Dupe Test: e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal ($1) vs. Benefit High Beam ($26)

Disclosure: This post contains some Amazon affiliate links.
e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal is frequently mentioned as a cheap dupe for the much beloved but very expensive High Beam highlighter from Benefit. I'll be the first to admit that I am pretty liberal with applying the term "dupe". I'm no stickler. If it's basically the same and performs the same function, I'm fine with it. Nevertheless, after comparing these products (and two other pinkish highlighters I own), I have some mild reservations about calling them dupes. They can be used for the same purposes, successfully, but there are some significant differences. Rather than a dupe, I'd say that the e.l.f. highlighter is a good product, and a reasonable alternative to the Benefit version. A near dupe, maybe. Since I'm convinced that there are cheap options that are comparable to almost all higher-end beauty products, and since I'm on a weird quest to determine which e.l.f. products are decent and which ones are shit, this kind of comparison is my idea of fun. Wheeeeee.

Left to right: e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal, Benefit High Beam, Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer in Pink Shimmer, Pixi Brightening Primer in Pearl Essence

I threw two other similar highlighters into the mix, just for the sake of completion, and in case anyone else has them and would like to see how they fare. None of these are dupes. You can see just from the photo above that the e.l.f. highlighter is quite a bit pinker than the Benefit or Stila, and it is pinker than the Pixi option too, though the bottle for that one is opaque. On to the swatches!

Top left to bottom right: Swatches of e.l.f. Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal, Benefit High Beam, Stila All Over Shimmer Liquid Luminizer in Pink Shimmer, Pixi Brightening Primer in Pearl Essence

Let me break them down one by one - I'll end with e.l.f.

$15 alternative to Urban Decay's Electric Palette? (that is holy-fucking-bright) (from Glitz Glam Budget)

Maybe you've been tempted by the Urban Decay Electric palette, but you're not sure how much you'd actually wear it and don't want to spend $50 on something like that (like me). Check out swatches of this $15 palette from Coastal Scents. Looks pretty awesome. The colors aren't all exactly the same, but there are 12 instead of just 10, so that's a bonus.

Review and swatches: weird and fun e.l.f. Cream Blush in Vixen (and e.l.f. Studio 50% off today and tomorrow)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

e.l.f. Cream Blush in Vixen (it's a handful)

I've been meaning to review this blush for a while now, because it's really nice. Recently I tried a blush color that I'd assumed wouldn't work for me, but did - this is another one in that category. I didn't have any reddish blushes until I bought this one, which is somewhere between red and fuschia. It's matte (no shimmer). Turns out that it's really flattering on me. I have pale, sort of neutral-tone skin. Looks close to my natural flush.

e.l.f. Cream Blush in Vixen (in natural light)

e.l.f. Cream Blush in Vixen (with flash)

This particular shade is out of stock right now, but there are five others available. I wanted to swatch it anyway, in hopes it will come back, because the swatches on the e.l.f. website are always pretty terrible. But if any of the other colors appeal to you (google swatches!), I'd recommend this based just on the formula. It blends really easy using your fingers, and you can get subtle color or build it up for something more noticeable. It wears really well too. No complaints.

Project Swatch finds another, BETTER dupe for Essie Butler Please and Nails Inc. Baker Street for $2

I showed you that Sally Hansen's Pacific Blue is close enough to Essie's Butler Please. But Project Swatch found a Sinful Colors polish that is even better and even cheaper. It's glossy! I want it. Why are all the stores that sell Sinful Colors in this town so inconvenient for me to get to?