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What beauty product has been the hardest to find a holy grail of?
What beauty product has been the hardest to find a holy grail of? How long did it take? If you haven’t found it, how long has it taken so far?
It’s a toss up between foundation and skincare (generally). I feel like finding a good formula of foundation isn’t so hard but finding the right shade is. Skincare can be complicated, expensive, and sometimes what seems to work all of a sudden stops working, so you’re back at square one! Sometimes products don’t play well together!
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nude lipstick!
colors are either too light and wash me out, or too brown, or too pinky/red.
i swatched probably 12 today at sephora and came out empty handed. boo.
I rubbed my lips raw trying them out yesterday! I can’t find a good pink-leaning one that doesn’t look like concealer on my fair skin. I just want a pairing for a smokey eye!
MAC’s Honeylove! It’s the perfect nude that doesn’t wash you out. 🙂
I struggle with that too.
Eyeliner! Nearly all of them, even UD’s 24/7 pencils, transfer above my crease when I do a cat eye. I’ve tried setting them and it works for a few hours but then fails. I want to try MAC’s Backtrack or maybe Bobbi Brown gel liner next but I’m afraid to because nearly everything that says no smudge/budge/waterproof/long-wearing etc seems to transfer on me. ):
I love Bobbi Brown’s gel liners, and they don’t transfer for me (most everything does, especially without priming my lids). Do you use primer? Also, Tom Ford and YSL eyeliner pots last forever without budging on me!
Someone else asked and I realized I probably don’t use primer as often as I should, ty for reminding me! And gods, if I had the money for Tom Ford I’d probably be all over that haha, his line is to die for.
Have you tried MAC Liquidlast Liner? It only comes in Point Black (they discontinued all the other colours, sadly), but that stuff could probably withstand the apocalypse. I have oily lids, and without a primer, everything transfers on me, including Blacktrack, but that stuff stays until I take it off (and beyond – you NEED oil-based remover). They come with an extremely steep learning curve though, in regards to application! The brush is super wobbly and if you make a mistake, there is NO fixing it. I personally find it worth the fiddly-ness, though.
Also, do you use an eyeshadow/lid primer? Primer sorted my transference issues, as well as creasing issues.
I’ve tried I think Nyx’s Hd primer but not much else I think, though god knows I have about 20 million samples of other high end ones laying around. I should give those a shot, thanks for reminding me! Also no I actually hadn’t heard of liquilast, so maybe I’ll give it a peek next time I;m around my MAC counter, thank you!
Mac’s Black Track Smudges like crazy on me and I have dry eyelids. I love the Milani liquid eyeliner in black vinyl. SUPER black, water/tear-proof and doesn’t budge until I wash it off with an emoilent soap or makeup remover.
UD eyeliner smudges on me, the colours aren’t so bad but the black Perversion is awfuk and I mostly wear black. MUFE Aqua Eyes doesn’t move at all on me.
Before that I used Annabelle’s six dollar black eyebrow pencil (with the bristles on the lid to comb your brows with) as an eyeliner and it worked surprisingly well, better than Perversion anyway!
Try Make Up For Ever’s liquid liners! They are unbelievable and so so gorgeous. The black is an absolute staple for me, and I’ve gotten so addicted I’ve been buying all the colors because of how vibrant and longlasting they are!
I have the same issues as you do but find Bobbi Brown’s gel liner to work much better then the pencils. Just keep your eyes half squinted to give them a chance to dry and set it if it’s truly hot or humid out. That being said, I find them more challenging to apply.
This may sound strange, but do you live near a drugstore that sells Milani? I have the same problem you do, and swear that the Milani liquid-like eye pencils (the sharpenable variety, I do not get the same results from the automatic kind) do not budge on me. Even the UD ones fade by the end of the day on me, but the Milani ones do not move.
I have also heard that the NARS and Make Up For Ever aqua liners do not budge on oily skin, though I have not tried either one personally yet (both are on my wishlist :)).
For me it’s definitely foundation. My skintone is very fair (NW10 or paler), so most foundations off-the-rack won’t match me, and although Nars Siberia is very close, the formulas it’s offered in don’t work with my skin. After ages of using badly matching foundations, I’ve started mixing a white one (Face Atelier Zero Minus) with a bb cream to make a custom shade that works, but the Face Atelier foundation tends to emphasize dry patches and flaky skin, so it doesn’t give me that perfect finish. I wish more make-up brands offered shades for the very pale, especially for those like me with yellow undertones, as most fair foundations are pink toned.
