing around with some of my must have beauty products, that dupes I’ve seen duped, aren’t necessarily dupes.

A dupe, for reference, is a less expensive version of a high end product that is similar in color, formula, packaging, etc.

Allow me to explain.

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NARS RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER

Left – NYX (CW02) Right – NARS (Vanilla)

The NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer is like a cult classic; everyone (or almost everyone) owns it, loves it, swears by it, myself included. It’s amazing. It’s brightening, long wearing, virtually crease free, and blurs imperfections for an almost photoshopped finish; pretty much everything you could ask for in a concealer.

It’s been said that the drugstore dupe for this concealer is the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer; I would have to disagree.
While they’re similar in terms of their packaging (squared edges and black twist off caps), that’s pretty much where it ends. But in terms of formula, the closest match that I’ve found is the NYX Hi Definition Photogenic Concealer. It has a much thicker, creamier consistency, and blurs imperfections almost exactly like the NARS. And it’s far less expensive, coming in right around $6 at most retailers that carry NYX!

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URBAN DECAY NAKED SKIN WEIGHTLESS COMPLETE COVERAGE CONCEALER 

Left – Maybelline (Fair) Right – Urban Decay (Light Warm)

This concealer is quickly becoming one of the most popular concealers around, and with good reason; it’s hydrating, long wearing, looks like skin, and it’s (almost) full coverage, not to mention it’s buildable. Initially when I tried it, I wasn’t impressed. Mostly my disappointment was based in the shade range – it’s very hard to find your shade, as they run light, and are rather limited. Or they were. They’ve since expanded their shade range to accommodate a wider range of deeper skin tones. I wish they’d throw in a few more options for us light gals, but that’s another issue.

Since finding my perfect shade (Light Warm and I’m an NC15 for reference), I’ve really been loving this concealer, and using it almost daily. And the best dupe I’ve found for this one is actually the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer. While the packaging is entirely different, the formula is very similar. They both have a very pigmented, lightweight, gel-like formula that is again, very buildable, and feels like nothing on the skin, while looking like skin. This concealer, like the NYX one mentioned above, also comes in around $6-7, depending on the retailer.

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 Have you guys tried any of these concealers? Which one is your fave? Leave me a comment and let me know!

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LUCK OF THE IRISH SMOKEY EYE MAKEUP TUTORIAL

“May your troubles be less, and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door.” – An Irish Blessing

Hey guys! With St. Patrick’s Day almost here, and my husband’s Irish heritage flying high and proud all year ’round, I knew I wanted to create a St. Patty’s inspired look.
This is a look that you can wear out with friends, to a parade, or even to a special St. Patty’s dinner. It’s easy to recreate, anyone can wear it, but especially for my brown-eyed-girls, this is going to make your peepers POP!

If you want to see how I created this look, then just keep reading!

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 When you’re working with dark shadows, and shimmery, glittery shadows, you’re almost guaranteed to have some fallout, so I like to start with my eyes before doing my skin. I primed my eyes using the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in ‘Milk’, which is just a white eye crayon. The white underneath our shadows will help the colors stand out more, and the consistency of the pencil will give the shadows something to grab on to. Just draw it on sloppily, and smooth it out with your finger, all over the lid, up to the brow bone.

 Next I’m going in with ‘Beaches and Cream’ by Makeup Geek. Using a Morphe M441, which is just a fluffy blending brush, I’m taking that all over the lid, crease, and up to the brow. This is just going to help our other shades blend more smoothly. Then, using the same brush, I picked up ‘Peach Smoothie’, also by Makeup Geek, and applied that into the crease, working from outer corner to inner corner, and working just above the crease as the product starts to leave my brush. This warm, peach shade will give a nice contrast, and really compliment the next shades we’ll be using.

 

 Now, I’m picking up any flat, dense shader brush, and working with an Urban Decay Eyeshadow in the shade ‘Mildew’ (which I had a sample of from an ULTA order awhile back), I’m applying that all over the lid. It’s an earthy, shimmery, mossy green color which is the perfect base for a look like this. I started down near the lash line, and worked my way toward the crease, to keep most of the color as low on the lid as possible. Then, go back with your M441, and using no additional product, just buff out the line between the green shade and ‘Peach Smoothie’.

