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Hidden Gems From Your Favourite Beauty Brands
Here’s a blanket statement to start a beauty piece: there’s a lot of makeup on the market. And here’s an opinion that can’t generally be disproven: with so much makeup on the market, it’s unavoidable that some excellent products don’t get the attention they deserve. And a final opinion: that’s a real shame.
Seriously, though, having spent around ten years consistently messing about with makeup, I’ve personally discovered some fantastic products which I basically never hear anything about. Here are my top picks for underrated products from your favourite, popular makeup brands.
Base Beauty Products:
I think one of the reasons Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter lacks the fame it deserves is that it’s hard to know exactly what it is. I love it, and I don’t know exactly what it is. I’d broadly describe it as a “glow” product – I apply a bit under my base, then a bit over. It gives skin the most amazing hydrated, healthy glow and makes you look literally eight years old.
Missha is a K Beauty brand, popular for an array of excellent snaily goodness, amongst others. For me, though, their absolute standout is their Missha Perfect Cover BB cream. It gives excellent coverage, the shades are adjusted enough to flatter the vast majority of skin tones, the finish is juicy and glowy, and it has SPF 42. It’s as close to a perfect base as I’ve ever found.
You may know Frank for their super popular coffee body scrubs. But miss out on their Frank Body Illuminator and you’re missing out on something great. This is one of the best glossy highlighters (for face and body) I’ve found. It has a super flattering, sheer pearl tone, and unlike many dewy highlights, it actually sets and stays put.
Beauty Products for the Eyes:
In a post-Boybrow world, it’s all too easy to forget about the brow gels which came before. One, which I think is superior to them all, is the Maybelline Brow Fiber Gel. It applies the logic of a fibre mascara to help really fill out eyebrows and give a youthful, bushy effect.
Wet ‘n’ Wild Photofocus Lash Primer, in general, tend to get forgotten in all the excitement of glitters, bright colours and new trends. But a good-quality lash primer can basically make any mascara look perfect. This option from Wet ‘n’ Wild is as good as any expensive one on the market. I’ve been known to pass it through my brows, too, to add some extra business.
I can totally understand why single eyeshadows tend to fall by the wayside. They’re fiddly, small and unassuming, basically the loser sister of a beautiful palette. But a hill I am happy to die on is that Urban Decay’s Moondust single in Space Cowboy is one of the best eyeshadows – and, indeed, makeup products – that exists. It gives a sheer, sheeny, glossy look to lids and can be paired with any colour to just make everything look better.
Lip Oil and Gloss:
These little, unassuming tubes hold some of the very best sheeny lipsticks on the market. Not only is Laura Mercier Stickgloss gorgeously dewy and makes lips look plump and smooth, but it also comes in surprisingly unique and very beautiful shades. Sheer Peony is my favourite – a warm, brick-toned neutral with surprisingly wearable shimmer.
Clarins’ makeup often seems to be overlooked in favour of their (undoubtedly excellent) skincare. But the Clarins lip oils are essentially the best glosses I’ve ever used. They aren’t sticky. They actually hydrate and smooth lips and come in a fabulous array of colours (and flavours). My top choices are Candy, which is a shade-adjusting pink, and Blackberry, which gives a fashionable take on wine mouth.
Hair Products:
I have a lot of affection for Bleach London as a whole, but one product that never gets enough attention is the Bleach London Smoky Shampoo. If you’re a mid-toned to dishwater blonde, this is absolutely vital in keeping your hair on the right side of golden. It also smells great, leaves hair hydrated but never fluffy, and is a total bargain.
One of the best dry texturizing sprays on the market isn’t even a dry texturizing spray at all. This Batiste Dry Shampoo is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get the ever-coveted “model-off-duty” hairdo. It doesn’t smell weird or leave a white shadow, and it’s really cheap, too.
Shop the Edit
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter
Missha Perfect Cover BB cream
Frank Body Illuminator
Maybelline Brow Fiber Gel
Wet ‘n’ Wild Photofocus Lash Primer
Urban Decay’s Moondust single in Space Cowboy
Laura Mercier Stickgloss
Clarins’ lip oils
Bleach London Smoky Shampoo
Batiste Dry Shampoo