Have you tried Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation in shade two? I am NW 10 on a good day and I have really been loving the Maestro foundation lately.
I’ve found that Dior has some great super-light ones (too light even for me, so they might work for you!) Guerlain’s lightest color is pretty darn light too.
I hear you. Foundations are the thoughest on us pale people! It seems there is no color match for us. Above all the finish is also important. I like foundations that have enough coverage but has this my skin but better finish. Pasty thick foundation is a horror on my dry sky, it flakes all over. Currently I am using Chanel´s Vitalumiere Aqua in the lightest shade. altough it is by far not perfect it was the best I could find so far. I just love its finish!
I still want to try MUFE´s HD and Burberry´s new foundation. The problem is that I can not get samples in my country and don´t want to risk to buy blind and risk to have my money thrown out the window if I don´t like it…
This, so much! My skin does not have strong undertones either way, and I’m very pale, so most foundations that are offered in light shades are too dark, pink, yellow, or orange for me. My skin is extremely dry, but breakout-prone and I have a heart condition that makes me sweat a lot.
The best options I’ve found right now are the Missha Signature BB Cream in 13 and Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet+ in 15 (although this is quite drying for me, so I layer tons of moisturizer underneath or mix it with moisturizer). I was hoping to find something better without sunscreen for my wedding next week (UD Naked Skin was way too dark and very pink, all the MUFE HD shades are pink, NARS Siberia is very yellow except for the cream foundation, which is more neutral, but still a tad dark), and I’m just going to have to wear the Mat Velvet+ (the BB Cream has too much sunscreen for flash photography).’
I can easily find mineral makeup shades that match (Alima is the best for this), but with my dry skin and sweating problems, it just looks bad on me.
I think the other major problem with foundation for pales skin is undertone. When you’re very fair, anything that leans even a little removed from your natural tone becomes unflattering. I’m an NW10 in the winter, and while I wear my foundations sheer enough that a tiny bit of shade difference won’t really matter, undertone is a MAJOR issue. Anything even vaguely warm pulls very warm and sallow on me. I’ve found a few foundations light enough for me, but of those few, only about 2-3 are cool enough. I imagine people who are NW5-10 have it even worse. 😐
Try the new GIVENCHY Teint Couture Long-Wearing Fluid Foundation. Amazing pale shades and great formula. I never find a color match for my super light skin but this was spot on.
I haven’t found holy grail anything yet -_-
Concealer. I have very dark circles and thin skin and concealers either didn’t cover enough or ended up looking awful (cakey, creasing and very obvious). Now I use a combination of Maq Pro corrector and Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and I think I’ve never looked better.
I was going to recommend Bobbi Brown’s corrector for you. Whatever shade is best for your skintone. Then you can cover it with the regular concealer for your skintone, or any other concealer you love. The fnish is very creamy and doesn’t exacerbate dryness, and you can combne it with any foundation or other products you use. Its one of my few HG products!
Thanks!
Foundation. I have yellowish coral undertones and everything is too orange, too red, or too yellow.
Mascara for sure!
Foundation is also a tough one. I really hard to find a good color match, that covers, looks like skin and doesn’t irritate your skin.
Concealer! I’ve found some good ones (Hourglass, Mac Pro Longwear, IT Cosmetics) but none so good that I’m not always on the lookout for something better.
As I am very fair (probably NC 5 or 10ish), it is often a pain in the bum to find a good foundation. Especially one that doesn´t make me look pasty (I´m looking at you, Skin Base!)
I agree with you Christine about foundation and skincare. I would also add lipstick. My reason is not for color, but for the fact that I have very dry lips and different formulations and colors make them worse.
The right eyebrow pencil shade! I used to do mine a bit too dark as I just couldn’t find the right shade, and it would look so severe – especially in pictures.
And I agree with you Christine about skincare… That’s why I’m thankful for websites such as beautymouth as one could easily get lost among all the products out there.
Foundation !
Skin care, for sure. My skin hates everything apparently.
