KYLIE BIRTHDAY EDITION MINI MATTES FAKE VS REAL SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON REVIEW & SWATCHES

As you all know, I have pledged to never buy anything from Kylie Cosmetics, not because of personal reasons but mostly due to the price of the actual products plus the additional shipping and customs charges. Also, most products can be duped from Colour Pop which i also no longer buy from despite liking a lot of their products, especially their lippie stix, due to the adorementioned reasons. However, my aunt recently went to Thailand and bought a fake version of the Birthday Edition Matte Minis which were released last year and I thought I would investigate how they compare to the real Kylie Cosmetics Birthday Edition Matte Minis ($36). It was available 2 years ago as a set and as part of a larger bundle featuring the Kylie Cosmetics classics, making this post completely redundant but I actually found comparing the two quite interesting. So if, for some reason, you are also interested, please keep reading and I will link a video at the end of the post that gave me some information. 

Surprisingly, despite being a lot cheaper and more easily accessible, the fake version of the Birthday Edition Matte Minis is significantly larger, not only in terms of box size but also in terms of lipstick size and ml of each lipstick. Other key differences are the outside packaging, for instance the real version has reflective gold packaging whereas the fake version has a non-reflective finish. I actually prefer non-reflective packaging because it photographs better but I can only assume reflective packaging is more expensive to create. The applicators are identical between the real vs fake edition and the scent of the lipsticks are similar but more chocolatey for the fake version. I hear the real ones smell like sweet vanilla and candy. Of course, I don't have a real Kylie Lip Kit to compare so this is based on hearsay and the many reviews I have watched, as I do post about Kylie releases relatively frequently. I don't find the smell of the fake lip set offensive or too overwhelming it is actually quite nice, nor can I smell any chemicals. 

Onto the actual products and shade swatches, please ignore my goosebumps it has been unbelievably cold here in the UK, the drop in temperature has confused my body. Candy K is a warm pinky nude. Koko K is a pale pink shade. Dolce K is described as a deep beige nude. Leo is a true deep burgundy. Kirsten is described as a warm brown berry shade. Finally, Exposed is a warm mid tone beige. These descriptions were taken from the Kylie Cosmetics website. I think most shades match up to their descriptions especially Candy K, Koko K and Leo. I think the only one that seems not to is Dolce K as it seems like a browner version of Leo, rather than a deep beige nude. Overall, I think they are all very pretty colours in their own right. For swatches next to genuine Kylie liquid lipsticks see below. This screenshot was taken from Cladia Lopez's YouTube video which is linked at the end of this post and edited and annotated by myself. 

I don't think Claudia has the same exact fake version as mine, as errors she mentions in her video like typos and mispellings are completely absent in the fake version my aunt purchased. I also think she bought hers when it was just released and the hype was high and that might be why their was a chemical scent. As for the formula which is actually the most important part, I found they have serious lasting power and need to be removed with an oil-based cleanser for easy removal. They feel comfortable enough on the lips for a matte formula. As someone who dislikes all lip products except balms and barely their lipsticks, I am more sensitive to drying formulas than most. There is nothing I hate more than being or feeling uncomfortable, but this was actually doable. I like the applicator and the colours and was pleasantly impressed with the standard of this fake. One or two stickers on the bottom of the liquid lipstick tubes needed to be smoothed but apart from that a great job. I like that they are bigger than the genuine Mini Mattes version as it means you are getting more for your money. Please watch Claudia's short video below for a live comparison of everything I discussed. 

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this atypical post. I am by no means encouraging you to go out and by fakes, this was just a random opportunity that I was interested in posting about and I hope you aren't offended by this. Personally, I have actually bought a fake in the past. I bought a fake version of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette when it was sold out for 99p off eBay before buying the real one which after posting about I gave to my sister. I still use the fake version and have never had any trouble with it. I am interested in how you feel about "fakes" and what your thoughts are on companies that dupe products as well such as Bad Habit Beauty and Makeup Revolution etc. I would love to have a discussion with you guys in the comments below. Hope you are having a wonderful week and see you later this week with hopefully a review. Take care.

What is your opinion on fake vs real products and dupe companies?

Love ❤

Kiran

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