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View and track online orders
Reorder it from in-store and online purchases
View saved products
Recommendations from your store visits
Manage your services, classes and events
Complete your beauty traits for personalized recommendations
Payments, contact info, addresses and password
Ask questions, join challenges, and get recommendations from people like you
Discover topics tailored to your beauty interests
Add your photos and get inspired by fellow beauty lovers
From makeovers to personalized skincare consultations
Get inspired, play with products & learn new skills
Exciting launches, parties & more
Explore what's hot in your store
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.
Thank you for the tag @itsfi
-You cracked me up with "a red for grown-ups." I really do think the Armani looks great on you, but I completely understand if you feel like it's a bit too bold.
-The CT blossom red is lovely on you, and I think my very favorite might be the Florasis Burgundy Berries. I've never purchased anything from them before, but that's a lovely shade!
Great job! I love seeing the photos of the lipstick on as well as its benefits or not as helpful features. It’s amazing you were able to narrow down by 5, that is a challenge but I love your method of assessing it brings a lot of helpful perspective into the process. I love all the beautiful swatches. I think it’s such a neat concept to have bins it’s such a great visual. I’ve loved watching your lipstick throwdown journey! @itsfi congrats to the winners 🙂
@itsfi Wow great job!!! You decluttered 5 that’s awesome!!
Did you notice you are faster to say good bye? Or did you still have a hard time?
You think something is happening to the GXVE brand! Am I missing something?
Florasis is so pretty on you. I love the burgundy colour and how it complements your skin perfectly!
I can see why you said good bye to the Armani. If your not comfortable no point in keeping it.
Great job! This was so fun to read!
ps: is that the new Merit perfume in the background? Have you tried it?
Thanks so much @ather! I went through these reds more quickly than I thought I would. Ahhh, that's a really good question. It was faster to say goodbye to the reds after the first round and decluttering through the weekly capsules has been helpful, too. Having place(s) to redirect the products has been a good motivator as well - it makes me feel less bad about letting something go if it isn't something that works for me. If someone else can get use out of it, all the better!
GXVE products have been on sale for a long time, on Sephora and the brand's site. At first, it was a couple of products and then more and more started going on sale, for longer periods of time. It seems like their entire collection has been marked down for a whileT. hey also have shut down their direct site - visitors are directed to purchase through Sephora. Not sure if they are working on a rebrand, are closing down, or are making their way out of Sephora. Or, something else, maybe.
The Armani is a gorgeous red; it's just too much for me. I was really self conscious when I had it on. Maybe one day but for now, I have all these other reds to use and a handful more for a future throw down! 😉
P.S. That is the new Merit fragrance. It's got a unique blend of fruity, floral and woody. It wear better on me in the cooler weather. I first tested it in store during a heat wave and it wasn't for me. On a whim, I decided to try it again when the weather was more what we're used to here and it smelled like an entirely different fragrance than before.
@itsfi Hmmmm interesting about the GXVE I guess I will have to keep my eyes open. Weird they shut their site down too.
Oooo maybe the next time I am in the city I’ll pop into a Sephora and see how it smells on me. It’s interesting it’s more of a cooler weather scent. But that makes sense because depending on the weather I like different scents. In the cool weather I like a more smoky and woodsy scent and in the summer I like a more floral and citrus scent.
I have 24 foundation or tinted moisturizer products, yet I never feel like anything is working. This was an attempt to swatch, figure out what doesn't play well with my skin, and narrow things down to the products that truly work for me (an. At the end I got down to four foundations and a tinted sunscreen. I'll show them at the bottom if you want to skip the longer read and just get to the winners
Here is a photograph of where I began. I will list the products with my thoughts below on the top three rows I almost immediately ruled out for those who are interested or want more product info and then discuss the bottom row which were all contenders I swatched and further ruled in or out. Keep in mind so much of this is specific to skin type and shade and I have very dry, sensitive skin that is fair/light-warm:
TOP THREE ROWS ALL RULED OUT:
1. Westman Atelier Vital Skin Full Coverage Multi-Use Foundation Stick Atelier 0.5 :
2. Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Complexion Drops Dewy Skin Tint Atelier 0.5 :
3. NARS Sheer Glow Foundation Gobi:
4. Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter 3 - Fair:
5. Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Soothing Serum Skin Tint Foundation with Peptides + Ceramides 2 :
6. HUDA BEAUTY Easy Blur Natural Airbrush Foundation with Niacinamide Cashew 140G :
7 & 8. Two bottles of NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Mont Blanc:
