What Happened To All The Products You Used To Love?

After having to go right back to the beginning of my blog for some reason that I now can't remember it gave me such a nostalgic trip down makeup memory lane. It reminded me all the beauty products that I used to love and now don't talk about or in some cases they have completely slipped my memory. Although it's doubtful that many of you guys will remember my beauty posts from 5 years ago if you've been a beauty lover for a long time then I hope this will give you a little dose of nostalgia.

LAURA MERCIER SILK CREME FOUNDATION: If they still made this foundation then I would without a doubt still be using it. But they sadly discontinued it and came out with a new version that I've always been dubious to try. This was the first high-end base that I truly fell in love and for that reason, I chose it to wear on the day that I graduated. It perfected my face like no other and made my complexion look absolutely flawless even when it wasn't. When I was using this it was when my cystic acne was wreaking havoc on my face and it made it very difficult to tell. In terms of coverage, it was very much a full coverage affair and it worked better when my skin was a little more oily but it wasn't something that was unusable when my skin was lacking moisture.

JO MALONE WHITE JASMINE AND MINT COLOGNE: This was the first Jo Malone fragrance that I ever used and whenever I'm near a JM counter I have to give it a sniff as it's an instant hit of nostalgia to the nose. Mint is not a scent that is typically found in fragrance but it's a scent that I absolutely adore and wish more fragrances used it. Even though I absolutely adore this perfume I'm not sure if I would ever pick it up again as I prefer the likes of Peony & Blush Suede from the brand as I find it still delivers that hit of freshness.

TOPSHOP CREAM BLUSHERS: I still remember the excitement when Topshop announced they were releasing a beauty line. Their lipsticks and nail polishes were always so popular but what really sucked me in were the blushers and looking back now I'm not even quite sure why as the shades available were very bright and unlike anything else I would wear. But still I bought them and wore them anyway, questionable shade choice aside I used to love these blushes as they were a cream to a powder so they weren't slippy and greasy on the cheek but still incredibly easy to use. I would say if you're only just getting into cream blushers then they're a great starting point to go from as they're so easy to use and have great staying power too.

SLEEK EYESHADOWS AND BLUSHERS: The Sleek eyeshadow palettes were never quite for me, I bought one and the shades were beautiful but personally I don't think the quality was there which is a little disappointing. Some people absolutely adore them and still rate them highly now but they were never for me. Their blushers, however, were a big hit and some were heralded as dupes for more popular products on the market like Nars Orgasm blush. Whilst the fact they are incredibly pigmented might be what makes them so good for some I find that it makes them a little difficult to work with. You only need the tiniest amount on your brush to achieve a full swipe of colour and even then you have to be gentle otherwise, it's a terrible look that I don't think anyone can pull off.

MUA EYESHADOW PALETTES: Ah the Heaven and Earth palette, how could I ever forget you? It truly was a neutral lovers dream and still something I remember fondly. Granted the shadows didn't work all too well on my oily eyelids as I had no idea how to prep them properly but the shade range was beautiful even if they did crease horribly on me. MUA aren't a brand that I've really thought about or looked into for years as I prefer other more affordable brands but I might look into this palette again as for a budget option it's awesome considering how many shadows you get.

RIMMEL MATCH PERFECTION FOUNDATION: II still regularly use this base but it's not something I talk about all that often as I have it in a super pale shade so it's only good for me when winter rolls around and my skin is at it's fairest. For me and my skin, this is something that I can reach for without worry as whether it's oily or dry it just seems to work and perfects the skin beautifully. It's a good medium coverage which for day to day use is ideal if you want something that can cover up anything you don't want on show but don't want your skin to feel heavy or weighed down at all. The only downside to this foundation to me is the shade range, it's great if you have pale skin but anything deeper is just not catered to at all which is a shame and a big problem.

REAL TECHNIQUES BRUSHES: Way before Zoeva reigned supreme in my brush collection I was all about the Real Techniques brushes and if you took my Zoeva brushes away from me then I would happily still use them. There is no denying that these are some of the best brushes available at the lower end of the price spectrum, they wear and work beautifully. The design isn't quite as pleasing to the eye as the likes of Zoeva but they are incredibly functional and really that's all that matters.

BOURJOIS JAVA RICE POWDER: Before we had the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders we had the Java Rice Powder from Bourjois which is a product that the brand first released and they revived it a few years ago. It comes in the most adorable packaging and even though it's a loose powder it doesn't fly everywhere as it has a stopper and twist mechanism. I'm not quite sure why I stopped using this as when dusted all over the face it does add a lovely soft focus filter to the skin and can be amped up to be used as a highlighter. If you can still find this now then it's something I'd recommend picking up if you want something that can give that soft focus glow to the skin and you don't want to want to spend a lot of money on the likes of Hourglass.

L'OREAL TRUE MATCH FOUNDATION: Again, still, a base that I use but one that I don't talk about all that often anymore. There was once a time where this was all over the bloggingsphere and if this foundation works for you then it's not too hard to understand why. It's a great base for everyday use as it looks very much like a second skin and when you've found your perfect shade it blends in seamlessly. For me, this is a base best used when my skin is a little more oily as it doesn't mesh as well when my skin is on the drier side and does the have the tendency to be a little uncomfortable.

MAC LIPSTICKS*: I had to save this product for last because there was once a time when all I wanted was rows and rows of MAC lipsticks and would spend hours fawning over them. Shades like Hue, Creme Cup and Cut A Caper were all regularly used and now I look at all of them and wonder what was I thinking? And it's not so much down to the formulation of the lipsticks as I do like the MAC formulas but it's more the shade choice. They were such hyped up shades at the time and I was convinced when beauty bloggers said they would work for everyone that they would. And granted they didn't look horrific but they definitely weren't the shades that really flatter me and work with my skin tone.