Have you bought a beauty product with high expectations only to have it perform even better than you imagined? Share!
NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Primer!
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Blinc mascara! Every single mascara I’d ever used (ever! from drugstore to Dior!) had been a failure, making me look like a strung-out raccoon in sometimes as little as 30 minutes. I heard Blinc was the ultimate everything-proof mascara, and even that is an understatement. The world could end and that mascara would still be on. The Amplified version is even better. I’ll never use anything else.
Chanel Poudre Universelle which I got yesterday!
*Libre
Same product for me! Although I love makeup (I read this blog every day!), I have very few high end products. However, the NARS primer is truly worth every penny. It makes my eyeshadow stay all day long, with no creasing at all… and I live in Ecuador, where the combination of heat and humidity will usually make you feel you are melting.
YAY!
Yes! I bought the NARS Smudgeproof on Christine’s recommendation and was stunned at how well it performs. Kept my shadow on after I accidentally rubbed my eye.
Most Guerlain lipstick does that to me. 🙂
Chanel Inimitable waterproof mascara!
A hundred times, using all of the XYZ Magazine’s favorite Lancome mascaras broke my eyelashes off, after Chanel I get complimented all the time on how thick my lashes are even when I’m not wearing anything on them.
For me it is MUFE Aqua Brow. It is so good for shaping my eyebrows and doe snot smudge afterwards – ever!
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Foundation and NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, I’ve never tried others since I started using these. 🙂
Cle de Peau concealer !
Heavenly soft smooth light texture it has..
What? A loaded question….Creme de La Mer…Sisley Eye Cream…Urban Decay Eye Shadows.
A second vote for Sisley. I’m on my second jar of Sisley Sisleya eye and lip cream.. it’s fantastic! I also use it on my eyes and also the outer perimeter of my lips and it makes my lips look a little fuller by keeping them well moisturized. I also have zero lip lines at almost 50. Great product.
Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer – I never thought it would be that good that it would justify the price but it did and then some! Same with Clarins Fix Makeup – it is the most wonderful setting spray! Oh, and Tarte blushes. I don’t think I’ll ever purchase another brand.
Anthropologie’s Albeit lipsticks, which I bought one (Claret) expecting an okay-ish lipstick with a kickbutt case. They’re fantastic. A bit slide-y around, but not even much.
I used to rarely ever have high expectations for any product, since I know marketing ploys can be misleading. If I’ve had several similar products (e.g. eyeshadows) from the same company that have performed remarkably well, I’d expect the same quality in any future purchases. But, I usually just buy something that looks good, and hope that it’ll be decent quality once I put it on. Sometimes, I’ve been pleasantly surprised, and sometimes, I’ve been disappointed. A lot of times, it’s a gamble.
I have to say, now that I’ve found this blog, I do have higher expectations from some products that have been swatched and reviewed. If you say it wears really well, or that it was a dream to apply, or that you got longer wear out of a certain product, then my expectations do go up. I also know what to avoid, and not waste my money on, now.
Aww, thank you 🙂
I agree! I put a lot of stock in your opinion, Christine!
<3 <3 Thank you! I am honored + humbled!
Listen, I don’t buy anything reviewed by Temptalia without reading the review first. PERIOD. I may or may not agree with the review, but I will ALWAYS read first… and buy at my own risk later lol
<3 <3
My Bare Minerals eyeshadow quads.
You gave them good reviews, but they were even better than I was expecting. They just apply very nicely, pigmented and easy to blend (even with my mid to low end brushes).
Every time I swatch a bareMinerals palette, I’m like, “OOOOH, AHHHHH, AMAZING, why isn’t every eyeshadow like this?”
NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting powder. This stuff is amazing for me.
Would you say you prefer it over the Makeupforever HD loose powder?
Yes, I feel like I get better results with it.
Yes! That NARS primer is worth every penny!
Too Faced shadow Insurance immediately came to mind. I could not wear eye makeup without it. I always had issues with eyeshadows creasing and mascara smudging on my orbital bone, even with the paint pots. I picked up TFSI just to check out the hype, not expecting miracles, and I’ll never be without it again! I can even wear inexpensive mascara (Great Lash) and no more mascara disappearing off my lashes onto my skin!!
Gosh, I have a few and will add to the throngs voting for NARS smudgeproof primer because I haven’t even looked at another primer since.
My next vote would be for Guerlain meteorites perles light diffusing primer for face. Hourglass feels very heavy in comparison and the Guerlain works better on my skin.
