It's a known fact that I don't call things 'dupe' lightly. Alternatives, comparable, maybe, but the word 'dupe' is too often over and misused. However, I've finally found something that I can justify using the word 'dupe' and it's a good one. I've been trying to find a good alternative to the limited edition Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Turquoise for a friend for long months now. I've come close a couple of times color-wise, but this time I've finally hit jackpot.

I was in the Kiko store with Jaye a couple weeks back, swatching away without a care in the world when a corner of the store caught my eye. Other than being a matte black packaging, the Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows, down to the color tab at the end, was a replica of Laura Mercier's offering. The product itself was almost a complete dupe. Quite honestly, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the dupe and the high-end if you gave it to me in a blind test. The long-lasting part is no joke, I swatched both Kiko and Laura Mercier on my hand and forgot to take it off, a shower and a night's sleep later, both of the swatches had barely faded. In fact, I had forgotten which swatch was the £20.50 and which was the £4.90 dupe. Don't believe me? Try telling the two swatches apart in the above photo.