Beauty ‘Classics’- Are they worth the hype?

When you hear of a ‘classic’ beauty product, do you question the legitimacy of it or run straight out to drop however much needs be to acquire it?

Luckily, most of the classics I have tried have not let me down but there have been times when these have been a big disappointment.

MORE – Best Beauty Brands For Sensitive Skin

Today I gathered up a bunch of the products I own that gurus have raved about over time and decided to do a short break-down of each. I do try to keep in mind that beauty products are different for everyone, so who knows, my disappointments may be someone else’s can’t-live-withouts’.

Lips: MAC Matte Lipstick in ‘Russian Red’ $36

One word can describe this lipstick: red. It is probably the reddest lipstick on the market today. One swipe and you get opaque pigmentation. For a lipstick that known for its fabulous colour payoff, this is definitely a good thing.

However, the opacity of the lipstick can sometimes be a bit overwhelming and can also be difficult to apply for those who don’t have steady hands. The colour is a classic blue-based red and has a velvety matte finish.

Lasting power is quite good, it tends to stain the lips, about 4-5 hours with eating and drinking. Is it worth the hype though? Yes in my opinion, if you are looking for a straight up classic red, this is it. If you prefer something softer and a little easier to work with, MAC’s ‘Ladybug’, a sheerer cherry-red, might be for you.

Cheeks: Nars Blush in ‘Orgasm’ $45

Known for their quality products and risqué names, Nars overall has the reputation of producing some top notch colour cosmetics.

Cheek powders are especially famous in the collection, with most beauty enthusiasts almost definitely having heard of the famed ‘Orgasm’ blush. The colour is the main selling point of this blush, the peachy-pink base with fine gold micro shimmer claiming to flatter all skin-tones.

I find myself reaching for this often enough, do I love it though? Probably not enough to repurchase it. However it is a great blush for everyday use and I do see it being flattering on most people. If you like shimmery peachy blushes, this is for you. If not, probably best to give it a miss or try a cheaper dupe like Bourjois ‘Lune D’Or’.

 

MORE – Beauty Review: Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit

Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original $23.70

I never wear eye shadow without a primer, so I just had to get my hands on this famed primer. Perhaps the most talked about eye shadow primer, Urban Decay Primer Potion has reached cult status in the makeup world.

Despite this product being the one I was most itching to try, I am saddened to say it did not live up to my expectations. The formula was a tad too greasy and thin and, even though it lessened it, I did see creasing in my eye shadow about halfway through the day.

Some reviews I have read have stated that the newer releases, like ‘Sin’ and ‘Eden’, do a better job at helping eye shadows stick.

Face: YSL ‘Touche Eclat’ $55

Touche Eclat (Radiant Touch) is one of YSL’s best selling products. It claims to brighten areas of the face while simultaneously concealing blemishes and acting as a highlighter.

Upon application it is slightly liquidy, making me a little wary about how well it can actually cover dark circles and blemishes. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that is worked quite well to cover these imperfections.

The light reflecting particles in this concealer work superbly to accentuate the cheekbones while deflecting shadows away from any lines and discolouration.

Nails: China Glaze ‘For Audrey’ $9.95

Here at BWA, we love everything Audrey. And this nail polish is no exception. It is about as close to the Tiffany’s box blue as you can get. It has a hint of seafoam green, making it quite an original colour too.

It wears fantastically, opaque in one coat and chip-free for up to a week. One problem with this polish is that it is incredibly difficult to get your hands on.

Many online outlets do not ship to Australia and out of the ones that do, most never seem to have any in stock. For those who are going to the USA or UK or have friends/family who are going there, definitely stock up.

Alternatively, you can use a forwarding service like ShipW to ship your purchases from US to Australia. They will provide you a US address where you can shop like a local. Also, when you are ready, all your purchases will be shipped through DHL or USPS Express at lower rates than regular ones.

Skin: Philosophy ‘Purity Made Simple’ Cleanser $13.50

Philosophy products tend to be on the pricier side so when I discovered that the much hyped about ‘Purity Made Simple’ was such a steal, I jumped on in.

