W7 Cosmetics are known for trying to create affordable dupes of popular, high-end beauty products. I first heard of W7 Cosmetics through the bloggersphere around four years back when i started getting into makeup. Back then they pretty much only had the Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow palette dupes and the 'Benefit' Box-o-Powders blushers, which i wasn't a big fan of. Roll on years later and they have even more dupes, including products like the Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate, Ben Nye Banana Powder, Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar bronze & glow and now the Soleil Tan De Chanel Universal! Being a bit dubious of 'dupe brands' and their 'quality' i admit that i didn't have high hopes when JustMyLook sent me a package of W7 products last year to try out. In fact i was so pleasantly surprised and impressed by the quality of the products i received, i placed an order with them the following week. The W7 Cosmetics Make Up & Glow Bronzing Base was one of the products i ordered. With the warmer seasons coming up, all of us simple-makeup lovers will be pulling out our Soleil Tan De Chanel cream bronzer's for an effortless bronze, but could this be a more affordable dupe?
Sometimes we get shown that just because something is cheaper does not mean the quality isn't just as good and that is just the case with the W7 Cosmetics Make Up & Glow Bronzing Base.
First impressions
The packaging is pretty similar, W7 really tried to mimic the design of the Chanel packaging with the sleek black lid with the gold logo houses within a clear frosted container. The next thing you notice is that the W7 pot looks a lot smaller than the Chanel, making it feel like you are you are getting less product than if you would have purchased the Chanel. Only Chanel have been deceiving with their packaging, as their packaging is wider and more compressed in height it appears that there is more product inside; when actually the Chanel only contains 28 grams of product and the W7 contains 35g, considerably more! As nice as the packaging is i would rather more product than packaging, i mean after all aren't we buying it for the product inside?
W7 seem to a bit of a pro when it comes to their cream products, i have tried the Crème De La Crème Blushes and the Catwalk Face Shaper 2 Colour Contouring Kit and thoroughly enjoy the quality of both. I have been using the Chanel Crème bronzer for around 4 years now, and due to it's red undertone i only tend to wear it during the warmer months when i have more of a tan. The W7 is actually more of a neutral tone, meaning that it's more flattering for paler skin-tones. The quality of the W7 Bronzing base is so much better than i thought it was going to be. The products are pretty much identical! Both are solid creme bases, the Chanel looks more of a mousse texture but it's surprisingly firm. Both products melt upon contact with the warmth of skin. The creaminess and blendability of the W7 really is on par with the Chanel, in fact i feel that the W7 blends out easier and is a lot creamier. Due to it's easy blendability melting seamlessly into the skin, it actually takes less time to apply. Once it sets on the skin, it's there to stay. Making it perfect for hot humid days when makeup tends to wear off quicker in the heat or from sweat. The staying power really is impressing, especially for the price!
The W7 Make Up & Glow Bronzing Base is pretty versatile as a product. You can use it as an all over bronzer with a large buffing brush around the outer perimeters of the face, or it can be used for more precise contouring using a smaller denser brush. I personally use it for bronzing up my face only as i find it isn't cool-toned enough for contouring. As it dries from a cream to somewhat of a powder finish it not only wears well on the face but is also a good base for a bronze smoky-eye on the lid. I would recommend using a synthetic makeup brush with both the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronze Universal and the W7 Cosmetics Make Up & Glow Bronzing Base as cream products can ruin the bristles of natural hair brushes. I enjoy using my Real Techniques Contour brush ( which is part of the core collection ) £20.99 or my Real Techniques Sculpting Brush £9.99 with cream bronzers, or for more precise bronzing the Louise Young LY51 & LY51A brushes are fantastic ( £20 & £19 ).
I think a lot of people opt for the designer item because the label can feel more luxurious, they also tend to have better staying-power and an overall better appearance on the skin. Luxury products can also contain more advanced and high-class ingredients ( less skin irritants ) which would make for a better product. In a lot of the cases this is true, however it is not the case this time around. The W7 i feel blends much better into the skin, its neutral shade makes it wearable for all year round unlike the Chanel which only seems to flatter me well when i am tanned, and the W7 actually contains less ingredients. The only thing it is missing is the signature Chanel Bronze Universal scent and the larger Chanel packaging.
So would i recommend the W7 Make Up & Glow Bronzing Base? Yes i would, and to be honest if you love the Chanel packaging you could just scrape the W7 product out and place it inside the Chanel packaging, no one would ever know. I honestly think this is one of the best dupes i have come across yet.
So would i recommend the W7 Make Up & Glow Bronzing Base? Yes i would, and to be honest if you love the Chanel packaging you could just scrape the W7 product out and place it inside the Chanel packaging, no one would ever know. I honestly think this is one of the best dupes i have come across yet.
The Infamous Soleil Tan De Chanel cream bronzer retails for £32 ( Link via Boots ) and the W7 Cosmetics Make Up & Glow Bronzing Base retails for only £4.50!!! ( Link Via JustMyLook )Yes just £4.50!!! It is such a top quality dupe, who can resist?!
Some More Dupe Posts:
I have many more dupe posts coming up on the blog so keep your eyes peeled.
Do you have a favourite affordable high-end dupe?
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