Armani Maestro foundation in 4.0. It really does look like skin. It’s the best foundation for a non-makeup makeup look and one of the best matches I have ever found for my neutral NC20 skintone. The only challenge: it can emphasize small dry patches. I find I can add a veil of NARS tinted moisturizer underneath and the two products work just amazingly well together and the TM helps to minimize dry patches..for me anyway. Plus, both have sunscreen.
Chanel Notorious. Couldn’t believe how natural a sculpting powder could actually look. If you apply lightly, it’s incredibly subtle and that’s my kinda speed.
There’s more, but these are a few of the my favourite performers.
I bought the Physician’s Formula Happy Boost Blush with low expectations. I got it in Natural because I had been told I shouldn’t wear blush, because I was too pale. Just a little of it gives me a perfect wash of color, not too bright or garish.
Whoever told you this, pfft! You can wear whatever you want, and it’s all about what you’re comfortable with 🙂
Oooh i have that and love it too!
I totally agree with Christine, you can wear any blush you like! I use a hot pink blush sheered out with a stippling brush, and I feel like it gives me the perfect flush 🙂 And I’m the palest of the pale…like Mac NW15 in the summer haha!
I second that! I, too, am paler than pale; in Winter i sort of blend into the snow :). But a nice pink (TF Frantic Pink, anything pink by NARS, Inglot, etc) paired with a stippling brush is PERFECT.
I was also told i should never wear black eyeliner.
Pfft.
Sweetie I am NW15 at my tannest and I rock the blush, Benefit Dandelion looks lovely on us pale ladies and MAC’s blushbaby, well dressed, and pinkswoon are my go tos! All of them look wonderful on pale skin, so I disagree with who ever told you that, Pale girls look BEST with a flush of blush on their cheeks 🙂 it brings our porcelain complexion alive without making us look like a clown.
Definitely Revlon Colorstay 24 Hour Whipped Foundation. I have tried all types of foundations and this one is by far my favorite.
This is mine too! A girlfriend has been trying to get me on Colorstay for years but I have been firmly devoted to the horrifically expensive Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Fresh & Hydrating Cream Compact Makeup. It’s amazing, but a compact really only lasts about 3 months if you use it daily, and at around $75 after tax that’s just not enough product. So, I picked up some ColorStay whipped because I figured it was the closest thing in the color stay range to my beloved compact. HOLEY SMOKES! It’s BETTER than the Chanel! It looks and feels like skin once it sets, and doesn’t go ultra-shiny after 5 hours. Plus it doesn’t break me out OR dry me out at all. I really can’t get over how amazing it is.
Pretty much all my Chanel, Guerlain and Ysl items, and that Lancôme lipstick I just bought is so weightless and gorgeous, I wasn´t expecting to love it so much.
It’s typically the opposite for me, LOL. I either go in with high expectations, and end up disappointed, or I set my sights low, and am pleasantly surprised. That said, when I stumbled upon NARS Ondine a while back, I thought it was beautiful, but it wasn’t within my budget at the time, and my “list” was fairly long at the time. I went home, lookled through my stash figuring I had something similar, and while close, nothing had that “something” Ondine has. A week or so later, I caved. It was definitely worth it, as my eyes literally glow!
Oddly enough, as much as I love NARS eyeshadow, I’ve yet to try the primer, LOL. I’m planning a NARS haul soon, and maybe they’ll have a code to get a sample (it seems the always do!).
funny but i have not)))but i was impressed by sensai Silky Purifying Silk Peeling Powder
I would have to say Weleda Skin Food. I use that stuff on my forehead every night & it’s the only thing that keeps it looking smooth haha. Before I had dry patches everywhere, no matter what products I used.
Nope 🙁 Even NARS Smudgeproof was really sub-par for me — with a bit of smudgy black eyeliner (one of my favourite looks), it really only gives me an hour or two before the smudging, fading, and creasing starts.
I’m still hopeful that I’ll find something someday that’ll really knock my socks off, though! Fingers crossed 🙂
I think NARS Smudgeproof is a good primer, but I have similar problems around my crease area. No matter how powder or base I lay don, I will inevitable have creasing in that area. It is definitely not hooded eye proof! 😛
I didn’t have good results with Nars Smudgeproof. Urban Decay Primer Potion is the right one for me.
Not particularly! Maybe my Scandal Queen mascara… Had read the reviews that loved it (lots of them) over those who hated it and got stunning results. I wasn’t expecting super amazing, since mascara makes me nitpicky but jeez, I love this mascara.
