So unless this is your very first time here, y’all know 2 things about me for certain; I love a good highlighter, and I LOVE a good dupe!
When it comes to dupes, I’m super particular. I want color, formula, application, performance, all of it. It really needs to tick all the boxes for me. And if it doesn’t, I don’t share it with you guys because, well, that would make me a liar. And I’m here to bring you real, honest reviews and opinions – no bullsh*t here!
I also prefer something with a natural luminosity vs. something that’s super glittery – you know the kind I mean, the ones that sit on top of the skin and emphasize texture and leave behind noticeable chunks of glitter. I love a good, finely milled, creamy, pearly finish that looks like you’re glowing from within. Like you’ve been eating your fruits and veggies.
But that’s just my personal preference – if you want to glow to the heaven’s, do you, boo!! If you can rock it then by all means, rock it! I’m just too old to do that anymore! But in my day….girrrlllll….
So I pulled a bunch of my favorite Becca highlighters, and a bunch of my favorite affordable/drugstore highlighters, and got to swatchin’!
So….are you ready? I’m ready! Let’s do this!
BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR PRESSED – MOONSTONE vs. MARY-LOU MANIZER by THE BALM
I remember the first time I swatched Moonstone – it was the most pigmented, creamy, buttery, amazing highlight I’d ever laid eyes on. But then I got a glimpse at the price tag – $38! As a broke single mom taking care of HER mom and working part time at Ulta, it was just not in the budget. But I was in love. And I set out on a quest to find a suitable dupe.
Enter Mary-Lou. Just as soft, smooth, pigmented, and gorgeous as Moonstone. I’ve managed to track down the Mary-Lou Manizer for $12 on Amazon – and while both offer a generous amount of product, considering how little it takes for such AMAZING payoff, The Balm gives you 8.5g of product, while Becca gives you 8g. Not a huge difference, but notable when you take into account that it’s a near perfect dupe – just look at the swatches!
L: Moonstone R: Mary-Lou Manizer
BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR PRESSED – OPAL vs. WET N’ WILD MEGAGLO HIGHLIGHTING POWDER – PRECIOUS PETALS
Originally, when I pulled the Wet N’ Wild shade out of my collection, I was thinking “I think I may have finally found a dupe for Champagne Pop!” (another beautiful shade by Becca x Jaclyn Hill) – it had that same peachy sheen that CP has – but what about the formula?
You see, the Wet N’ Wild Megaglo Highlighting Powders are notoriously hit or miss depending on the shade you grab – some are gorgeous and smooth and just….yum, while others are chalky, chunky, glittery, and patchy. So I was initially hesitant, as I’d kind of set it aside in my collection and never really picked it up again. But when I swatched it next to Champagne Pop, I noticed that it was identical in formula (yay!) but just slightly off in color…..hmm…..wait a minute…..this look JUST like……
OPAL!
So I swatched THOSE side by side, and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t exactly the same! Glides on the same, blends out the same, not chalky or chunky or streaky! Look at the swatches and see for yourself! Then save yourself the $$$’s and go buy MORE makeup! Ha! At 5.4g of product, yeah, you’re getting less than you are with Becca, but since a little goes a long way, will you REALLY miss it?
L: Opal R: Precious Petals
BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR POURED – OPAL vs. BENEFIT WATT’S UP! vs. COLOURPOP SUPER SHOCK CHEEK – WISP
When I was pulling together a list of potential dupes, this was one of those last minute discoveries as I was sifting through drawers (GOD I sound like a hoarder, don’t I?). And I realized that almost every highlighter dupe post I’ve ever seen seems to exclusively mention powder highlights – not many people incorporate cream highlighters.
Well I had a couple deluxe sample size ones floating around of the Becca Poured in Opal (2.5g mini, 5.4g full size) – I got them for free when I worked at Ulta, and just kind of tossed them into my kit and never looked back. And then I realized it’s striking similarity to both the Benefit Watt’s Up! (9.4g) and the Colourpop Super Shock in Wisp (4.2g). At least in color – let me explain.
The Becca product is VERY creamy, which is great on someone with dry skin or maybe even mature skin. I think I never used it because I can tend to be very oily and was worried about it just sliding right off.
The Benefit product is slightly drier, comes in a cream stick, and has a little more staying power. The Colourpop one, if you’ve ever used them, has that sort of cream-to-powder kind of formula that stays put on the skin, blends out really nicely, and has a beautiful smooth finish.
Now while they’re all SLIGHTLY different in formula (remember I said we had some pretty close dupes?), the shades themselves are pretty much spot on – they all have that slight peachy golden shift, with very fine shimmers that are minimally detectable on the skin.
L to R: Opal, Watts Up!, Wisp
BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR PRESSED – PEARL vs. ESSENCE MONO EYESHADOW – SNOWFLAKE
This may be one of my favorite Becca dupes of all time, but I really hesitated when it came to incorporating this particular one…..BECAUSE I CAN’T FIND IT ANYWHERE!
I’ve searched Amazon, eBay, Ulta, even the Essence website, and I can’t find ‘Snowflake’ anywhere – now to be fair, I purchased this a few years ago, and I know, I know; brands cycle through things all the time. So this is one of those instances where, if you’re lucky enough to have this one in your collection, hold onto it!
I’d forgotten about it, de-potted it and stuck it in a palette, because it truly is a beautiful highlight, and while I was “gathering” for this particular post, had an “AH-HAH!” moment and remembered this little treasure.
Yes, “little”; it’s a freakin’ eyeshadow! But it’s so incredibly pigmented that the smallest amount creates the most beautiful glow, it will likely last for ages (mine has – at LEAST 3-4 years now!). They swatch the same, blend the same, neither emphasizes any texture on the face – they’re both beautiful! Look!
L: Pearl R: Snowflake
BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR PRESSED – ROSE GOLD vs. NYX BAKED BLUSH – CHIFFON
Some may consider Rose Gold a highlight – personally I think it’s more of a blush topper – depends on your skin tone. Nonetheless it’s gorgeous. Warm rose pink with a gorgeous golden shift – who wouldn’t love this shade?
But I think this may be the one that I get the LEAST amount of use out of – *insert sad face*.
But that got me thinking – for something you don’t use often (mine is actually in the Becca x Chrissy Teigen palette) this is the PERFECT occasion for a dupe! And my mind immediately went to the NYX Baked Blush in the shade Chiffon – the consistency is noticeably different. But the color is pretty damn close! I would say that the NYX blush is every so slightly pinker that the Becca. But it’s one of those difference that’s virtually undetectable! Take a look at the swatches for yourself!
L: Rose Gold R: Chiffon
Have you tried any of these? Do you have any favorites? Leave a comment and let me know!
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XOXO,
Affordable Gorgeous 