Sunday 21 April 2013

MUA Make Up Dupes

There has been a lot of talk on the Twittersphere lately about Make Up Academy's latest offering of nail varnishes which look somewhat reminiscent of another well known brand *ahem*

Whether you love or hate what they have done I have found several similar high end make up dupes that i'm going to share with you. Honestly, I haven't tried all of these products yet so I can't comment on the quality i'm just going to be focusing on the packaging and the price.


Essie vs MUA
 Essie Polishes £7.99 each/MUA Polishes £1
As you can see, the bottles of both brands are almost completely identical, even down to the ridge underneath the cap of the bottle. I can't find any information about the volume of the bottle on the MUA website but the polishes I have previously bought from them have been smaller than high end brand polishes. I wasn't overly impressed with the quality of their nail varnish last time I purchased so I think i'll be buying Essie over MUA.


Benefit vs MUA
Benefit The Porefessional £23.50/MUA Matte Perfect Primer £4
 I own both of these products and I use my Porefessional every day. The MUA dupe is the same size and consistency although it doesn't have the same nice smell as the Benefit one. The packaging is also a lot nicer on the Benefit. I will be using the MUA once my latest Porefessional runs out purely because of the cost but Benefit will always be my number one.

  
Urban Decay vs MUA
Naked 2 Palette £32/MUA Undress Me Too Palette £4
 I also own both of these items and out of the two I prefer the Urban Decay Palette. The shadows are of a much better quality although I did expect this because of the price difference. If I had one of the same shade from each palette on each eye, I doubt anyone would notice the difference. I also love the packaging on the Naked 2 even though it's a bit bulky. The Undress Me Too palette is much easier to carry round if you are on the go.

 
Clinique vs MUA
Clinique Chubby Stick £16/MUA Power Pout £3
I haven't tried either of these products yet as I am not a big fan of lip products however I can comment on the packaging of each and if you were to take off the branding and writing, I doubt anyone would be able to tell the two apart. The Clinique range is available in a lot more colours than the Power Pout but this is one of MUA's latest products so I am sure that there will be shades available soon.

MAC vs MUA
MAC Extra Dimension Skin Finish £20/MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder £3
 Obviously the colours of the two palettes are different but the swirls are very similar. On first look, I would say that the MAC looks better quality but I am yet to try this. You get a good colour payoff with the MUA.

 Total spend for high end products = £99.49

Total spend for MUA products =£15

Now you know I love a bargain but from what i've been reading some people feel like they are being led to believe that because the packaging is similar the product inside is of a similar quality to a high end brand.

Not everyone, including myself, can afford to buy high end make up so have MUA made a smart move in trying to make these dupes more accessible to a wider audience? My motto has always been "you get what you pay for" and out of the products I have in this list I can honestly say that the high end products are better but Mr bank man doesn't always let me have my way so it's great to know that there is a cheaper alternative available. 

Would you rather buy high end or high street? Do you think it is right or clever what MUA have done?


8 comments:

  1. So interesting to see how much they get away with! Didn't realise they'd made their own version of the chubby sticks! I'm intrigued to try now. Great post as always Holly :) xxx

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    1. I know! I haven't seen another brand get their 'inspiration' from so many other different brands!

      Thanks :) xxx

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  2. The power pouts are honestly such a lovely product! xxx

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    1. I haven't tried one yet but I really want to! xxx

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  3. This was so great to read! I didn't realise how many things MUA had copied. Great reading!


    Now a follower via GFC. Can't wait to read more! :)

    HannahMarieBeauty.blogspot.co.uk
    xx

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  4. In a way I think it's a bit cheeky (more so copying packaging like the nail polish than copying product but having different packaging like the eyeshadows) BUT on the other hand, it's nice that people like myself who can't afford higher end products can still get the same looks. The quality might not be quite there but you're getting an almost identical look for much, much less money so in my opinion for the price you can't really moan. Great post :) xxx

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  5. This is a great idea for a post, thanks for sharing it! I love a bargain beauty purchase!
    I'm over at http://nicolastewartgalton.blogspot.co.uk if you fancy a read.
    Nicola xx

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  6. i personally love MUA as a brand

    boldinballerinass.co.uk

    Kamila xx

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