Coloured Raine Queen of Hearts Palette. It wasn’t a brand I knew that well, and while I had heard great things, it just seemed like it wouldn’t live up to the hype, but it absolutely did.
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Marc jacobs remarcable. I’m probably a broken record at this point because it’s my HG, but it’s so good. I originally heard Thataylaa on youtube talk about it and it sounded amazing – fair enough for my skin, full coverage, lightweight, and long-wearing. It sounded too good to be true, but it lives up to every claim.
Viseart Neutral Mattes palette. It’s ruined me for just about all other mattes. I gave away my Tarte Tartlette and Urban Decay Basics 2 and I rarely want to use my Kat Von D Shade and Light eye palette. The only shadow that comes close is MUFE old formula.
I agree! Viseart mattes are outstanding, I have this same palette and use it often, and the old MUFE formulation was competitive.
For me it was definitely the Morphe x Jaclyn Hill palette.
I’m not a big JH fan and I’ve heard a lot of bad things about Morphe’s products but the palette is actually great!
The price point is amazing for the amount of eyeshadows you get and the quality was really good – good pigmentation, easy to blend, etc…
Of course, there are a few duds but still, you get duds in smaller and more expensive palettes than that so I’m really happy I fell into the hype and got it!
Agree all around. I know who she is, and had seen some of her videos– only own a few other items from Morphe. I was completely sucked in by the hype! And I don’t regret it at all! I think it’s a great addition to my collection, and really, all around easy to use.
Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation. I read so many glowing reviews over the course of several years, but I was skeptical because I have such a hard time finding foundation that works on me and I didn’t want to spend so much money. But I finally gave in and I’m so glad I did. Blends beautifully, stays on all day. My skin loves it.
I’m also pretty impressed with Marc Jacobs Highliner Matte Gel Eyeliner, which I bought a few weeks ago. It actually stayed on all day…a miracle on my oily, watery eyes! I just ordered another color.
Not even that stayed on me 🙁 Tried it again the other night. Smudges after 2 hours. I’m doomed.
have you tried pat mcgrath’s? it’s bulletproof after it sets
The CoverGirl Healthy Elixir Foundation. People were hyping it up like it was the best thing since sliced bread. The color range (or lack thereof) put me off for a while. But I actually love it! It’s surprisingly really good and looks very natural too. I actually can’t stop wearing it lol
Clinique lash power mascara long wearing formula. I got it in a gift with purchase and was told that it wouldn’t run but would remove easily with warm water. Ha! Yeah right! I have such watery eyes.
But it did EXACTLY THAT. It’s not even that expensive. Thus I learned about the wonders of tubing mascara. No more raccoon eyes for me.
I would have to say the Pat MacGrath lipsticks. I am pretty sure the eye shadow palettes would also qualify but since I have successfully resisted the temptation to buy any I will just say the lipsticks. I didn’t believe all the hype and figured that it was just people associating an expensive luxe lipstick with great performance. The factor that I really love about them is that they make my older, lined lips look better than they are. They don’t migrate outside my lip lines and they wear really well for a traditional bullet lipstick without sucking the life out of my lips.
I also agree with you Christine, the Coloured Raine Queen of Hearts palette is amazing.
Agree x 3 ! I absolutely love both mattetrance and luxetrance formulas and I have mature lips as well.
Ditto on the Pat McG eyeshadow palettes: I’ve been eyeballing the larger format for months, but at $170 CAD for these palettes, it makes me gasp and I just can’t begin to get my head around it. The smaller ones do not have the same pull for me.
Coloured Raine palette was a very pleasant surprise.
I am wearing the luxtrance right now and I am almost 60. Love her lip products. I have the Subversive eye palette and it is beautiful. Like you say the smaller ones do not hold any interest for me neither. Coloured Raine is fun and was a nice surprise as well.
