This picture doesn't do the color justice so let me just say that it's a deep orangy-copper that seems to have an almost pinkish-violet shimmer. On the lid it literally looks like molten copper and it makes green and hazel eyes pop like nobody's business. AND, it's discontinued. So since my "California" eyeshadow single is going on 10 years old, I'm really just too scared to use it at this point.
So the quest for a drugstore dupe begins!
I didn't take the NARS eyeshadow single with me to Rite-Aid the other day, but from my memory of this color I thought I saw something pretty darn close in this Jesse's Girl eyeshadow called "Complex" (retail: $3.99):
But of course, when I brought it home, I realized it's nowhere near the shade I was hoping it would be:
NARS "California" on left, Jesse's Girl "Complex" on right
Too much rust, not enough coppery goodness.
But of course I wasn't going to stop until I swatched the two side-by-side to see how "Complex" looked on my skin:
Jesse's Girl "Complex" on left, NARS "California" on right
Yeah, "Complex" is definitely not a dupe for "California." But what's even worse is that the quality of this Jesse's Girl eyeshadow really pales in comparison to the Jesse's Girl Baked Eyeshadows, which I love.
The Jesse's Girl swatches above were taken after multiple swipes from my eyeshadow brush. I had to swipe and swipe and almost dig my brush into the very hard powder before I could pick up enough color to have it show up on my hand. And course it didn't make things any better when I ever-so-gently swiped my NARS shadow once and got the beautiful, rich, metallic color you see in the photos above. Oh NARS, why must you cost $22?
Soooo...the hunt continues. If you know of a gorgeous, deep coppery color at the drugstore, fill me in. Please!
*sigh* I LOVE NARS shadows. I own like 10 or 11 singles and two duos...they're so worth the price. I wish California wasn't DCed! =( I hope you find a dupe soon!!
ReplyDeletei love metallic gold and coppers.
ReplyDeletei can reccommend as great shadows and potential dupes (*caveat caveat*) HiP shadow shocking pigment in Tenacious, L'Oreal Wear infinite shadow singles in Copper Penny and Gilded Bronze (GB is my fave). there are also 4 different bronzey shadow singles in the CoverGirl Queen collection, and NYX singles in Golden, Golden Dune, Asphalt, Fantasy, or Gold pearl look like they could be similar.
hope this helps.
That color looks like it could be a really good blush but that sucks that the quality is bad.
ReplyDeleteHey Joey! You lucky girl, you!! I could only dream of owning that many NARS eyeshadows! :)
ReplyDeleteHey beautifulmonday! WOW, thank you so so so much for all the fantastic recs! I am going to go check out all of these colors ASAP and I'll do another post if I end up buying anything. Again, thank you!! :)
Hey ndoodles! You're a genius! lol! I never thought about using the Jesse's Girl shadow as a blush! Since it's so sheer and the pigmentation is so weak, it *could* make a decent blush! I'll try it and keep you posted. I only hope that the staying power is better on my cheeks than it was on my eyes. lol.
Actually, California is on the NARS website for sale if you really love it enough to pay $22 for it. I usually try to find cheaper alternatives, but some things are just worth the money. Like the good brand of toilet paper. ;o)
ReplyDeleteSometimes you have to reward yourself for all your good choices that have saved you money or you start to feel deprived instead of thrifty.
Anon!! OMG, thank you soooo much! I searched on the NARS site before I wrote this post and I didn't see "California" so I went on Amazon and it said that this color was not available. But I just went on the NARS site again and there it was! Yay!!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I think you're right--if you don't reward yourself every once in a while you do start to feel deprived. So true. I think this might be my one nice splurge product of the season. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a helpful comment. :)
Hey Rec.--Don't forget to check Sally Girl & Ulta singles-both have A LOT of colors--hopefully, you might find something close! Happy Hunting!
ReplyDeleteTry Sally Girl eyeshadow (the little ones that hook together) in Auburn. I don't think its as pigmented as the NARS shadow on its own but if you use it with a creamy base it works really well.
ReplyDeleteHey Michelle and Anon! Thank you both so much for the tip about Sally Girl! I have been meaning to get over to Sally anyway to take advantage of that Sally Girl sale so I will definitely look for this shade! xo
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you'll even get this comment, since this post is so old. I was just going over some of your dupe posts and found this one. I have Nars Cali, and love it! I found a dupe w/ Jordana's single shadow A Classic. Hope you get this comment.
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