I haven`t found my Holy grail foundation. I tried Avon Flawless, Bh Cosmetics, Revlon, L’Oreal, Maybelline, Mac.. I think I might have to go the expensive way to find it.
TRUST ME, expensive may not necessarily be the answer… Sigh.
For me, base products in general (primer, foundation, concealer, powder, eye primer, etc). I also haven’t found a pencil eyeliner that could work for tightlining without smudging everywhere,
Girl, you need Too Faced Perfect Eyes Eyeliners in your life! 😀 Love those things, sigh.
I might have to give those a go. Thank you for the recommendation! 🙂
Foundation to be sure! I am really fair and most foundations that go really light are usually full coverage foundations or setting powders. There are so many foundations I would love to try and use, but their “fair” shades are like 5 shades too dark. I have been looking into trying Dainty Doll, but I don’t really like purchasing things like foundation online.
For me it was definitely under eye concealer. I’ve fought a battle for many years with concealers that looked amazing under my eyes… for 5 minutes. Until I found my HG, Nars radiant creamy concealer. For the first time in years I don’t worry about checking the mirror AT ALL all day long because this stuff does not crease, get cakey or anything along those lines. It’s amazing!
Have you tried putting eyeshadow primer under your concealer? This tip has saved me a lot in the past. 🙂
An oil controlling product that contains no silicones (they break me out).
I don’t know why more folks aren’t complaining about silicones. A primer that looks nice with no silicones would be wonderful.
Absolutely skincare, for all the reasons you’ve listed! So tricky.
I 100% agree about the foundation. Interestingly, a shade match is usually not hard for me to find, but I’m so picky about formula and have never found one where I finally had that “eureka!” moment like I couldn’t live without it. Also, I don’t have an eyeshadow holy grail, but admittedly, I have experimented less with shadows than other products.
I agree with foundation. It’s so hard to find something that suits my oily skin, and undertone, offers good coverage without looking obviously like heavy makeup and isn’t too expensive or hard to get more of. Still haven’t found it.
I have dry, fair (NW 15), with normal/oily spots, acne (mainly because I find myself resting my acne prone jaw line on my hands, and sensitive skin. Everything face related is hard. You know that Nars Primer? It itches and doesn’t work for more than 4 hours. I can’t find a decent Giorgio Armani, MAC, or Nars foundation. I’m at the fuck it point and I only do my lips and put on some mascara. I would love to find good skincare (we’re getting fine lines), a foundation, and a primer. Willing to go a touch yellow to neutralize my permanent slight blush.
I have natural raspberry lips so I’ve given up the ghost with nude lips. I can’t even get Chanel’s Cambon (31?) to not turn into a rasberry red.
Mascara and primer are the two products I’m never satisfied with. I’ve found amazing mascaras in Diorshow and Napoleon LongBlack, but I’m allergic to both, and everything else I’ve tried leaves me flat. Primer is even worse – I’ve just never found something I like enough to buy again, and I don’t even really know what I’m looking for!!
Eyebrow filler! Benefit Gimme Brow — I’d shout it from the rooftops, it’s so fantastic!
I have lost nearly all of my brows to thyroid disease. I still have a strip of brows that extend the shape of my eye, but the hairs are extremely fine and have no pigment.
Recently I happened across Benefit Gimme Brow, and it is PERFECT! I was using eye shadow before that, but eyeshadow only works if you’re filling in visible brows. I needed something to actually color the hairs. This stuff is PERFECT. My brows looks natural and I don’t look like some crazy lady drawing two lines across my forehead. I’m going to purchase a truckload of backup!
Foundation and powder. My skin is very sensitive to several ingredients (mineral makeup actually burns my skin, I break out from Talc, I break out from high silicone content products, and I am allergic to many plant ingredients like green tea and chamomile). I’m also crazy oily. Like 1 blotting tissue an hour I kind of oily. My face eats foundation. Estee Lauder double wear stays on…but I have to deal with little break outs if I want that kind of longevity.
I have the very same problem. Was so disappointed when Bare Minerals first hit the market and shredded my skin. 🙁
Have you tried hourglass immaculate. I know it’s expensive, but its the only thing that works on my oil slick skin.
Definitely concealer. My undereye concealer always creases and I have tried so many, but I still can’t say I have a holy grail concealer.