It has become my holy grail cleanser. Everything about it is divine. It lathers nicely, smells amazing and leaves my skin feeling super soft. Personally, I have fairly normal skin- not too sensitive.

I have read a few reviews where this cleanser was a bit too abrasive for those with sensitive skin, so if you’re in this demographic I suggest asking for a sample or demonstration before purchase.

Body: L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream $12

One of these hand creams is sold every 20 seconds around the world. With this kind of consumption you can’t help but wonder what makes this hand cream so special.

First of all, it is a very rich cream- perfect for extremely dry hands. It’s 100% natural and contains reparative ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil and rapeseed.  The cream does a good job at repairing and preventing dryness however it does nothing above and beyond that.

For the price though, you can’t really complain. Personally, I like to keep this in my stash as a staple- not holy grail material but definitely useful.

Perfume: Chanel No. 5 $136

Chanel No. 5 is the kind of perfume your mother and her mother may have used. It is a tried and true classic. It is a powdery, floral scent with notes of Ylang Ylang.

I have tried to like this perfume but honestly I find it much too cloying. The scent is quite heavy and very sophisticated, a great night scent. It has a very traditional perfume scent and judging by generations this perfume has been around, it was the first perfume launched by Coco herself, it is something that really captures the essence of the 1920s.

If you guys have made it to the end of this very long article, props to you! And if you have any other beauty classics you have tried let me know what they are and if you love them/hate them!

 

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54 Comments

  • Reply yslyenom Sunday 26th May, 2013 at 11:49 pm

    Wow…interested in trying out Philosophy cleanser.

  • sommy7
    Reply sommy7 Saturday 9th February, 2013 at 6:14 pm

    Shea Butter Hand Creame for me- need need need

  • Reply BellaB Saturday 12th January, 2013 at 9:40 pm

    Some of these sound great – must try!

  • lanalang
    Reply lanalang Tuesday 3rd July, 2012 at 3:13 am

    L’Occitane is my favourite, and I cannot live without my YSL 🙂

  • Reply Icecream1985 Monday 2nd July, 2012 at 4:11 pm

    I have used loccitain hand cream just love that smell

  • Reply thugsy Saturday 30th June, 2012 at 9:17 am

    YES please

  • Reply dina Friday 29th June, 2012 at 12:33 pm

    In love with red lips at the moment <3

  • Reply genckm Thursday 28th June, 2012 at 6:57 pm

    I love Tiffany blue!I’m not so sure as a nail polish it’s a classic but it is a stunning change to pale pinks or red

  • Reply Jenna Thursday 28th June, 2012 at 10:13 am

    YSL mascara is AMAZING

  • Reply ozproductjunkie Thursday 28th June, 2012 at 10:08 am

    Love my NARS Orgasm blush. In fact, all of their blushes are great but this shade is very universal.

  • hausoftina
    Reply hausoftina Tuesday 26th June, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    Definitely want to try the Philosophy ‘Purity Made Simple’ Cleanser! I have no idea where you can purchase it though..

  • Reply Donna76 Sunday 24th June, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    I wouldn’t mind trying the hand-creme.Never hear of it before now.Thanks.

  • Reply srslyalex Sunday 24th June, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    I just tried the YSL touche eclat, it’s fantastic!!

  • Reply Zerotolove Sunday 24th June, 2012 at 12:35 am

    Tempted by the YSL… x

  • Reply Ange Saturday 23rd June, 2012 at 2:19 pm

    such great colours

  • Reply punkemohardcore Friday 22nd June, 2012 at 10:57 pm

    Most of them are out of my price range considering I don’t wear make up very much. I may have to try the L’Occitane hand cream though.

  • Reply balibabe7 Friday 22nd June, 2012 at 11:50 am

    oooh, want to try the Touche Eclat!

  • Reply Cinthia Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 10:00 pm

    gorgeous colour of lipstick

  • Reply Audrey1989 Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 8:23 pm

    Will have to try the philosophy cleanser.

