Dupe Alert: Kylie Cosmetics “Exposed” vs NYX “London”

Everything and more has been said about the Kardashian/Jenner Klan, especially when the youngest member of the family decided to launch her own makeup line in 2016: Kylie Cosmetics.

The past two years have been pretty successful for Kylie’s brand overall, even if she underwent quite a few controversies – yes, I mean Christmas 2017 brush set. We all mean that, let’s keep it real.

The company includes various products, from eyeshadow palettes (“Kyshadow”), to eyeliners (“Kyliners”), highlighters (“Kylighters”), to multiple face products in general – including a 30-shades concealer.

While we’ve all understood that she’s been having some fun with her name, we can all agree that the #1 product we think about when someone says ‘Kylie Cosmetics’ is undoubtedly her Lip Kit collection. A Lip Kit includes a full size matte (or velvet) liquid lipstick and a creamy lip liner, and retails for 29$ – not a joke!

The series started with only 3 shades, “Candy K” (warm pinky nude), “Dolce K” (deep beige nude) and “True Brown K” (deep chocolate brown), and ended up expanding fairly quickly; it includes 133 items between mattes, velvets, glosses and bundles.

One of Kylie’s favorite shades (and therefore most of her fans’) is undoubtedly ‘Exposed’, a warm mid tone beige. You know who’s that exact same shade? NYX’s Soft Matte Lip Cream in ‘London’.

Could it be a dupe for the infamous product? Let’s find out!

WEIGHT + SHADE

Exposed

29$
11 fl. Oz (3.25 ml)
12 months shelf life
Warm mid tone beige
Matte finish
Includes lip liner (.03 Oz. / 1.0 g)

London

5$
27 fl. Oz (8 ml)
18 months shelf life
Mid tone beige
Matte finish
Does not include lip liner

PACKAGING

The packaging of Kylie’s lip products does not vary much: it may look a bit simple, but it’s also quite eye-catching.

The liquid lipstick’s clear bottle is in hard plastic and allows you to see the actual product inside. The cap is all black and blends with the melting effect on the bottle perfectly.

Kylie’s name is printed in black on the bottle, but the font almost looks childish in a way.

The wand is about the same length as your average liquid lipstick wand, and the applicator has a nice form that will hug the curve of your lips perfectly.

Details like name of the shade, shelf life and weight are on sticker at the bottom of the product.

Almost half the size, London’s packaging is much more different than Exposed.

The bottle is also in hard plastic and the cap is black, but unlike Kylie’s stained bottle this one is actually colored. The name of the company and the product are printed in black on it, as well as the various product’s specifics (including its ingredients).

Given that the actual product is smaller, the wand is also a bit shorter than average – but the applicator has the same curve Exposed has.

PRODUCT’S FORMULATION

One thing I wanted to disclose before comparing the ingredients is that, much like what happened with Bow n Arrow and Sandstorm (read that Dupe Alert here), we are putting under the spotlight two different formulas.

While Kylie’s Exposed is an actual liquid lipstick, London is a Soft Matte Lip Cream. You’ll get the same matte finish, that’s implied, but London won’t dry as much and as quickly as Exposed.

Both products are cruelty-free (Kylie’s Lip Kits are also vegan), and share the following ingredients:

Silica
Disteardimonium Hectorite
Propylene Carbonate
Flavor/Aroma
Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499)
Manganese Violet (CI 77742)
Red 6 (CI 15850)
Mica
Red 7 (CI 15850)
Red 28 Lake (CI 45410)

The complete list of ingredients of Kylie’s lip products is only available directly on the packaging, but NYX ingredients can be found on their website, right here.

SWATCHES

FINAL THOUGHTS

Now, do I think London really is a dupe for Exposed? Hell yes!

It may not be the same formula, but the color is definitely spot on.

Liquid lipsticks are generally quite long lasting as long as you do not eat foods containing oil, but I can assure you that the Soft Matte Lip Creams don’t play around either!
The staying power really is mind blowing when you consider it’s not a proper liquid lipstick formula: they will cling on your lips like nobody’s business, and guess what? They’re actually matte!

London’s big advantage, in my opinion, is that it won’t dry your lips out. Having a more creamy texture, it will also feel more comfortable than Exposed, that’s for sure.

Kylie’s products have an amazing staying power, but ever since she changed the formula they’ve become a lot more drying. I definitely suggest a good lip scrub (find out how to make your own here!) and a generous layer of lip balm before applying it (you can always blot it out or dabbing foundation on it).