I am pretty good at remembering faces, but struggle with knowing where exactly I have met the people attached to them.

Same is true when it comes to makeup.
I know what something looks like, but the actual brand sometimes eludes me.

So when I saw Nastasja from Eyes Painted Black writing about the new Catrice  Beautifying Lip Smoothers, I knew I had seen something similar before.
But it took me a second before I realized what they reminded me of:
The hyped Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors by Clarins.

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors above, Catrice Beautifying Lip Smoothers below

Can you spot a difference? Of course you can, but hey: Not twins maybe, but sisters for sure!

But even though it is makeup, it isn’t all about the looks.
Inner values count, too.
So lets look at:

The facts:
I have written a long (and quite disappointed) blog post on the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors here, if you fancy reading more about them, but I´ll include the key points again.

One tube of Clarins retails for 17,50 € while containing 12 ml of product.
One tube of Catrice, on the other hand, retails for 3,49 € while containing 9 ml of product.
Now let me quickly do the maths for you:
1ml Clarins equals 1,46€.
1ml Catrice equals 0,39€.

Clarins offers a variety of six different shades, while Catrice only does three: 010 Sweet Caramel, 020 Apricot Cream and 030 Cake Pop.
I got 020 Apricot Cream, to compare it to the Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 02 Apricot Shimmer.

The applicators. Again, Clarins on top, Catrice below.

While the Clarins ones smell incredible, like Cotton Candy, the Catrice ones don’t have a strong scent on their own, but taste just as sweet as the Clarins ones do.

Now let´s see how they look on my lips:

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 02 Apricot Shimmer

Catrice Beautifying Lip Smoother in 20 Apricot Cream

To be honest, I had to mark these picture really good, because I am not able to tell the difference once they are on my lips, at least look wise.

As far as longevity and moisturizing effects go, the Clarins ones definitely make the cut. They are noticeable on the lips for about an hour longer and seem to sooth severely cracked lips a little better, but again the difference isn’t a big one.

Would I rebuy?
Yes.
I have told you I don’t like spending so much money on a tinted lip balm, so I wouldn’t go out and get another Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector, but I can totally justify spending the money on the Catrice Beautifying Lip Smoothers.

Who do I recommend it to?
Everyone.
If you love the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors, these are your perfect, budget friendly dupes.
And if, like me, you were disappointed because you expected to get more for your money, these are just what you need. The same performance for a fraction of the price.

How about you:
Is it the name that counts?
Or are you just so in love with the Cotton Candy smell that this is worth paying triple the money?

MerkenMerken