YSL Rouge Volupté Shine in #19 Fuchsia in Rage! I saw it in a Lisa Eldridge video tutorial and was fond of the colour. I was expecting bright lips and a nice sheen. It is quite a bright, luminous and joyful colour, and it does shine ( as you xpect it to, due to the name). But it also has a smell to die for, something fruity wich makes think of grapefruit, raspberries, or blueberries. And it is hydrating, creamy but not sticky, so comfortable on lips. And it lasts so perfectly: even when the lipstick becomes to fade out, it leaves a nice even stain on lips. And the packaging is so glamourous! It’s totally worth the price and I think I’m going to go through one lipstick and repurchase it for the first time of my beauty life.
-L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Golden Emerald- it remains one of the most beautiful eyeshadows I’ve ever seen
-theBalm Put a Lid On It Eyeshadow Primer -this might be my new favorite eyeshadow primer (although I should say I’ve never tried the Nars one)
-Lancome La Base Pro – it’s silicone based, but it doesn’t break out my sensitive skin!
The BH 120 pallets. I thought the eyeshadows would be decent, but now they are my 100% go to. I love these things. I am even thinking about getting doubles of my two favorites (3 and 4) to take with me when I travel.
Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer and Boscia Oil Free Hydration Nightly Cream both of them reduce my oiliness =]
Yes! That’s exactly how I feel about MUFE Face & Body Foundation. I love the finish, the lasting power, the fact that it’s water resistant! I bought it expecting greatness simply because I can’t go wrong with MUFE, but I wasn’t expecting to find my holy grail liquid foundation. I could brag about it all day!!!
the beauty blender. i found the price a little steep for a sponge but I wish I bought it sooner so I didn’t waste my money on all kinds foundation brush.
Chantecaille nano gold energizing face cream. At that price point (it costs about one human kidney), I knew it would at least be a decent cream and my mom got me a free jar (she is friends with a NM associate and they had to sample out a jar because the packaging got dinged). It changed my life and really changed the appearance of my pores and fine lines. So much so that I bought my next jar.
My first prodct is the Chanel nailpolish, Nothing can touch it. It lasts forever and looks great with only1 coat.
Second is more of a beauty tool, but the best money spent: The Clarisonic Mia,. Oh my gosh. I love it because I can use it on my sensitive ski.
Dior Addict Lip Glow. The staying power is rather disappointing, but I absolutely adore the color it gives me.
Mine are drugstore picks! Maybelline Colour Tattoos (especially Barely Branded) and Wet N Wild Color Icon Shadows.
Yes! Clinque’s new CC cream. The reviews say that it will make you look “airbrushed.” Now being 45, I had my doubts, but…I am not sure that I look airbrushed, but my skin looks great with it on!
Also, the hourglass Veil primer. Holy moly, those lines disappear…
This is going to be really dorky and naive, but I was and continue to be impressed by just how great Maybelline’s Lots of Lashes mascara works. It’s inexpensive, and a twist on the old pink and green staple, but man does it really work. My lashes have never looked better and I will never use another mascara again!
Mac Sheen Supreme lipsticks! And also Jordana Best Lash Volumizing Mascara 🙂
Nars Silvana blush!! Well really nars blushes in general! I have 10 of them and have yet to cheat on them with any tarte or mac blushes. I just think they are the best ones out there! This shade in particular amused me because I have a deeper skintone and was afraid this wouldnt show up on me but it gave me the most beautiful glow I absolutely love it and recommend it for all skintones!
Hourglass Mineral Veil primer, NARS blushes, Hourglass Hidden concealer, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, Giorgio Armani Master Corrector, Armani Eyes to Kill eyeshadows, YSL lipsticks, Dior Amber Diamond and Rose Diamond. All of these products exceeded my high expectations
Oh, and NARS Laguna Bronzer and Translucent Crystal pressed power! Never thought I would like a powder so much but that one is amazing!
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua…those are my holy grails!
Yes, it’s a recent purchase, the Nars Radiant Creamy concealer. I had heard several really positive thoughts on it, but hesitated to purchase, because all the concealers I’ve ever tried creased under my eyes, settled into fine lines, powder or not (I try to avoid powders because they usually make everything look worse within a couple of hours).
I picked it up last Saturday and I’m stunned at how well it works under my eyes. The color I picked, Vanilla light 2, is an absolute perfect match, with just a hint of pink to help counteract the bluish/purple under my eyes and for the first time in years I don’t have to worry about checking my concealer in the mirror every hour to fix creases, dryness, cakeyness, etc. I’m simply amazed by how incredibly well it performs.