Top Ten Eyeshadows (& Cheaper Alternatives)

A couple of weeks ago I posted about my Top Ten Lipsticks and I have to say that a lot of my lovely readers enjoyed that post very much, so much so that I was actually requested to do a Top Ten Eyeshadows post. 

Today I decided to write a Top Ten Eyeshadows post, like I did in my Top Ten Lipsticks post, I'll be including cheaper alternatives. 

From left to right: MAC 'Bare Study', Urban Decay 'Sin', MAC 'Crystal Avalanche', MAC 'Electra', Urban Decay 'Oil Slick', MAC 'Club', MAC 'Mystery', MAC 'Shale', MAC 'Lucky Green' and MAC 'Free To Be'

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1.) MAC 'Bare Study' - £14.50 - Cream Formula

Cheaper Alternative: Fashionista Single Eyeshadow in 'Nude Glimmer' - £4.00

Price Difference: £10.50

Left: MAC 'Bare Study'
Right: Fashionista 'Nude Glimmer'

Bare Study is described as 'soft beige with gold pearl', it has a cream formula and a frost finish. Bare Study isn't technically a powder eyeshadow, it's a paint pot which is a cream eyeshadow. It can be worn alone or can be used as a base for eyeshadows. I absolutely love wearing Bare Study on its own as it gives a nice subtle shimmer but I also like layering neutral eyeshadows over the top of it. Fashionista 'Nude Glimmer' isn't an exact dupe for Bare Study as one, it's a powder eyeshadow and two, it's slightly more peach toned. But if you're looking for a cheaper alternative then 'Nude Glimmer' is the one to go for. 

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2.) Urban Decay 'Sin' - £14.00 - Sparkle Finish

Cheaper Alternative: MAC 'Naked Lunch' - £10.00

Price Difference: £4.00

Left: Urban Decay 'Sin'
Right: MAC 'Naked Lunch'

Sin is described as 'champagne'. It's a peachy nude colour with a high amount of shimmer. Sin is such a lovely neutral eyeshadow and I primarily use it in the inner corner of my eye when creating a brown smokey eye. 

Naked Lunch isn't as pigmented as Sin but there's no denying that the colour is exactly the same. If Naked Lunch was more pigmented, they'd the twins for sure. 

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3.) MAC 'Crystal Avalanche' - £10.00 - Veluxe Pearl Finish

Cheaper Alternative: L'Oreal Colour Infallible in 'Time Resist White' - £6.99

Price Difference: £3.01

Left: MAC 'Crystal Avalanche'
Right: L'Oreal 'Time Resist White'

Crystal Avalanche is described as 'white with reflects'. It's the perfect highlight shade and it's also lovely worn alone as it opens up the eyes. 

Time Resist White is a close dupe, it's not an exact dupe as it's slightly more cream toned but due to the finish and the high amount of shimmer, I'd say it was a close enough dupe. I absolutely love Time Resist White and would highly recommend it to anyone that was thinking about buying Crystal Avalanche. Why spend an extra £3.01 when you don't have to. 

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4.) MAC 'Electra' - £10.00 - Frost Finish

Cheaper Alternative: Inglot 'Pearl 448' - £4.50

Price Difference: £5.50

Left: MAC 'Electra'
Right: Inglot 'Pearl 448'

Electra is described as 'silver with icy shimmer'. Electra is possibly one of the nicest silver eyeshadows that I own and I think this is due to it's lovely finish and smooth application. It's a lovely silver eyeshadow to use when creating a black smokey eye.

Inglot Pearl 448 is near enough identical to Electra in terms of colour, finish and texture. The only difference is the price tag. I love Inglot eyeshadows and they're possibly the best eyeshadows that I own. 

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5.) Urban Decay 'Oil Slick' - £14.00 - Sparkle & Matte Finish

Cheaper Alternative: Inglot 'AMC 65' - £4.50

Price Difference: £9.50

Left: Urban Decay 'Oil Slick'
Right: Inglot 'AMC 65'

Oil Slick is described as 'black with silver micro glitter'. It's a great black eyeshadow and I especially like it because it contains glitter. I primarily use Oil Slick as an eyeliner or when creating a black smokey eye.

