There are so many products launching every day that go “viral,” and so many formulas that are everywhere on social media. Some of the things I use and love the most rarely get talked about at all. These are the products I keep reaching for day after day because they just work. I wanted to share ten underrated gems that have completely earned their spot in my routine and deserve way more attention than they get! Let me know what else you’d like to see here, and if there are underrated faves you have that I should pick up. As always, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own.
Exa Jump Start Smoothing Primer – I had really been struggling with my makeup completely breaking apart by the end of the day no matter what I used or how I prepped my skin. The sticky primers worked pretty well, but didn’t give me quite the base I wanted. I have super dry skin so haven’t typically thought to use a mattifying or pore-filling primer, but I figured it was worth a shot because this one is described as a semi-matte primer full of skincare ingredients. I am so happy to report back that not only does this not dry out the skin, it blurs, smooths, and locks down makeup exactly how I wanted. I’ve also tried this mixed with Glossier Future Dew on especially dry skin days, and that works better than I expected. This has ended up becoming a staple product in my routine.
Ulta Under Eye Brightener in Light to Medium– I have super dark undereyes and can’t get away without a corrector, and I’m so happy to have discovered this one. It’s about $10 and a very effective dupe of the beloved Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector. Just like the Becca one, this corrector works so well for correcting my super dark circles and helps hydrate my super dry under eyes for whatever concealer goes on top without any heaviness. It blends like a dream and the color is perfect for me. And it’s in stick form which is so much easier to use than the pot! I have also been experimenting with lavender and light blue correctors, and I think my favorite thing is to mix them together to create just the right color.
Sacheu Liquid Contour STAY-N in Giving Sass – This still isn’t my favorite contour color for my warm olive skintone but it’s getting super close! It’s just a little bit warm (you can see a little orange peaking through on the edges) but it definitely has enough neutral and green tones that it works on me as a brontour. The formula is what really won me over – it applies effortlessly, blends out in seconds, and dries down to a soft, natural skin-like finish. And because it’s a stain, it legitimately lasts all day, even with sweat and tons of baby kisses. I’ve still been using it constantly since I posted about it.
Ravie Beauty Endless Diffusion Baked Blush in Oasis – This formula quickly became one of my favorite powder blush formulas of all time. It blends so seamlessly and easily into the skin, is so blurring, and stays all day. It reminds me of an Hourglass blush but somehow better. It doesn’t need to be built up because this color is quite punchy but absolutely can be layered if you need to. The finish is just glowy enough without being overly glowy like a highlighter. I don’t know how they did it, but it’s basically perfect. Oasis is a Fervor is a rich raspberry pink that works so well for olive skin, especially for the “cold girl” makeup look.
Laura Mercier Ultra-Blur Talc-Free Waterproof Translucent Pressed Setting Powder– If I could choose only one powder to keep, it’d be this one. It is hands down the best pressed powder I’ve ever tried, and since I got it, I haven’t wanted to touch any of my other pressed powders. I love that no matter what I do, it never feels like I put too much of this on. It’s truly translucent so it doesn’t add any coverage or change the color of what I have on my face. It’s definitely only doing a tiny bit of setting and mattifying (so I wouldn’t recommend this for combo/oily skin) but I love how it’s able to do what I want a powder to do without adding any heaviness or getting cakey. It does have a tendency to hard pan, but you can easily fix that with a piece of tape.
Glossier Lip Line Enhancing Hydrating Longwear Lip Liner Pencil in Buff – When I was going through all my lip liners and picking out my favorite browns, I realized that this one is the one I end up wearing the most. The formula is super comfortable, lightweight and non-drying formula. It’s not the longest wearing because of that but as someone with pretty dry lips, that’s a trade off I’m willing to make. The formula is creamy and hydrating, making it easy to apply without tugging. Buff is a slightly warm leaning brown that doesn’t go orange, and I’m so excited to wear this even more as we head deeper into fall.
Givenchy Le Rouge Sheer Velvet Matte Lipstick in 10 Beige Nu – This is my favorite matte lipstick of my entire collection (and I have a ton of lipsticks). It creates a blurred look that’s matte without being too matte or drying out my lips. It’s exactly the kind of look I want when I’m not going for something glossy or shiny. It actually reminds me the Glossier Generation G formula but incredibly elevated and in way better colors. This color in particular is amazing for me – it’s my go to for “I don’t know what lip color I want to wear but I just need it to look good” because it goes with everything. If I didn’t do any kind of reviewing content and didn’t have a bigger collection to compare things, I could see myself keeping this as one of my only lipsticks and be entirely happy with it.
Queen Musia Skincare Supercharged Tinted Balm in 1993 – This is one of the lightly tinted shades of the 6 they carry (I also have and love the three more pigmented ones). 1993 is a perfect cool brown that is just so pretty. Because it’s lightly tinted, this is incredibly easy to wear and throw on without a mirror. The formula is hydrating and nourishing without being too shiny. It also wore way longer than I expected given the formula. I wore it again yesterday for this review and kept thinking how great it was that it was still going on my lips. This is one of those products I just want to wear all the time, and I’ve been super impressed with it. Plus, the packaging is really cute too.
Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner – This toner was my favorite skincare discovery of 2019, and I’ve been using it every single morning ever since. It has continued to make my skin clearer, brighter, and less dry. This is probably the only product I’ve been using nonstop for almost 6 years, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. It’s also $14 for a huge bottle (same price as it was in 2021!), and it’s my most cost-effective skincare product in my routine. My husband loves it too, and it’s one of the only skincare products he consistently uses.
Make Beauty Moisturizing Reverse Emulsion – This is still my favorite hydrating serum (and I’ve tried so, so many serums and moisturizers as I have incredibly dry skin). I’ve used this as a moisturizer and primer, mixed with other primers, mixed with foundations, after a shower, during my nighttime routine . It works so well no matter what I do with it. It leaves a dewy but not wet or sticky finish and makes everything look better if I’m using it before makeup. It just feels so nice and is actually hydrating. I also have a bottle of this in the fridge, and it feels so great to throw on when I’m overheated and my skin is getting super dry and itchy.
What other products would you like me to review? Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.
Makeup and Skincare Reviews 