 

 So now we’re going to take the far right shade in the Maybelline EyeStudio Shadow Quad palette in ‘Gutsy Green’, which is a dark, forest green with shimmer, and a pencil brush (I used the Morphe M169) and begin building that up on the outer ‘V’ of the eye. Once you’ve gotten it to your desired intensity, begin moving your brush lightly through the crease, keeping it low, and bring it around to the inner corner of the eye. This will create sort of a ‘halo’ effect on the lid. Don’t worry if you’ve lost some of your brighter green, we’ll get to that. Just lightly blend , making sure all of the harsh edges are gone.

Now, using the far left, bright green shade in that same Maybelline palette, I just used my ring finger to pat a little bit right on the center of my lid. Gently pat it on, keeping it dead center on the lid, and then take your pencil brush, and blend the edges together with the dark shade we used on either side.

 

 Now, take a baby wipe or makeup wipe, and swipe away any fallout. Winged liner is totally optional here, but you know me (or you should by now!) – go big, or go home. Using my e.l.f. Cream Eyeliner in black and a Morphe M160 1/8 brush, I’m just going to apply my winged liner as usual. If you want to check out my tutorial for winged liner, you can do that by clicking here.

 

 Then I’m going to apply a thin coat of Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara, and apply some false lashes. I used Kiss Blooming Lashes in ‘Lily’, which I recently found on clearance at my local Walgreens, and I’m in love with them! They’re beautiful!

Now I’m just going to apply my foundation (L’Oreal Infallible Pro Matte in 101 and 102) and concealer (NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in ‘Vanilla’) as usual, and set my concealer with the Anastasia of Beverly Hills ‘Banana’ Powder and a Morphe M438 brush.

 

 To finish up the eyes (without jumping around on you too much!), I’m going to take a Morphe M432 flat definer brush, and using the dark, shimmery green from the Maybelline palette, I’m going to press that right up underneath my bottom lashes, stopping about halfway in to the corner of my eye. Then using a clean pencil brush, I’m just going to buff that shadow out so it’s a little smokier, and apply some mascara to my lower lashes.
Then I filled in my brows using the NYX Micro Brow Pencil in ‘Chocolate’, and set them with the Anastasia of Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel.

Since the eyes are so bold and smokey and dark, I really wanted to bring some warm, peachy color back to the face. After contouring as usual with Makeup Geek ‘Breakup’ Contour Powder and an e.l.f. Small Tapered Brush, I applied Milani Baked Blush in ‘Luminoso’ to the back of my cheeks with an angled blush brush. Since this blush already has some shimmer to it, I decided to – wait for it – skip highlighter! I KNOW! Did you fall off your chair? Pick yourself up, darling, because we’re not done yet!

  

 Finally, keeping with the same warm, peachy, natural glow we had going for the cheeks, I chose to finish off the look with some NARS Lip Gloss in ‘Dolce Vita’, and a quick spritz of Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray. And we’re all done!!

 

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There you have it! My St. Patty’s Day inspired makeup look! I hope you all have a wonderful, fun, safe St. Patrick’s Day! If you decided to recreate this look, tag me on Instagram!

Come follow me around social media!
Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram : @dlynnesposito
Facebook : Affordable Gorgeous
Snapchat : dlynnesposito

And please feel free to reblog this post and share my social media with your friends! Your support means so much!

LOTS OF LOVE!!

SPRINGTIME PINK MAKEUP TUTORIAL

 Lately with all the spring trends popping up in magazines and on the internet, I’ve been totally feeling spring makeup vibes! Maybe I can entice it to make an early appearance by using spring colors, what do you think?

In any event, on a recent Pinterest binge, I came across this board, #glossierpink, and it’s from the company Glossier, who’s primary focus is on skin care first, and makeup second. They have a great selection of beauty products created based on feedback from women like you and me, which is really cool. But all the pinks, you guys; they inspired me. They had the most gorgeous, springtime blush tones, and I knew that I wanted to build a look around all pinks!

So if you want to see how I created my #glossierpink look, just keep reading!

