There are many products out
there that are so hyped up in the beauty community that you can’t help but
wonder if they are really that good.
Today I want to start a little series called “Worth the Hype?” where I will
give my opinion on whether these products are really as amazing as people make
them out to be. Remember, this is just my opinion, and for a product to get to
the “cult favorite” level, it has to work really well for the majority of people – so
take my opinion with a grain of salt! That being said, I get asked for reviews
of these products a lot, so without further ado:
Urban Decay Naked Palette (Both 1 and 2):
My Story: When the first
Naked Palette came out I put my foot down and said “no”. I felt I didn’t need
it, and knew that I had plenty of dupes in my rather large MAC collection, so I
didn’t give in. When the Naked 2 Palette came out I said “no” to myself again
out of annoyance… first there was Naked 1 that everyone “had to have” and now
there was a second one? I held off
for a long time, until one trip to Ulta, where the Naked 1 Palette really
caught my eye for the first time. As I looked at the colors I realized that
yes, this palette really was gorgeous. I felt that $50 was quite a lot to shell
out on a palette when I had many of the colors already (if not all of them),
but I justified it as being a great travel palette – it has every color I would
need to create natural to dramatic looks. I bought it, and yes, I love it.
Do I recommend it? Yes.
Why or why not? Because it
really is that good. That being said,
I don’t think you need both of them. Pick one, the one that has the colors that
attract you more (for me this was Naked 1), and go for that one. Both are
gorgeous. Is it bad to have both? Definitely not! But don’t feel bad for only
getting one – trust me, they create similar looks.
Worth the hype? Yes!
Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleanser:
My Story: The Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleanser is
one that almost every beauty guru has tried and loved. I hear about this product everywhere as a great basic, and I’ve
heard it is lovely paired with a Clarisonic (see review below). It’s a good “I don’t want to
think about it; I just want something that works” cleanser. I picked up a small
size of this recently in Florida after forgetting my cleanser at home, and was
quite excited to give it a try. And… it’s good. It’s not great (in my opinion).
It feels quite nice on my skin, and the scent is nice (not too overwhelming).
Plus, it’s perfect for traveling – it’s no fuss and does the job, but I won’t
be purchasing it in full size. I’m just too into my balm cleansers right now to
give this product enough love.
Do I recommend it? Maybe.
Why or why not? It’s a good
cleanser. There’s nothing I didn’t like. It’s good, but it’s not great.
Worth the hype? Yes and No.
It’s good. It’s not “the best cleanser I’ve ever tried in my whole life, if I
was on an island I would need this and only this with me”.
Clarisonic:
My Story: I got my first
Clarisonic years and years ago, when I was still in college. I did a whole
video about it called "A Toothbrush for your Face!?" in which I rave about it.
My skin loved this, until it didn’t anymore, simple as that. It used to do
great things for my skin, and helped clear it up, but now it breaks me out, so
I don’t use it anymore. I’ve gotten emails from people who ask me why the Clarisonic doesn’t work for them, and my response is, “it won’t work for every
single person. Listen to your skin. If it doesn’t work for you, don’t use it!”
Now, I do want to point out,
I still adore my Clarisonic, I just don’t use it on my face. My little pink
Clarisonic makes for the best body exfoliator, and I love using it with my
shower gel. It makes me feel so super clean, and afterwards I love how soft my
skin is. So if you have invested in one, and it’s not working for your face,
and you are frustrated, try it on your body! The skin on your body is able to
withstand more exfoliation, so even if your face is too sensitive your body
probably won’t be.
Do I recommend it? Yes.
Why or why not? Even though
I don’t use this on my face anymore I still use it daily, and used to love it
on my face. It’s a good product, I think.
Worth the hype? Yes. Just
don’t go into the purchase thinking that it 100% will work wonders for your face. It
probably will – but just know that it doesn’t work for everyone!
MAC Makeup Brushes:
My Story: My very first “nice” makeup
brush purchase was MAC. When I first got into watching and making YouTube
videos MAC was the ONLY thing that the beauty gurus used. Because of that, I
thought that they were “the best”, and I slowly invested in building up my
collection. It’s been over 5 years, and they are still amazing and in perfect
condition. The “oldest” MAC brush I have is 8 years old (a MAC 217 - it was the
only eye makeup brush I had in college!) and you can’t even tell it’s older
than my 5-year-old brushes.
Now, there are lots and lots
of amazing brush companies, a few of which I have sprinkled into my “everyday
brush collection” (Real Techniques, Sigma, Chanel), so MAC is definitely not
the best-and-only-brush-company-ever, but it’s a good middle price-point line. You can
find cheaper brushes (Real Techniques is really
good, I find), and you can find much pricier brushes (Hakuhodo is one that I’m
dying to try but they are SO expensive), but MAC is right in the middle.
Do I recommend them? Yes.
Why or why not? They last
years and years and they create beautiful makeup. They are worth the money, in
my opinion. You can build up your collection slowly, getting one brush at a
time when you have the extra money, and they last ages as long as you take care
of them. I wash mine with baby shampoo.
Worth the hype? Yes.
Beauty Blender Sponge:
My Story: The beauty blender
is one of those products that people swear by with an eager, “if you have never
tried this you have NO IDEA what foundation is SUPPOSED to look like!” I’m just
more of a brush girl. I’ll admit, when I want my makeup to look perfect, there is nothing better than a
damp beauty blender. But honestly, it’s too much work for me to wash this thing
every time I use it. It’s much faster
to spot clean a brush then to wash the beauty blender with soap in a sink every
single day, and because of that I don’t tend to reach for it as much. I’ll
admit though, if I had a collection of about 15 of these I would maybe use them
more – I could just toss the dirty ones in a shoebox and do a nice deep clean
of all of them every week or so… but since I just own one it is only used for
the most meticulous of makeup applications.
Do I recommend it? Only if
you like applying makeup with sponges, and don’t mind washing this with soap
every time you use it. Would I recommend this over a foundation brush if you
could only pick one? No.
Why or why not? As far as
sponges go this is the best one I have tried. The original is better than the
cheaper “knock-offs” that you can find in drugstores, and way, way, better than those little white triangle makeup sponges you can find in bulk packs in drugstores.
Worth the hype? Yes (but only if you
like applying makeup with sponges).
If you guys have other
“hyped up” products you want me to feature in my next “Worth the Hype” post,
let me know in a comment! I want to make this a regular feature here on Dreaming
in Blush.
