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Makeup Products you regret buying

LaurelHell

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I wanted to create a thread dedicated to purchase regrets/ products that aren't worth the hype/money. Here are some of mine:

Fenty cream blush: I don't have any issues with the formula, but I found that I gravitated towards other blushes (milani creme cheek blush), nyx sweet cheeks

ABH Modern Renassaince: the formula is too powdery and I found that the majority of the shades were opaque and ashy. When I tried to build up the shadow in certain spots, the shadow would seal....I decluttered it after 4 months

Tarte Shape Tape: that dry ass formula isn't meant for the undereyes. No matter how little I went in, not only did the fragrance make my eyes itch, I found that the concealer creased horribly and seperated.

Too Faced Better Than xes Mascara: The mascara lengthened my lashes and actually made them look full and volumous which is no easy feat, however this b!tch flakes more than scalp dandruff and the flakiness and how difficult it is to remove from the lashes ain't worth the effects.

What products have you found to underwhelm/ underpreform?
 

danibabi

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Anastasia of Beverly Hills Dipbrow, idk if I got a bad one or what, but it was so dry and the color was really odd. Also I tried the Glamiara brow pen (supposed to give a microblade effect) and it was awful, literally just like using a fine tipped marker from elementary school on your eyebrows. But I bought it off a FB ad so I deserved what I got with that one lol.
 

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I bought the new Nars Soft Matte Foundation. Usually their colors are a perfect match. I had a hard time finding one that matched my skin tone and the finish is kind of cakey. I've tried different applications and bases. Someone told me to try a certain primer to see if it would help but I haven't got it yet. I wanted a matte foundation because I tend to have really oily skin and we're going into hot, humid weather. But this is matte to the point that my skin looks crepey and dull. I went back to using my Makeup Forever foundation for the time being and it looks a lot better.
 

LaurelHell

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Anastasia of Beverly Hills Dipbrow, idk if I got a bad one or what, but it was so dry and the color was really odd. Also I tried the Glamiara brow pen (supposed to give a microblade effect) and it was awful, literally just like using a fine tipped marker from elementary school on your eyebrows. But I bought it off a FB ad so I deserved what I got with that one lol.
The dipbrow/pomade products are quite difficult to use, expecially if you want your browhairs to look "defined" I found that a lot of the brow pomades that I've tried have dried out with the exception of ABH and I felt that you can have defined brows with a regular brow pencil/ eyeshadow tbh
 

Protozoa

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that contour matchstix 3 pack from fenty beauty, I literally never use it. The one I used the most was the highlight, but the "concealer" was so dry it was not easy to blend and the darker one I never use because I don't really contour like that and if I do I mostly use the mocha mama bronzer.
 

LaurelHell

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I bought the new Nars Soft Matte Foundation. Usually their colors are a perfect match. I had a hard time finding one that matched my skin tone and the finish is kind of cakey. I've tried different applications and bases. Someone told me to try a certain primer to see if it would help but I haven't got it yet. I wanted a matte foundation because I tend to have really oily skin and we're going into hot, humid weather. But this is matte to the point that my skin looks crepey and dull. I went back to using my Makeup Forever foundation for the time being and it looks a lot better.
Personally I love the Nars SM Foundation, but I would say that if you have a very drier skin, and using the smallest amount of product with a sponge is my preferred method. I found the the Nars radiant foundation was often too greasy for my skin, but I found that using as little as I possibly could made the foundation tolerable
 

EmeLave

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Huda Easy Bake Kahuna powder. I bought the brush and everything but it looks scary and brings out lines I didn't know I had in person. My selfies were really cute though. I really don't get the hype over Fenty Foundation. My Smash box 24 hour wear looks so much more natural. Any Tarte blushes just look like dust on me.
 

mystic

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that contour matchstix 3 pack from fenty beauty, I literally never use it. The one I used the most was the highlight, but the "concealer" was so dry it was not easy to blend and the darker one I never use because I don't really contour like that and if I do I mostly use the mocha mama bronzer.

