Quen Blackwell Tests Her Expensive Taste: Spotting Cheap Dupes

Quen Blackwell's Connoisseur Challenge

• 💡 Quen Blackwell participated in Cosmopolitan's "Expensive Taste Test," aiming to distinguish high-end items from budget dupes.
• 🧠 She claims to have very expensive taste and considers herself a "connoisseur of connoisseurs."

Testing Various Products

• 🌶️ Quen evaluated items including hot sauce, Dutch ovens, bag charms, and leather shorts.
• 📸 She also assessed digital cameras, rotisserie chicken, dates, and gold grills.
• 🔍 Her method involved using her senses like sight, touch, and smell, along with examining material quality and craftsmanship.

Hot Sauce and Dutch Oven Insights

• 🔥 For hot sauce, she noted differences in vinegar color and richness, correctly identifying the more expensive one.
• 🍳 When comparing Dutch ovens, Quen used weight and observed the ombre effect and finish of the enamel to determine the higher-quality item.

Fashion and Tech Assessments

• 👜 For bag charms, she looked at material usage and the quality of rhinestones and enamel.
• 👖 With leather shorts, she distinguished between "pleather plastic leather" and material that felt like it was "grown on an animal."
• 📷 She found both digital cameras looked cheap but used weight and lens cover details to guess the more expensive one.

Culinary and Accessory Judgments

• 🍗 For rotisserie chicken, Quen examined seasoning, crispiness, and the presence of an "herb bundle" to identify the premium option.
• 🌴 She identified expensive dates by their texture and lack of smell, noting a "crunch" in the higher-end variety.
• 🦷 When testing gold grills, she assessed the metal's bendability and overall appearance, calling out "gold police" on the cheaper one.

Overall Performance and Philosophy

• ✅ Quen achieved a score of seven out of eight correct identifications in the taste test.
• ✨ She attributes her success to prioritizing the quality of things she spends money on and being an "intentional funny clown."