I agree. I wish I didn’t love them so but I do. I have one of the kits that had three eyeshadows, an eye gloss and liner. The gloss is stupid on me because I’m too old for it and it creases and looks bad with my RX lenses. The shadows are what too glittery for me but they actually glide on and are very pigmented. They’ll just be for fun.,
IT Cosmetics is, to me, a company long on promises and short on delivery. BUT, there are 2 products of theirs that I love so much: the Vitality Lip Flush 4-in-1 Reviver Lipstick Stain (it’s a balm! it’s a stain! it’s a gloss! it’s a lipstick! Come on. . . but it really is all of those things! And the other is the Naturally Pretty™ Matte Luxe Transforming Eyeshadow Palette. I don’t care about the “anti-aging” properties in the formula, as I doubt they offer any real therapeutic benefit, but the shadows really do make my 40-year-old lids look smoother than they do otherwise. And the colors come to life on the lid, actually look better on me than they do in the pan. Aside from those 2, most of the claims they make really are too good to be true.
Ugh. I like IT for their synthetic brushes and bye bye under eye.
The Clinique Cheek Pops. They were raved reviewed everywhere (though I mostly pay attention to here 😉 Colapop is my HG and I can’t image life without it any more!
For years, I had heard all the high praises for and folks who missed these particular DC’d MAC products clamoring for their return. I honestly didn’t get the fuss until the DID come back and I bought them! Tete-A-Teint, Uninterrupted and Gold Bit. They *look* so plain in the pan, but applied? They are as amazing as I had always heard! (I already own and love Kid, so of course that one didn’t surprise me!)
Side note to MAC: Please bring back ALL the Matte² eyeshadows? And Steamy and Aquadisiac, too?
They, not “the”…oy vey, autocorrect or my own thumbs thinking they hit the “y” key, but failing to, idk.
Remembered another basic as heck, but eye look SAVING product that I know you love as well, Christine: CP Truth! When my allergies are out of control, I use THAT eyeshadow as my primer, and my look almost always remains intact all day! Same fabulous luck using the MJ Blaquer Highliner; it is fairly tear-proof!
I long dream of the day when they rerelease all the Matte2s… or even convert some other matte shades to that formula! I will never understand why they discontinued it, it’s goegeous.
I’m sure I’m getting boring with this but it would have to be Dior’s Rosy Glow Awakening Blush. Two other items that impressed me much more than I expected are Tatcha’s facial mist (I forget the name but I think they’ve only got the one) and the ABH Mario palette (I was so “on the fence” about getting because it didn’t get the greatest rating from Christine nor did it do well on MUA, it but I am so glad I did).
Same here with the Dior blush! It really is lovely.
I tend not to buy products that are hyped up, mainly because they are either not available in Aus or because the shades just don’t suit me.
But two eyeshadow palettes stand out, for me, above all else: UD Naked 1 – I use more of the shades every week and Lorac’s Pro Metals palette – all of the shades I can wear and use (apart from the black). Excellent pigmentation and long wearing.
Lancome Teint Idole 24 H Long Wear Foundation. Every full coverage foundation I’d tried was so heavy feeling, that I was even going to try the Lancome. I saw it as a sample, so I added the free sample to my Sephora order. It turned out to be my HG full coverage foundation.
The Queen of Hearts Palette was definitely a pleasant surprise, too.
I’d also say the Tarte Tartelette when it came out. I was never a fan of mattes, but thought I should have some. The mattes in that palette were so soft and velvety. It totally lived up to the hype for me.
*wasn’t even going to try the Lancome, that should say
Living the drugstore life and loving it I’ll say Milani Naked blushes and highliters I really do like them as they do not have chunky glitter but very soft blend I could dare say as close to great quality as my Hourglass which is gorgeous! Also returned to Cover Girl Foundation I have to wear one of the first two shades and was afraid of the overly pinkish looking one but to my surprise when applied it goes on natural and makes me look healthy this is Clean line I came back for a second try. I wear Cera Vé as moisturizer underneath and apply minimal foundation is working wonderful for my almost 55 year old skin. Another very natural I like is Maybelline Fit Me! Also Loreal dewy in the glass pump. Very nice on skin and bank account.
It Cosmetics CC cream & Bye Bye Under Eye concealer- I ignored IT Cosmetics for years because I thought their Guthy-Renker & QVC ad campaigns were tacky. I finally succumbed to the hype because I needed a CC cream with 50 spf and bought a bundle off of QVC. WOW! What a couple of fabulous products! I am a foundation & concealer snob (Cle de Peau & Tom Ford are my usual fare.) but these 2 products rivaled my $$$ foundation & concealers in ease of application, finish, and wear time!