I'm like you except I never use the lighter stick. I guess it would be the concealer. It's too light for me. The darker one actually matched my skin tone perfectly so I dot it on when I don't want to do a full face. I use the bronzer/highlight pretty often too though.
 

hereforhair

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Elf hydrating concealer in the shade Medium Warm. I typically get medium tone concealers with a yellow undertone, but this b!tch was YELLOW. It looks more like a color corrector than anything. Even when I swatch it next to Nars Radiant Creamy in Ginger (also a medium with yellow undertone), it’s makes the Nars look almost neutral. Because of that it’s hard to tell whether this concealer is even good or not cause I have to mix it to make it wearable. It’s only $6 but I still hate wasting product
 

LaurelHell

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that contour matchstix 3 pack from fenty beauty, I literally never use it. The one I used the most was the highlight, but the "concealer" was so dry it was not easy to blend and the darker one I never use because I don't really contour like that and if I do I mostly use the mocha mama bronzer.
Personally, I find this to be the case with a lot of stick contour/highlighters. They're great for longevity, however they tend to dry out the skin.

From the Fenty face line, I love the Mocha Mami bronzer, and for contouring the Chocolate contour creme.
 

brioche

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Eyeshadow palettes like UD Naked Heat, ABH Soft Glam/Modern Ren.

They look reasonably pigmented and brown skin friendly at first glance, but honestly they aren't. They are hard to build pigmentation up with and idk if the shadows are white based, but they pull super ashy.
 

Harriet_Thugman

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I have a laundry list, so I will list as many as I can remember. Here we go:
Urban Decay Naked, Naked 2, Naked 3, Smoked or Naked Smoke, hell just Urban Decay everything.
Juvia's Palace eyeshadow palette: I have half the collection.
Tarte eyeshadow palette: Tartlette, Tartelette in Bloom, some other one, Amazonian palette
Karity eyeshadows palette (just three of them, can't remember the names)
Countless of MAC foundations, eyeshadows and random items
Buxom bronzers
Guerlain bronzer in Ebony (I think that is the shade name, I can't remember)
Violet Voss eyeshadow palette (I can't remember the name)
A couple of Smashbox makeup palette.


Most of the regrets are because I am allergic to an ingredient(s) that is present in most brands so I cannot wear it. The other ones are because the colors of the shadows are too chalky for my taste or pulls gray. Which is weird because technically I am a neutral but I cannot stand gray looking shadows, even pewter.
 

flytraphaus

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Personally, I find this to be the case with a lot of stick contour/highlighters. They're great for longevity, however they tend to dry out the skin.

From the Fenty face line, I love the Mocha Mami bronzer, and for contouring the Chocolate contour creme.

I did not like the Mocha Mami bronzer at all.

Bobbi Brown’s foundations are water and oil. didn’t enjoy

urban decay setting spray is wack

James Charles eyeshadow palette - also wack. The racist has the best ones

worn NARS for years and now their deeper shades are way too red.
 

Mitsukuni

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Nars base products. I've tried the All Day Luminous foundation, the Tinted Moisturizer, and the Liquid Blush (in order). I think most of Nars base products are oil based (so they separate). The foundation felt like it was sliding no matter what I did. It was greasy and felt ick on the skin. The tinted moisturizer gave me the biggest cystic acne ever, and the liquid blush is fickle because you can't use it over everything. Sometimes it goes on and disappears in 30 minutes. Sometimes it goes on and I'm serving e girl realness. Some days I'm serving Eurythmics era Annie Lennox. It's too hit or miss for me.

Pro Tip tho. In order to cut down on regret purchases, I let things sit in my cart for about a week. I keep in mind my preferences for things (ex: sheer foundations, high saturation eyeshadows, etc), take a look at things I own, look at some reviews, and if I don't have something similar to it and I'm still thinking about the product a week later, I'll buy.
 

Jason Beng

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Nubian Heritage lip gloss. No color or flavor. Got tricked by the packaging
 

LoLu10Plus

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Eyeshadow palettes like UD Naked Heat, ABH Soft Glam/Modern Ren.

They look reasonably pigmented and brown skin friendly at first glance, but honestly they aren't. They are hard to build pigmentation up with and idk if the shadows are white based, but they pull super ashy.
I just came in to say recent UD palettes. The Naked 2 palette has been my go-to palette for years. In 2019, I ordered the Naked Honey palette. And last year I ordered the Naked Reloaded palette. I swear the quality has gone to hell. There is so much fallout and the color payoff just isn’t there. I’m done with them. I find some of my E.L.F. Shadows to be better. And I should really just stick to MAC.
 

