Second-chance drugstore beauty

No one likes disappointing products, but did you ever consider give them a second chance?

As much as we all love finding these holy-grail, where-has-this-been-all-my-life beauty products, once in a while there are duds that seem like a complete waste of money. This, thankfully, doesn’t happen to me too often, but when it does, I very rarely just throw something away. I either give it away, or find a different use for it. Today I’ll tell you about few products that I’m giving a second chance.

L’Oreal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator in Rose– Where do I start with this one….. it was a very disappointing product at first. This highlighting powder is chalky and glittery, and if you have oily skin and/or large pores, it will only accentuate them. I cannot see myself using this on my face because it’s just way too sparkly, BUT I did find a different use for it. I mix this with my favorite body BB cream and apply it on my legs, arms, collar bone and décolletage when going “out”. The BB cream takes care of hiding small imperfections and smoothing out the skin, while the Illuminator adds a nice glow and color. I love using it for that purpose only though. I definitely wouldn’t recommend using this as a highlighting powder on your face/cheeks, unless you love going for an ultra-sparkly, chalky-glitter look.

NYX Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator in Sunbeam– This has light, pink undertones that work great with my (light) skin tone. The formula dries rather quickly so it has to be blended in quite fast before it gets a chance to set. This once again is a product that I would avoid using in areas where the pores tend to be enlarged. My favorite way to use this on daily basis is to mix it with my tinted moisturizer and apply it where I usually would use highlighter on top of my foundation, always using a beauty blender- I find this to work the best. The reason why I mix it with a tinted moisturizer is because i think that it can be a bit too intense of a highlight if we’re talking everyday use.

Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Gloss– These lip glosses are so stinking cute and I really think that the only reason I picked them up was because they made me feel very nostalgic. Everything about these; the smell, the feel, the packaging, reminds me of my very first makeup product: fruity lip gloss. My cousins, my sister and I were obsessed with lip gloss as it was the only makeup product we were allowed to have when we were little tweens. If you love thick, creamy lip gloss, then you won’t like these. These are very light, non-sticky BUT actually very moisturizing. Perfect for those no-makeup days. They also don’t have a lot of pigment, but they do add a nice, (very) subtle shine.

Elf Moisturizing Lipsticks in Flirty & Fabulous and Pink Minx– These have such  a unique formula; they are pigmented and long-lasting, but at the same time they feel quite “thick”. Usually when a lipstick is said to have a “moisturizing” formula, I find it to glide easily and wear off quite quickly which is definitely not the case with these lipsticks. I actually thought that for a moisturizing lipsticks these tug and pull on the skin quite a bit. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I just think that these might not be moisturizing enough. Pink Minx is actually a great, everyday color but I find that the only way I can use these is if I moisturize my lips heavily prior to application of this lipstick. I think that what I’m trying to say is that these work great as lipsticks (especially for the price) they are very long-lasting, I just don’t know if I’d call these “moisturizing”.

Olay Tinted Moisturizer with Sunscreen– You might remember me talking about this moisturizer in my no-makeup makeup post. Because of the minimal coverage this provides, the only time I used to reach for this tinted moisturizer was when my skin looked exceptionally good. In addition to minimal coverage this also didn’t work too well with my then very oily skin. Now that my skin is dry, I love using this moisturizer. It’s enriched with vitamins B3, B5, C & E, it’s very hydrating and makes my skin feel very comfortable, taking care of those dry patches and I don’t have to worry about my skin looking very greasy.  I’d love if this product came with a higher SPF- this one has SPF15.

Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips- This is basically just Vaseline with tint and fragrance but I absolutely love it. It’s cheap, it lasts for ages and it works great with dry and chapped lips. I went through quite a few of these, and it’s still one of my favorite lip care products. It’s the first thing I use right after brushing my teeth and washing my face in the morning and night. There is one thing that I really, really don’t like about this product- I really wish that these came in different, easier to use packaging. Yes, it’s cute and pretty, but not very practical- especially if you’re almost done with the product or if you have long nails or chubby fingers. Application can get really, really messy since you’re dipping your fingers in this tiny, tiny jar. I usually have to use a cotton swab when applying this. The bad packaging is not enough to put me off though, because with my chronically dry lips I need all the help I can get.

Left to right: Olay Tinted Moisturizer in Fair-to-light, NYX Liquid Illuminator in Sunbeam, NYX Liquid Illuminator in Sunbeam blended in, L’Oreal Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator in Rose, Elf Moisturizing Lipstick in Pink Minx, Elf Moisturizing Lipstick in Flirty & Fabulous, Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Glosses in Life’s a Peach, Just a Glimmer and Taupe with Me.

Do you ever give those disappointing products a second chance, or do you toss them out right away?