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What beauty product do you wish would get reformulated?


What beauty product do you wish would get reformulated? Share!

MAC Eyeshadows/Blushes in the permanent range. I feel like MAC could use a general update (nothing MAJOR! but to take advantage of advancements in the industry) across their long-standing formulas.

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Katherine T. Avatar

Dior shadows! Their quads have interesting color combos and are pretty to look at, such a shame the performance is often subpar.

xamyx Avatar

All mid-range/HE/”luxury” face & base products should be formulated without talc and/or petroleum-byproducts nowadays. If brands like WnW & NYX can do it, Tom Ford & Becca should be able to, as well.

It’s not so much as a matter of “reformulating”, but MAC really could start rotating some of the permanent range, and maybe add and/or replace with some older LE shades that were very popular.

xamyx Avatar

Also, it seems when brands reformulate/”improve”, they just get worse… A few from my personal experience are: MUFE eyeshadows, Kat von D lipsticks, tarte & LORAC-both because they went a cheaper route for ingredients (tarte was sold to a larger company, whileLORAC widened ddistribution), and Lancome & Estee Lauder eyeshadows (the ones I had 15 years ago were sooo dense, creamy, & pigmented).

Then question should be, why do brands “fix” what isn’t broken…?

Anne Avatar

I feel like the more recent neoliberal capitalist model of profit at all costs is getting in the way of quality control in cosmetics these days. It’s so lame.

Mimi Avatar

I agree. I’ve been around a long time and while the colors and consistency of some things is better, lately I’ve noticed even high end brands going downhill and seeming like drugstore stuff except for the packaging. Don’t like paying high prices unless it’s top quality. I’m buying less and being more choosy and careful now because you just can’t take it for granted anymore that a high priced company will put out it’s best formulas.

Lori P Avatar

I’m with you on Tarte because while the older palettes were fantastic, the newer ones are powdery and “dust” flies when I try to pack color onto the lids. :/

Rachel R. Avatar

Agree about reformulating products that are fine. I think there are a few reasons that all basically amount to greed. They want to use cheaper ingredients or manufacturing; “NEW” is something to advertise and sell; and certain people in company hierarchies want to look like they are doing something useful, so they change things whether they need it or not. Maybe I’m just cynical, but I can’t think of a logical reason.

Nancy T Avatar

It would be really epic, and very much praised, if UD reformulated the poorly perfoming shades in Naked Smoky!

And I’m with you 100% when it comes to MAC, and some minor improvements need to happen. Especially anything in their line with the word “Lustre” in its formula description! Although there are a few gems within that designation, most need an overhaul: less drying formula for the Lustre lipsticks, more binders for those eyeshadows, more product in the Lustreglass tube. Oh, and for them to please bring back their Matte2 shades that were DC’d!

Taylor Avatar

Have to agree with MAC eyeshadows, mainly the veluxe pearl shadows. I have such a hit or miss with those, especially using them dry. Satellite Dreams is one of my favorite purples, but I have to pack that baby on to get any opacity. Anyone else experienced this with the veluxe pearl shadows?

Kuávsui Avatar

So many drugstore brands could do a total overhaul of their pencils, because dry and tugging formulas are still the norm in the year 2015 and I cannot accept that. Lumene has recently discontinued a lot of their old products and released new ones (or old ones in new packaging but anyway), but they could still fix their powder formulas a little across the board — everything is very powdery.

Anne Avatar

Seriously. I tried to like the Revlon Lip Crayons but the formula was so meh I have to stick with the Clinique ones, even with the higher price point.

xamyx Avatar

I only have one Lumene product, which is a *huge* bronzer I bought on clearance ages ago, and I really like it. I’ve considered more in recent years, but I look at the ingredients, and they just seem like the quality wouldn’t be there… Thanks for the confirmation!

A Avatar

Agreed on Mac, really feels like they’re falling behind while all the other brands keep moving forward and introducing great new formulas and products.
I guess they’re just too popular/successful to really care right now.