LoLu10Plus

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I did not like the Mocha Mami bronzer at all.

Bobbi Brown’s foundations are water and oil. didn’t enjoy

urban decay setting spray is wack

James Charles eyeshadow palette - also wack. The racist has the best ones

worn NARS for years and now their deeper shades are way too red.
Do you recommend another setting spray? I used to use MAC Fix+ then I switched to UD All Nighter. But I feel like I need something better.
 

MsSunshine21

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I bought the new Nars Soft Matte Foundation. Usually their colors are a perfect match. I had a hard time finding one that matched my skin tone and the finish is kind of cakey. I've tried different applications and bases. Someone told me to try a certain primer to see if it would help but I haven't got it yet. I wanted a matte foundation because I tend to have really oily skin and we're going into hot, humid weather. But this is matte to the point that my skin looks crepey and dull. I went back to using my Makeup Forever foundation for the time being and it looks a lot better.
There was a learning curve for me with this formula. It dries down very quickly so you have to work in small sections at a time and use a small amount otherwise it gets cakey fast. I spritz a little Skindinavia setting spray over my face first, then apply with a flat kabuki brush and go over with a damp beauty blender. I really like the coverage and finish.
 

MsSunshine21

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The Illasmasqua mattifying primer and the NYX matte setting spray are 2 of the worst beauty buys I’ve ever made. Neither worked for my skin type and both made my skin even oilier than before which was bizarre.
 

Badassery xx

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A lot of the 'nude' lipsticks I own. I love a dark bold lippie, so I rarely ever wear nude, plus I still haven't found the 'perfect nude for my skin tone.

Ben nye topaz powder - it's SOOO orange lord have mercy. Ben nye banana is a little too light, but it's much better than that tangerine ass topaz. I think my favourite setting powders would be either Sacha buttercup powder, which is kind of hard to find nowadays or Nars setting powder.

Some cheap mascara that I got, because I couldn't't find my regular one.
 

sailorcosmos

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Too Faced Better Than xes Mascara Waterproof: I don't see the point in paying $30 CAD for a mascara, and the waterproof version flakes so bad.

UD: Naked Palette: I think I've touched it maybe twice

Too Faced Chocolate Bar: I bought into the hype and I don't like the shadows at all

Fenty Beauty Cream Blush & Cream Bronzer: I wasn't blown away by either, plus I have other blushes that I like more and I prefer the powder formula of the Fenty bronzer.
 

EmeLave

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I just came in to say recent UD palettes. The Naked 2 palette has been my go-to palette for years. In 2019, I ordered the Naked Honey palette. And last year I ordered the Naked Reloaded palette. I swear the quality has gone to hell. There is so much fallout and the color payoff just isn’t there. I’m done with them. I find some of my E.L.F. Shadows to be better. And I should really just stick to MAC.

I have the Honey palette on my loves list. What would you say is a comparable color palette in MAC?
 

LoLu10Plus

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@EmeLave
I don’t buy MAC palettes. I usually buy single shadows. (And to be honest I usually get free shadows when I turn in my recyclables.) One super glittery gold with a hint of pink shadow from MAC that I love is I Like 2 Watch. (The name is funny, too.) I like it because you can wear it nice and sheer, or really jazz it up with a wet brush. It’s a fun shade.

A palette that I already had and find very similar to the UD Honey palette is Zoeva’s Caramel Melange palette. There are less shades, but the colors are very similar. I didn’t realize they were so similar when I ordered the Honey palette. Zoeva’s shadows aren’t very expensive, and they’re pretty good quality. Their brushes aren’t bad either.
 

Lilmisspriss

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Anastasia of Beverly Hills Dipbrow, idk if I got a bad one or what, but it was so dry and the color was really odd. Also I tried the Glamiara brow pen (supposed to give a microblade effect) and it was awful, literally just like using a fine tipped marker from elementary school on your eyebrows. But I bought it off a FB ad so I deserved what I got with that one lol.

