Because of Instagram

I think avoiding the internet would be a really effective way to save money. By far my biggest enabler is Instagram. I love the camaraderie of the beauty community and appreciate the lead on makeup worth trying…but the influence is real. I thought I’d round up a few “I did it because of Instagram” purchases and share my thoughts on if they were worth it or not.

I usually pay attention to drugstore mascara but Maybelline Lash Sensational flew under my radar until I noticed that pretty silvery-pink tube in every beauty-grammer’s pics on the regular. I finally snagged it on a Target run and have been using it almost exclusively for a month. It has a fan wand that is the perfect size and it makes lashes look full and fluffy. Worth it: 100% yes! The only caution is that even the non-waterproof is hard to remove so go at it with something oil-based.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Bow and Arrow was my gateway into mattes. I had seen brown nude on everyone and was majorly curious. I was fearful it would look too dark on me but it’s actually the exact 90s look I was hoping to recreate. The formula was better than I imagined so this was one of those, “why did I wait so long to try,” Insta discoveries. 100% worth it.

Not only does Instagram love Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow but Charlotte herself told me in person that it was a must-have in every woman’s makeup bag. Silly me, why didn’t I listen to Charlotte? A full year later at Instagram’s reminder, I shelled out the (gasp) $70 for that old school glam compact. I love it, I really do, but there are similar products out there for much less. But the aesthetics here are stunning.

I use bronzer every single day so I like variety to spice things up. Kelsey raved about Urban Decay Beached Bronzer and we have similar skin tones so I decided to give the shade Sunkissed (the lighter of the two) a go. It’s a perfect match – no orange tones in sight – and I love the beachy look of the compact. I think pulling this out in the dead of winter will be a welcome sight.

H&M makes makeup now, ICYMI. I saw these chic looking compacts on Instagram and was surprised to see it was H&M. I was getting Tom Ford-ish vibes from the bronzers.  I picked up that and a few cheek colors and love the quality. Tawny Peach reminds me of the limited edition (aka…nowhere to be found) NARS Douceur, for a fraction of the price. Definitely worth checking out.

So, what has Instagram led you to try?