NARS Portobello Duo Eyeshadow + Dupes!

I recently got a bit obsessed with NARS eyeshadows and bought one or two (or four) of their Duo Eyeshadows.  I had read Essiebutton's post on the NARS Portobello Duo Eyeshadow ($34) and I thought it looked like a winner, so I decided to try it out.

This eyeshadow duo is great.  Just like with every other NARS product, you get what you pay for, the pricing may be steep, but the quality is impeccable.  Out of the four I got, this might be my favorite.  It's made up of two warm brown shades, both light enough for day wear and dark enough for night wear.  You could easily wear either of the shades on their own, but I tend to use them together.

The first shade is a nude-esque shade that is very warm in color that I swipe all over the lid.  The second shade is slightly less warm-toned, but still warm, and is a light-medium brown that I use as a crease color.  They're both matte shades and are very velvety in texture, are very, very pigmented, and blend beautifully, especially considering they're matte shades.

NARS Portobello

Also, and most importantly, they don't crease! I tried this out with the NARS Smudge-Proof Eyeshadow Base and didn't have a single bit of creasing after about 12-14 hours of wear.  I also tried this out with Urban Decay Primer Potion and I did see some creasing after about 14 hours of wear, but I literally had to look for it, it was so unnoticeable.

Sadly, although the shades are stunning, they're easily dupable.  I actually found a few shades in my collection that are shockingly similar to both of these shades.

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1st shade from NARS Portobello
Urban Decay Naked from the Naked Palette
Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in No. 04 Gold Trench

The first shade reminds me of Naked from the Urban Decay Naked Palette and of Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in No. 04 Gold Trench, and as you can see from the swatch, they're not perfect dupes.  The NARS shade is a bit darker and a bit warmer than Naked, but perhaps not as warm and as dark as Gold Trench.  I've also heard this shade is similar to MAC Wedge, but I don't own that, so I can't be sure.

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2nd shade from NARS Portobello
Urban Decay Buck from the Naked Palette
Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in No. 06 Almond
MAC Soba

The second shade is similar to Buck from the Naked Palette, MAC Soba, and Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in No. 06 Almond.  Once again, they're pretty similar.  The NARS shade is basically the matte version of MAC Soba and a fairly warmer than Buck and Almond.

I didn't realize the amount of dupes I had for this palette until I started writing this post, so looking back, I probably didn't need this palette.  But let's be honest, I probably don't need anymore eyeshadow palettes (they're one of my vices).  However, I know I'll use this, as it's much more convenient than carrying around my MAC Palette or my Naked Palette or my Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow Singles to get a similar outcome.

If you don't have any of the dupes I mentioned, and if you are just looking for convenience and an overall great eyeshadow palette, I really suggest you go and try this out for yourself.  NARS has a huge selection of eyeshadows and I know I'll be going back for more in the future!