  • violetflower61230
    Reply violetflower61230 Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    Im definitely buying that lipstick

  • xbecccc
    Reply xbecccc Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 4:27 pm

    love the for audrey nail polish colour!

  • Reply katecs Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 3:28 pm

    Anything NARS is great!

  • Reply KNY Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 2:54 pm

    Touche eclat is the best!!!
    Elizabeth Arden 8hr cream should also be on the list, and so should Estee Lauder ANR!!

  • MissSharlene
    Reply MissSharlene Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 12:09 pm

    Been meaning to give the Urban Decay Primer Potion a go for ages!!!

  • Reply teekendall Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 10:52 am

    the hand cream is something i’d definitely try.

  • Reply jessicawheelock Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 10:46 am

    I would like these in my beauty cabinet

  • Luci
    Reply luci321 Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 10:21 am

    Ohhhhh loved this article. I’ve only tried the shea hand cream and adore it. But will look into the Mac lippie I think… who doesnt love a splash of red every now and then!

  • spunkx
    Reply spunkx Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 10:00 am

    I’m inching nearing to forking out my dough to try the YSL touche eclat, I don’t know if I can survive reading one more praise-full review of this product!

  • Reply daysofourlives123 Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 9:28 am

    Pretty! Great post, audrey. Would have love to have seen a section on benetint, its such a classic product! 🙂

  • Reply cadam Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 9:15 am

    red lips are so classic.

  • Fashionista8P
    Reply Fashionista8P Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 8:46 am

    I have only tried the hand cream in this list, some things i just cannot afford atm ie YSL 😛

  • Reply srslyalex Thursday 21st June, 2012 at 1:32 am

    I definitely want to try the Touche Eclat 🙂 I heard it’s coming out as a foundation as well!

  • Reply julzjulzz Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 11:38 pm

    Everything listed here is definitely every woman’s best friend

  • Viggy
    Reply Viggy Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    Have definitely tried a few of them and would love to try the rest!

  • newbie
    Reply newbie Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 9:52 pm

    <3

  • Reply Danaplatt Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 9:14 pm

    True classics!

    • newbie
      Reply newbie Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 9:53 pm

      indeedio

  • Reply Jenny Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 9:02 pm

    Hate the Chanel No. 5, makes me want to barf when I smell it.

    Love the MAC russian red lipstick! I have this, and it’s so beautiful!

  • Reply MsKimo Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 8:04 pm

    Touche Eclat is amazing, so is the nail colour in ‘For Audrey’. I’ve heard of all the other products and would really like to try them, so I reckon they’re still worth the hype!

  • Reply AmberB Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 7:28 pm

    Love these products!

    • newbie
      Reply newbie Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 9:53 pm

      me too!

  • Reply ragdollbaby Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 6:55 pm

    Great article.

    If you wipe your eyelids with a small bit of makeup wipe (to remove oils) before applying the UD primer, then it’s very unlikely to crease.

  • sungyoung
    Reply sungyoung Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 6:27 pm

    L’Occitane creams are amazing 😀 And I’d love to have all of them, especially the YSL… but I don’t have the money haha!

  • Reply candicelee22 Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 6:01 pm

    I love that China glaze colour!

  • Reply jreilly Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 5:24 pm

    Oh Chanel no.5 thats all you need to feel beautiful.

  • Reply Zerotolove Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 5:10 pm

    Love this! xx

  • Reply Raquel24 Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 5:01 pm

    oh i love the red lipsticks! this make me want to go beauty product shopping!

  • Reply dapperdolly Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 3:01 pm

    Great review. L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream <3

  • Reply maggielyly Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    great review!

  • Reply bluebird Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 2:22 pm

    Love Touche Eclat!

  • Nicole
    Reply Nicole Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 1:56 pm

    Oh to have an unlimited budget… (sighhh)

  • Reply storm7 Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 1:34 pm

    VERY VERY NICE….I WOULD LOVE THEM ALL.

  • Reply fifi73 Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 1:04 pm

    Would love to try the YSL…. 😉

  • Reply jenniekellett Wednesday 20th June, 2012 at 1:00 pm

    Can not live with outmyself YSL touche eclat. Worth every cent 🙂

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