Ever been pleasantly surprised by a makeup purchase?
It's a good feeling, isn't it?
Well, this is a kind of ode to the beauty purchases I've been sceptical of but have turned out to be more than worth it - whoop! Below you will find a few hyped 'cult' products that I just wasn't convinced on before trying them, along with a few recent launches.
L'Oreal Elvive Low Shampoo Gentle Cleansing Cream
£6.99 - Boots | Colour Protect version HERE
A few weeks ago I picked up this newly launched shampoo in Boots, a shampoo that aims to be much kinder to the hair. I'm SLS-free (nearly) when it comes to using shampoo so I thought why not try a slightly different version (it's more like a conditioner in formula). However, when I got home and read the application instructions to the back of the bottle I was pretty disappointed. Not only does it state that 10-15 pumps are required per application but you have to leave it on for 3 minutes. I don't know about you but that seems like a lot of work and product just to wash your hair! Fast forward nearly 10 uses of this shampoo and I couldn't love it more! 1. I only need 9 pumps and it is a 400ml bottle after all. 2. This is the first time in my life I'm been skipping conditioner (so the 3 minute wait time is totally fine) 3. My hair has never felt better. This really is an amazing option if you have dry hair, scalp problems, fragile hair, coloured hair or just want to look after your hair more!
Cloud Nine Magical Quick Dry Potion
£7.00 - John Lewis
Next, another hair product that I've actually been loving for well over a year now but initially had my doubts about. This bi-phrase spray aims to reduce hair drying time whilst providing extreme heat protection. I was sceptical of this product because I was sure in order for the drying potion to work it would dry out my hair and leave it frizzy or just sapped of moisture. However I can report this isn't the case with this product and actually it's pretty much invisible on the hair however much you use. As for the drying claims they works so well that I now air-dry my hair most of the time, previous to buying this product I solely dried my hair with a hairdryer. However, if you still want to style your hair with a hairdryer you will be happy to know that a few sprays of this product will cut drying time in half! Amazing if you have thick hair or just want to save on your getting ready time! I prefer the travel size (linked above) but you can also find the 200ml full size via ASOS for £18.95 here. I've re-purchased this three times now!
Hand Chemistry Intense Youth Complex Hand Cream
30ml travel-size £3.99 - Boots
After seeing this hand cream basically everywhere I decided I needed to find out what all the fuss was about. Thankfully I came across the mini 30ml, which is currently reduced to £3.99 on the Boots website, when picking up some essentials in-store and thought I'd put it to the test, religiously using it as stated. This is a hand cream that aims it targets 8 signs of hand ageing simultaneously and this is where the scepticism came in. Even after reading countless glowing reviews I just couldn't believe a hand cream could be more than just a 'nice hand cream'. But after just a week of continuous application, I noticed the results many people had raved about. Subtle pigmentation and even freckles looked lighter making the back of my hands appear brighter, my hands also felt incredibly soft and just more youthful all round. Now I haven't got ageing hands just yet, so my results with the hand cream as fairly limited but I now believe the hype and would highly recommend it to anyone that is conscious of the appearance of ageing on their hands. A perfect gift or treat for anyone over 50 in my opinion! You may also be interested in the full-size version (currently half price) for only £9.99 via Boots here.
Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer
£7.99 - Feel Unique
For the longest time I've been meaning to try out this concealer. Years ago I tried the now discontinued Maybelline Eraser Foundation and let's just say I didn't love it. However, after seeing this particular concealer on quite a few beauty bloggers I thought I'd try it out. Surprisingly, the sponge to the concealer, which was one of my worries, is a joy to use especially under the eye area and around the nose. Also with yellow undertones I've found it be brightening as well as concealing. I now use this with my favourite concealer pen, from Aldi (mentioned in my Best Pale Skin Beauty Finds post) and find my concealer lasts all day. A pleasant surprise with this one! Also if you fancy free p&p on Feel Unique why not check out their free makeup sample service in which you are provided with an email voucher for free delivery on your next order as well as a range of amazing samples. Visit my Feel Unique Pick n' Mix review for more details.
Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Cheat
£16 - Charlotte Tilbury
Lastly, maybe a surprising beauty product to include! When putting this blog post together I knew I had to include this £16 lip liner as I bought it thinking how good could it be, it's just a lip liner after all, right? But how wrong I was! This is now one of my favourite products to use because it literally works wonders and the lip cheat name explains it perfectly! If you want to naturally cheat your lip shape then this is the lip liner (various nude shades to suit different skin tones are available) and really does stand out from all the rest. I use this to correct my slightly wonky/lack of pigment Cupid's bow ever time I wear makeup and often wear it all over the lips, over lining slightly for a plumped effect. This is most likely the most I will ever spend on a single lip liner and one I will continuously re-purchase from now on.
I'd love to know your own sceptical beauty purchases that turned out to be worth it!
Fee xo.
