Is this $9 e.l.f. blush a perfect dupe for the $32 Rare Beauty one? I put them both to the test
TikTokers say the affordable blush is virtually identical — here's my honest opinion.
TikTok is the go-to for trending beauty products — but it's also the spot to find affordable dupes for those trending beauty products. At this point, it's almost guaranteed that as soon as a product starts flying off shelves, someone will find a similar alternative and often at a lower price point. Rare Beauty's Soft Pinch Liquid Blush has been an ultra-popular blush since its launch —but TikTokers are saying that the newly-launched e.l.f. Camo Liquid Blush is just is good — but rings in at less than a third of the price. I decided to put these two blushes to the test — read on for my honest review.
The Rare Beauty blush comes in more than 10 colours.
The e.l.f. Camo Liquid Blush comes in 9 colours.
What you need to know
The Rare Beauty Soft Pinch liquid blush is available in 13 shades in a mix of matte and dewy finishes. It is said to be an airy, lightweight liquid that blends and builds effortlessly giving off a soft, healthy flush. It retails for $32 for 7.5 ml.
Available in 9 dewy shades, the e.l.f. camo liquid blush is a high-pigment, long-lasting blush that is said to be lightweight, buildable that blends out to a soft finish. It retails for $9.
First impressions
I swatched both blushes side by side on my hand and to be honest, didn't feel or see any difference between the two. If I did not know it was different brands, I would never have guessed it just by looking at them. To test this even further — I showed my husband my hand and asked him if other than the colour, there was anything different about the two swatches and he agreed that they looked the same.
The test
To really put this blush to the test, I added two dots of each blush on each cheek and blended away. Other than the colour, I literally felt no difference. The formula had the same feel to it and both blended easily and seamlessly.
In terms of pigment, the e.l.f. blush is very pigmented and one dot would have been a much better idea, so definitely start light when applying and build as needed. As for the Rare Beauty blush, I did have to add a few more dots to get the pigment I was going for, which I chalked up to it being a lighter colour paired with my brown skin — so this could vary depending on skin tone.
Once both sides were blended, they looked nearly identical. As I continued to analyze and examine, I did realize that the Rare Beauty side was slightly more dewier and felt lighter — but I really only noticed this when I was looking for differences.
What other shoppers are saying
Both liquid blushes have a strong 4.5-star rating paired with hundreds of reviews.
Most positive reviewers seemed to be most impressed with the pigment and payoff of the blushes.
"Heard about this viral blush and was very excited with the results. Ultra pigmented, a little goes a long way! Recommend blending each side as soon as the liquid touches your skin for best results. After eight hours the blush still looked very intact when it was time to remove my makeup," wrote one Amazon buyer about the e.l.f Camo liquid blush.
"Amazing, lasts all day and looks stunning, the pigment is so so so good," wrote one Sephora shopper about the Rare Beauty blush. "This is AMAZING! I love it! It’s super pigmented and has a good colour. This is absolutely incredible!" shared another.
However, some shoppers were not as impressed by the heavy pigment.
"Colour is way too pigmented. Looks like clown makeup," shared one buyer. "
I can barely use a dot of this before my whole face turns pink, I didn’t know it was so heavy duty," wrote an Amazon shopper about the e.l.f Camo liquid blush.
"Really bad blush. You can’t even blend without looking like a clown. I had to take off all my makeup. There’s better blush in the market," wrote one Sephora shopper about the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch liquid blush.
Verdict
Given the minor differences between the two blushes and those only being apparent when I went looking for them, I would probably opt for the e.l.f option given the difference in price. That being said, both are great formulas if you're a fan of liquid blush. The only caveat? As many reviewers note, these are both heavily pigmented — so proceed with caution!
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