Awesome Benefit Dupes
I love Korean cosmetics! The products are good quality, prices are reasonable and their packaging is to die for. At a time when I was obsessed with finding Korean cosmetics online, I discovered W2Beauty - a fantastic beauty and makeup web store that has a gazillion products by top Korean brands. I got two products from them and then realized that I had unintentionally bought dupes of two Benefit products I own. Now as much as Benefit products are amazing, there is no denying that they are amazingly pricey too. After using all the products in conjunction, I can confidently conclude that I prefer the dupes over the originals any day.
The first product I got is Peri's Tint Water by a brand called Peripera. As you can see, the packaging is really cute and its artwork was done by Mari Kim who drew the animated versions of 2NE1 for their "I Hate You" video. The shade I got is #1 Cherry Juice. Even though this is a lip tint, I prefer using it on my cheeks.
I've placed it next to my Benetint and as you can see, the colors are pretty similar. When it comes to consistency, Peri's tint is just as watery and runny as Benetint but its color is slightly more pigmented so a smaller amount is required. Also, when it comes to the applicator, I find Benetint's brush applicator annoying as it can give you streaks at times while Peri's tint has a doe foot applicator which dispenses a decent amount of product. Its staining power is just as good as Benetint and it costs only $9 compared to Benetint's $30 so this product wins hands down for me.
Even when it comes to packaging, you can't deny that Benetint looks boring next to the adorable Peri's tint. You can see the swatches below and decide for yourself. You can buy Peri's tint here.
The second product I got is Tony Moly Crystal Light Pink Beam, an illuminator/highlighter that provides a gleaming shine to the skin and can be used to accentuate one's brow bone, nose bridge and cheekbones. Usage is easy, just dab three small dots on your cheekbones or wherever you need some highlighting and blend, and you're good to go.
I've held it next to my Benefit's High Beam and as you can see below, both products look exactly like each other. Pink Beam uses a wand applicator which I prefer over High Beam's brush. Both products are very pigmented but when it comes to consistency, High Beam dries up faster leaving blotches of extra shimmery skin while Pink Beam doesn't, giving you time to blend the product.
You can see the swatches of both products below, which shows how similar they are. And although the product isn't available on W2Beauty at present, it retails at less than half of the $26 Benefit High Beam.
From personal use, I have noticed that reasonable products are often just as good as premium ones. Just like how my super creamy and long lasting Colorbar lipstick which I'm wearing here costs almost ten times less than my YSL Rouge Volupte that totally dries out my lips and lasts for barely an hour, these two amazing dupes from W2Beauty prove that you can get fantastic quality at reasonable prices too.
Have you used any of these products? When it comes to cosmetics, what is your opinion about originals vs dupes ?