Have you tried Armani Maestro concealer? It’s my HG undereye concealer – the texture is so fluid and yet the coverage is always amazing and it doesn’t crease on me because it’s not super thick!
Ellen, I agree, this one is amazing!!
The closest I’ve gotten to HG status for under eye concealer is MAC Studio Finish. It’s one of the only MAC product I’ve ever really loved. It’s easy to blend, opaque, the right shade, and it doesn’t crease as much as other concealers I’ve tried. I keep trying new concealers, but I always end up going back to this one. Still, if someone has any recommendations, let me hear them!
it’s concealer for me. I’ve tried many concealers and I am still not 100% satisfied with any of them. At the moment I’m using MAC pro longwear, which is the best I’ve come across so far, but still, it isn’t my HG concealer.
Foundation. As an African-American woman, the undertones of most foundations are too red/orange. I have been pleased with the following: Queen Covergirl 3/1, Revlon Colorstay-Carmel and L’Oreal True Match. I found a great concealer – Bobbi Brown, as she believes most women have more yellow undertones. I recently purchased the new NARS Compact Foundation from Sephora. I am pleased but wish it was more suited for oily skin.
Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation has really a good selection of yellow/gold undertones. You may want to try them out, that is if you’re willing to shell out $55.
Make up. My favorite Clinique make up had been discontinued. It was stay-true makeup oil-free formula. Since then I haven’t find a full coverage make up. I have a very very good light covearage make up by Inglot. Any suggestions for a new make up?
Skincare, ugh. I thought I finally found a moisturiser that stopped leaving tiny dry patches on my cheeks and the very tip of my nose without adding to my ridiculous oil production, but the patches are starting again! So frustrating!
Lip color. My lips are too dry for long-lasting formulas and I’m too lazy to reapply moisturizing ones.
Foundation-I’m extremely neutral, and fairly light, and everything leans too pink, yellow, peach, etc. Even when I find something decent, it oxidizes, and the color is way off. Formula is also an issue; I’m on the prowl for something that’s not too matte, and provides a bit of a “glow”.
Contour products-again, being very neutral, unless I wear blush, everything I’ve tried comes off too warm. I would love to find a cream formula, as well.
have u tried illamasqua cream pigment in hollow?
Under-eye concealer that WON”T crease, for sure
Has to be foundation for me 🙂 xx
Eyeliner. Nothing stays on my waterline, from the UD 24/7 liners to MAC Blacktrack. Everything creases in the corner of my eyes, and I have to keep my cat-eye within a certain ratio to my lid or I get transfer. Ah, the pains of hooded eyes. ;-;
FOUNDATION! I have been on a holy grail foundation research for years now. I have combination skin, NC20 (and a tiny bit lighter in the winter) and I’d like to find an healthy-looking, glowy foundation that doesn’t come off looking oily after 5 minutes! I’ve tried high end and low end foundations and there’s none that I absolutely love. They either are too matte and I look like a porcelain doll (and I HATE matte looking skin) or too glowy so I look oily as h*ll. If anyone has a suggestion for me, that would be really appreciated! 😀
Foundation has been such a struggle to find for me, all im asking for is a medium coverage foundation with a natural to satin finish that has no glitter in it, and isnt too pink, orange or beige, and actually matches my skin! actually im asking for quite alot! lol! ive found a few but they are either expensive, not quite the right colour or have something odd about them like a nasty smell. im an the closest match to me is a mac nc42, or a chanel b60 but even so they arent perfect matches. I honestly have no problem spending money on a high end foundation, in fact i prefer high end to drugstore but I cant find a foundation
Under eye concealer. I have some good ones, but I can’t seem to stop my undereyes from looking crepey and creasy, no matter which concealer I use or which techniques.
Undereye concealer! The problem is either creasing or the wrong color. Amazing Cosmetics Concealer is perfect for me in terms of color, but it creases like heck! Any recommendations?
Mascara is definitely the hardest. Just when I think a mascara looks awesome on me and is doing what I want it to do, it either flakes or doesn’t hold my curl. I thought I liked Benefit They’re Real! because it holds my curl perfectly, but it dried up really quickly: in a about a month and a half! I’ve never had a mascara dry up so quickly. If anybody has any suggestions on a mascara that holds a curl well that isn’t waterproof (irritates me eyes), then please let me know!
