topic Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs and Showdowns in Beauty Confidential

Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs and Showdowns

itsfi — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 18:14:51 GMT

Ready to pit some beauty products against each other? Can't decide which of your mascaras, lipsticks, hair masks, eye creams, vanilla scents, etc. reign supreme? I don't know about you but I love hearing about how products compare with one another, and which products come out on top when going head-to-head in a dual. Share your beauty battles here and let's see which of our product(s) come out on top!

If you have two or more similar products you're testing out or have been wanting to compare against the other to see which performs better for you, put them to the test. So that we can all join in on the fun and learn from your experiment, let us know what product(s) you'll have face off against each other and who comes out victorious, and any other details you'd like to share.

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

itsfi — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 00:07:39 GMT

Eyeshadow Primer Showdown - vs. about-face Shadow Fix Eye Primer

I have very oily eyelids and an eyeshadow primer is a must 99.9999% of the time to prevent creasing and keep my eyeshadow going strong all day long. For the longest time, my fave has been the NARS Pro-Prime eyeshadow base, but I haven't seen it in stores or on the brand's site for some time. While I have picked up some backups, I thought it'd be a good idea to start looking for a comparabe substiute in the event the NARS primer is, a I fear, being discontinued if it's not already discontinued. So, here we go.

I've been testing these two primers out to see how they hold up against the eyeshadows in my collection as well as against each other. I have a few more rounds of testing I want to do but will report back by the end of this month if not before with my findings. Tagging @Mellmars1185 on this one because we were talking about the about-face primer.

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

Mellmars1185 — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 00:46:49 GMT

@itsfi Fantastic thread idea!! I love the cover photo also! I would love to know more about the gloves! I am looking forward to more of your feedback and comparisons of the two. I am thinking an interesting way to really test them out is to wear one on each eye and see how they stand up. I am still in the testing phase also.

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

itsfi — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 01:04:11 GMT

@Mellmars1185, I'll keep you posted. That's actually how I've been testing the the primers - one on each eyelid. So far, I've done it that way with a couple of eyeshadow sticks and a semi-shimmery eyeshadow. I still want to test them out with a matte shadow, a really glittery one, a liquid eyeshadow and ... any thoughts on if I'm missing a type of eyeshadow?

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

Mellmars1185 — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 01:46:06 GMT

@itsfi So far I have tested with mattes and shimmers. Both times the eyeshadow has stayed on but has creased. I am thinking of using a layer of loose powder and setting powder (2 seperate tests) prior to applying the eyeshadow. My eyelids are VERY oily so that is why I think I need the extra step. I have done this technique in the past with concealers as an eye base. But I have not tried it with actual eyelid primers.

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

itsfi — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 04:20:13 GMT

@Mellmars1185, oops, forgot to follow up with you about the gloves. These are more decorative than ones for actual use. Length-wise, they're shorter than the length of a mini version of the iPhone.

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

heartsmyface — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 11:55:00 GMT

@itsfi I love that you have boxing gloves for teddy bears!

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

itsfi — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 17:39:36 GMT

Paddington with his boxing gloves @heartsmyface 😅

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

CynthieLu — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 21:24:57 GMT

That's so clever @itsfi One on each eyelid would be easier to see the differences, from day to day I think I'd miss something but compared side by side it will be right there to see. 🦉

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

CynthieLu — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 21:28:13 GMT

Ooh I hope it's not being discontinued @itsfi I have dry wrinkly lids but Nars really helps any shadow I have stay vibrant and in place throughout the day.

I appreciate the tag, thank you! I enjoy your thoughts and thoroughness when it comes to your stash 🙏

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

itsfi — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 23:28:19 GMT

@CynthieLu, this version may be discontinued. They may be reformulating, to remove talc from the formulation, among other things - they've been doing that with their other products. I'm just not sure if a new one will be released anytime soon. I do see that it is available online through Sephora at Kohl's. I picked up two backups from a Kohl's store. There have been quite a few reviews that have found their reformulated products to be underwhelming compared to the original, so I've been making a more concerted effort to try out other eyeshadow primers out there to see how they perform - to ready myself for when I run out (which won't be for a while, but there's a lot of eyeshadow primers to be tested so better to start earlier 😂)

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

itsfi — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 23:30:56 GMT

Thank you @CynthieLu. I tried the about-face on its own a few times just to make sure that it didn't irritate my skin and that it performed well. Then I decided to wear the NARS primer on one eyelid and the about-face primer on the other. I have a few more "tests" to run 😂 but should have some final results to share before the end of the month. I will say that having the two different primers on each eyelid has made me check my makeup more frequently - in case one does not play well with whatever shadow I'm using. Hahaha!

