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We’ve all fallen for the hype of products on YouTube, and sometimes they blow us away, and sometimes we’re left confused why so many people love them, it’s annoying but it happens. I’m going to be talking about a few of the products I’ve tried because either specific YouTuber’s have spoken about them, or they’re spoken about by many YouTuber’s – some of which I love, some I don’t love quite as much. Okay, let’s go:
Dose of Colours Liquid Lipsticks:
http://www.beautybay.com/cosmetics/doseofcolors/mattelipstick/
http://www.doseofcolors.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=59
These have been in pretty much every single US YouTuber’s videos for the longest time, and the Dose of Colours website doesn’t actually ship to the UK, which made me even more desperate to try these. I recently noticed that BeautyBay started stocking them, and had palpitations (that’s when you know you have a serious makeup addiction), priced at £14.50. BeautyBay is my favourite place to order makeup from, if you live in the UK I’d highly recommend them, the service is great – I don’t plan on doing a whole blog post on it, but I’ll do a quick Instagram post about it next time I order. I really, really like the packaging, and the applicator- it’s basically the same as the Jeffree Star, and that’s my favourite applicator. The packaging is short and stubby, which I totally love, as it doesn’t take as much room up in my storage section where I keep my liquid lippies. I only own one of these, so I can’t say every single colour is amazing, but I can comment on the one I own, which is Berry Me. I like this formula; it’s a slightly thicker, mousse-like formula, which I like, because as a whole, I find formulas like this are easier to apply. The longevity is probably about 6 hours before I have to top up, which isn’t a problem for me because I’m that girl that brings her lip colour with her everywhere. I always use a lip pencil as a base for any lipstick, so this probably affects the wear time. As far as I’m aware, BeautyBay stock about 5 colours of the line, and I’m not a huge fan of the other colours they stock, but if they add more to their selection I’ll definitely order more and add to my collection.
Is the hype worth it? - Yes!
MAC Lipsticks:
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/168/310/Products/Lips/Lipstick/Lipstick/index.tmpl
The colours pictured are Rebel, Stone & Hue. These have got to be the most hyped up product, hyped by every single person on the Internet. Everyone seems to have a vast collection of them, and seems to love every single shade. I personally have 15 of them (I’ll do a swatch fest on Instagram on all my shades I own). While I do like the different formulas (not tried Frost, but judging by the name, I know I’m not going to like these, as I hate that metallic, frosty finish in lipstick), I personally feel like these lipsticks are totally overhyped. I enjoy the colours I have, this isn’t me slating MAC in any way, I just feel like there a lot of other lipstick brands out there, which maybe are talked about, but aren’t idolised like MAC are.
Okay, here’s the lowdown on my opinion:
1. I enjoy the formula range.
2. I enjoy the colour range.
3. The scent is lovely, a slight vanilla scent.
4. The price seems to be creeping up, £15.50 a go now a days?! Seriously MAC?!
5. Good quality, but there are lipsticks of similar quality out there, for less money!
Are they worth the hype?! – Yes and no.
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks:
http://www.sephora.com/everlasting-love-liquid-lipstick-P384954?skuId=1552413
I only have one shade in this formula (Outlaw) and I paid $20 (which, according to Google is about £13.76 – without tax), and I ordered mine from Sephora, as Kat Von D is exclusive at Sephora, which annoys me greatly. Please bring your makeup to the UK Kat, or Sephora, please open up in the UK!! I really, really like this formula. If applied without a lip liner, the colour I have can be a tiny bit patchy, but as I said earlier, I always try and use a lip liner as a base, no matter what lipstick formula I’m using. If you don’t use a lip liner, this formula is so easy to work with though, easily layered meaning you can just place more colour over your patchy areas and fix it right up. I like the fact this formula doesn’t do that weird balling up thing where you have to take the lipstick off and start again when applying a second time, or it’ll go all crumbly on your lips (I’m looking at you MUA Luxe Velvet Lacquers). I have my eye on so, so many of the colours in this line, they all look so stunning. I’m not a big fan of the long, thin tube of the packaging, because it’s kind of annoying to store, and longer than all my other lipsticks I own, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t effect the product so I can’t complain. My one big gripe with these products, and Kat Von D beauty in general, is the difficulty to get a hold of them. I mentioned that you can only get them on Sephora, and in order to be able to order from Sephora, you have to order a minimum of £75 of products, and this is before taxes, and shipping. I’ll talk about ordering from Sephora in a blog or Instagram post if anyone wants to see that, let me know. This won’t stop me ordering the lipsticks, I just find it quite annoying the hassle of having to order £75 worth of product, just to get the shades I want.
