Dupe Alert! Maybelline Barely Branded & MAC Bare Study

It's no secret that I LOVE a good creamy eyeshadow base. I've been pretty loyal to MAC on this front, with Painterly and Bare Study being my most loved products. None of the Maybelline Color Tattoos had really been a direct dupe for my paint pots until I discovered Barely Branded.

The packaging is very similar, with both products being in glass jars with black screwtop lids. 

Maybelline Barely Branded and MAC Painterly

MAC Bare Study and Maybelline Barely Branded

Top to bottom: Painterly, Barely Branded, Bare Study

(no flash)

The Maybelline version is actually slightly more opaque and a little bit creamier. I've not tested the longevity of the Maybelline dupe on my eyelids yet, but if it has the same lasting power as other Maybelline Color Tattoos, Barely Branded is giving Bare Study a run for its money! 

Monthly Favorites--January 2013

These are a few products I've been using and loving for the entire month of January!

1. Estee Lauder Cream Eyeshadow in Mochachino: I adore MAC Paint Pots and anything similar. MAC is actually owned by Estee Lauder, so these are essentially identical to Paint Pots. No creasing, no smudging, and they come in a wide variety of colors. Mochachino is the perfect base for my number two favorite...

2. NARS eyeshadow in Ashes to Ashes: I love NARS eyeshadow duos and this is the first single I've tried. It's a gorgeous taupe color that works great as a wash on the entire lid. Even without adding another color, it adds dimension to your eyes. It has definitely been a staple in my stash for a long time!

3. L'Oreal Paris Shine Caresse lip gloss: These are very similar to Yves St. Laurent glossy stains, but for about a third of the price! I can't pick a favorite color because I love all of the ones I've tried so far. I have about 6 and they're all equally wearable. The color is vibrant and these leave a great stain on your lips after the glossiness wears off. Plus, they're super light weight, which is perfect for those of you who aren't wild about wearing anything heavy on the lips.

4. Maybelline The Falsies mascara: I will try any mascara at least once, and I have a feeling I will be re-buying this one. 

5. Revlon ColorStay Whipped foundation: For me, Revlon makes the best drugstore foundation. I always reach for my Revlon Colorstay over anything else and I've been loving the whipped version since I bought it back in December. It's lightweight, but has excellent, buildable coverage. Granted, I don't look like Halle Berry when I use it, but it IS only around $11 after all...

I was all over the board with blushes for the month of January, and I recently added a few to my stash, so maybe I'll have a stand-out blush for this month. What products did you reach for most this month?

Lip Love: Maybelline Baby Lips

Drugstore makeup has really stepped up its game lately! Maybelline, a brand I once considered uninteresting and lacking in variety, has turned out some great products recently. My newest find are their Baby Lips lip balm. These balms promise the following:

• 82% Visibly Less Dry
• 94% Less Rough Lips
• 77% More Supple
• 77% Better Looking Lips

Here are the ones I have tried, all of which are limited edition as far as I know. 

(l to r) Yummy Plummy, Melon Mania, Coral Crush

(top to bottom) Yummy Plummy, Melon Mania, Coral Crush

As you can see, the balms provide a decent amount of color with a nice sheen without being too glossy. All three colors that I have tried leave a tiny amount of stain on the lips, but it isn't long-lasting. 

So do these deliver on their promises? After a week of use, Yummy Plummy and Melon Mania prove to be excellent lip balms that hydrate my lips. I was not as impressed with Coral Crush. The color is more pigmented, which, while that's normally a good thing, in this case it allowed the color to slide around too easily and actually bleed.  It also wasn't as moisturizing as the other two I have. 

I picked these up for $2.97 each at WalMart, so for the price, they are great lip balms that provide the perfect amount of color. The limited edition tinted balms come in two other colors, so almost anyone can find a color that suits their style. 

Notable Nails: OPI's Cajun Shrimp

I've had my eye on this color for a while now, but it was too much of a dupe for MAC's Scorcher, which I already had. Scorcher was limited edition and was part of MAC's To the Beach collection over two years ago. When I ran out of my beloved color this past week, Cajun Shrimp was back on my radar! This reddish orange isn't seasonally specific and I love to wear it in during the dreary winter months or in the middle of summer. 

Obviously, these colors are nearly the same, with Cajun Shrimp pulling just a tad more red vs. Scorcher being slightly more orange. 

The opacity of this color is amazing! Most OPI polishes are incredibly easy to work with and look fabulous with two coats. This is ONE coat of Cajun Shrimp:

If you're looking for a great quality reddish orange to add to your collection (or to supplement any reddish oranges you already have), I definitely recommend OPI's Cajun Shrimp. I purchased mine at the J.C. Penney Salon during a BOGO half off sale, so it averaged being around $6 when it normally retails for $8.