Kat Avatar

The MAC matte shadows. I wish they’d reformulate all their matte shades as matte2, or at least release more matte2 shades. Also the MAC Cremesheen lipsticks. There’s a lot of lovely shades, and I like the sheer shiny look of them, but there’s no lasting power and they highlight my lines/dry spots/flakes.

A Avatar

YES to the cremesheens! I don’t think I’m very fussy about lipstick formulas but cremesheen’s one of the worst I’ve tried, I just cannot get them to go on smoothly. They look good on some people though, I don’t know what it is about the formula. I had a similar problem with Bobbi Brown’s Rich Lip Color which most people like so idk.

Kat Avatar

Yeah! It’s supposed to be moisturizing but it catches on all my flakes and bumps, and settles into my lines. I wouldn’t get mad if it were a matte formula, but it’s creamy and shiny, there’s no reason for it to look like that. And I can’t get them to last more than 1/2 an hour!

Nancy T Avatar

I hear you when it comes to their matte eyeshadows! It would be fantastic or MAC’s part to do either/or because Matte2 is a great formula. It works beautifully for a matte formula, never gave me any issues.

Kat Avatar

Matte2 is such a stunning formula, I don’t understand why they would have 2 different matte formulas if one is bad and one is amazing. There are a lot of amazing shades in the matte line, but I find them so hard to blend that it’s totally not worth it. I wish they’d upgrade them all to Matte2, or at least release more Matte2 shades.

Mariella Avatar

I’d probably agree about the MAC eyeshadows. They’ve shown themselves capable of producing some wonderful quality shadows – Mega-Metal, Matte2 are just 2 examples – but when you compare some of their “really good” shadows (Sumptuous Olive, for example, which is lovely and I do love it a lot) to counterparts from Inglot (419) or even the original Stila La Douce, you can see how other companies have managed to formulate much better shadows in similar shades.

Anne Avatar

I agree about MAC, and also about the Dior quads. I also agree with XAMYX about petroleum byproducts just as a general rule in terms of environmental consciousness. Same goes for skincare products that use microbeads. And this isn’t so much reformulation, but there is no reason any company should be testing their products on animals (especially now that they can’t use the excuse that China requires it, as that law was stricken down almost a year ago now). Especially the big umbrella brands like Estee Lauder should be ashamed that they’re still doing so.

xamyx Avatar

I didn’t realize that law was officially stricken down! I knew there was a bill in place, but the last I’d heard, it was still in progress.

Rachel R. Avatar

Hi, Anne. Are you positive about the animal testing no longer applying to imports? I’ve never heard or seen this. I just googled to double-check, and I couldn’t find anything about this. The exception is Hong Kong, which has its own laws, and does not require animal testing on imports.

All the information I’ve ever seen for last year’s change have said it is no longer mandatory (nor is it outright outlawed) for items manufactured in China, but animal testing is still required for imports and any “special use” cosmetics such as hair dyes, permanents, etc.

Anne Avatar

Ack sorry for the late reply to everyone. I’ve been dealing with some family stuff so didn’t have time. You are correct, Rachel R, it doesn’t apply to imports, my bad. So it’s still kind of a clusterf%$k there. Honestly, these massive companies like Estee Lauder should just pull their products from the Chinese market until they don’t have to be tested. Screw capitalism and making more money. These companies already make tons of money in other countries, and pulling their products would make quite a statement. It would just anger their shareholders, who are already too rich for their own good.

Here are some sources for people interested in the topic:

http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/china-ends-animal-testing-rule-for-some-cosmetics/

http://www.hsi.org/news/press_releases/2014/06/china-implements-rule-change-063014.html

http://www.xovain.com/news/which-cosmetic-products-does-china-still-test-on-animals

Rachel R. Avatar

No problem. I hope the family stuff lightens up. At least progress is being made, but it sure would send a huge message if the large conglomerates refused to sell in China until mandatory testing on imports is rescinded.

