Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Burberry Midnight Brown and Pale Barley Compared to Urban Decay Stray Dog and Suspect | Swatchfest and Commentary

Purchased by me (Affiliate Links)

It's a funny thing the way that the brain registers color and texture, and in the case of eyeshadows to the beauty-obsessed, the way one sees dupes or potential dupes everywhere. This was precisely the case when I was playing with Stray Dog and Suspect while loitering in front of the Urban Decay display at Sephora. I immediately thought about Burberry Midnight Brown and Pale Barley, but thought that the differences between the Urban Decay and Burberry variants would be enough to justify the purchase of the two UD twinkling beauties.

For full reviews of Urban Decay Stray Dog and Suspect click here. For full reviews of Burberry Midnight Brown and Pale Barley click here.
I varied the lighting effects while photographing the swatches in an effort to reveal some of the differences in the base shades, but I think that it is safe to say the Midnight Brown and Stray Dog as well as Pale Barley and Suspect belong to the same color families respectively.
When comparing Midnight Brown and Stray Dog, I think that it is safe to say that Midnight Brown has a deeper brown base, whereas Stray Dog is a more lively taupe shimmering shade. 
Pale Barley and Suspect, on the other hand, seem a bit more closely related. Comparatively Suspect appears to have a slightly golden base, whereas Pale Barley appears to lean into the realm of a light taupe, but there is a definite closeness in hue.
As for the overall quality, one cannot go wrong with either Burberry or Urban Decay single eyeshadows. They both ultra finely milled and boast creamy textures. They glide across the skin effortlessly, are long-wearing, and an utter joy to use. Furthermore, they are both beautifully pigmented and offer gorgeous colors to choose from.
What do you think? Do you think that these colors are close enough to call dupes?

Burberry Single Shadows are $29.00 for .088 oz.
Urban Decay Single Shadows are $18.00 for 0.05 oz.
Purchased by me. All views expressed are categorically my own (Affilliate Links)
Copyright © 2014 www.lolassecretbeautyblog.com All Rights Reserved,

48 comments:

  1. Great swatch and review! And you're right the more you play with makeup, the more dupes you'll find. But then I always tell myself they're different enough to own both hehehe.

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    1. Hi Joanne! Thanks! I tell myself the exact same thing! LOL!

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  2. Oh this is surprising indeed, Helen! I actually own Suspect (in Naked 2). Now I want to pull Suspect and Pale Barley out to see if they look similar on me at all. I prefer the Burberry finish though. It's shimmery enough but not too much so :)

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    1. Hi Sunny! It's definitely worth swatching them together to see how they differ once they are on your skin. Ahhhh yes, that amazing Burberry finish is really something else!

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  3. Not exactly dupes, but close enough to not need both I think :).

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    1. Definitely true, unless of course you are obsessive like me and want them all! LOL!

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  4. I've been lusting after some Burberry for a while now - made more intense by the recent posts on their Holiday Collection that I've been seeing. Hmm, to me, Pale Barley and Suspect are a little closer than Midnight Brown and Stray Dog - though it just be an angle to the light thing. :-)

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    1. Hi Kimmy, Burberry is definitely worth lusting after! I agree that Holiday Collection is so amazing! I agree with your assessment-- Pale Barley and Suspect definitely seem closer to me as well. Though I would say that there is enough difference that I can justify having them both! :-)

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  5. I definitely love the UD formula :)

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  6. close enough for me! and i'm very happy to see i actually prefer the UD finishes! i was kind of afraid to read this post fearing i might fall in love with your Burberry swatches

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  7. I want those Burberry eyeshadows!!

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    1. Hi Brianna, They really are amazing! It's definitely worth trying one!

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  8. Love this comparison! Totally makes me think all the hype over Pale Barley is warranted (and that I'm going to need it in my stash!)

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    1. Hi Bailey, The hype over Pale Barley is definitely warranted! It's a truly amazing eyeshadow in every way! I'm so glad that you loved the comparison! I think that you will be super happy with it, and think that Pale Barley would be really beautiful on you!

