MAKEUP I DIDN'T EXPECT TO LOVE

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I'm sure we've all been disappointed by hyped-up products we bought that didn't really do it for us, but today I thought: why not share a post about when the opposite happens? Today we're talking about products I was unsure about when I was sent them or bought them on a whim and felt instant regret... but I ended up loving them!

One of my go-to everyday bases is the Estee Lauder Double Wear Cushion Stick Foundation* (4W1) | £30 | full review. I feel like this has pretty average reviews online and no one really talks about it but it's one of my favourite foundations and I'm coming towards the end of my second tube! I wonder if maybe it isn't what people expected from a base product from the Double Wear range but I personally love the light-medium, fresh, natural coverage - it looks pretty flawless but in a very skin-like way. It looks radiant but doesn't get shiny on my t-zone and really lasts on my skin. I recently rediscovered it and remember why I used it near enough every day for about a year at one point!


When my first ever Milk Makeup order from Cult Beauty shipped, I was kind of like 'did I go a bit too nuts here?' I really didn't need a new concealer and felt like I already had a go-to but - against all odds - the Milk Makeup Flex Concealer (Medium) | £23.75 | full review | truly knocked my socks off! It's just the perfect everyday option; long-lasting and crease proof with a medium coverage that's nothing too thick or cakey. It has a nice brightening effect and the peachy undertone helps cancel out dark circles.

Although the Too Faced Peach Perfect Mattifying Setting Powder | £20 | full review | got some amazing reviews - I wasn't sure it was right for my skin type when I initially picked it up. I think we were also all getting a bit tired of the endless peach-themed products from Too Faced. However this powder turned out to be everything I could ever want from a powder! It's incredibly finely-milled and never cakes up or looks dry. It locks my makeup in place, helps keep any shine at bay and prevents my concealer from creasing and is also traceless on the skin. A far cry from the overly matte, cakey mess I thought it could have turned out to be!

I picked up the Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk'r Instant Warmth Bronzer in Bajan Gyal | £23 | full review on a shopping trip with my mum and immediately felt buyer's remorse because I'd only just bought a new bronzer! However this surpassed that product and every other matte bronzer I've ever tried; it really is that good. The formula is so smooth, so easy to blend out and so natural and build-able on the skin. It adds a beautiful sunkissed warmth to my complexion that's gorgeous for summer.

I actually have two products in this post from Huda Beauty, which I guess speaks to the sometimes quite negative response her launches automatically get from some of the internet. The first product I was just sent out of the blue: the Huda Beauty Rose Gold Remastered Eyeshadow Palette* | £56 | full review. I don't think I'd have picked this up myself but now I reach for it at least once a week and it's one of my absolute favourite palettes. These metallic shimmers do need to be applied with the fingers or a very flat, stiff brush, however I don't mind that for the stunning, long-wearing finish they have. I also find the mattes beautifully blend-able and they have gorgeous colour payoff. I also really like this shade selection - it's perfect for someone like me who loves warm tones, as it pairs them with deep pinks to create a rich, opulent colour story. I'm so, so glad I got my hands on this! 

I also have the Huda Beauty Topaz Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette* | £25 | full review | here to talk about. I originally wasn't keen on trying this palette because it looked similar to Warm Brown Obsessions from the same range of mini palettes - which I already have - however it's ended up with me barely touching that palette and constantly reaching for this one! This shimmer formula is just incredible - it has an emollient texture that just glides on and gives you that true metallised finish. The mattes are also pigmented and easy to blend out. I find the formula long-wearing and these warm shades are just my sort of thing! This is small but contains everything I need for a full look so I travel with it all the time.

Despite the amazing reviews, I just wasn't convinced I'd be into glitter - other than for a festival look - so I was hesitant to invest in the not-cheap Stila Glitter and Glow Magnificent Metals Liquid Eyeshadow in Bronzed Bell | £24 | full review. However a trusted fellow blogger seemed to rave about this shade, so I picked it up and now I love it! This is the quick and easy way to do glitter without any mess or fallout - it doesn't crease or flake and really lasts. This has a gorgeous coppery-toned base and has multi-dimensional different shades of glitter running through it. Whilst I still probably wouldn't rock this for a day at the office; when I'm going for a glam makeup look it's gorgeous.

I tend to stick to drugstore products when it comes to mascara, so I was fully prepared to return the verdict that the Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara* | £25 | full review | wasn't worth splashing out on, however I was pleasantly surprised by this one! This doesn't flake or smudge and gives me the most beautifully long, voluminous lashes.

It isn't easy to drop this much money on a lipstick - even with 20% off! - so I had instant buyer's remorse after spontaneously buying the Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lip Colour in Nubile | £40 | in Duty Free. However it's become one of my all-time favourite lip colours - I actually don't have much left of it, so I already dreading that repurchase... It's a hydrating, glossy-look but still opaque lipstick formula and this warm, slightly peachy nude is perfect on my skin tone.

Have you been pleasantly surprised by any makeup products recently?

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