Saturday 3 November 2012

benefit confessions of a concealaholic real vs. fake

A while ago I fell subject to buying fake cosmetics on eBay when I came across an offer on a Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic kit. Unfortunately, the too good to be true price was just that and as soon as I started using it I could tell it was counterfeit as the quality just wasn't up to scratch, but on my birthday I was lucky enough to receive the real deal, so I thought I'd compare the two to spot the differences and maybe help someone else identify a forgery?!
If you find yourself in possession of fake/unbranded makeup, please don't use it as it most probably hasn't passed any health and safely regulations and it may have been tested on animals or contain harmful chemicals/be toxic.
The writing on the real cover is a darker purple, as well as the flap being able to drop down, whereas the fake stays where it is. Also, there's a ridge on the genuine version where the flap hinges on to the rest of the box, but apart from that the outside of the boxes are extremely similar.
The booklets inside have exactly the same writing, however the phony's paper isn't as good quality and the background is more yellow-toned and well as the purple writing being lighter. Basically, it look like a bad photocopy.
The authentic set also comes with a clear bit of plastic reading "Restore this clear cover to keep your kit fresh" which was a detail the makers of the fake set didn't bother to include.
The packaging of the That Gal primers are virtually identical, apart from the mimic is taller and there is more white space between the top of the tube and the logo. I haven't tried the fake product on my face but from what I can tell from swatching it is slightly pinker than the original.
There are a few more differences between the Erase Pastes, for a start the imitation's sticker is off-centre and is a lighter purple than the legitimate version. The consistency of the real concealer is far superior to that of the fake, it's much creamier and the colour is lighter and more peach-toned than the copy too - also, there's a bit of plastic on the inside of the lid and the sticker on the bottom has a serial number.

The fake versions of the Boi-ing concealers have a lot more of the metal lip showing, and the product they contain isn't as creamy as the authentic ones. The same goes for the Eye Bright and the Lemon Aid, the pigmentation isn't as strong (I had to really work with the thing for the swatch) and is nowhere near as creamy as the proper product.
The counterfeit brushes fell apart when I first opened the kit up, they feel the same as the original but the lack of care in making them is shown and was a massive giveaway that the set was illegitimate.

So I guess the moral of the story is be very wary of makeup on eBay! If the price is too good to be true it probably is, and it's well worth saving up a few extra pennies for the full price of the product to buy in a shop and not risking getting a fake!

11 comments:

  1. I fell subject to the ebay fakes too :) It's such a shame this is allowed to happen. I complained to ebay and they refunded me though :)

    http://champagnelambinibudget.blogspot.co.uk

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  2. Great post! That is a shockingly awful fake, I've seen ones which look near identical x

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  3. I've always been too scared to buy cosmetics on ebay because of things like this, but thanks for posting so people can hopefully tell the difference between real and fake. At least you have the real one now :) x

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  4. That is shocking i cant beileve the difference!:)

    http://laurenlovesmakeupxoxo.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1

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  5. Very informative post! I never really thought much about the fake kits that are out there. Unfortunately, these guys did a good job at making a fake kit...I'm glad that you could point out the difference in the quality of the actual product for those who might "buy" into the fake. Great post!

    http://thebugthatfleeps.blogspot.com

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  6. Wow, I think it would have taken me a while to spot the fakes myself, they do a good job at making them! Thanks for such an informative post :)

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  7. I can't believe things like this happen. The extent that people will go to make a few dollars is extremely disappointing.

    http://abundanceoferica.blogspot.ca

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  8. Wow! To be honest its quite a good fake apart from those brushes! You can only really tell when you've compared it to the real version :) great post lovely!:) xx

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  9. Jeez, I always liked to think I'd know if something was fake but from the outside these are scarily similar! This is a really good post to help other people out :)

    Lauren
    pinkforflamingos@hotmail.co.uk

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  10. Wow, I've heard of fake MAC products but I've never heard of fake Benefit! This is definitely informative! Thanks for sharing :)

    x Ellie @ Ellalogy 

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  11. thats crazy! really informative!!

    check out my blog:
    http://amandamaria06.blogspot.ca/

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