DUPE? It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara Vs. Essence Princess

Back again with another DUPE? post! And this one is about my favorite beauty product: mascara! But not just any mascara--two of my faves from drugstore and high end. In fact, one is $5 and the other is $24. Now I had originally done this post a few months ago, but didn't like the pics, so the ones you're seeing today are when I was about to throw these mascaras out, so if they seem a little clumpier than usual, that's why. Enough of that--is the Essence Lash Princess mascara a dupe for It Cosmetics Superhero mascara?

Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara

Target, ULTA, online

$4.99

The conic shape fiber brush provides lashes with dramatic volume and sculpted length. Opthalmologically tested.

It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara

ULTA, online

$24

The Elastic Stretch Technology stretches the look of your lashes wider and longer, and wraps each individual lash in a volume-boosting, lengthening, ultra-conditioning black cape of power and color for your strongest, thickest, most defined results.

Now that we have the basics, let's compare:

Here are the wands, with Essence on your left. They both are traditional brush wands and are tapered. It is more evident in the Essence mascara. Both give a lot of product and after a few months, they can get clumpy.

Now let's look at them on the lashes. This is after 10 hours of wear. I did reapply lipgloss for the shot. On your left, It Cosmetics. On your right, Essence.

Closeup--this is after a 10 hour work day. Lipgloss was reapplied for the shot. The Essence mascara can get clumpy since it is so wet, and when dealing with a wand like this, as opposed to a plastic wand. I do feel like I get a little more length out of it. Both are easy to remove, but the IT Cosmetics is a little easier to remove for me. I'd say they are fairly close and you can't go wrong with either.

Have you tried either of these mascaras?

Do you think there's a dupe?

Extra Elle:
I had a quick weekend. I spent most of Saturday shopping with a friend. I didn't buy a thing, believe it or not, even after a walk through Sephora. There was a brief dip in the weather, which I loved. Give me all the sweaters! 

Dupe Or Not? It Cosmetics Je Ne Sais Quoi Palette Vs. ELF Beautifully Bare Palette

I'm back with my first Dupe? Or Not? post of 2017! In case you've haven't seen these posts, I take a high-end makeup product and compare it to something more affordable, a so-called dupe. I test to see if the suggestion is an actual dupe, or just an option.

I haven't covered any face palettes on here, so I thought I'd compare the popular Je Ne Sais Quoi palette from It Cosmetics vs the Beautifully Bare palette from ELF. Aren't they both pretty?

Here's the size comparison of packaging as well. ELF is $8 and It Cosmetics is $42. Let's start with IT:

It Cosmetics Your Je Ne Sais Quoi Complexion Perfection Face Palette

• All-in-one palette that delivers a skin-perfecting glow. 
• Developed with plastic surgeons
• Talc-free powder formulas 
• Includes: new Sunshine in a Compact™ Matte Bronzer, new Perfect Lighting™ Luminizer, new Bye Bye Pores Blush™, and award-winning Bye Bye Pores Pressed™ Poreless Finish Airbrush Pressed Powder
• Infused with hydrolyzed collagen, silk, peptides and proprietary Perfect Lighting™ Technology to revitalize and illuminate your complexion
• $42
• ItCosmetics.com, QVC, ULTA
• Pink packaging

e.l.f. Beautifully Bare Total Face Palette

• This three-in-one total face palette with a bronzer, highlighter, and two blushes creates a flawless look that's beautiful and natural looking
• lightweight, silky formula
• some matte, some shimmer
• silver packaging, but it does come in the traditional elf black as well
• The shades can be popped out.
• $8
• elfcosmetics.com, Target (they have really started carrying a lot more products), some drugstores, some big box stores (walmart)

Now, let's get into swatches. Since both of these are light palettes, the swatches are hard to see, so I wet them to enhance them. ELF definitely is more pigmented. 

But are any of the shades dupes? Remember, It Cosmetics has a powder, highlight, blush, and bronzer, whereas ELF has two blushes, highlight, and bronzer. I compared the highlight on your left (I wet them both so they'd show in pics) and the bronzer. Neither are dupes, with the ELF bronzer being a cooler brown, but the highlights are similar.

