If, like me, you enjoy watching youtube videos and reading beauty blogs you’ll know that some products get hyped up majorly by the beauty community. Sometimes the difference between genuine loves and sponsored content is confusing and unclear. And that makes life harder when you’re trying to decide what to buy. When I first got into make up, I was a lot more prone to simply buying anything I saw recommended. Where that process let me to finding some duds, I also found plenty of products that I ended up loving. This is them.
The products in this post are mainly older products. I find that gauging products properly takes some. For me, to make up my mind whether a product is worth the hype, I can’t just decide on it on a whim. These products are all tried and true and are products I still reach for, despite the fact that I had a few of these for some time. So don’t expect very recent products that everybody is raving about, because I wouldn’t feel comfortable giving a final judgement on them.
Zoeva brushes
I always heard nothing but good reviews on Zoeva brushes, but I held back since it is an online only brand. After hearing more and more, I caved as I felt that with brushes, nothing could really go wrong with an online order. I ordered a few eye and face brushes and I haven’t regretted it at all. These brushes are soft, work perfectly and stay in a great condition. And they are super affordable too.
Sleek eyeshadow palettes
Another affordable brand is Sleek. Now not all of their palettes I love, but if you are looking for a drugstore eyeshadow palette that will give you a lot of possibilities then Sleek is a great place to start. I have quite a few of them and the ones I use the most are the Au Natural and Oh So Special palettes, but I also love the Vintage Romance palette. The other ones I don’t reach for as much, but it would take another blog post to explain why not.
MAC eyeshadows
Way back in the day, MAC eyeshadows was all everyone would talk about. By now, I feel that MAC is being talked about a bit more again, but the eyeshadows are not as much talked about as much. I love my custom made palette though. Since I handpicked all shades, I feel this is a palette that works for me unlike any other palette. I love MAC eyeshadows as they have a good color selection and the pigmentation is spot on for most shades.
Chanel lipsticks
My first high end lipstick was Chanel’s Rouge Orage. And I picked up a few more over the years. Chanel lipstick are a classic make up product. They are the best high end brand if you’re looking for an easy to wear lip color. YSL do crazier colors and Dior has a nicer and more interesting formula, but if you’re looking for a classic lipstick that comes in a great formula that feels very comfortable and gives you that special feel, Chanel is your brand to go to. I wear Coromandel during the festive season and I tend to save that shade especially for that time of year: a special lipstick for a special occasion.
NARS Orgasm
NARS is famous for their rude, sexual innuendo names, but that doesn’t of course say much about their products. Orgasm has been a favorite for years. The color goes with so many different looks and it is easy to use. It is not a blush that you easily over apply and it looks great on my pale skin. There are many blushes that try duping this shade, but no matter how hard they try, I have yet to find one that truly trumps this.
Sleek blush
Another type of blush that received lots of hype when they first launched. Mainly because Sleek’s Rose Gold is a dupe for the NARS blush I showed you above. I personally do not own that one, but I do own a few others. These are super highly pigmented and they do some crazy, funky colors like bright orange, red, and hot pink which make for a great change. Just make sure you use a light hand and a very fluffy brush that is not dense because else you’ll look like a clown.
Urban Decay Naked palettes
One of the reasons why MAC eyeshadows have been put on the back burner of many beauty agendas, is because Urban Decay became the king of all things eyeshadow for many people. It was certainly one of the reasons why I lost sight of my MAC palette for a bit. The Naked palettes are iconic in their own way and there are many posts and videos discussing which one to buy, which one is the best etc. For me, each one serves its purpose, but I tend to reach for the Naked 2 the most.
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
Barry M Gelly Hi-shine nail polish
On to a two in one. Eyeshadow base is a product that any beauty lover will tell you need in your life. There is a tie between Urban Decay and Too Faced. I personally like the Too Faced one best as it works best for me. I have raved about Barry M polishes many times on this space, and when these first launched everyone was talking about them. And they were right, these polishes are right up there together with my high end OPI ones.
Do you own any make up products that were hyped up that you love?