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

PDXXXX — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 00:06:57 GMT

@itsfi I am really loving this as I have accumulated an embarrassing number of concealers and it is long past time I ditched several.

Here is what we have going on:

12 concealers: in Rose Quartz, Golden Ivory and Seashell #Lancome Care Glow Serum Concealer Jones Road The Face Pencil No 1 Amazing Concealer in Golden Fair and

I have strong opinions on the pros and cons or all of these if anyone is curious about a product in this colllection. With that said, here is what I will keep:

1. Fenty Bright Eye Brightener in Rose Quartz, 2. Westman Atelier VItal Skincare Brighteniing Concear With Hyaluronic Acid and 3. Amazing Concealer and 4. Fenty We're Even.

So this got me to cut down from 12 to 4 concealers. Thank you for the motivation: it has long been needed. Now I have to not cave and try new concealers until I run out of a few of these!

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

itsfi — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 15:17:42 GMT

@PDXXXX, I find your concealer collection to be ... healthy and robust. It's so easy to accumulate, right?! You're in good company here with such a varied supply of beauties. No need to be embarassed; as I see it, you'll be doing us a service by going through your concealers and deciding which will stay and which should go.

btw, beautiful photo. 💗 Your background is exquisite 😍 and the layout of your concealers meticulous!

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

CynthieLu — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 15:58:13 GMT

Oooh la la! That's an beautiful collection 🤩 @PDXXXX I'm in total awe!

I would be very interested in hearing why you picked the ones to keep, how they performed and what gave them that edge to earn thier place to stay.

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

PDXXXX — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 18:49:10 GMT

Let me do my best here @CynthieLu 🙂 As I break these down, it's worth noting I'm a Fair/Light Warm/Peach girl who goes from paper white in the winter to stained at least 3 shades darker in the summer and have dry skin with a lot of flushing from a syndrome I have called P.O.T.S. and red puffy eye bags so the shades here are a bit varied as needed for season and color correction. My key factors in evaluating a concealer are probably how easy they blend and play with other base products. Here is a swatch with each product:

1. The Fenty Eye Bright to me really acts as a color corrector and is great on days I need some lift. As you can see it has a bit of a luminous finish. I've been using it for at least 2 years and find it blends incredibly well with any concealer or base I have making it a product I can use alone when I need more brightening than coverage or layered under another concealer when I need the brightening and coverage. Applies great even pulled up to the outer orbital area.

2. I'm really surprised how much I've liked Fenty We're Even. It's a great color match for me, blends well, and runs more matte for times I'm not really trying to illuminate my under eye bags without being too dry. Love the shade range and a little goes a long way. The precise application with the wand is great such that if you're truly not overloading it you don't have to worry it's going to blend out beyond your targeted areas.

3. I've used Amazing Concealer for years (this swatch is the wrong color for me though). I would say it's the most concentrated, cream like, high coverage concealer I've come across. It does run a little more luminous so not so much of an option beyond under eyes. But blends out remarkably naturally for how full coverage it is. And, wow it's concentrated - I've yet to get through a bottle of this and have only tossed and replaced for expiration reasons.

4. I got the Westman Atelier in the last month and would say I'm reaching for it as much as the Fenty We're Even. I'm excited about the skin care ingredients it has and finding it runs more creamy then the Fenty but blends really well and better than the competing skin care serum concealers I've tried.

My two runner ups:

5. Huda Glowish in Fair 1. I truly love this product and wore it all summer. More of a luminous finish so great for those Summer days you want to glow. It does run a bit dark for me right now and is limited in that it doesn't have lighter shades so that's a point against it. But it's like butter and probably the easiest to blend of all the products I've listed. Their was a packaging error you might be familiar with where the white wand flakes off leaving specs of white on your skin. For me, I just got around it by wrapping a washcloth around the wand to protect from that but it's going bye bye except for their site and like I said, too dark for me for most of the year.

6. Jones Road The Pencil is really a multitasker and blends surprisingly well for being what looks like a dry crayon. It's matter but takes on the consistency of what you blend it with. Really helps with placement as well b/c it's not going to travel much once you've marked out where you use it and go to blend.