9. #Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Stick in 2:
10. #Yves Saint Laurent Nu Bare Look Tint in NU 1:
11. ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 Foundation in Skye:
12. Hourglass Veil Tinted Moisturizer in 5:
13. NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Medium Coverage Foundation in Gobi:
14. Tower 28 Beauty SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation in La Cienga:
15. DIOR Dior Forever Skin Glow Hydrating Foundation in 0W:
16. NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Medium Coverage Foundation in Mont Blanc:
BOTTOM ROW: THE CONTENDERS:
I used Iconic London Underglow Blurring Primer .9 oz / 27 mL on my face as I swatched and then applied the same to my arm to narrow down the following:
17. Jones What The Foundation in Porcelain:
18. Supergoop! Protec(tint) Daily SPF Tint SPF 50 Sunscreen Skin Tint with Ectoin in 10N:
19. Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Oil-Free Foundation 2 :
20. PATRICK TA Major Skin Hydra-Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation For Natural Glow 4 Golden :
22. Iconic London Super Smoother Blurring Skin Tint Neutral Light :
23. Chantacaille Future Skin Foundation in Alabaster:
24. TIRTIR Red Cushion Foundation in Vanilla:
MY BEST FOUR:
Such a beautiful throw down I love how organized this is as well as how it is easy to match the product in the photo to reference its description! I love your swatches! I have been wanting to try Jones Road I’ve been seeing her advertising everywhere. I loved reading of your experiences with each and why it did or didn’t work out so much. This is such a great way to go about selecting the winners. Amazing job! Your winners look beautiful 🤩 @PDXXXX
Thank you, @peculiarzmakeup. If you're curious about anything in the Jones Road product line, feel free to ask me. I've tried many of the products (What The Foundation, The Face Pencil, several shades of The Miracle Balm, the Just A Sec cream eye shadows, the powder eye shadows, lip glosses, setting powder, and powder blush). I would say the best in the lineup are the foundation and cream eyeshadows (they're all beautiful shimmery shades). The Miracle Balm is also an interesting product: they often have deals on mini sets (like for the holidays) and going mini is the best way to try them. I've never seen a foundation like the What The Foundation - it applies best without primer and is very moisturizing and long-wearing. Feel free to ask if you'd like swatches of the powder and cream eye shadows, mini balm shades, lip gloss, or blush I have!
"I have 24 foundation or tinted moisturizer products, yet I never feel like anything is working." I got a good chuckle reading that - completely understand!! It's the equivalent to staring at my closet and thinking "I have nothing to wear" when there are choices galore. 😂 That's great to hear that the Patrick Ta foundation works so well for you - and now you have it in shades that suit you for the warmer and the cooler seasons! I'm going to revisit that foundation early next year.
@itsfi yes, lol, I definitely have the "too many things to find the things that work" problem. Purging is helping. The Patrick Ta is so interesting: somehow I love it but admittedly figuring out application methods has been tricky. I did pick up a mini of the Armani in the correct shade after writing this and will say in terms of shade match and blend-ability it's probably at the top of my list now (I know you have it as well so know all about it). Now if only I could get through the makeup purge and get to my closet 😂
I recently saw a Robert Welsh video discussing the balance between "underconsumption core", panning out as a trend, and...simply using expired makeup (you can watch it on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=822688013141587&rdid=XCrAelSKcTDBnKB2 ). After watching I formed the goal to approach product battles until the New Year by trashing expired makeup category by category to clear out my space, examine what has and hasn't worked, what I will and won't save to replace, and provide swatches as requested if you see something you've been curious about.
Here is the chart I'm using for expiration guidelines:
This week I chose the category of lip glosses (which have an expiration date of one year), and colored lip balms (good for 1-5 years: vague much?) after opening. I've included some stains and will assume they fall somewhere between a gloss and lipstick. For reference, to find an expiration date on a product you can often look at the bottom of the product and see a container illustration with a number showing how long the product is good for. I found trying to remember when I got these fun. Things like recalling how indulgent it felt to buy my first YSL Candy Glaze after ducking into Sephora while taking photographs downtown and how much I adored the scent every time I applied it (the problem being that was...8 years ago).
After sorting everything out, here is what I had:
Below is the breakdown I came up with for each category. I've identified the products from left to right w/n each category with my reasons for replacing, not replacing, etc. It's a longer read but it got me from 25 products to, counting what I might replace when I have the money, 11 (with a little wiggle room if anyone has suggestions for discontinued products they have also used). Feel free to let me know if you'd like to see a swatch of any of these products before they hit the can or have any of your own you recommend!