The dipbrow/pomade products are quite difficult to use, expecially if you want your browhairs to look "defined" I found that a lot of the brow pomades that I've tried have dried out with the exception of ABH and I felt that you can have defined brows with a regular brow pencil/ eyeshadow tbh

The ABH Dipbrow pomade has been my holy grail for years. A pro-tip is using INGLOT duraline for more longevity, pigment, and workability with the product. All it takes is ONE DROP of duraline in the pomade, I gently distribute it with my brow brush, wipe off any excess then do my brows. My brows stay on alllllll day and don’t smudge. So if you have any leftover pomade and are contemplating throwing it away or figuring out how to get better use out of it, try getting the inglot duraline. And if anything, with both products you can use it as a gel liner, or use duraline with any gel liners or shadows you have and use it as a liner. It’s a must have if you want more longevity out of your makeup and even though the bottle is small that sh*t will last you forever
 

MsSunshine21

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Do you recommend another setting spray? I used to use MAC Fix+ then I switched to UD All Nighter. But I feel like I need something better.
Try Skindinavia for everyday and Ben Nye Final seal for occasions when you need your makeup to be extra budge/ smudge proof.
 

brioche

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@EmeLave
I don’t buy MAC palettes. I usually buy single shadows. (And to be honest I usually get free shadows when I turn in my recyclables.) One super glittery gold with a hint of pink shadow from MAC that I love is I Like 2 Watch. (The name is funny, too.) I like it because you can wear it nice and sheer, or really jazz it up with a wet brush. It’s a fun shade.

A palette that I already had and find very similar to the UD Honey palette is Zoeva’s Caramel Melange palette. There are less shades, but the colors are very similar. I didn’t realize they were so similar when I ordered the Honey palette. Zoeva’s shadows aren’t very expensive, and they’re pretty good quality. Their brushes aren’t bad either.

Ooh I just bought I like 2 watch from TJ Maxx for 5.99. I'm excited to try it. I also go Slow/Fast/Slow. I am moving away from these bulky palettes intended for lighter skin tones half the time and will just focus on singles that work for my skin tone. I mean once you have a couple good transition shades, do I really need a huge palette where have the colors are lid colors for white women?
 

Harriet_Thugman

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Nars base products. I've tried the All Day Luminous foundation, the Tinted Moisturizer, and the Liquid Blush (in order). I think most of Nars base products are oil based (so they separate). The foundation felt like it was sliding no matter what I did. It was greasy and felt ick on the skin. The tinted moisturizer gave me the biggest cystic acne ever, and the liquid blush is fickle because you can't use it over everything. Sometimes it goes on and disappears in 30 minutes. Sometimes it goes on and I'm serving e girl realness. Some days I'm serving Eurythmics era Annie Lennox. It's too hit or miss for me.

Pro Tip tho. In order to cut down on regret purchases, I let things sit in my cart for about a week. I keep in mind my preferences for things (ex: sheer foundations, high saturation eyeshadows, etc), take a look at things I own, look at some reviews, and if I don't have something similar to it and I'm still thinking about the product a week later, I'll buy.


Even after shaking the foundation it is still greasy? Not trying to convince you to keep it.
 

Harriet_Thugman

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I did not like the Mocha Mami bronzer at all.

Bobbi Brown’s foundations are water and oil. didn’t enjoy

urban decay setting spray is wack

James Charles eyeshadow palette - also wack. The racist has the best ones

worn NARS for years and now their deeper shades are way too red.


What didn't you like about Mocha Mami?
 

LoLu10Plus

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Ooh I just bought I like 2 watch from TJ Maxx for 5.99. I'm excited to try it. I also go Slow/Fast/Slow. I am moving away from these bulky palettes intended for lighter skin tones half the time and will just focus on singles that work for my skin tone. I mean once you have a couple good transition shades, do I really need a huge palette where have the colors are lid colors for white women?
I feel you. I always used to buy single shades (since the late 90’s) and then palettes became popular and I bought a few. But so often half of the shades are chalky, gray, and just don’t work. I’m going to look for that Slow/Fast/Slow.

Ooh, and can I tell you I just recently bought Sand Tropez from MAC. It‘s a Foiled Shadow. You can use it as a shadow, a highlighter, or a blush. It is absolutely gorgeous and reminds me a lot of I Like 2 Watch in the way that you can use it subtly or let it pack some punch. It’s a beautiful shade.

Happy Beautifying!!
 

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