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What is one thing that totally puts you off a beauty product?


What is one thing that totally puts you off a beauty product? (Smell, consistency, color…)

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I don’t like really, really synthetic scents. I can take a hint of it, but nothing overly synthetic-smelling!

Thanks to CeeBee for today’s question!

64 Comments

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Scarlett Avatar

Smell!!! I actually can’t stand the smell of things that are typically fragrance-free. I also don’t like the smell of a lot of the natural brands like Yes to Carrots. My mom tested some lotion in Target once…and I made her wash her hands because I could smell her from 10 feet away!

Adesuwa Okonedo Avatar

I hate when I buy makeup that is somewhat low quality in terms of eyeshadow…when the pigment is almost non exisment, its hard to apply, and its just like dust when you apply it…thats why i loveee MAC and NYX eye shadow..i am yet to try coastal scents and cant wait because i heard its good!

Eda Avatar

Definitely get the 88 palettes from CS! SOME of the colors are a little bit less than great, but overall, the palettes are worth every penny!

Telle Avatar

Hands down, the smell!

I don’t like flimsy packaging and products that have a top layer of shimmer, glitter, or sparkle that doesn’t go through the entire product! that is just so misleading I think!

Dusty Avatar

I’m with you on the scent thing… But it’s not just synthetic smells for me. If a product has any kind of overpowering scent I can’t stand it – And it takes very little for it to be “overpowering” to me. Some examples are Benefit’s Sugar Bomb (drove me batty!) and I can’t even get near MAC’s Volcanic Ash exfoliator (you might recall my description of: a tire fire, burning in a field of lavender – hahha)

Good question! 🙂

Leenie Avatar

It would have to be the smell definitely, I had to lips that the smell was so bad to me that I couldn’t even wear them, so I had to trash them.

Sarah Avatar

Cute-sie packaging, so annoying, it’s make-up, I want it beautiful and attractive, not cute and childish. And when something’s payoff is shitty.

Linda Avatar

I’m usually not really too fussy unless it comes to lipd products then if i don’t like the smell or taste i can’t stand them, like urban decay pocket rockets, to me the smell and taste are awful, i can’t have them anywhere near me.

Elise Avatar

The product’s smell! If i can’t stand the smell, i can’t stand to use it! Haha! Awesome blog, by the way. I’ve been following it for quite some time now. 🙂

Miss Silver Avatar

The scent added to the products! Ugh! Like Cover Girl loose powder; the smell was overwhelming, I couldn’t use it. I ended up selling it online for cheap.

Another thing is the price; if it’s too expensive for too little and for too insignificant an item, I won’t bother with it.

And the number one thing that really puts me off buying make-up is if the salesgirl has really really bad breath while demonstrating a product. Ewwww! Happened more than once; I ended up not being in the mood to shop for make up items!

amelia Avatar

just about anything- the chanel eyeshadow quads are round pans here instead of square, and they dont look as nice as the square ones, so i dont buy them. similarly, if the packaging is clunky and cheap looking, no matter how nice the product, i wont buy it.

Leah Avatar

I hate it when I find out the beauty product Im using comes from a company that does or outsources animal testing. It pisses me off like you wouldnt believe.

Either than that, if theres something wrong with the smell (too strong, unpleasant)

jetleah.blogspot.com

Alisha in WI Avatar

I agree with Leah. I hate animal testing! I hate that so many drugstore brands do b/c I really like drugstore mascara! To me, Plushglass has an unpleasant scent. Didn’t notice it that much when I bought it, but just couldn’t wear it, had to return.

CeeBee Avatar

Anything that smells chemically or “off” – I don’t mind fragrance free but I’d rather my lipstick smelt like vanilla or rose than nasty old wax crayon!

Bleh. I have a really pretty shade of Stila lipstick and the smell of it is disgusting, so I don’t ever wear it. 🙁

konconsc Avatar

I also hate some smell in some cosmetics..like cinnamon scent in lipstick..thats totally unbearable…I feel my lips stingling after applying that kind of lipgloss/stick..also some lipgloss/stick has plastic”y” smell to it..that makes me sick and I usually keep them in a corner that I will never touch again…

Chester Avatar

Definitely the smell although I can’t describe it as accurately as you, Christine. It’s just, if the smell doesn’t match what I feel the product should smell like.

Oh, and the stickiness of lip gloss. I only own two and I doubt I will buy much more. They are somewhat decent on top of lip stick but I can never wear them alone.