I applied ELF on one side and IT on the other. While I am wearing the IT powder, I focused on the blushes, bronzer, and highlighter. Pictured on top is with flash and on the bottom in front of a window. I took them this way to enhance the glow.

But what does it look like in person after a few hours of wear? The pic above. You can see a natural glow, which is what both products are after.

And here it is with the flash. In case you can't tell, the ELF side is more pigmented, so it really shows up. It's on your right. The It Cosmetics is on your left. I can tell how it hides my pores and even freckles better and it doesn't look as sparkly in person as the ELF, which I prefer. I liked the blushes for both. However, the ELF palette does have talc in it, which causes my skin to react if I continually wear it consecutively. IT Cosmetics has similar but better ingredients. I do appreciate the ELF formulation, as usually their powder products are not silky soft. While it's not a dupe swatch-wise, I think they look similar in person. I really do like the ELF palette and you can't go wrong with either.

Do you own either of these palettes?

Do you like natural-looking makeup? 

Do you think they're dupes?

Maybelline Cushion Foundation Vs. L'Oreal Cushion Foundation

Cushion foundations are popping up in drugstores, and I'm a huge fan. Maybelline released their cushion foundation this month (review here) and I wanted to compare it to L'Oreal's version. Neither have SPF, by the way.

Maybelline DREAM CUSHION™ 

FRESH FACE LIQUID FOUNDATION

• 8 shades
• "Dream Cushion™ Fresh Face Liquid Foundation delivers complete luminous coverage for fresh-faced perfection."
• INGREDIENTS AQUA / WATER / EAU BUTYLENE GLYCOL DICAPRYLATE/DICAPRATE METHYL TRIMETHICONE DIMETHICONE DIPHENYLSILOXY PHENYL TRIMETHICONE GLYCERIN LAURYL PEG-9 POLYDIMETHYLSILOXYETHYL DIMETHICONE PENTYLENE GLYCOL BUTYLENE GLYCOL TRISILOXANE PEG-10 DIMETHICONE TALC MAGNESIUM SULFATE ACRYLATES/STEARYL ACRYLATE/DIMETHICONE METHACRYLATE COPOLYMER PHENOXYETHANOL DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER LAUROYL LYSINE ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE ASCORBIC ACID PANTHENOL ADENOSINE PANAX GINSENG ROOT DISODIUM EDTA TOCOPHEROL CITRIC ACID
• $15.99

             L'Oreal TRUE MATCH™ Lumi Cushion Foundation

• 16 shades (usually 12 can be found)
• Luminous finish with sheer to medium coverage
• Ingredients: AQUA / WATER / EAU, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, DICAPRYLATE/DICAPRATE, METHYL TRIMETHICONE, DIMETHICONE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE DIPHENYLSILOXY PHENYL, TRIMETHICONE, GLYCERIN, LAURYL PEG-9, POLYDIMETHYLSILOXYETHYL, DIMETHICONE, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, TRISILOXANE, PEG-10 DIMETHICONE, MAGNESIUM SULFATE, ACRYLATES/STEARYL, ACRYLATE/DIMETHICONE, METHACRYLATE COPOLYMER, PHENOXYETHANOL, 
DIMETHICONE CROSSPOLYMER, LAUROYL LYSINE, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, POLYHYDROXYSTEARIC ACID,
STEARIC ACID, ALUMINA, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, LECITHIN, ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE, ISOSTEARIC ACID, ETHYLHEXYL PALMITATE, ADENOSINE,
POLYGLYCERYL-3, POLYRICINOLEATE, DISODIUM EDTA, PHENYLETHYL RESORCINOL, TOCOPHEROL
• $16.99

The packaging is pretty much the same on the inside and out, as they are made in the same place.

The coverage is better on the Maybelline, pictured left, but both give sheer-medium coverage.  L'Oreal is on your right.

I've applied Maybelline to one side (left) and L'Oreal to the other (right). I'm wearing the Zooeva Cocoa palette that I won from Zoe's blog, by the way!

And here's a shot of them both, and it's hard to tell the difference, isn't it? 

I'm using lighting here to demonstrate the luminous aspect.

So which was better? 