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  9. These are all lovely and now I want all 4 :)

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    1. Hi Kristin, I agree, and I definitely have no regrets about buying all 4! :-)

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  10. I love the way Suspect looks. I am going to go try it tomorrow as I am in desperate need of eye shadows. Thank you for your extensive review!

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    1. Hi! Suspect is really gorgeous, and I suspect (LOL) that you will be quite impressed by it when you see it in person! You are so welcome– I'm glad that you found this review useful! :-)

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  11. Thank you so much for this! I have wanted pale barley for a long time.... I do have UD suspect but Pale Barley does look a smidge better!
    Cathy

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    1. Hi Cathy! You are so welcome! I am thrilled that this was useful to you! There is definitely something very special about Pale Barley!

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  12. Great review my friend! Yes, you know you're the ultimate beauty junkie if you can decipher dupes by texture/feel more than color similarity.

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    1. Hi Kath! That means a great deal to me coming from you, my lovely friend! I agree with you!!!!! <3

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  13. OH MAN. I thought I could pass the Burberry but I neeeeeed Pale Barley!

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    1. Oh Brooke, you REALLY REALLY need Pale Barley in your life! It would be absolutely stunning on you!

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  14. Great swatches! I always love these kinds of colors.

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    1. Thanks, Jamie@ Me too– they are so easy to wear, and are just so beautiful and flattering!

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  15. Such pretty swatches! I always love these kinds of colors.

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  16. The UD always appear to be brighter on me than the Burberry. I never did realize how close they were before though.

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    1. I think that brightness about which you speak also comes through in these pictures. Such an astute observation, my brilliant friend! They are pretty close!

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  17. I always want to purchase Pale Barley because of the positive reviews but so many of my friends say it isnt that special. Your comparisons saved me some money!

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    1. You might have to see it in person before you make your final decision, Laura. It's a pretty lovely shade, but clearly there are close enough dupes out there. However, I will say that some of the hype surrounding Pale Barley was a product of the frenzy that it was out-of-stock for such a long period of time– which clearly mythologized it and made everyone without one want it all the more.

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  18. Well this is awesome because I have been told by a friend that she is in love with Pale Barley so now I know I have a way to save on some money if I want to get it ;) thank you love.

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    1. Absolutely my pleasure, Honey! You would look stunning in any of these shades! <3

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  19. The similitary is amaazing !

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    1. Hi Betzy, I had a funny feeling that they would be close!

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  20. I think I'm with the majority when I say I need Pale Barley!!! On the days where I want a look where it looks like I'm not wearing any makeup where in fact I am, this looks like the perfect neutral shade but gorgeous too! I like shades where even if you're not wearing much, it makes a statement and I totally think you could achieve that with PB!

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    1. Hi Dani! Your assessment of Pale Barley beautifully sums up precisely how I feel about it! It's even more beautiful in person, and the texture is creamy dreamy and swoon-worthy! It's definitely worth having in your stash if you love these sorts of colors!

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  21. I love these colors. They are infinitely wearable and I can't get enough. For clarity's sake, I think the UD shadow is .05 ounces and the Burberry is .08. :)

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    1. Me too, Winni! I absolutely agree with you! The amount of product in each seemed odd to me as well, and so I double and triple checked the compacts and my UD labels say: 0.05 oz and the Burberry label says.088 oz. It seems odd to me as well, though! :-)

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  22. That should be correct. Am I crazy or are the ounces switched at the bottom of the post? Maybe it's the mobile view, but the post says the UD is .088oz...........

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    1. You were absolutely right, Winni! Thank you for catching that! It wasn't your mobile device! I had the right weights, but with the wrong eyeshadows! All fixed! :-)

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    2. Great, so I'm not crazy, haha. At least not in this instance. :) I've been lurking for a bit over 2 yrs now; love your blog.

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    3. Hi Winni! Not crazy at all. I was so focussed on making sure that I had the ounces right that I completely failed to see that I had inadvertently switched them! Again thank you for catching my mistake, I really appreciate it! I am so happy that you have been lurking for over two years– I am not only grateful to you for lurking, but I am likewise grateful that you began to leave comments so that we can get to know each other better! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, if you celebrate it! :-)

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