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Starting with the skin, I’m going to be priming my face with Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer, to smooth any lines and fill in my pores. Once that sets into the skin, I’m going in with Maybelline Fit Me Stick Foundation in 11o, and then blend it out with a flat top kabuki brush (mine is no-name, but it’s the same as a Sigma F80).

Then I’ll conceal and highlight under the eyes, the forehead, down the center of the nose, the cupids bow, the sides of the nose, and my chin, using NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in ‘Vanilla’, and blend it out with a damp sponge, and immediately set the concealer with ‘Banana’ from the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit and a Morphe M438 brush.

Now I’ll be contouring, using my new Makeup Geek Contour Powders. First I’m going in with ‘Breakup’, which is made for porcelain skin with cool undertones, with a NARS ITA brush. Then, for a slightly more sculpted and dimensional look, I’ll add a little bit of ‘Infidelity’, which is a cool toned shade for fair skin, on an e.l.f. Small Tapered Brush, concentrating it more towards the ears, where I want my contour the darkest. Next, using my Real Techniques Blush Brush, I’m going to apply L’Oreal True Match Blush in the shade ‘Innocent Flush’ to my cheeks. To highlight, I’m using my Physician’s Formula Mineral Glow Pearls (which are no longer ‘pearls’, see my DIY post here) for a soft, radiant, pink glow, on the cheekbones, tip of the nose, and cupids bow.

Now onto the eyes! If you haven’t already primed your eyes with your concealer (like I usually do) you can do that, or use your favorite eyeshadow primer. I’ve been loving my LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer that came with my Pro Palette 1 & 2 – that stuff grabs on to your shadows and they don’t budge!

So for this look, I decided to use all Morphe eyeshadows. And you guys, for $2.29 eyeshadows….they’re gorgeous. You know by now my love for Morphe products. I don’t have to tell you. I’m going to start by picking up the shade ‘Swine’, which is a light, neutral mid-toned brown transition shade, and dust that in the crease using a Morphe M433 brush. Back and forth, in windshield wiper motions, and then small circles, focusing most of the product on the outer corner.

Now, I’m going to pick up the shade ‘Peekaboo’, which is kind of a mauve-y pink shade, and using the same brush, put the right over the first color. Back and forth, buffing it in and making sure there are no harsh lines.

Next, I’ll take the shade ‘Pretty In Pink’ (a matte, cotton candy pink) on a Morphe M330 brush, and apply that on top of the first two, keeping it very low in the crease.

Finally, using my finger, I’ll pat a little ‘Wink For Pink’, a shimmery, pearly baby pink, onto my lid, and then go back to the M330 with no additional product on it, and just buff out the line between the shimmery shadow and the ‘Pretty In Pink’.

 

Now that your shadows are on, go ahead and add some winged liner (or not, totally up to you!). I did a thin wing (see the photo below) with Maybelline EyeStudio Lasting Gel Liner in ‘Blackest Black’ and a Morphe 160 1/8 brush. Check out my winged liner tutorial here.

 For the lower lash line, I’m going to pick up a little of the shade ‘Treasure’, a slightly shimmery warm brown, on a Morphe M432 brush, and wiggle that into my bottom lashes but only on the outer third of my eye. Then I’ll blend it out by taking some ‘Swine’ and ‘Peekaboo’ on an M169 pencil brush and run it back and forth along the lower lash line, right over ‘Treasure’.

Now I’m going to highlight the inner corner and brow bone with that same Physician’s Formula highlight that I used on my cheeks on a clean M169, and apply a few coats of Covergirl LashBlast Clump Crusher Extensions Mascara in ‘Very Black’ to my top and bottom lashes.

Don’t worry, we’re almost done! But we absolutely can’t forget the brows – after all, they frame the face, and help to pull the whole look together. I’m going to fill them in with my NYX Micro Brow Pencil in ‘Taupe’, and set them with the Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel.

Finally, for the lips, I slightly over-lined them with NYX Retractable Lip Liner in ‘Nude Pink’, and then applied Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in ‘Pink Lemonade’ over the top. Give yourself a bath in some setting spray; I used Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray, and we’re done!

