I am starting to notice a pattern in the way I am thinking, since I started this blog, forming… I see things in different light and the first thought that pops up is… PRODUCT WARS!
I have been dying to compare those two for so long, and thanks to good friends, my patience and the nice people over at feelunique.com, I am finally able to. Everyone and their mother have been obsessing over the Chanel Soleil de Tan or Bronze Universel or whatever the heck it is called, simply because at the time of its “birth” there wasn’t anything else similar to it on the market. Therefore…thy shit (so Shakespearean, I cannot even deal with myself right now…) has been getting lost ever since.
BUT [and it is a big but(t)] the thing that I have been telling everyone, but still nobody seems to acknowledge or even mind (thanks by the way, makes me feel very special…) is that Chanel, a high-above the sky-end makeup company, is owned by Bourjois, a humble drustore company. Why, you ask? BECAUSE F**K THE SYSTEM, THAT’S WHY!
The economy works in dark, mysterious ways that neither do I care for nor am I going to analyze, not here anyway. Bottom line is, same company=same manufacturer. Whether you like it or not. “So what’s the difference,Macy?”
Glad you asked. There is none. It is all a matter of labelling and status quo of the brand. It’s like the hot chick, with the perky tatas, the designer handbag and the obnoxious possy that has 0 balance in her bank account versus the shy girl in sweatpants, that has 6-figure savings and a plan. It’s all a matter of the facade you create, and the street cred that follows that facade.
But enough with the rumbling and conspiracy theories of the makeup world, let’s get to steppin’.
We are talking about two very similar-on-paper items, that smelled fishy since the dawn of their time. Both “cream” (I use the term loosely, meaning not powder and not liquid), both bronzers, both by basically the same company and in practically the same shade, as if the rest wasn’t enough. But there are a few key differences, and much like a good football (yes, soccer,whatever) match, it will all be determined in the extras…
Similarities first.
1) The color. Even though it looks different, it swatches and applies the same. Shocker. And what do we have here? Both in one and only “Universal Shade”. Shocker squared.
2) The texture/consistency. Not totally, but very similar. They are siblings, not twins. The Chanel is drier, whipped mousse like, fairly dense and solid, whereas the Bourjois has more of a whipped cream feel to it. Scientifically speaking, the percentage of water molecules per g of the Bourjois is higher. There. I got technical.
3)The result. Both those babies will give you the exact same result on the skin. A slightly bronzed, healthy, sunkissed look that, as with all cream products, looks fairly natural. -DISCLAIMER- They are both BRONZERS, NOT CONTOUR SHADES. So, you can expect a warmer,more orangy tint.
Now on to the differences.
1) The amount. With the Chanel you get a huge-ass jar that’s filled with 30g (or 1 fl.oz) of bronze goodness. The Bourjois will only give you 18ml (0.6 fl.oz). And that’s not the only thing…
2) The amount you use. I feel like you use more of the Bourjois per application in comparison to the Chanel, due to the fact that the latter is drier, therefore more color-concentrated. Not to be confused with pigmented, they are both very pigmented. It is a matter of how much transfers onto the brush and how much is absorbed by the skin etc etc.
3) The smell.
The Chanel has a faint soapy~florally scent. The Bourjois…ah,the Bourjois. Smells like happiness. To be fair, it says so right on the label. “Addictive Fragrance”. And they mean it. And I am hooked. It smells like aromatic chocolate and candy and gummies and macarons decided to have an orgy. I like the thought of that. Let’s make everything smell like that…Let’s trademark it. Let’s fund this. Someone log onto kickstarter!!!
4) The step in which they can be used. Both can be used alone, let’s get that out of the way. Both can also be used underneath the foundation, as a base/primer, or over it as a cream bronzer. But, the drier formula of the Chanel gives it the push it needed, and it can be used over powder as well.
5) “Finish”. This is an honorable mention, for the true Blue’s Clues detectives out there. Looking at them, dead on, you can see teeny tiny specs of gold through the Chanel goo, but that doesn’t show on the skin. The Bourjois claims to be (and delivers) matte.
6) The price. *horror music playing* Chanel varies from 40 to 50 euros depending where you live and where you get it from, and Bourjois 10-15 euros accordingly.
“MACY THIS POST IS SO LONG I WANNA SMASH YOUR HEAD WITH BOTH OF THEM, PLEASE TELL ME WHICH ONE TO GET ALREADY, GAWD!”
Fine. If you have 50 bucks to spend, get the Chanel. You will be all fancy and feel like a big deal. It will take you years to go through it. It will also look dandy on your vanity where it will have to sit forever, because it is humongous and doesn’t fit anywhere. On the other hand, if you refuse to pay THE SAME COMPANY 30 euros more for THE SAME PRODUCT, get the Bourjois, get stoned with the scent and call it a day…
So? What’s it gonna be?
