It seems too much of a splurge to spend so much on a beauty product that’s constantly being changed every two weeks. But many high-end labels that carry beautiful colors to adorn one’s nails practically have a cult-following.
In fact, many people share tips and links on various social media sites, blogs, and even on Reddit discussions – just to find that right shade of color that looks like Christian Louboutin’s Python.
A photo posted by Christian Louboutin (@louboutinworld) on Jul 1, 2015 at 11:51am PDT
But ladies need not worry any longer. Creator Lizzy Klein has just made an iOS app called SuperDuper that can find grocery store alternatives to those branded nail polishes that have similar (if not the exact same) color.
@curlycomedynailart it's a teal-off! #SinfulColors Savage (matte) #Essie Garden Variety ##ChinaGlaze Wait n' Sea #ButterLondon Slapper #UrbanOutfitters Good Vibes Garden Variety and Good Vibes look like dupes (Coincidence that both are G.V.??) and Slapper is darned close. Wait n'Sea and Savage are a little bluer and #dupes or v close (w/topcoat). Wait n' Sea is less opaque than the rest. #dupe #nailpolishdupes #nails #nailpolishaddict #nailpolishjunkie #essiepolish #essienails #ilovepolish #ilovenailpolish #alwaysduping A photo posted by SuperDuper (@get_superduper) on Jul 2, 2015 at 12:52pm PDT
Klein tells TechCrunch that the idea for the app came to her when she was shopping at everyone’s favorite beauty store, Sephora. Naturally, she thought she could maybe find less expensive varieties at the drug store.
Finding those matches definitely aren’t easy though. Lizzy Klein actually tests every color on herself. “We do it the hard way – manually,” Klein admitted.
A photo posted by SuperDuper (@get_superduper) on Jun 21, 2015 at 9:33am PDT
While users can actually opt to send suggestions to Klein, the app creator says they’re frequently incorrect. She says, “How it looks in the bottle is not necessarily how it looks once the nail polish hits oxygen.”
It’s a very tedious process – Klein tests the polishes under different lights after applying them on her nails just to make sure that the “dupes” match the original high-end brand.
New #dupe alert: #Chanel Tapage and Urban Outfitters Cherry Tomato (for $22 less!) --->download the FREE SuperDuper iOS app for more dupes! #dupes #alwaysduping #SuperDuper #chanelpolish #chanelnails #chanellacquer #chanelvarnish #ilovepolish #ilovenailpolish #nailpolish #nails #nailpolishaddict #nailpolishjunkie A photo posted by SuperDuper (@get_superduper) on Jun 20, 2015 at 4:10pm PDT
Relationships have somewhat helped Klein ease the process though. Lizzy admits that experts in the beauty industry show her the colors and tell her where the cheaper alternatives are.
“I’ve had execs from Estee Lauder and OPI and other and all of them say ‘of course all the products are the same’ and at the same time they can’t do that publicly,” said Klein.
While she wasn’t able to disclose any brand names, Klein says there are three factories that manufacture the colors for both high and low end brands.
A photo posted by SuperDuper (@get_superduper) on Jun 3, 2015 at 5:08pm PDT