 

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Wow, that was a long one! But for someone who usually sticks to neutral shades and brown tones, I’m really feelin’ these pink tones! I hope you guys enjoyed this look! Leave me a comment below and let me know!

Come follow me around social media!
Twitter, Pinterest & Instagram : @dlynnesposito
Facebook : Affordable Gorgeous
Snapchat : dlynnesposito

And feel free to reblog this post and share my social media with your friends! Your support means so much!

LOTS OF LOVE!!

REVIEW – NARS RADIANT CREAMY CONCEALER

  So someone said to me the other day “I thought your blog was called Affordable Gorgeous? I’ve noticed that you’ve been sneaking in more high end, expensive stuff – what gives?”.

We all love high end makeup. My blog is primarily about affordable makeup and drugstore buys, but I also find a lot of products (both high end and drugstore) on eBay. I search and search, especially if there is something in particular I want to try. Like the concealer I want to talk about today.

I found the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer on eBay, and won the bid at $19 with free shipping. The full retail price of this product is $29. So that’s a savings of $10!

This is a Holy Grail product to many, and I wanted to see why! Here’s what NARS has to say about their product :

Coveted by artists for its luxurious texture and luminous finish, new Radiant Creamy Concealer evens skin with lightweight medium to high buildable coverage. Enriched with hydrating, multi-action skincare benefits and light diffusing technology, it creates a softer, smoother complexion while instantly obscuring imperfections and diminishing fine lines and signs of fatigue.

• Long wearing and crease-proof
• Paraben-free, Alcohol free, Synthetic fragrance free, Non comedogenic

Let’s get started!

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PACKAGING

  
This comes in a clear glass tube with the NARS logo printed on the side, and NARS’ classic slightly rubbery feeling matte black twist off cap. The applicator itself is a doe foot, like many, but not the standard size – I find that it’s slightly larger than most I’ve seen. What I appreciate about that is that it picks up a decent amount of product, which reduces the number of times I have to keep dipping back into the product.

FORMULA

It’s a very creamy formula, as the name indicates, but it’s the ideal texture. Not too thick, not runny at all, very comfortable to apply and wear, and very hydrating, which my dry winter skin loves! I have mine in the shade Vanilla, for reference, and it’s a perfect match to my skin tone. I will say that I’ve seen this compare to the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer (which you guys know I die for!) however I find the Maybelline one to be a little more on the sheer and ‘wet’ side, whereas the NARS one is, while still very creamy, definitely a little on the drier side, if that makes sense. If you’re someone who’s used both, then you get me! 🙂

APPLICATION & WEAR

I actually used this two ways; with and without primer, on a few separate occasions.

First off, regardless of whether or not you wear a primer underneath, I did note that it applies best under the eyes with a damp sponge, but for blemishes I much prefer to pat it out with my finger. I haven’t had the greatest luck with a brush, but I’m waiting on a new concealer brush to come in the mail, so perhaps that will yield a better result.

When I got this in the mail, I ripped it open immediately and swatched it. I tried so hard to resist the urge to slather it all over my slightly greasy, unwashed face for fear that it might oxidize and I would hate it without giving it it’s fair shot. Long story short, eventually I did throw a little on to leave the house. And it wore BEAUTIFULLY!

This concealer is medium coverage, buildable to full, and over a primer or not, doesn’t settle into my pores or fine lines, doesn’t crease, and doesn’t budge! Yes, even on my oily spots, it stayed put! I wore it for a full 8 hour day, with no touchups or powder, and every time I looked in the mirror to see how it was holding up, it still looked just as amazing as when I first applied it!!

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You guys, I think I’ve found my new HOLY GRAIL CONCEALER! Like, I’m confident that if someone told me I could only own one concealer the rest of my life, this would be the one! You know I like a concealer that multitasks; I hate to have to carry multiple products if it’s not necessary. This stuff is amazing!!

Have you tried it? Have you wanted to but were unsure if it was worth the $$? Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts!

And please go follow me on Twitter and Instagram @dlynnesposito, and maybe even go like the Affordable Gorgeous page on Facebook! Your support means so much!

LOTS OF LOVE!