MAC Sable Dupes: Smashbox ASAP, MUA Shade 11

L-R: Smashbox ASAP, MAC Sable, MUA Shade 11

L-R: Smashbox ASAP, MAC Sable, MUA Shade 11

I was randomly swatching some of my eyeshadows the other night and stumbled upon some potential dupes that I thought I'd share. They looked a lot more similar that night under artificial lighting than when I re-swatched and photographed them in natural light, but close enough.

MAC's Sable  is a Frost-finish eyeshadow in a satiny pink-toned brown. I remember that when I first got it, I thought it had strong red tones but I don't see that anymore. I don't use this color often (probably because of my initial impression that it was too red) though I probably should because it's pretty to me now as I swatch it. The formula is smooth but a little dry (this may be due to its age), causing it to go on just a tad sheer on first swatch. Fear not, for the color is strong and dense by the second swipe.

Now for the "dupes."

By comparison, Smashbox's ASAP eyeshadow leans cooler as it has more of a gray-lilac tone to it. It makes Sable's red tones more apparent when they are swatched next to one another. The formula is a extremely soft and smooth, even crumbly if you pick up too much, but I find that this gives it better color payoff. A little goes a long way with this one. I happen to love ASAP and have definitely utilized it more than Sable. Sadly, it appears to have been discontinued.

MUA's Shade 11 (reviewed previously here) is a touch lighter than ASAP but very similar. Strangely, it appears quite cool and gray-taupe in the pan but goes on warmer than expected as a pinky-brown. The formula is lovely but the sheerest out of the bunch, although color may be built with ease. This one is the most affordable by far, only a whopping 1 GBP (equivalent to ~$1.50).

These "dupes" are far from perfect but perhaps similar enough that you don't need all three. I find that I'm less inclined to purchase eyeshadows these days because I'm finally realizing that I probably have all the versions of browns and taupes that I could ever need, with plenty of dupes to boot. I'll share more as I find them!

L-R: Smashbox ASAP, MAC Sable, MUA Shade 11 (natural light)

L-R: Smashbox ASAP, MAC Sable, MUA Shade 11 (with flash)