My HG red lipstick .I couldn’t, find my red. There are tons out there.I even tried ruby woo they say it is a universally flattering for most skintones. Did not made me happy. I am an indian. Any body can suggest nice red for my skintone( medium to dark tan skintone).
you should try MAC’s russian red! i don’t really know how to match with dark skintones, i’m super white, but russian red is a much deeper, rosier red than ruby woo and i imagine it would look very good on darker skin! it’s so hard for me to wear, i didn’t expect it to be as dark as it is, but i love it nonetheless, i just have to be careful applying it!
Mascara and non-smudging eyeliner.
I’d agree with your answers, to be honest! But especially foundation, because it is just impossible for me to find a colour I’m completely satisfied with. Concealer’s pretty tricky as well imo, nothing covers as well as I want it to. Though I don’t buy as many concealers as I do foundation, so maybe I’m missing something really obvious.
Foundation (difficult to find shade match, long-wearing, with a texture that works for me)
Lip gloss (always searching for that perfect MLBB shade that looks natural, wears more than 30 minutes, and isn’t drying)
Eyeshadow (because there are so many formulas, textures, shades, combinations; I enjoy experimenting but am always sort of looking for “the one”)
FOUNDATION! i have HG mascara, blush, eyeshadow, lip gloss, everything but foundation
Hmm. I think I’m going to go with foundation, as I STILL haven’t found my HG! You’ve got all of the difficulties of skincare (scent, texture, skin type, etc), plus the formula as a foundation (catching on dry patches, filling pores, and whatnot), AND the matter of shades (undertones, depths, and variants).
Man — when I put it like that, I have no idea how anyone ever finds their HG foundation! 😛
1) Foundation (having enough coverage without the “side effects”—ha: cakey, aging, drying, or too shiny/sheen-y)
2) Lipstick: I have almost colorless lips that I can only describe as a combo of LIGHT reddish/ fleshy and light bluish purple. ANY brown undertones seem to age or tire my face but I can’t pull off bright or dark shades anymore. I am kind of stuck with light pinks….but the “wow”/pop factor is hard to find with most shades. I need lip products that don’t emphasize lip lines, and optically “plump”, and I need them to last, as I am a busy mom and am constantly drinking or eating something! So, I’m demanding. I would love recs for good iridescent pink shades and staining lip products.
I’d have to say mascara and foundation. I’ve found great products but not amaaaazing, omg, never need anything else type of items. Mascaras seem to always disappoint and I find it hard to find a shade that works for my entire face.
Face primer and foundation. HANDS DOWN. I’m currently using Lancome Teint Idole 24H, which is more than adecuate on my oil factory face. Not necessarily oil controling, but it’s natural looking, radiant, and long lasting but… Yeah. Always searching for those HG face perfectors that’ll make me look like a million bucks.
Foundation – actually, I’m still working on it. I need something with a medium to full coverage, but something that doesn’t feal heavy… also, it would be nice if it lasted on my oily skin without any splotchiness.
Under-eye concealer… I found 2 nice ones, finally, after almost 10 years of searching. I really needed something creamier and slightly more coverage, but not hard or cakey.
Natural pink lipstick. I know it sounds weird. But most nude/natural pinks look weird on me (I either look dead in them, they don’t match my yellowish tones at all because they are too pink-based or they are too deep or bright for my liking). After all those years of searching, I found the perfect one… too bad it’s limited edition, Once I use it up, I am going to have to start all over again :P.
Blemish concealer, foundation my face won’t eat, and “my” nude lipstick.
Definitely foundation and day time moisturizer. I seem to always want to look for something better
Brow products and foundation. Sparse, cowlick-y black brows & dry skin (in MAC that’s neither NW nor NC but way too light for 15.) FINALLY found a hg black liner for my waterline after years of trying, though – so maybe the other two are not far behind? :3
Sunscreen. I do have some sunscreens that I currently adore, but they’re not HG material. It’s almost impossible to find a sunscreen that looks as though it does nothing to my skin — I always get either an oil-slick face, dry flakes, or a white cast from sunscreens I’ve tried.
