What is your opinion on dupes?

Do you think there are true dupes? Do you only look for them for LE items you can no longer find?

I don't actually believe anything is a true dupe of anything else. Similar yes, but not a dupe. I have tired of chasing dupes for anything (brushes and makeup). I do like to look them up and see if I have dupes if I am trying to do a similar look, since I will just use what I have that is close. If it's a color or brush that I plan on using a lot, then I have started just buying that exact item instead of a dupe.

I don't think there are true dupes. I think as for as a blush or eyeshadow you can get close but that's it. As far as brushes are concerned I think it's a complete waste of time to go chasing dupes. I see people say the dumbest stuff when it comes to finding dupes. Example, I got a request for a blush dupe and I found a dupe and posted it. The person comes back and says that the dupe colors has a TAD bit more orange. I applied both blushes to my skin and you could not tell the difference and the person requesting the dupe couldn't tell the difference either but they still were not satisfied. Sometimes when people request dupes they don't want a dupe. They want the product at a lower price. Then they drive themselves nuts looking for what they can just go buy, the actual product. For eyeshadow, blush and lip products I usually just find out what tone it is (color, blue, etc) and find something close.

I used to run around looking for brush dupes but I have recently stopped doing that. I look for brushes that do the job and in the process I found some really good brushes. One company is not the end all be all of brushes just because they are popular doesn't mean that another company hasn't made a different type of brush that does a great job.

I always end up getting the real thing anyway but if i want to experiment with like a pale lipstick for example I rather spend a few $ on a dupe.

I can appreciate a similar product, but I know in my heart there are no dupes except Terra Del sol and certain nailpolishes

I think it depends on how you view the product, if it is an intresting product that you want to try but are not sure if it will work, than there are true dupes of the product for less.

but if you are going after a very specific product that you "have to have" the brand does end up becoming part of the appeal of the item, so even if you find something that is exactly the same it wont be good enough for you.

i sadly tend to fall into the second category so i usually just save up to splurge on the actual product i want

A dupe for Mac underage lipgloss is Bubblegum color juice by loreal....the colour is EXACTLY the same.

yeah i do believe that there are some true dupes out there.rare tho.

I do believe there are true dupes out there. If my years of spending so much $$$ and time on makeup has taught me one thing, it's that no color is always 100% unique, with the exception of some colors I've yet to dupe. Sooner or later something's going to come along and dupe it, or if not be similar to it.

I don't search out dupes obssesively like some other people do, because over time I've learnt that I'm happier just buying the original thing, but due to the huge size of my stash, I'm always finding dupes, or close dupes, by accident. So far, I've found perfect dupes for the Becca Gypsy Pressed Shimmer Powder, and MAC Coco pigment, as well as MAC VGV lipstick. So my own experiences have led me to believe that it's a fallacy to say you can't ever dupe a colour. But at the same time, there are colors I could never find as dupes - I've been trying to find a non huge-azz-glitter-bits version of Urban Decay's Maui Wowie, and I never ever found one. Nor have I ever found a dupe for Shu 945, although I heard Becca Ametrine is a close match, but I want it in powder form. GRRRRR.

I don't search for dupes, but I tend to be drawn to specific colors, so I seem to have collected dupes without even trying. lol.

Sometimes I will look if it's for colors that were LE/are no longer available.

no,i only trust the originals...

If it's very expensive or LE, i'll look for dupes but they're never really like the original, just very similar colors. I wished they were because i think it was from Gemey Maybelline, but i owned that perfect everyday pink lipstick with shimmers in it that was wonderful on my lips, and i could never find one close to it, even wihout the shimmers.

I usually go the dupe route. For example, I have a big problem with paying for advertising for a nail polish that, after taxes, comes to over $20.

I usually purchase the original. If it's a makeup tutorial for eg, and I don't have the colour they mention, I just use what I already have rather than going out to buy exactly the colours they suggest.

Even if the COLOUR of a dupe is the same, often it doesn't have the pigmentation, the staying power, the whateverness of the original, so unless something is LE, or no longer available, I wouldn't search out a dupe particularly

Originally Posted by pinksugar /img/forum/go_quote.gif I usually purchase the original. If it's a makeup tutorial for eg, and I don't have the colour they mention, I just use what I already have rather than going out to buy exactly the colours they suggest.
Even if the COLOUR of a dupe is the same, often it doesn't have the pigmentation, the staying power, the whateverness of the original, so unless something is LE, or no longer available, I wouldn't search out a dupe particularly

Yes, this. Color match is not the same as performance match.

Yeah I am sure that there are some true dupes out there, but they are hard to find. I only look for dupes if I want to buy something that has been discontinued. I will also consult to make sure that I don't buy colors that are too similar.

I've never actually went looking for dupes. If I like it I buy it. If I like it a lot and think it may be dced then I buy multiples.

I agree Rosie. My problem with dupes is that I'm left having something that looks like it but I keep lemming the original until I can finally buy it and by then I've spent money on crap that will useless afterwards.

Dupes are just as good as the real thing,and I would search for it. {yes,silly I know!}

It would depend if the item I am lemming has been discontinued or is so expensive I can't justify the price. Then I might go the dupe route.

My husband thinks everything is dupe! Ha ha ha ha ha ha I have a zillion colors but he says they all look the same! C'mon!!! I'm still looking for the MAC McQueen Masque dupe though if any has any ideas. Man its the perfect color! But I think many things are similar yet very different. I think that the best dupes maybe gloss.

There are true dupes out there. A lot of these cosmetic brand's products come from the same factory.. I won't name which ones.. but if you do some internet research, particularly for LVMH, you will see what I am talking about. I don't waste time searching for dupes unless someone mentions a product, then I may take a look.