Want one product that you can use as blush, lipstick, and even eyeshadow? Why not try out a lip and cheek balm?
CHANEL’s N°1 DE CHANEL Lip and Cheek Balm has been a popular multitasking makeup product since its launch for its versatility and nourishing ingredients, but it seems like the luxury brand now has some competition!
Amuse has recently released their Lip & Cheek Healthy Balm, with two unique fruit-inspired shades for each pan. It’s significantly cheaper and claims to have the same effect on your makeup, but is it really a dupe for CHANEL’s?
Daily Vanity’s senior social media designer, Swee Qi, put these balms to the test, so keep reading to find out their key differences and her final verdict!
The Products
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The CHANEL balm features the red camellia, an ingredient CHANEL has used in their skincare, makeup, and even fragrances. which helps to combat premature signs of ageing.
The nourishing balm aims to visibly refine your pores and restore your skin’s elasticity while hydrating your skin.
On the other hand, the Amuse balm contains not just one, but two colours in each product! One side is a cream texture that glides on smoothly, while the other side is a glossy balm formula, so you can mix and match them as you please.
Plus, one side is also usually a darker shade, so you can create more varied makeup looks. Different fruits inspire each vibrant shade for a refreshing effect.
The Shade Range
Credits: @chanel.beauty/Instagram
CHANEL offers nine shades to choose from, including neutral shades for a no-makeup look, such as Lively Rosewood and Healthy Pink.
It also offers vivid corals and reds, like Red Camellia and Vibrant Coral, and even Purple Energy, a unique grape-like shade.
While Amuse technically offers five shades, the two-pan design gives you the ability to use each colour as a standalone makeup product, or even combine them together. This level of versatility means that Amuse seems to have a wider shade range overall!
Amuse features fresh and natural shades like 01 Boksoonga Balm, a peachy shade, as well 02 Mango Balm, which features corals and orange shades.
03 Strawberry Balm is a particularly interesting combination, as it offers a pale lilac shade meant for brightening up your complexion.
For our experiment, we used shade Ardent Brick for CHANEL, and shade 05 Fig Balm for Amuse.
The Formula
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The CHANEL balm has a smooth and buttery cream texture that goes on smoothly to your lips and cheeks.
Meanwhile, the balm side of the Amuse balm has a glossy and sheer finish, and the cream side is similar to the CHANEL formula.
Both balms were easy to apply, but the Amuse balm seemed smoother on the skin, and was easier to blend out.
Credits: @dailyvanity/Tiktok
They’re also both long-lasting and equally pigmented, giving you a gorgeous pop of colour with a dewy finish. Still, she found that the Amuse balm was slightly more glowy!
The CHANEL balm did have the promised nourishing effect when applied to the cheeks, but this effect faded after a while.
Plus, the balm seemed to dry out the lips slightly when worn for a few hours, an effect that she didn’t experience with the Amuse balm.
The Price
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Being a luxury makeup product, the CHANEL balm costs S$78 (6.5g) on the CHANEL website. On the other hand, the Amuse balm retails for S$23 (3g) at Sephora.
The CHANEL balm contains more product, but if you like more variety in your makeup, the Amuse balm’s dual shades make up for this difference.
In our opinion, the CHANEL balm didn’t stand out enough to justify the higher price, and seemed more like an average lip and cheek balm.
If luxury makeup is your thing, it may be worth it to splurge on the CHANEL balm, but if you’re looking to save money, the Amuse balm will do the trick.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Amuse balm is definitely a dupe for the CHANEL balm!
Both balms provide a flattering hint of colour for a natural makeup look, but in the end, we preferred Amuse’s performance and texture better than CHANEL’s.
So, if you’re looking for a versatile product for your lips and cheeks without breaking the bank, we’d recommend checking out what Amuse has to offer.
@dailyvanity Dupe alert: Chanel Lip & Cheek Balm faces off against Amuse Lip & Cheek Healthy Balm.🔥 Are we witnessing the ultimate lip & cheek balm dupe? See what they look like on both sides of the face and share your verdict!✨ #chanellipandcheekbalm #amuselipandcheekhealthybalm #beauty #makeupdupe #cheeks #lips