Worth the hype? – Yes!
LA Splash Liquid Lipsticks:
http://www.beautybay.com/lasplash/
(I actually ordered mine from https://www.love-makeup.co.uk/splash-cosmetics-m-129.html)
These are insanely hyped, not just on YouTube, but on Instagram too. Been buzz about these in the beauty community for a while now, but I didn’t know where to order from, so I stood back from the hype for a while, but I recently purchased 3 of the shades (from 2 different formulas, but I’ll talk about that in a second) from love-makeup, link at the top of this review. According to everyone on YouTube, blogs and Instagram, these were practically bulletproof, insane lasting power, and you’d have to basically sandpaper your lips to get them off again, so naturally I was so curious to test them, and I wasn’t disappointed. The morning I got these in the post, I instantly stopped what I was doing, and swatched them all up my arm. I then carried on with what I was doing, which happened to be washing up (perfect for testing that waterproof claim, no?). After I’d finished, I checked my arm, and there they were, the swatches looking as fresh as they were when I applied them. So the 2 formulas I bought were the Smitten Lip Tint Mousse and the Lip Couture. I got the shades Venom (black) in the Lip Couture formula, and Sirius (blue) and Nagini (green) in the Smitten Lip Tint formula. Going to be perfectly honest here and say I don’t understand why these are labelled as different formulas, to me they preform exactly the same. The only one I’m even slightly disappointed with is Nagini, as it’s slightly patchy, but as we’ve already discussed, I’m not bothered as long as the product layers nicely, which these do (please note, as the name would suggest these are a mousse formula, so the more you layer, the thicker they’ll feel on the lips. Coming from the girl who wears liquid lipsticks all the time, this does really not bother me, but if that does bother you, these may not be the product for you).
To see if there is a huge difference in these, I looked on the LA Splash website:
Lip Couture's rich waterproof shades will leave a velvety, matte finish that never transfers. Experiment with our boldest high-pigmented shades -- from neutral to solid black. With its innovative formula that glides on as liquid and dries matte, you are sure to turn heads!
Bathe your lips in intense color! The Smitten Lip Tint Mousse seals color on the lips for a waterproof, smudge-proof result that will not transfer or fade. Its innovative weightless formula glides on effortlessly over lips, laying down bold vibrant color with exceptional longevity and feels feather-light over the lips. When applied, the initial liquid texture immediately dries to a velvet matte, lightweight tint. The angled, dense sponge applicator makes applying the lipstick fast and easy, and precise application.
So in a nutshell, no, not really, there isn’t much of a difference in these products formula wise. All I can really say is hugely different is the applicator. The Smitten lip tint mousse applicator is shorter, where as the lip couture’s applicator is very long and stiff. Have to say, not a fan of either applicator but it’s okay, because we got lip brushes. Doesn’t bother me all that much though, as I’m debating buying more shades.
Worth the hype? – Yes!
