My Favorite Earbuds, My Worst Palette

We all have those purchases that we end up loving and using constantly, becoming staples in our daily lives. And then there are the dud buys - the products that fall totally flat and end up gathering dust. I’ve had both over the years. Today I’m going to talk about my favorite earbuds that served me well until they met their demise, and a makeup highlighter palette that turned out to be a total disappointment for me.

Let’s start with the positive: my Bluetooth earbuds. I bought these wireless gems in July 2022 and absolutely loved them. They were relatively affordable at $6 USD but delivered crisp sound quality. The earbuds themselves were lightweight and comfortable to wear for long stretches of time. I wore them nearly every day while commuting, exercising, running errands - basically anytime I wanted to listen to music or podcasts. The battery life was also impressive, giving me a solid 4-5 hours of playtime before needing to be recharged.

What I really valued about the earbuds beyond the sound quality was the convenience. I loved having the mobility to maneuver around freely without worrying about cords getting tangled. I could leave my phone on a table and move around my apartment seamlessly. The Bluetooth connectivity made them versatile too. I could pair the earbuds not only to my smartphone but also my laptop to watch videos wirelessly. For the price, these earbuds really delivered maximum functionality.

Unfortunately, after about a year and some months of nearly daily use, problems started arising. The charging port developed faults, and after fixing that, more problems followed. Battery problems where a full charge no longer lasted very long. The ultimate demise came a few months later when the right earbud entirely gave out with no more sound coming from that side. A few replacement buds and troubleshooting efforts didn’t revive them. I finally surrendered to their death once and for all - sad to part ways but still grateful for the miles I got out of them.

In contrast to my earbud purchase that gave me years of enjoyment, my experience with a highlighter makeup palette ended up being pure disappointment from the start. I had read rave reviews about the brand online and loved how the colors swatched on others. As someone who regularly uses highlighter as part of full makeup looks, I took the a certain amount as an investment since people described it as being intensely pigmented and luminous on the skin. I can't remember the actual amount I go it.

When my palette arrived, though, I immediately felt underwhelmed actually using it. What appeared like a great product ended up looking quite disappointing once applied to my face. Blending proved nearly impossible. It just didn't give me what I expected.

I’ve tried countless techniques to make the highlighter palette work - different brushes, applying with dampened sponges. But time and time again, I’ve been let down by the formula’s poor blendability. Chalk it up to buzz around a product not aligning with reality. Whereas I scored big with my earbuds, this highlighter palette goes down as a total bust.

These two purchases have made me appreciate when something lives up to expectations and actually gets used - like my earbuds that served me well daily for a year and some months before needing to be retired. And it has taught me not to buy into excessive hype around a product that ultimately disappointed me once purchased - as did that lackluster highlighter kit. I now make a point to thoroughly research items and read balanced reviews before spending money. Whether the money go toward tech gadgets or makeup, I’ve learned quality matters far more than any influencer endorsements or clever social media marketing. By making informed buying decisions guided by products’ true performance, my money have a better chance of being well spent rather than wasted.

_{All images are mine}