EXPIRED PRODUCTS:
1. Stilla Beauty Boss Lip Gloss - In The Red (Discontinued)
2. YSL Tint in Oil Lip - Undress Me (Discontinued)
3. YSL Volupte Sheer Candy - No 5 Mouthwatering Berry (Discontinued)
4. YSL Loveshine Lip Oil Stick - 150 Nude Lingerie
5.. Dior Lip Glow Oil - Rosewood
6. Dior Addict Lip Tint - Natural Rosewood
7. Dior Addict Lip Tint - Natural Nude
8..Dior Addict Lip Maximizer Plumping Gloss - Beige
9. Jones Road Cool Gloss - Pink Gold Shimmer
10. Jones Road Cool Gloss - Clear
11.. Kosas Wet Lip Oil Plumping Peptide Lip Treatment Gloss - Jellyfish
NEVER LIKED:
1. Floss Lip Gloss - TLDR (came in Birchbox)
2. Floss Lip Gloss - ATA (came in Birchbox)
3. Lawless Forget the Filler - Velvet
4. Lawless Forget the Filler - Nudie
5. Grande Cosmetics Grandelips - Barely There
STILL GOOD:
1. Grande Cosmetics Grandelips - Clear
2. Fenty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminzer - Fenty Glow (came in IPSY box)
3. Tarte Maracuja Juicy Plumping Oil - Honeysuckle/Black Cherry
4. Tarte Maracuja Juicy Plumping Oil - Desert Rose
5. Tarte Maracuja Juicy Plumping Oil - Cherry
6. Kosas Wet Lip Oil Plumping Peptide Lip Treatment Gloss - Unbuttoned
7. Kosas Wet Lip Oil Plumping Peptide Lip Treatment Gloss - Unhooked
8. Lawless Forget the Filler - Rosy Outlook
9. LANEIGE Lip Glowy Balm - Grapefruit
@PDXXXX Reading this brought a giant smile to my face I love how prganized and well thought out it is. I love how familiar you are with what works for you and what doesn’t and I absolutely love this! Amazing job!!!
Thank you @peculiarzmakeup. My little research reports even on things like makeup almost embarrass me (but also crack me up). I'm a diagnosed Autistic and it's just so Autistic of me to always have to organize and overanalyze every aspect of things, lmao. I do have a fairly vanilla makeup routine with shades I've probably gone to since I was 16. I love that you guys inspire me to try to break out of my box and experiment more with makeup. Next year I hope there will be a far greater variety of shades in my collection 🙂
I think you’re amazing as you are! It’s awesome to have quirks. I’m glad you’re trying new things. Very happy to meet so many amazing people including you here at BIC thanks for these posts I do learn a lot I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone a lot here too! Your awesome 😎 @PDXXXX
Wow @PDXXXX, spectacular work with whittle down your lip glosses and balms. I spy a few products I like in the expired and still good categories. I'm a little more flexible with expiration dates with lip products, if they survive the smell and look test, but it's good to know I got time with some of my tinted lip balms. I'm not sure how I feel about the applicator on the Tarte Honeysuckle lip oil, but I do love the color - it's a beauty. The YSL Candy Glazes and lip oils were some of my favorite lip products back in the day - I love the silver packaging too! 100% agree on the Dior Lip Tint Natural Rosewood - it's such a great staple.
About the Lawless Forget the Filler, was that a line you looked into / purchased products from for the claimed plumping effect? Do you prefer the Tarte or Kosas in that regard?
@itsfi I'm glad you asked this as it got me to reevaluate these products and shifted my impressions quite a bit! I'm going to drop a photo of the shades first (the Tarte and Lawless appear glittery here due to lighting but they are not at all) and then my thoughts on the three products. Sorry in advance for the lengthy research report, lol.
OK, that's my novel! Remember when we only had DuWop's Lip Venom??? When did this get so complicated?!
@PDXXXX, lol, I remember trying to get the product out of Tarte honeysuckle the first time and thinking I’d been clicking away for a while. 😂 It’s a pretty color. The Lawless plumping glosses are among my favorites when it comes to lip plumping products - the effects are good and the tingling is not too much.
Thanks for the swatches - Kosas Revealed is more pigmented than I thought it would be.
So it looks like we have another red lip showdown: this time, the hunt for a matte brick red edition...
I've been wanting a good dark brick red and in the past month or so have bought two new lipsticks (The first DIOR Rouge Dior Forever Transfer-Proof Lipstick 866 - Forever Together, the second NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment Vain ) and one new liner NARS Precision Lip Liner Mariachi as part of that hunt.
Here is how they swatch out:
As you can see these practically look like the same color. Yet, they worked very differently on me.
My favorite of the three in terms of shade - the NARS Power Pigment in Vain- is my least favorite in terms of application, bleeding, smearing, etc. The Dior was lovely, don't get me wrong, it's just more sheer and not as concentrated as the NARS leading to a brighter, lighter color on the lip. The NARS liner, however, is a great staple. I can see using it with a lot of reds and even on its own.
Anyway here is my favorite - The NARS; if this shade reminds you of any you may have and love puh-leeze let me know, I would love the suggestions!
Amazing throw down I love how you mentioned they look the same shade but how they worked differently I think that is such a helpful thing to think about in terms of selecting the best fit. I love how you were able to notice the differences and what works best for you. The look is gorgeous I love that lippie on you! I loved reading on your process of selecting and the winner looks amazing and hopefully feels amazing too! Great throw down ❤️❤️💄 @PDXXXX