Too Faced Chocolate Bar palettes:
http://www.sephora.com/the-chocolate-bar-eye-palette-P384402?skuId=1578012 (original)
http://www.sephora.com/semi-sweet-chocolate-bar-P392009?skuId=1664721 (semi-sweet)
So, these are talked about vastly over all social media. I need to stop saying that because all of these are, hence why they’re in this post. At first, I wasn’t going to buy these, because I have 3 out of 4 of the Naked palettes, and I was thinking, do I really need more neutrals? Turns out I definitely needed more neutrals, and these ended up coming home with me. This was before my blogging days too, so it’s not like I needed them for swatches/comparison/reviewing purposes, I’m just an addict. A makeup addict that is. I purchased one of these from Sephora, and one from Debenhams (which is a more luxury shop in the UK, they sell makeup, clothes, handbags and fragrance, that sort of shop). My local Debenhams didn’t stock Too Faced for the longest time, and I wasn’t sure on the Semi-Sweet, so I was really reluctant to purchase it online, and wanted to see the palette in person before I dived in - which is why it took me so long to purchase it. The original one however, I just looked at one picture online, and knew I needed it. The burgundy colour (Cherry Cordial) sold it for me, those colours just get me, and I need them all.
It was Kathleen Lights that really made me want to see the Semi-Sweet in person before I purchased, as she was saying how much she dislikes the palette, and she returned hers. However, I really like mine, preferring the matte shades – Peanut Butter, Nougat and Mousse are my personal favourites. I think out of the two, I prefer the Semi-Sweet, which just shows you that everyone’s different so things that don’t work for me, might work for you.
Worth the hype? – Yes!
Urban Decay Naked 1, 2, 3
http://www.urbandecay.co.uk/naked/naked-palettes
Okay, so my opinion on these is going to be controversial on this one…. I don’t like them. There. I said it. I much, much prefer my Too Faced Chocolate Bar palettes, and I reach for those way more than my Naked palettes, which stay in my drawer mostly. The one I use the most is probably Naked 2, but Naked 1 and 3 rarely get opened, which is annoying as you know, I spent about £37-£38 on each of these. I don’t know what it is that makes me reach for other palettes over these, but I just don’t enjoy reaching for them. I don’t know how long it will be available for, but I personally looooove the Gwen Stefani palette from Urban Decay, which I reach for all the time. If you can get hold of that one, id recommend that one over these 3. I can’t speak for Naked Smoky, as I don’t own it, but this is just my opinion on the first 3 palettes. I’m not slating Urban Decay, at all, in fact Urban Decay is probably my favourite higher end brand, I shop there a lot. This is just my opinion on the Naked palettes, which is that they’re good, but they’re not the best out there… Sorry die hard Naked fans, I’m not one of you…
I do enjoy the ‘Naked’ line though, I have a couple of shades of the concealer, which is fantastic, the Naked basics was my go to palette for the longest time, and I love the lipglosses from the Naked line, just sadly don’t love the expensive ass palettes quite as much.
Worth the hype?- Sadly not
BECCA Cosmetics Shimmering Skin Perfector(s) - pressed
http://www.sephora.com/shimmering-skin-perfector-pressed-P381176?skuId=1699644
My first experience with these products was in the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Glow palette, which had 3 shades in. This was limited edition for Christmas 2015 though, so unless you search EBay or amazon, so I’m not sure if you’ll be able to find it. All the shades in the palette though are still listed on Sephora, the shades are: Pearl, Champagne Pop and Blushed Copper. Obviously I heard this palette first from Jaclyn herself, who I love by the way. I get use out of all these colours, I use Pearl & Champagne Pop as highlights, and Blushed Copper as a glowy blush. I talk about how I use my highlights in a recent blog post I did and I’ll link it down below.
Another shade I own in a single from this brand is Moonstone, probably my favourite, most used shade. It’s a very soft pale gold, I personally think it’s similar to the Gerard Cosmetics highlight that I own, and will be talking about in this post (I’ll do a swatch comparison on my Instagram).
