Guest Entry: Dupes for Asia Exclusive Products

Hello everyone! Today I am very honored to have a guest blogger, who is a good friend of mine, to do a guest entry on this blog. She is going to compare some asian and european makeup products, and show you some awesome dupes. So I hope you all enjoy!^0^
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Hello everyone! As a long-time follower of beauty blogs and Youtube gurus, I thought it was time for me to add my own two cents into the mix considering I know one of these gurus-(lovesweet)Crystal! I really got into Asian make-up a few years ago and being disappointed with the shipping and some of the mark-ups on Asia-exclusive products, started to find my own budget-friendly dupes of things that I found bloggers and Youtubers raving about. Who doesn’t love a deal right? :D Let’s get started:

Beige-y pink “Dolly” glosses vs. NYC lip sliders

Cute pale pink lips are essential to a gyaru look and so brands like Canmake, Nude Bonbon, and many other Japanese brands release non-shimmery, thick and shiny glosses to meet a gyaru girl’s needs. A few gurus have talked about NYC lip sliders and although I am pretty sure they have not been discontinued, the availability is limited. These glosses are cheap, long lasting and have a slight concealing effect that is what gives gyarus that dolly pouty look. This was given to me by a friend and I have since purchased back ups!

Because they somewhat conceal the natural color of your lips, these might be a bit thick for some people and a bit sticky. But they smell like candy so….. win! I don’t own a Canmake Nudy Gloss but below are two of Crystal’s Asia exclusive glosses.

L to R: Etude House LUCIDarling Fantastic Rouge Gloss in 3, Revlon Super Lustrous in Fuchsia Pout (apparently this color is not available in the US), NYC Lip Slider in Sugar Kiss

Kate palettes vs. Maybelline ColorExplosion

Any good gyaru girl (or aspiring gyaru) knows that a basic brown palette is super-essential and I caved and purchased a Kate palette in BR-1 because it was just so prettyyyyyy!! This particular palette has been discontinued sadly but many many (if not all) Japanese brands offer a similar palette in their collection.

I recently got this Maybelline palette and I’m pretty sure many people have heard these being compared to Asian eyeshadows since a version of this has been released in Asia. The previous Maybelline Eyestudio palettes are probably also a good dupe but I don’t own any so I can’t attest to similarities.

L to R: Kate palette in BR-1, Maybelline ColorExplosion in Caffeine Rush and Forest Fury

These palettes are pigmented (the green more so than the brown), long-lasting, and include a super glittery overlay that reminds me of the gold shade in the Kate palette.



Shiseido Anessa Sunscreen vs. Neutrogena Ultrasheer Liquid Sunscreen

Asian sunscreens are dramatically better than American formulas in my opinion, especially for the face. I prefer Neutrogena’s Ultrasheer Body Mist Sunblock for the body since it’s so convenient but ANYWAY, back to business. I loved the Anessa Perfect Smooth but that has been discontinued (I’m pretty sure) so enter Neutrogena Ultrasheer Liquid Sunscreen which has the shake-up formula of most Asian sunscreens and a very similar texture.

It’s liquid-y and easy to spread, with a sunscreen smell that's stronger than the Anessa, but it’s not overly offensive. I also found that it balls up more than the Anessa but this is under $17 while the Anessa is usually $30 (without shipping)…STEAL!!!



KissMe Mascara vs. Clinique high impact curling mascara

Tubing mascaras make Asian lashes longer, which is a big plus and I know these are available at Sephora now and that the Clinique is not THAT much cheaper, but I found the formula of this to be volumnizing AND lengthening, which I can’t say for all Asian tubing mascaras. This comes off more clumpy than the KissMe, which comes off thin and spidery, whereas the Clinique comes off in bigger bunches. It’s hard to describe and it’s a bit inconvenient but if it makes lashes look thicker AND longer, it’s SOOOOO worth it! (Also, this does hold a curl)



Dollywink liquid eyeliner vs. Physician’s Formula Eye Booster liquid eyeliner

The Dollywink liquid eyeliner is so cool because you don’t need to twist or dip anything to get the ink to come out and this Physician’s Formula eyeliner is the same way. It’s actually a Japanese formula so it’s super smooth and easy to use. It’s supposed to help you get longer lashes, which I actually think may be the case. Mine looked a little longer after 2 weeks of regular use.

Sorry I don’t have the black one but you can see the formula is very similar and smooth. I noticed when I was trying to take them off that the Dollywink is harder to remove even with cleansing oil.
-- Now on to the products that are actually released in the US and in Asia, so they’re basically the same thing.

Maybelline Eyestudio Gel liner

This was #1 for a while in Japan, so it’s legit good stuff. I haven’t personally used it but many can attest to its awesomeness. Basically, many companies have released gel liners now so you have a lot of options, but this is sold and loved in Japan so it belongs in this post (and cause I said so!)



Eyebrow Trimmer

These are great for Asian lashes. Especially for people like me who have really thick eyebrows and it makes trimming pretty easy. Just be careful because it’s easy to shave off half your brow if you aren’t careful.



Eyelid Tape

I’ve never had to buy eyelid tape because there’s a really easy way to make your own eyelid tape. Just go to your neighborhood Wal-Mart and go to the aisle that sells Nexcare flexible clear tape (probably in the bandage aisle). I took it out of the tape dispenser because you have to trim these yourselves into your desired shape. Others have done better tutorials so just google those for better directions but here’s the basic idea.

I hope I didn’t overly bombard you guys with information but this comes from many years of trying different products so I can stand by my recommendations and nothing is too expensive.

Also, have you guys noticed Forever 21 coming out with beauty products that look verrrrrrrrry similar to certain Asian and US brands? Hmmm….. Maybe I should do a review of those?

 

DISCLAIMER: All products in this post were either purchased by me or Crystal for our own personal use.