I couldn’t help but notice how similar some of the shades in the latest Colourpop release are to some pre-existing MUG shadows… The inner pans are CP, outer are MUG. PAPER TIGER wasn’t part of this last release (I just got it at the same time) and the one new shade that I didn’t get, CHECKMATE, looks like it might be similar to SHORE THING??? Not sure how many of these are actually dupes but we’re going to find out!

Here’s the pans without the names so that you can see them a little better.

 These are the mattes and then we’ll do the shimmers next. First let’s talk value. Colourpop shadows are $5 and Makeup Geek are $6 but Colourpop pans weigh 1.2g ($4.17 per gram) and Makeup Geek pans weigh 1.8g ($3.33 per gram). Then you also have to consider that CP has been throwing in a palette for every 5 shadows that you order. Not sure if that’s a temporary deal or permanent but that will be a plus for some people. Okay let’s talk colors! 

🔹DESERT SANDS vs PAPER TIGER- same color family but PAPER TIGER is lighter and a little more yellow. No dupe!
🔹TUSCAN SUN vs THE NEWS- both are salmon pinks, THE NEWS might be a hair more rosey but I think they’re dupes!

🔹DIRTY MARTINI vs TEAM CAPTAIN- both are matte olives. DIRTY MARTINI is a little lighter and brighter. Not exactly the same but pretty close.

🔹SORBET vs OUTTA LUCK- both are light peachy pinks. OUTTA LUCK is maybe a half shade lighter.
DESERT SANDS and PAPER TIGER are similar but they’re not dupes. The other 3 aren’t exactly the same but IMO they’re close enough that if you have one, you don’t need the other.

🔹HAVOC vs SIDELINE- both are green and brown duochromes but HAVOC has a stronger shift and SIDELINE is a brighter green (UD LOUNGE is another potential dupe)
🔹TYPHOON vs UP AND UP- these are both green and teal duochromes but TYPHOON is a lot more blue 

🔹CHARMED vs  GAME CHANGER- these two are mossy taupe colors with metallic finishes. CHARMED is darker and more silver. 
🔹KARMA vs PLAY BY PLAY- both are greenish golds. KARMA looks darker and more green in pan but they look really similar when applied (UD SIDELINE is another potential dupe)

🔹IN THE SPOTLIGHT vs PEP TALK- both are light peachy pinks. IN THE SPOTLIGHT looks darker and more peach in the pan but swatched, they’re nearly identical 
🔹MAI TAI vs TIME OUT- these two are corally pinks with peach shifts. MAI TAI is brighter and TIME OUT is a little more muted (UD FIREBALL is another potential dupe)

Out of these six sets of shimmers, the only two that I’d consider to be dupes are KARMA/PLAY BY PLAY and IN THE SPOTLIGHT/PEP TALK. While the other four pairs are similar, they’re not alike enough for me to call them ‘dupes’. Are they different enough that you need both? Probably not but ultimately that’s for you to decide. 

Makeup Geek is my favorite brand for eyeshadows but I really like the Colourpop powder formula too. There’s no clear cut winner in my eyes as to who has the superior formula. I think they’re both really good. But hopefully this will help you with your future online shopping!