In a nutshell, I really like these, and have my eye on so many of the shades (I’m going to purchase Champagne Pop and Pearl in full size, as I love them, and even though I only got them about a month or so ago, I’ve made a serious dent in them)
Worth the hype? – Yes!
Gerard Cosmetics Star Powder:
http://www.beautybay.com/cosmetics/gerardcosmetics/starpowder/
I remember seeing What Would Lizzy Do’s video on these when they were due to being released (I’ll link the video if I can find it, if not I’ll just link her channel). Since she did that video, they’ve been in the back of my mind ‘buy me, buy me, buy me’. I didn’t order these up until about a month ago, when I finally caved and purchased the colour Audrey. It’s very similar to Moonstone, a little chunkier than the Becca one, but I’m all about that super-glow so it’s not an issue for me. If you’re not a chunky highlight kind of person, then I wouldn’t recommend these, but I love to glow so much I glow in the dark, so it’s not a problem for me.
Worth the hype? – Yes!
MAC Mineralise Skinfinishes (Specifically Soft & Gentle):
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/159/30735/Products/Face/Powder/Mineralize-Skinfinish/index.tmpl
Soft & Gentle: I didn't think I was going to like this colour on me, I thought it was going to be far too dark for me, so I bought it mainly for use on other people, but I thought I'd give it a quick try on my very fair, yellow toned skin. Turns out, I LOVE it. A fan brush, and a light hand can make this look gorgeous even on fair skin. If you're fair and you still want to try this I say go for it (or try the Elf - Blushing Gems baked highlighter which is supposed to be a dupe for MAC, and obviously a fraction of the price.)
This isn’t a particularly raved about product but my absolute favourite skinfinish from MAC is the shade Lightscapade. It’s a pale highlight, which is a perfect shade for me. Mine is predominately white, and has pink and blue veining. Gorgeous, gorgeous shade.
Worth the hype? – Yes!
Kat Von D Shade and Light Palette:
http://www.sephora.com/shade-light-contour-palette-P392129?skuId=1654110&icid2=kvd_whatsnew_carousel_brand:kat%20von%20d_p392129_image
This is my favourite thing to happen to contour- ever. Okay so when this came out, I needed it so bad I actually spend around £150 on Sephora.com just so I could buy this palette (that's with shipping, and taxes. If you want me to do a blog post talking about my experience ordering from Sephora just let me know I'll do one). Back to this palette- first the colour selection is great. To me, it looks like it was split into 3 sections for different skin tones. A highlight/contour for light skin, a highlight/contour for medium skin, and a highlight/contour for deep skins, which is something I appreciate. I feel like this kit would be great if you have a wide variety of skin tones you work on. People have said in reviews that this kit runs out quickly because the powders are very powdery and kick up a lot of powder. Personally I haven't had this issue, I think it's so super pigmented, I don't need to swirl my brush in rough enough to create loads of fall out. I just tap my brush into whichever colour I need, tap off excess and apply to skin. The powders blend out beautifully so there isn't an issue in terms of harsh contour, so if subtle is your thing, this is ideal. I love strong contour so I often layer this over my cream contour, but I still enjoy it on its own. Obviously you can use all the powders, so don't feel like because you're fair you can't use the other colours, or darker skinned you can't use the other shades. I use the yellow highlight as my "nothing colour" to set my eyelid primer, and the deeper orangey toned highlight as a transition in the crease, and the other contour shades in my crease too. She also has an eye Shade and Light palette, which I definitely want my hands on!
Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso:
http://beautyjoint.com/mlmmbl05-milani-baked-blush-luminoso/?search=milani%20baked%20blush
I bought this a few years ago now on Amazon, but I’ve discovered another site that I can order them from, as we don’t get Milani in the UK. This is my favourite blush for when I’m creating a ‘strobed’ look, it’s my favourite glow-boosting blush. It’s a shimmery peachy pink, with a gold shimmer. I’m so, so glad I fell for the hype of this product, I love that I can use this with any eye/lip look, it just looks gorgeous with everything from minimal eye makeup to a bold, black smoky eye.
