Dupe Alert: Jeffree Star “Gemini” vs NYX Lingerie “Exotic”
Makeup, scandals and rants are just three of the most popular words that come to mind when people think of Jeffree Star.
The makeup guru has been under fire for the most part of his career, and despite his somewhat recent “promise” to try and keep drama out of his life, it seems like the Universe has other plans for him.
All joking aside, Jeffree Star is undoubtedly one of the most influential makeup icons out there, and also a fairly popular makeup brand exploded a few years ago.
Its line includes eyeshadow palettes and highlighters, but one of the most prominent items remains its infamous Velour Liquid Lipstick. Vegan, cruelty-free, long-lasting matte finish: this product has it all!
The Velour liquid lipsticks retail for 18$ on Jeffree website and come in 61 different shades. Today however, we’re only going to examine one of them: “Gemini”.
Not exactly one of the newest but still an overall success for the brand, Gemini was inspired by one of Jeffree’s best friends and is described on the website as a “terracotta warm-toned nude”. If you’re a fan of this shade but are looking for a cheaper alternative, I’ve got you covered.
Today, we’re putting Gemini up against NYX Lingerie’s “Exotic” and see if there’s actually a dupe alert to talk about to begin with.
Let’s go!
WEIGHT + SHADE
Gemini
- 18$
- 19 fl. Oz (5.6 ml)
- 6 months shelf life
- Terra-cotta warm-toned nude
- Matte finish
- Does not include lip liner
Exotic
- 7$
- 13 fl. Oz (4 ml)
- 18 months shelf life
- Warm mahogany red
- Matte finish
- Can include lip liner (11$)
PACKAGING
Jeffree does have special packagings for special occasions, but Gemini is not the case.
The clear hard plastic bottle lets us see the actual product inside, and is topped by a hot pink cap and small golden stars.
The name of the brand is printed in gold on the bottle and the name of the shade is on a pink sticker on the bottom. The wand is pretty regular and the smell of the product is actually pretty strong.
I don’t really mind the smell since it goes away once the formula has dried down, but I know that some people are bothered by this detail, so I thought it was worth mentioning.
Exotic’s packaging, on the other hand, is quite more basic.
The bottle is taller but still made of hard clear plastic, and the cap is black. Also, the name of the company, of the product and various specifics are printed in black on the actual bottle.
The wand of the Lingerie series by NYX doesn’t have any curves, which can be a problem if you want to achieve the perfect lipstick application.
The two formulas are also quite different.
While Jeffree’s glides on smoothly and dries to a matte finish that does not have a massive weight on your lips, Exotic’s formula is much creamier and feels like a straight up mousse. It is not an unpleasant sensation, but compared to Gemini you can definitely feel you have a lipstick on.
PRODUCT’S FORMULATION
Both companies are cruelty-free (Jeffree Star takes also great pride in his vegan formulas), and the two products share the following ingredients:
- Isododecane
- Disteardimonium Hectorite
- Tocopheryl Acetate
- Phenoxyethanol
- Titanium Dioxide (Cl 77891)
- Red 7 Lake (Cl 15850:1)
- Blue 1 Lake (Cl 42090)
Jeffree’s Velour Liquid Lipsticks’ formula is also paraben-free and gluten-free.
You can find the complete lists of ingredients on jeffreestarcosmetics.com and nyxcosmetics.com.
SWATCHES
FINAL THOUGHTS
All in all, is Exotic a dupe for Gemini? Yes, it is!
The formulas are a bit different, like we’ve disclosed before, but the color is pretty identical in my opinion.
Both formulations dry down matte, which means they are going to dry your lips out like crazy; I definitely suggest doing a lip scrub (find out how to make your own here, with natural ingredients you probably have in your kitchen!) and applying a generous coat of lip balm. Proceed with you makeup routine and either blot out or dab foundation on your lips, then apply the liquid lipstick.