DUPE ALERT: The $9.99 chemist buy that rivals Charlotte Tilbury's $49 Pillow Talk lipstick.

In the world of beauty, finding an actual dupe for an expensive cult product is like trying to swat a mozzie in the middle of the night. It can be done, but it’s hard.

By dupe, we’re talking about a near-perfect match, from the shade and texture to the formula and finish.

This week, someone swatted that mozzie and found what they believe is a dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s beloved $49 Pillow Talk lipstick – the Flower Beauty Petal Pout in the shade Spiced Petal, $9.99.

Side note – we asked a makeup artist how to stop lipstick from sliding off your face in the video below. Post continues after video.

The dupe first appeared on Reddit in a post titled ‘Dupe alert! ???? Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk vs. Flower Beauty Spiced Petal’, and considering the $39 price difference between the two, this was very exciting news.

It’s also not the first time a Flower Beauty product has been given a dupe title. Back in March, Instagram’s queen of highlighting Ania Milczarczyk reckoned the brand’s $9.99 Shimmer & Strobe Highlighting Palette is a dupe for not one, but three exxy highlighters: M.A.C.’s Mineralize Skinfinish in ‘Soft & Gentle’ ($54) and the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors in the shades ‘Champagne Pop’ ($58) and ‘Opal’ ($64).

But the thing with dupes is, a lot of the time you have to sacrifice something you love about the original.

Be it the yummy scent or how it lasts through lunch, sometimes you end up spending more money on meh products trying to find a dupe than if you’d invested in the pricer one in the first place.

That’s where we come in. To save you a tenner and the time it takes to go to your nearest Chemist Warehouse, we compared these two lipsticks in real life.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk, $49.

In the luxe corner, we have Charlotte Tilbury's cult nude lipstick shade Pillow Talk.

With its premium gold packaging and signature rectangle tip, one tube of this lipstick is sold worldwide every two minutes.

The iconic dreamy nude pink tone has been described as 'your lips, but better' and often pops up when celebrities are asked to name their go-to lipstick.

At $49 bucks, she ain't cheap. But Charlotte Tilbury fans will say she's worth every cent.

Flower Petal Pout Lip Color in Spiced Petal, $9.99.

Now to Flower Beauty's Spiced Petal representing pharmacy lippies.

Flower Beauty is actress Drew Barrymore's beauty brand and she's already impressing with her quality, affordably priced cosmetics.

The Petal Pout lipsticks might not look like much, but wear them and you'll realise they feel more luxurious than their $10 price tag.

The shade Spiced Petal looks almost apricot in the tube, but gives a darker pinky nude finish when worn on lips.

Unlike Charlotte Tilbury products which can only be bought online through the brand's website, Flower Beauty is available at Chemist Warehouse. Be warned, you might have to trek to a few different stores to find the shade you're after.

Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk vs. Flower Beauty Spiced Petal.

At first glance, Pillow Talk and Spiced Petal appear to be similar, but not exactly the same. Cousins rather than sisters, if you will.

But that all changes as soon as you see the products worn on the skin side by side. From my swatches below, you can see both shades are the perfect mix of what I call 'lip colour pink' and nudey brown.

I found they looked almost identical on my lips, bar the finish, which I'll touch on in a second.

Then, there's the packaging. If we were judging these lipsticks on their appearance alone, Charlotte Tilbury's elegant, geometric gold lipstick tubes would win every time. The chocolate scent is also a lot more delicious than Petal Pout's slightly plastic fragrance.

It's important to note the formulas are different, too. As the name suggests, Matte Revolution is a matte line of lipsticks that glide on creamy but dry down to a suede matte. Flower Beauty's Petal Pout lipsticks have a creamy, conditioning finish.

Some might say this disqualifies Spiced Petal out of the dupe race, but many Reddit users said they actually preferred wearing the $9.99 lipstick over the $49 one.

As for me? I don't discriminate. There's room in my beauty bag for both.

Have you tried Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk or Flower Beauty's Spiced Petal lipsticks? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.