BB cream, for sure! I have about 9 tubes of them sitting around, ranging from Korean to Japanese to high-end, and none of them does a perfect job, although a few come pretty close. I really like the skin care benefits and coverage that a good BB offers; that being said, it is hard to find one that offers a fuller coverage in a shade that matches my pink-toned medium fair skin. So many of them skew yellow-toned that I end up using a squirt of this mixed with a dab of that to get the right results. I would happily pay $75 for one that did it all.
Under eye concealer, and pretty much any skincare.
Toss-up between foundation and primer. Can’t get either/or….or the combo right. Budget is a factor.
I completely agree with you, Christine! ;A;
I’ve found some good matches in foundations. I used to think I was in the medium shades, but now I’m more in the light shades. But I haven’t found like a real HG foundation.
Don’t really have any HG items yet.
I’ve broken out recently and my skincare is just not helping.
I want to find something that works for me already!
Oh, and concealer! I haven’t found a HG concealer to cover up acne scars and redness.
Without a doubt foundation! I swear one will look so good for a couple days and then one day it’s like it will fade fast look patchy or oxidize. IDK what the problem is. I admit I am now 31 and didn’t start wearing foundation til I was about 27. I have sensitive but clear skin and honestly did nn t like any of the ones I had tried on me. I spend plenty time investigating makeup and it annoys I now have more then 15 foundations and I haven’t found hg..
Gosh – I hope a few manufacturers read everyone’s responses! In order, here are mine:
Lipstick – I actually look good in plum, mahogony or plumy burgundy shades. Finding one in the right shade range with no orange, pin, or rose undertone is nearly impossible. Lip products are the only products wear I have a seriously narrow range. Summer is easier because bright, funky and overdone is much more easily accepted. But for work and special occasions, Prescriptives used to make two shades I could wear but that was ages ago. The hunt is both fun and frustrating.
Mascara: I am wearing a waterproof mascara right now. Went to dinner and I look like a raccoon only 3 hours later. Don’t know why, my lashes hate mascara.
Skincare: I can eventually find a system that will work for awhile. But none that has lasted more than 2 years without switching it up a bit.
Finally, eyeliner. Was so envious that others can run out and get that gorgeous UD set. They smudge all over my eyes, leaving shimmer or glitter in their wake. Eyeliner is easier for me to wear in cooler months but summer is a challenge.
I should clarify, on the lips – it’s not just color – it’s shade, finishe (prefer matte), texture, moisturizing, no fragrance, and something I’m not allergic to.
Fondation, I feel I’ve been looking all my life! I want a dewy finish that won’t emphasize fine lines or pores, must be FF, and match my fair, slightly pink skintone. I even tried Sephora’s new Pantone Color IQ machine. The number you get must be very dependent on the operator of the machine, because they alway come out with one that is way too dark for my skintone. But if I follow those recommendations back to lighter shades of the same product, I have some to play with. No HG found yet, I’m still living off sample bottles. I’d say I’m closest to MAC NW 1 5 -20, but the MAC colors are all too orange in that NW category! Wanted to love the new Mineralize liquid foundation, but it oxidized to a different color almost immediatiely. Any suggestions?
Foundation – no matter what brand/formula etc. it always looks obvious and mask-like on me. Setting it with powder is even worse 🙁 I have dry skin, so even creme formulas look fake, and some feel itchy and uncomfortable. I can’t win *sigh*
Definitely skincare, specifically facial moisturizer. My skin likes to change up on me, so I am constantly trying to find a moisturizer to fit my ever-changing needs.
Definitely skincare for me! It takes a while to figure out if something is actually working, and it might be time for another product by then due to changes in weather. On top of that, the market is heavily oversaturated, so just choosing something to try with can be a lengthy process.
I agree with you about foundation too, but skincare takes the cake because I finally discovered an HG at least in terms of formula (Giorgio Armani Maestro). Even though none of the shades are an exact match, I can get the right shade by mixing a few drops of 3 and 4 together. I’ve simply accepted that I will never find my perfect shade right of the shelf. It only takes a few seconds to mix. It’s the formula that matters most to me.
Definitely Mascara
Definitely foundation. I’m VERY pale with neutral/olive undertones. It’s incredibly hard to find the right shade, and then I still want the foundation to look good on me besides the colour…
So far I’ve been mixing Armani Lasting Silk 2 with Face Aterlier white one (Zero Minus), but I soo wish I could just use Armani – that’s an amazing foundation and it changes a bit when mixed…