Worth the hype? – Yes!
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes:
http://www.sephora.com/amazonian-clay-12-hour-blush-P278610?skuId=1306844&icid2=tarte_lp_bestsellers_carousel_us_brand:tarte_p278610_image
I have two shades of these, and I can’t remember who I heard talking about these, but at the time Sephora didn’t ship to the UK, and I’m gonna be honest I was a little heartbroken, I just needed these blushes. When I heard they started shipping to the UK, Tarte blushes were the first things to go in my basket. I have the shades Tipsy and Blushing Bride. Tipsy is a true, bright coral shade and Blushing Bride is a plummy colour, it’s gorgeous. Tipsy is the famous one, but I’m going to be completely honest, I don’t particularly like this blush. I love Blushing Bride, it’s really strange because Blushing Bride swatches beautifully, applies beautifully and blends out lovely, whereas Tipsy, I can barely see it when swatched unless I swatch about 5 times, which for the price and the amount this particular colour is raved about, I was really disappointed. I think that because with the two colours I have, the formulas are so different, that the whole line may be a hit or miss thing. If you’ve tried Tipsy, and it’s brilliant and works for you, please let me know how you use it, and if it’s me just using it wrong?
Worth the hype? – Yes and no. Mixed feelings on these!
MAC pigment in the shade Melon:
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/154/372/Products/Eyes/Shadow/Pigment/index.tmpl
First of all, can we just talk about how stunning this colour is? It’s described as a soft, bright golden peach by MAC, on their website. I can’t blame people for hyping up this colour though, it’s absolutely stunning. I think this colour could flatter pretty much every eye colour, but I love it on my blue/grey eyes. So pleased I bought this, I can’t wait to do more looks with this!
Worth the hype? – Yes!
Lit Cosmetics Glitters:
https://www.beautylish.com/b/lit-cosmetics
Just like the Dose of Colours lipsticks, these are in pretty much every US YouTuber’s IMATS hauls, so when I saw these were stocked on Beautylish I knew that I just had to try them. What I like about these is they have different sizes of glitter, so very small chunks and larger chunks of glitter, depending on what look you’re going for. I think the thing I like the most from Lit is the glitter base, it’s so amazing. I don’t get a single fleck of glitter on my face when I use this, it’s incredible. If you order 3 glitters from Beautylish all in one order, they send you a ‘Lit Kit’ which is a small brush, a small sample of the glitter base and this like rubber ball thing, I’m not entirely sure what it’s for, and I cant find any information on the Lit website, or Beautylish. The colours I have are Champagne Wishes, Cher and Barbie Shops. I’ve created one look with the shade Barbie Shops so far, but I’ll keep creating look with these and I’ll post on my Instagram. The only thing I’m kind of resentful of is paying so much for glitter, I mean I’ve got glitter from Barry M, which I love just as much, so kind of mixed feelings on these again. The glitter base, however, totally worth the money in my opinion.
Worth the hype? – yes and no, again, mixed feelings.
Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte/Shine Lipsticks:
http://www.sephora.com/rouge-volupte-shine-P377710?skuId=1484880&icid2=ysl_lp_bestsellers_us_carousel_brand:yves%20saint%20laurent_p377710_image
First things first, the packaging of these are absolutely STUNNING, I love it. It’s all gold, with a part in the middle that displays the colour of the lipstick. The packaging basically made me want to buy these, but also all the hype. Everyone said the formula is amazing, really comfortable, hydrating and just gorgeous – which they are. Butut, the one thing that hurts me about these are the price, is any lipstick worth £25? I’ve found cheaper formulas that I love just as much, if not more. I’m planning a ‘drugstore’ lipsticks post, so I’ll talk about it another time. So while yes, I love these, and I think they deserve all the hype that they get, however, I don’t think they are worth the price!
Worth the hype? – Yes!
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