Internet Inspired Beauty (AKA ‘the internet made me do it!’)

I’ve stepped back from blogging recently and, in doing so, I’ve been looking at blogging, influencers, and the beauty community in a slightly different way. I looked through my ‘stash’ and I thought it might be interesting to do a post on all of the products that I was 100% influenced by after seeing them all over the internet. Working in beauty and surrounding myself with bloggers meant that I was often overwhelmed by new launches, new formulas, new brands… and sometimes I would get swept up in that. So here are the products the internet ‘made’ me get and whether I would actually recommend them.

When I first heard about Beauty Blenders, I wasn’t sold. I had used sponges to apply make up when I was younger (those awful white wedge ones you got in a pack from Boots) and I just didn’t see the appeal. Plus when I first used a Beauty Blender no one told me that you’re meant to dampen them before use so I *still* didn’t really understand why people raved about them. Add to this the fact that there are so many cheaper copies on the market… I just didn’t get the hype. But I am eating my words. Beauty Blenders are the only way I apply my make up and I recommend them to absolutely everyone: they’re not at all stiff so they are very gentle on my sensitive skin, but they are sturdy enough that they don’t fall apart after a month. I’ve tried some of the cheaper versions and they’re just not the same.

I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve recommended Bioderma Micellar Water on this blog. I’ve been using it for years, since before it was available in the UK: my parents live in France so I used to stock up and smuggle bottles home for my friends as well! It was a make up artist secret for a long time – in every backstage kit at Fashion Week – and I’m so pleased it’s widely available now so that you can all experience the joy of Bioderma.

My feelings about the IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream* are a little bit complicated. It’s a product I always recommend to people as a wonderful natural-finish medium-coverage foundation… my problem is that it’s marketed as a full coverage foundation, which it really isn’t (as you can see in this video review, it barely covers my rosacea). It’s also heralded as a great product for sensitive skin (and rosacea skin in particular) as the brand founder has rosacea herself. It has never aggravated my skin but it does contain a noticeable citrusy fragrance which is not something recommended for sensitive skin. If your skin reacts to fragrance I would definitely give this a miss, and if you’re looking for a high coverage, flawless finish look I would keep looking. However if you want something that feels incredibly light and gives a beautiful skin-like finish then this is a great option.

I remember the huge hype around the Benefit They’re Real mascara and fell for it hook line and sinker. It’s one of the only products I can truly say I hated, which is rare for me as I can usually see why a product might work for someone else but not for me. But this mascara made my lashes look stumpy, layered horribly, irritated my eyes, flaked off everywhere but was then impossible to remove (how can something be painfully durable but not actually stay on the eyelashes?!) It’s worth noting that I have sensitive eyes anyway but I’ve never experienced anything like this. So many people really rate this mascara but I couldn’t find a single positive.

When I first started getting into make up, MAC was the brand to buy. It was seen as the benchmark for all other brands to live up to – even now you hear so many bloggers and journalists compare colours, textures, and packaging to cult MAC products as a cultural touchpoint that they assume many will recognise. When it came to choosing my wedding day lipstick, I wanted something classic, something that would never be discontinued. So I chose a MAC lipstick in ‘Russian Red’. To be fair, this lipstick formula is famously very drying (but also long-lasting) so I can’t really hold that against it. But if I could do it all over again, MAC would be at the bottom of my list for my wedding lipstick choice. I’m not really sure why MAC lipsticks are so hyped – I have so many other wonderful lipsticks that perform better and don’t leave my lips looking and feeling like a desert the next day. Namely…

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipsticks. Anything from Charlotte Tilbury is instantly raved about all over the internet, she can seem to do no wrong. But her matte lipsticks are probably my favourite of all of her products: they are so comfortable to wear, the colours are gorgeous, and they have a beautiful soft glow to them which gives lips a flattering dimension – something many true matte lipsticks lack. My favourite shades are ‘Red Carpet Red’ (a classic blue-based red), ‘Lost Cherry’ (a bright coral), and ‘Love Liberty’ (a pink-toned berry).

It may be a little bit unfair to include the Anastasia Beverly Hills Subculture eyeshadow palette* as its problems were widely discussed and the brand actually ended up admitting to some batch issues and replacing palettes to those who applied for them. But for a brand of this stature and for the price of the palette, I don’t think it’s acceptable for there to have been such huge problems in the first place – isn’t that what quality control is for? For those who didn’t see the uproar, some of the eyeshadows are impossible to blend, they oxidise horribly on the eyelid, and kick up so much powder that you might as well take a bath in the stuff. It’s such a shame as the colours are so beautiful and I love the formula of the Modern Renaissance shadows so I know this isn’t a typical issue. I was sent this palette for review by Feel Unique so I couldn’t swap it, but I think all the original bad batches have now been recalled so you can purchase without fear if these beautiful colours do catch your eye!

I hope you enjoyed this post, it’s a bit of an overdone format amongst bloggers but I think it’s important to talk about things that disappointed us as much as raving about the things we love. Some of these products are really expensive and having a product sitting in a drawer because you succumbed to the internet hype is a bitter pill to swallow!

Are there any internet inspired faves that you felt let down by? Or any that blew your mind and totally lived up to the hype? Let me know in the comments below!

Lex

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