Inglot AMC 65 is an excellent dupe for Oil Slick, the only difference is that Oil Slick has chunkier glitter particles. If you're looking for a black sparkly eyeshadow then I'd definitely go for the Inglot AMC 65 as it's much cheaper than Oil Slick.

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6.) MAC 'Club' - £10.00 - Satin Finish

Cheaper Alternative: MUA Trio in 'Innocence' - £2.00

Price Difference: £8.00

Left: MAC 'Club'
Right: MUA 'Innocence'

Club is described as 'red-brown with green pearl'. Club is a beautiful eyeshadow and this is due to it being a duocrome. I love how its a brown eyeshadow with a blue/green undertone, it would look lovely on anyone with green eyes as it would makes eyes appear greener than they are. I'm not going to lie, Club is a nightmare to apply and you do need to use a lot of it but it's such a beautiful colour, you just cannot resist it. 

Innocence is an excellent cheaper alternative to Club as it's got the same blue/green undertone. It isn't as dark as Club but who cares when you're saving yourself £8.00. 

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7.) MAC 'Mystery' - £10.00 - Satin Finish

Cheaper Alternative: Sleek 'Boxed' (Oh So Special palette) - £6.49

Price Difference: £3.51

Left: MAC 'Mystery'
Right: Sleek 'Boxed'

Mystery is described as 'muted plum brown'. I primarily use Mystery for filling in my eyebrows as I like them to look quite dark. It's a very pigmented eyeshadow so you don't need to use a lot of it. It's a multifunctional brown and I love it to bits and pieces. 

Boxed isn't an exact dupe but if you're looking for a dark brown matte then this is the one to go for. It's a lovely rich brown colour with great pigmentation.

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8.) MAC 'Shale' - £10.00 - Satin Finish

Cheaper Alternative: Inglot 'D.S 460' - £4.50

Price Difference: £5.50

Left: MAC 'Shale'
Right: Inglot 'D.S 460'

Shale is described as 'mauve-plum with subtle shimmer'. Shale is a great for using when creating a daytime smokey eye as it's not too dark or harsh looking. I always wear MAC 'Vex' with Shale as they go together like strawberries and cream. Shale does need layering and you do have to use quite a bit but I don't mind as it's such a lovely colour and it looks beautiful on the eyes. 

Inglot D.S 460 is a good alternative and I highly recommend checking it out if you were planning on buying Shale. 

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9.) MAC 'Lucky Green' - £10.00 - Veluxe Pearl Finish

Cheaper Alternative: Inglot 'Pearl 412' - £4.50

Price Difference: £5.50

Left: MAC 'Lucky Green'
Right: Inglot 'Pearl 412'

Lucky Green is described as 'Frosted Midtone Lime'. This is the BEST green eyeshadow that I own, it has amazing pigmentation and it's such a beautiful colour. 

Inglot Pearl 412 is an excellent alternative as it's pretty much identical to Lucky Green. 

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10.) MAC 'Free To Be' (LE) - £12.00 - Matte Finish

Cheaper Alternative: Sleek 'Ribbon' (Oh So Special palette) - £6.49

Price Difference: £5.51

Left: MAC 'Free To Be'
Right: Sleek 'Ribbon'

Free To Be is described as 'Bright True Coral'. It's one of the brightest, boldest eyeshadows that I own and I simply adore it. If you follow my blog or watch me on youtube then you'll know that I'm a HUGE coral fan. I love everything coral including eyeshadow, if I could have a coral coloured house I would! Free To Be takes a lot of layering but it's worth it as it's such an intense, eye-catching colour. I usually use Free To Be as an eyeliner. 

Ribbon is a brilliant alternative to Free To Be as it's near enough the same colour and it too has a matte finish. The great thing with Ribbon is that you don't have to layer it at all, unlike with Free To Be. Ribbon is intensely pigmented, has a creamy texture and only a small amount is needed. 

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I hope you all liked my Top Ten Eyeshadows post and if you have any questions about any of the eyeshadows mentioned, please feel free to comment below.

Many thanks for reading!

:)