Rachel R. Avatar

Kat von D Studded Kiss Lipsticks. The colors are so wonderful, it would be great if they all applied nicely. I’d love to see the Star Studded palette from last Christmas being reformulated to her regular formula and re-released. What is it with anything “studded” in the name?

Mimi Avatar

I wish they would re-issue a soapless shampoo and body wash called “Lindora”. It was very gentle and the smell was incredible, so lovely and clean. I used it myself and it was so gentle I would wash my baby sons and shampoo them with this. Went off the market a long time ago, but it was a super nice product.

Judy H. Avatar

I would like MAC lipsticks to get reformulated, particular their luster collection. Many of those colors are pretty, but they don’t go on as pretty as they look. I would also like if their mattes were moisturizing, I can’t weat them, too drying.
Not picking on MAC here, they have a great color selection, but I also wish the powder eye shadows and blushes were easier to apply and not so hard to blend. Some of their eyeshadow colors apply much easier than others and I can’t quite figure that out.

Corliss Avatar

I agree because I hate Mac eye shadows. There are some good ones but overall they need reformulating. Mac should also expabd the Mac Matte square eye shadows. I still like the blushes though.

Corliss Avatar

I agree because I hate Mac eye shadows. There are some good ones but overall they need reformulating. Mac should also expand the Mac Matte square eye shadows. I still like the blushes though.

J Avatar

Every single beauty product that contains propylene glycol (aka propanediol) as allergy testing has revealed this is an extreme skin irritant for me. My choices are extremely limited as it is in a multitude of products. Also, fragrance is another problematic ingredient (confirmed with allergy testing) that actually causes my skin to react with tiny little blisters. Why do we need fragrance in mascara, foundation, sunscreen, and other products to numerous to mention? My products must be fragrance-free, not unscented as unscented means a masking agent has been used to hide the fragrance. I have other skin allergens, but the two I have mentioned seem to be found in most beauty products.

Cat Avatar

Dior. They create these gorgeous color combinations in beautiful packaging, but the shadows are so disappointing. No matter how lovely they look, I won’t buy another Dior palette until the quality is there.

Smidge Avatar

Maybelline’s expansive Color Sensational lipstick range is fantastic but FOR THE LOVE OF CHICKEN NUGGETS, CHANGE THE SMELL. It’s the only reason I don’t own a hundred of their shades.

Jessica Avatar

MAC’s Carbon and Idol Eyes. It’s not like other brands don’t have great matte black shadows, but MAC could at least TRY to make an effort. And Idol Eyes, it’s SOOOOO pretty in the pan but such a huge disappointment.

Lezlie Avatar

i almost hate to go here because i really love this product, but it could be improved upon. laura geller’s balance and brighten powder foundation is wonderful, but i wish it would be made a bit longer lasting because of the hot, humid, sweaty part of the country in which i live. it would also be nice if so much of the product didnt go flying off into air whenever the brush is swished across the pan. i feel like half of my compact is going into the atmosphere.

Sarah Avatar

MAC Pro Longwear Foundation. It was my foundation before buying NARS Luminous Weightless. These new gen foundations offer full coverage while being matte but not robbing my skin of its natural luminosity. With Pro Longwear I had to mix 50% luminizer to get my glow back! It’s way too matte and flat and masky. These new foundations blow my mind.

Vanessa Avatar

For real!!! Charlotte Tilbury said that the advancements in technology means that formulas are going to get so much better and I feel like MAC needs to take advantage of that kind of stuff – especially for their eyeshadows because Makeup Geek is killing them!

Nikki J. Avatar

I’d love for MAC to reformulate their face powders and foundations. I’ve tried 4 of their formulas for face makeup, and they all irritate my skin and cause breakouts.

Alisha Avatar

I agree with you Christine…especially the lustre eye shadows. I wish skincare brands in general would remove fragrance. Maybe some drugstore hairsprays remove water? Remove sulfates and not add sodium olefin to shampoo? Opi should reformulate mod about you!!!!!!! Remove bad chemicals from products in general.

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