This really depends on your preference. I felt like Maybelline had better coverage but definitely showed my fine lines more on my dry skin. They both lasted the same amount of time, and I wasn't able to get a full day of wear. I like them both, but personally, I like L'Oreal more. I have compared these to compacts from Lancome, Sulwhasoo, and Laniege and found the two I reviewed to be different from those, but similar to one from Amore Pacifc.

Have you tried these? Which is your fave?

Extra Elle:

I went a little crazy in the dollar section of Target for Valentine's Day stuff. They get me every time!

I can't believe we had snow on the ground still on Monday and 70 by Friday.

This Or That: Pure Cosmetics Nude Palette VS. UD Naked 2

Did you see my FabFitFun Fall Unboxing? Get caught up here. Inside was this Nude Collection palette from Pure Cosmetics. As I was checking it out in the video, I noticed that it reminded me of another palette, Urban Decay's Naked 2. See what I mean?

Look at those colors! They look so similar! I immediately decided to do a This or That to compare them, and several of you requested this as well. I'm not going to call this a Dupe or Not since they are too similar in price.

Pure Cosmetics Nude Collection
-$50
-Cruelty-free, talc-free, paraben-free
-comes with brush

UD Naked 2
-$54
-Cruelty-free, paraben-free
-comes with brush

And then I decided to do swatches:

I try to drag my swatches so you can see how far the pigmentation goes/see how they would blend. Most of the shades are definitely similar when swatched and there are a couple that are dupes.

Pigmentation:

-Pure Cosmetics wins with this. Most of the shades were way more pigmented than UD.

Fall Out:

-UD had more fall out (that means shadow falls out when you swatch or apply to skin) than PC. Fall out doesn't bother me, but it could be an issue for others.

Staying Power:

-This was a toss up, since sometimes I would feel like UD was better. 

Packaging:

-UD has sturdier packaging with it's metal-like feel. PC feels cheaper and feel like plastic, like it's going to break in the middle, but still works.

Overall:

-I've said in the past I don't care for the UD shadow formula (not as pigmented for matte and too chunky for shimmer), but I do like the color selection a bit better than PC. PC shadows felt like they were better quality, but didn't always last as long. But if you're going to spend that much on a shadow palette, I say go for Pure Cosmetics, since it's made with better ingredients.

Have you heard of Pure Cosmetics?

Extra Elle:

-Lots of catching up to do this week with blogs, so if you don't hear from me by tomorrow, let me know!
-Thanks to everyone who has commented on my posts this week, like yesterday's, for example!

Bourjois Healthy Mix VS. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation

Y'all, I meant for this to go up yesterday, but I had a bunch of silly first world problems that kept me away--plus I am WAY behind on blog commenting. You know how that goes. So instead, it's going up today--this post will be informative for those who have never heard of Bourjois, and it will serve as a source for those that have seen both products and been curious about them.

Bourjois (recently mentioned here) was originally started in Paris, but is now owned by American brand Coty (I swear Coty owns everything!) but ironically it is not sold here (I think Urban Outfitters briefly carried it). I first came upon this affordable brand during my travels and not in Paris, oddly enough, but in England. And that's where I associate Bourjois--I didn't encounter them in Paris, but all over the drugstores (chemists), like Boots, in the UK. In America, you can find this brand on Amazon, but the prices will be double.

When I first saw there were two Healthy Mix foundations, I was confused on which to buy, so I bought them both. I like them both for different reasons. I'm sharing more info on each because I wish I had a source like this when I was trying to decide. Here's Bourjois Healthy Mix VS. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation:

Bourjois Healthy Mix (pictured is shade No. 54)

• Dry skin
• lightweight foundation
• slight dewy finish
• 8 shades

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation (no. 53 is pictured)

• dry skin but if you have combo, normal, or slightly oily, try this in the winter months
• less coverage despite its slightly thicker consistency
• Costs $1 more than the original foundation
• 6 shades

Here are swatches of each--I have this in two different shades to show you the comparison of each. Real talk: I sneezed while blending out the top sample, so that's why it looks so odd! ;)

Both have:

-no spf

-a pump

On your left, I have the Bourjois Healthy Mix. You can see it gives slightly more coverage Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation. Both are great for light coverage. However, the dimethicone causes me to break out if I use this more than 2 days in a row.

Have you ever tried Bourjois Healthy Mix or Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation?

