8 Makeup Products Worth Changing Your Mind About

Beauty Thought Leader: Elise Marquam-Jahns

Do you have a makeup product you initially loved, but now it just sits in your makeup drawer? Or do you have a product you put aside after first trying it, but now it’s a must-have in your makeup routine?

8 Makeup Products I’ve Definitely Changed My Mind About:

Well, if so, stay tuned because today I’ll share with you eight makeup products I’ve definitely changed my mind about and I hope you’ll share the makeup products that you’ve changed your mind about!

There are any number of reasons that may cause us to flip our thoughts from “I really like this product” to “no, not so much.” Our skin may change, our taste may change, we may come to like or dislike the applicator—or discover that the product isn’t as long lasting as we once thought.

Whatever the reason, the product is now either a “go” or a “no go.” So let’s dive in and take a look at products that I’m reaching for a lot and products that sit at the back of my makeup drawer.

Satin Finish Signature Lipstick:

First are two products from Merit Beauty. The first one is their satin finish signature lipstick. I picked the beautiful berry shade called “Fashion,” but when I tried it on, the color just seemed way too dark for me.

And quite honestly, I’ve spent years only focusing on lipstick color because finding a color with the right undertone that really worked for me was hard with a capital H.

Because of my initial concern about the color of the lipstick, I tucked it away in my makeup drawer and it didn’t see the light of day again until recently. I pulled it out after hearing another YouTuber I respect talk glowingly about it.

My thought was “What the heck did I miss?” Well, what hit me right between the eyes when I tried this lipstick for a second time was the formulation. It felt ultra lightweight and it’s probably the softest and most comfortable lipstick I’ve ever felt on my lips.

aphrodisiacs.

“It felt ultra lightweight and it’s probably the softest and most comfortable lipstick I’ve ever felt on my lips.”

And what probably makes the difference in how it feels on my lips is the addition of three ingredients which provide wonderful moisture: squalane, sunflower seed oil and papain. But, you may be thinking: Elise, what about the fact that you weren’t initially crazy about the dark color?

Well, although I feel the color is too dark for me, the undertone is perfect. So there’s an easy fix for the color issue—I can either mix it with another lipstick that’s lighter (which I end up doing most of the time anyway!)–or I can apply a lighter lipgloss over it.

Perfecting Complexion Stick:

The second Merit product is one I initially liked, but which I’ve now had second thoughts about—at least second thoughts about the way I originally used it. It’s Merit’s The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick.

Now in all fairness, this product is meant to do double duty as a foundation and/or a concealer. And I think making a product designed to do double duty is pretty hard to pull off since we usually want a concealer to have pretty strong coverage since we use it for spot correcting, but in our foundation, we may not want as strong a coverage unless that coverage feels very lightweight.

Although the shade “Dune” is one of the best shade matches I’ve ever had, when I use this Merit product as a foundation, it’s just a little too heavy on my skin.

It definitely takes a little work to sheer it out so it looks more natural. So it doesn’t work as well for me as a foundation.  However, with that said, it does do a great job as a concealer but only on the face—and not under the eyes– due to it’s heavier formulation.

Face Trace Contour Stick In “Biscuit”:

I’d heard so many good things about Westman Atelier’s Face Trace Contour stick in “Biscuit” that I caved and purchased it during the Spring, 2023 Sephora sale—even though it was pretty pricey. When I tried this product for the first time I was absolutely underwhelmed and so disappointed. And I’m convinced the reason why was once again the color.

Do you sense a theme here? I was used to using darker colored contours such as Huda Beauty’s Tantour — and Makeup Revolution’s Ultra Creamy Bronzer. For some reason I pulled out the Westman Atelier contour stick several months ago and I’ve been using it almost non stop ever since. When I first used it I did appreciate how easily it applied, but I didn’t think it gave my face enough definition. However, I’ve come to really appreciate the softer definition it does give.

And it’s so easy to apply and blend that I simply can’t make a mistake when applying it. And the biggest plus for me is how easily it contours my nose—which frankly is my biggest makeup challenge.

Makeup by Mario’s Softsculpt Sculpting Bronzing and Shaping Serum:

The other contour I’ve changed my mind about is Makeup by Mario’s Softsculpt Sculpting Bronzing and Shaping Serum. The word “serum” in the name of the product first spooked me and when I tried it I was definitely concerned about the thin texture.

I thought it would be one of those products that would require multiple applications to build it to the level of sculpting that I felt would work for me. But when I applied it a second time– a few weeks later– I was very impressed with how easily it blended into the skin and how natural it looked.

So if you’ve hesitated to use a contour stick because you were concerned about it looking too obvious, you definitely can’t go wrong with either of these options.

” I was very impressed with how easily it blended into the skin and how natural it looked.“

Eyeshadow Stick:

It’s pretty rare when I go from liking to disliking an Elf product, but this is a product I very rarely pull out anymore. It’s their No Budge Eyeshadow stick. Now the good news about these eyeshadow sticks is that they are no budge. But unfortunately this no budge formulation is also the bad news—at least for me.

Because they’re designed to stay in place and not budge, the consistency isn’t very creamy which makes them more difficult to apply and blend out. A drugstore eyeshadow pencil that is creamer and far easier to blend out is Colourpop’s Shadow Stix. But of course the Colourpop eyeshadow stick isn’t as long lasting—so I guess we just have to pick our poison.

Lifter Gloss:

For so long I heard so much about Maybelline’s Lifter gloss and since I’m definitely a sucker for a good lip gloss, I plunged right in and purchased it. But I rarely reach for it now. The package seems to be a bit bulky and uncomfortable, but what I find to be most off putting is that I feel I have to work so hard to get the amount of gloss out of the tube that I want.

When I compare this Maybelline gloss to my favorite Lawless gloss–which gives me the perfect amount of product with just one easy swipe—well—there’s just no comparison. I find that the Maybelline gloss not only takes extra work to get the amount of gloss I need, but it also doesn’t seem to blend in as well with my lipsticks.

So even though the Lawless gloss is pricier, I definitely will spend that extra money to get a formula and look that I feel works so much better—at least for me.

Blush And Glow Tape:

And now let’s focus on a positive note with two products from the same brand that I’m frequently using. The two products are Tarte’s Blush Tape and Glow Tape. If you want a matte blush that has quite a bit of color, this blush is not for youbecause it does have a soft glow and the color is subtle.

But since I absolutely love a blush that gives both subtle color and subtle glow, this product is an absolute “win” for me– even though I originally wasn’t bowled over by it.  And the reason I wasn’t initially bowled over by it was because I just couldn’t get past the squeeze tip applicator.

So this product had to be really special for me to overcome my initial applicator aversion. But the beautiful soft glow that this product creates, the blend-ability of it and the subtle color really elevates this product into a top tier.

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