I, like many of you undoubtedly, have seen a multitude of videos/blog posts online detailing the dangers of fake makeup – most prominently the lack of certainty about product ingredients and terrible reactions that your skin can have. Some people don’t mind paying a fraction of the price for something similar – and I completely understand that, high end makeup is expensive! Whilst I personally wouldn’t use fake makeup nor purchase it, the real thing simply isn’t something everyone can save up for. So I trawled through eBay and decided to purchase a replica/fake version of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Sun Dipped Glow Kit to compare the two! Unless otherwise specified, the GENUINE Glow Kit is to the left of each image and the IMITATION/REPLICA/FAKE Glow Kit is on the right.
First of all – packaging. Apart from all of the other packaging differences the fake Glow Kit arrived covered in plastic, whereas the real one I own did not. The replica Glow Kit is also smaller in size and the outer material of the palette is different – notice the real one reflecting the softbox lighting I used to take the image whereas the fake does not. The gradient on the packaging is also nowhere near as subtle as on the real packaging and there is definitely a difference in the font used – not to mention a completely different logo!
Next, the back of the packaging. Notice on the left, real Glow Kit we have the four shades, caution and warning, detailed ingredient details and a description of the product as well as the barcode. On the right the four shades are completely different, the font and information provided on the back is also incredibly different and all-in-all it’s just so, so wrong.
The outer cardboard shell also has some noticeable differences without the palette inside – namely you can tell (a lot more easily in person may I add) the completely different texture and appearance of the material. The shape of the real Glow Kit cover stays in perfect shape whilst the fake one slants (picky, I know!).
Another detail, however minor it may be, is the plastic sheets that protect the product. The one in my real Glow Kit is a thicker plastic whereas the fake Glow Kit has one that is many layers thinner and overall more flimsy.
The shades are possibly the biggest indicator of a fake. The authentic Glow Kit contains four completely different shades whilst the replica Glow Kit you could be forgiven for thinking it had three bronzers and a blush shade. The pans are pressed a lot more poorly in the fake Glow Kit and one of the shades had a dent in the product the first time I opened the palette – which is pretty nasty if you ask me!
Here are swatches of all four of the authentic shades – note the pigment of the powders. The pans of powder themselves are so buttery and soft to touch and a little goes a LONG way in terms of pigmentation. It’s a really delightful formula to work with.
And the shades of the replica palette – the product felt a lot rougher (for lack of a better word) to the touch and I found that I had to slightly dig with my finger to get enough pigment to swatch the product. I won’t deny that these aren’t pretty shades but they are nowhere near as consistent, pigmented or anywhere similar in colour to the genuine article.
For fun – here’s the genuine palette for the first four swatches and the replica for the top four swatches – I feel like this really shows the difference.
And for just a single shade comparison – on the left is the shade ‘Summer’ from the non-authentic Glow Kit and on the right is the genuine shade ‘Summer’. I put the same amount of pressure on the pan with each finger – note the difference in texture (there’s a lot more loose powder with the fake shade) and there’s a lot more shine and glow to the genuine thing.
Lasting power on the cheeks isn’t something that I’ll try – I’m just not willing to risk my skin having a bad reaction to any of the ingredients! My face is more sensitive than the rest of my body however I didn’t notice any issues on my arms and hands after swatching the replica Glow Kit.
Don’t take this as me ripping into you if you’re someone who purchases replica/fake/non-authentic makeup – I’m not one to judge another human being. With the risks and the difference in quality/shade I know that I’d rather save up my money for the genuine article, rather than spend a fraction of the price on a product nowhere near as good!
So sad when there is fakes out 🙁
I saw SO many in Bali! I find it sad when people use them and think they’re the same without a little bit of education – I understand why people do, but it’s something I couldn’t ever do! x
This was a really interesting post to read! I’ve been oblivious to knowing fakes we’re out there! In my opinion, it’s a shame there’s a market for people who are willing to buy fakes just have the brand or product. Growing up, I was fine purchasing drug store products which is what I could afford. These days, it’s a reward to buy a more premium branded product. I appreciate my purchase a lot more!
Isabella | http://www.digyhu.com
Thanks lovely! I saw some of the worst fakes in Bali, but I know so many people who unknowingly purchase fakes and the differences is phenomenal! I definitely understand why people would do it but I’m the same as you – I’d much rather save and have the real thing without the risk!
I loved reading the comparison between the real and fake kits, I find it so interesting. I’d love to see more of these posts 🙂
Di from Max The Unicorn
Thanks Di! I’m in two minds about more – mostly because I just don’t like buying the fake products and financing that industry! Definitely something I’ll do at least one more of in the future 🙂 x
So interesting to see the differences! The shades look completely different!
If given just the fake I wouldn’t have been able to tell from the packaging that it was a fake.
Ingrid
http://www.fabulousandfunlife.blogspot.com.au
See that’s interesting – I could tell straight away from just the packaging, but if I didn’t already have the real one to compare it to I honestly don’t know if I would have or not! The shades though were just embarrassing – the formula wasn’t great either! Didn’t risk using it on my cheeks though!!
Woah it’s really weird that they make replica products out of pretty much every makeup product that we love. You could definitely tell that there were strong differences in quality, which also makes me feel better in being able to tell a fake from a real one. I wouldn’t want to end up with any fake makeup so I just buy from makeup stores.
I’ve seen some absolute shockers haha – this is one of the better ones! I’m pretty confident in spotting fakes too but some are incredibly good! I’ve purchased a handful of times secondhand (and sold my authentic bits) but prefer to save up and buy in store as well! x
Very interesting post! Thanks for sharing all thag and including the comparison photos!
Thanks Payton! I think the swatch photos were my favourite ones 🙂 x
Such an interesting post. I am the same, I’d prefer to pay a little bit more and get the real one!
Laura || http://www.thelifeoflaura.com.au xx
Thanks girl! I’m definitely the same 🙂 I just don’t want to risk it! (Also I’m a bit of a snob, let’s be honest!)
So bad there’s so many fakes! Great post
Thanks lovely! Sad that the fake industry is as big as it is!
Wow, I never had any idea that there are fakes like this, that is so bad. Thank you for bringing this up and the post with swatches and comparison to help others.
I’d never tried a fake product prior to this so was shocked at the difference ! Thanks lovely x