Extra Elle:

• Remember my Block No Do post? Sad to say those have disappeared and two roundabouts (boo) are now in their places. I still have my reminder right here.
• Thinking of everyone in the path of hurricane Matthew. Stay safe, y'all!
• Happy birthday to my cousin, Amy! Love you.

Too Faced Brow Quickie Vs. Benefit Gimme Brow: This or That?

It has been a minute since I've done a This or That, where I compare two similar products in price and perhaps quality, to see if one is better than the other. This isn't necessarily a dupe post (there will be one next week!) since they are pretty close in price. Today I'm comparing Too Faced Brow Quickie Vs. Benefit Gimme Brow.

Too Faced Brow Quickie

• New product
• Sephora, ULTA, online 
• $22
• .17 oz
• A 12-hour wear, waterproof, brush-on brow fiber gel to fill in sparse brows.
• 2 shades
• larger brush compared to Benefit

Too Faced Brow Quickie

Benefit Gimme Brow

• New packaging (see comparison to old packaging below)
• Sephora, Ulta, online
• $24
• .1 oz
• An award-winning, brow-volumizing fiber gel that mimics the look of real hair for fuller-looking brows.
• 3 shades
• smallest brush

FYI: This is the new vs old Gimme Brow. The product is the exact same, just the packaging changed.

Benefit Gimme Brow

Swatches of each--Too Faced is on top

Brush size comparison--TF on your left, B on your right

• Wand--Benefit
• Firmness--Too Faced, but could get crunchy easier
• Pigmentation/Thicker--Benefit
• Wear--same
• Overall, I am still a Benefit fan--the biggest issue is the brush from TF. It's still too big for me, but it's worth a try if you have larger brows.

Have you tried either of these products?

Extra Elle:

• On Sunday I finally visited the Ponce City Market in Atl. I loved it and will definitely be back!
• Have you tried the new color-changing Maybelline Baby Lips Glow? I have and I'm giving one away right here.

Dupe or Not? Armani Luminous Silk Foundation VS L'Oreal True Match Lumi

Time for another DUPE OR NOT? And I get asked about Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation VS L'Oreal True Match Lumi A LOT since there's a popular Pinterest pin about it. These foundations are best for dry to normal skin, and for those who want a light-medium coverage with a dewy finish. Both of these are actually my favorite high end and drugstore foundations, but I'd always considered them to be different. But are they really? Let's find out:

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup

• $11-$13
• Drugstores, ULTA, Walmart, Target, etc/online
• 15 shades
• 1 oz

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

• $62 (but there is a $42 travel size)
• Sephora, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus/online
• 24 shades
• 1 oz

Swatches of both--since I have a few shades of the L'Oreal, I decided to use a different shade so I could tell the difference in swatches, just in case!

This was after shaking my hand around--the Armani is slightly thinner, but is more pigmented.

The pic on your left has 1 pump. L'Oreal on your left, Armani on your right. You can see the coverage is better with the Armani Luminous Silk. The pic on your right is with two pumps, same order. No primer was used. They look similar in pictures but it is more noticeable in person.

I tested them side-by-side with primer, without, using fingers, using sponge, using brushes, using a stippling method, using a brushing method. My results mimicked the same as the picture above.

What They Have In Common:

• 1 oz
• pump
• glass container (Armani is frosted)
• some similar ingredients (click the links for each to see them)

How They Differ:

• price
• shade range
• I like the Armani dark cap as it hides the sometimes messy pump.
• Armani has better coverage and a nicer finish.

Not So Professional Opinions:

• BFF: Oh YEAH you can tell, girl. This side (L'Oreal) looks greasy. This side (Armani) looks better. I told her it's supposed to be GLOWY and LUMINOUS. ;)
• 6 yr old: You're not making me do this again, are you?
• 2 yr old: Spaghetti now, okay?

Overall:

• They aren't dupes. They are similar though. If you're looking for a luminous, dewy foundation, you can't go wrong with either. They do look similar in pictures but different in person. While I prefer the Armani (MY FAVE), it is too pricey for me to wear daily.

What dupe would you like to see compared next?

Extra Elle:

• You would think after a week in Cancun I'd be sick of Mexican food, but apparently not as I had it twice this weekend!
• I'm at my day job really, really early today, so I'll be catching up on comments tonight!