The rest of the concealers were generally too dry for me or didn't blend well with the exception of Ilia's in Arrowroot which I wore all last winter and would definitely consider for truly fair skin.

OK, that's my concealer novel, lmao. If you have any you recommend I'd love to hear about them even if I'm trying to NOT get anymore 🙂

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

CynthieLu — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 23:50:28 GMT

I think we have so real skin similarities @PDXXXX I appreciate all of that, thank you! 🙏❣️

I know what you mean, I have a few tried and true products and I shouldn't be trying it anything new.. but there's that pull to find something excellent that's out there just waiting to be found. 😅

I find most concealers settle into my lines to much for my liking or accentuate my dry skin so I don't use them often.

My go to's are

But I still have to do a fair amount of prep to my dry skin before using them, but if I take the time it's so worth it. 👌

I think I may, for science, swatch some of these concealers you mentioned next time I'm in store thou.. just for science. 😉

I agree, the best makeup is the kind that plays well everything else we want to use. Pilling or seperation, nooo thank-you.

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

PDXXXX — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 00:21:25 GMT

@CynthieLu just for science, just for science 😂 Why did you have to remind me how much I've wanted to try the Danessa Myricks (scratches head and tries to justify doing it "for the greater good" while reminding myself I DO NOT need more concealer)??

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

CynthieLu — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 01:05:19 GMT

My apologies @PDXXXX 🙉 lol, just pretend you never read that post. I know what you mean, I have a running list of ones I'm itching to try but not until I do some serious dwindling. 😞

Re: Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs & Showdowns

itsfi — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 22:53:47 GMT

Battle of the red lips, part 1

I pulled aside several red lip products for a little battle. @cianni had mentioned she had some fall reds earlier this year on the and that, coupled with feeling a need to use what I have and pass along what doesn't work and a chat with @ather about product battles inspired me to test out a few red lip products vis-a-vis one another from Canadian Thanksgiving (October 14) to US Thanksgiving (November 28). I've been playing around with these beauties for the last couple of weeks.

(gratis)

And the results for this group are ... <<drumroll, please>>

YES:
💋 I'm keeping the Charlotte Tilbury and Hourglass lipsticks. The former isn't a surprise as it's one of the few, or possibly, one of the only rust-orang-ish leaning reds i my collection that I like and reach for. The latter, the Hourglass, took me by surprise. I'm pretty sure I purchased it because of the case, and other than after I purchased it, I don't remember ever reaching for it again until this battle. This is a deep red and while my eye gravitates to these types of red lipsticks, they don't always work on me. This one did. Will wonders never cease.

NO:
💄 This orange-red liquid lipstick is not my cup of tea. I didn't mind it so much when I first received it, and while it's not bad for a liquid lipstick, the color isn't one that I normally go for and of the orange-reds I have in my stash, it's not my favorite. I've used the applicator directly on my lips so I don't feel great about passing this off to someone else, so this will be tossed. 🗑

Undecided:
💋 Going into this throwdown, I actually thought the Dior lipstick would be the one still standing but I'm actually undecided about it. I'm leaning towards sanitizing it and looking for a better home for it - either gifting it to a friend or donating it. This one applies on the dry side, though interestingly, it's not drying on my lips, which is part of what makes me so unsure about this one. Before making a final decision on it, I'm going to give it one last shot by taking a little of the product and mixing it with one of my many lip balms and making a tinted balm out of it.

💄 I was thiiiis close to tossing the Gucci Goldie Red liquid lipstick. Then, lierally after taking the second shot above, I thought "maybe I should try applying it with a lip brush and/or maybe even mixing it with a bit of oil?" So, that's what I'm going to do. The color is pretty, though of the reds in this lipstick range, I prefer the Nellie Cherry shade. That said, I am inclined to give this Gucci this one last shot, so back in the rotation it goes.

@CynthieLu, you've asked about this red lips battle so I wanted to keep you in the loop. So far, of this particular set of red lipsticks, one is officially out, with the potential for 2 more to follow suit.

Edited to add [10.31.2024]: Here we go, swatches in the spoiler below. I~~'ll take photos tomorrow when the lighting is better and will update this post with swatches of these red lipsticks.~~

If the Rose Inc showed up on my lips as it does in the swatch, I'd be more inclined to keep it. For some reason, it applies more warm and orange. I recall it did the same thing when I first received it but it was much less so than now. One red down. Gucci Goldie Red is a maybe - I'll try different tools for application as well as a lip primer.