Beauty Product Battles, Throw Downs and Showdowns

[itsfi]

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. 

[curlychiquita]

Interesting, @ather, thank you! I just repurchased the Benefit Cosmetics Precisely, My Brow Tinted Eyebrow Wax, but I’ll have to remember to try the LAWLESS Hold Up Soft Set Creamy Eyebrow Wax next.

[ather]

@curlychiquita  Oooo is it a good one? I’ll have to go back and see which one I had tried in my samples a few months back. I tried a benefit one and liked it. 

[peculiarzmakeup]

I love this throwdown and major props for doing two rounds I liked learning about your experiences with each I am definatley going to check out the winner! This is such a neat experimentation of products I feel like it really narrows things down ❤️ @ather 

[ather]

@peculiarzmakeup  All my props come from @itsfi  

Throw downs are great for seeing which products work the best! Plus it’s fun! 

[itsfi]

@ather, you’re too kind; thank you. 💯 these battles (doing them and watching others) have really been fun. And it makes me use some of my products more, to see how they compare with others I have. @peculiarzmakeup 

[itsfi]

I love how you’ve set up this brow gel battle @ather! It’s great to read your thoughts on how the products perform. So interesting how your initial experience with a couple of them changed a little too. I feel invested in this showdown and am excited to see which ones are duking it out next. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Aww thanks! 😊 this week has been crazy and I forgot to take pictures but I’ll take a picture of the next 2 contenders! I’m unsure if I will declutter any or just finish them up. So far I don’t hate any. Just have some I prefer more! 

[itsfi]

That’s awesome that you like them all @ather! You bring up such a great point - it doesn’t have to be about decluttering. Realizing what you already have works for you is a good finding from the battles as well. 

[ather]

@itsfi  Exactly! And remember to use them up and not purchase new ones!! 

[itsfi]

lol @ather! I'm better with holding off on purchases of brow products than any other products in my collection though this year has been good in general all around, for the most part - moving and unpacking has a way of doing that. 😂 These battles and the capsule challenge has been helpful with sticking to a no/low buy when it's been time for that. 

[itsfi]

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 Capsule Makeup Collection Challenge 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.

Hourglass Unlocked™ Soft Matte Lipstick Red 0 

Charlotte Tilbury Lunar New Year Matte Revolution Lipstick Blossom Red 

DIOR Rouge Dior Refillable Lipstick 720 Icone 

Gucci Transfer-Proof Matte Liquid Lipstick 25* Goldie Red 

ROSE INC Lip Cream Longwearing Matte Liquid Lipstick with Squalane Mortal Flame (gratis)

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

Spoiler

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.

Spoiler

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. 

[sister13]

All gorgeous! I don’t think I can part with any of my reds! I was so surprised at how great ROSE INC Lip Cream Longwearing Matte Liquid Lipstick with Squalane Mortal Flame looked on me since the Orange reds aren’t typically my jam. @itsfi 

[itsfi]

@sister13, that's awesome that it works so well for you. You wear reds (actually any lip color) so beautifully! 😍 The first handful of times were okay but lately and during this wear, the orange really comes through on my lips and orange-reds and I do not make the best match. I did like the formula though and I have this feeling I have another shade from this line in my stash somewhere. My favorite orange red is the Charlotte Tilbury Lunar New Year Matte Revolution Lipstick Blossom Red.  

[sister13]

That one looks so pretty!! @itsfi 

[lmaster]

I did not like that shade of rose inc either @itsfi beautiful swatches

[itsfi]

@lmaster, thank you! I'm sorry it didn't work for you but also happy to know it's not just me - it was fine the first few wears but then not so fine. You make all lippies look good so I'm feeling a little better about letting that one go!

[lmaster]

You're too kind @itsfi I decluttered it as well 😞

[peculiarzmakeup]

This is such a unique and amazing thread, thank you @itsfi  I adore the buckets labeled yes no and ? I feel like it is a great visual for clear wins and questionables as well or as I would say “up for Interpretation” it’s a very neat idea I feel like this is extremely helpful in day to day practices as well I often find it difficult to pick between two similar products. I love how you layed this out and your organization, interpretations, and photos as always are incredibly top notch ❤️❤️❤️ 

[itsfi]

I like that - “up to interpretation” @peculiarzmakeup! Striking a balance when it comes to a well edited collection that suits me without feeling like it’s so much stuff, and also wanting to try new items has been, well, it still is, a work in progress, like so many things. The throwdowns, whether just between a couple of products or several have been a great way to go about this in a practical way and have fun along the way.

[ather]

@itsfi  omg this idea for the bins are perfect. It’s actually even perfect just to have on your counter so you can put your foils or products in it and you can actually see what progress you’re making. Hmmm interesting the ones that you know are a yes for sure! And I’m surprised to see a solid no. You still have so much time left in this!! Great progress! 

[itsfi]

@ather, that’s a great idea!! 💡 I may do just that and use one of these bins to hold my foils. It would be a good way to keep the amount of foils I have in check too. Thank you!! 🤗 

lol, I wonder if I was just in a focused mindset when I made that declutter - I go through phases when I just feel compelled to whittle down my stash. I almost added the Gucci but pulled it at the last minute.