Anitacska Avatar

Smell and taste. I especially can’t stand Urban Decay’s glosses. Also price can be a turn off, although if I like something a lot I’ll still buy it even if it’s pricey. If it smells and taste bad, I definitely won’t.

kali Avatar

I basically don’t like any smells that are trying to be sweet but end up smelling like sweet + fake mixed together -like UD Pocket Rocket glosses. Can’t stand the smell but love the gloss itself. I don’t like the smell of MAC’s vanilla scented glosses and lipsticks either. Also hate “makeup-y” smells. Does that make sense?? Like the smell of how drugstore makeup used to smell.

Quennie Avatar

The smell, if you can see the oil separating from the rest of the product, etc. Basically, if it feels like what it’s not suppose to feel like. For example, if a cream is watery, then that turns me off.

Charlene Avatar

Orange tones. I hate when my reds, yellows, pinks, or whites have an orange tone to them. I like them to be pure in color. If I want orange I will buy orange.

make_up_maven Avatar

I hate “gimickie” packaging. Not to be confused with nice packaging. I like nice packaging, but gimickie packaging drives me crazy. This is why I won’t buy Laura Geller products anymore. The packaging is difficult to work with on a daily basis and it appears more thought goes into the packaging than the product.

julia Avatar

Anything too “heavy” as in scent, texture etc…
Heavy foundation can get cakey, and products with too much fragrance can bother other people..

happybadfish Avatar

I have so many! I am really picky.
My top 2:
Scented products and products that make unrealistic claims (I sometimes feel like companies think we are stupid).

Cynthia Avatar

ever since i tried a MAC lipglass (years ago), i was very put off by how goopy and sticky it was and have never turned back. i know by now, things may have changed obviously, but i still much prefer my Smashbox and NYX ones….oh and yes, scent is a #1 factor in turn-off’s, esp. that waxy lipstick smell u get off of most drugstore lipsticks!

Andie Avatar

I actually don’t mind the waxy scent of Loreal lipsticks, it reminds me of my grandmother. I don’t however like that scents are added to products at all. I don’t really understand why there has to be fragrance added to a blush. It is just another chemical that people could possibly have a reaction to.

A major turn off for me is packaging and price. I am a heavy MAC user, and wonder if they can do a great lipstick for $14, why most lipsticks at Sephora are $18-22+. For example, I am sure that the price of UD lipsticks is highly influenced by their extravagant packaging. While I don’t like cheap packaging, I want my money to be spent on the actual quality of the product, not over the top packaging.

BAP Avatar

Misleading packaging. By that I mean a product that appears to be a lot larger than it really is. False bottoms and inner packages that have minimal product is enough to get me to never buy a brand again. I can’t help feeling like the company is trying to cheat their customers when the packaging is deceptive and that is so not a good thing!

LNU Avatar

Its more like tons of things for me. I’m not a fan of huge chunky glitter (who is), I hate weird smells, I hate cheap or ugly packaging, I HATE chalky shadows, I hate greasy feelings and sometimes it bugs me when shadows aren’t really the color they look like in the pan. Any of these things and more, even just one, can make me hate a product. XD

Meesh Avatar

The packaging at first impression. Second would be the scent, if it smells like plastic or chemicals or bad in general I don’t what that on my face. Next, is the consistency – how it looks on my skin, pigmentation, glitter etc. Finally is the price.

Alisha in WI Avatar

orangey-ness (unless it’s supposed to be that way!) and anything that smells funny, like plastic. Or even bananas or weird coffee…hate that smell! I also don’t like unpigmented products…so annoying!

Kourtni Avatar

When something lingers on my skin for days! I can’t use any liquid eyeliners and a lot of mascaras and some drugstore lipsticks or black/red drugstore nail polishes. I hate it.

monika-luiza Avatar

I have very dry skin so minerals are a total no-go for me. they just make my skin flaky and drier even when they’re in liquid make-up like dior nude or rimmer total recover

Bridgette Avatar

For me its smell, I normally can’t stand fragrance free products like Clinique’s lipgloss’s or an overpowering scent like Urban Decay’s Pocket Rockets.

Christina Avatar

I think scent is what turns me off from a beauty product. If it’s too strong I’m not crazy about it, unless I absolutely LOVE the product, then I will find a way to look past it.
Like the MAC wipes, people may think I’m crazy, but I hate them. They’re overly fragranced, and they leave my face feeling greasy.
Oh and if I react badly to it or if the color pay off is horrible than its a no-go for me.

condesa Avatar

packaging.. if it’s cheap, or seems to break up easily I won’t go for it; then there’s texture & consistency, together w/ smell… if it feels weird or smells strange I’m not going to buy it (this applies for lip stuff, foundation, powders and skincare)

Mirna Avatar

I would have to agree with Christine on this one. I hate weird smells. I just bought a body oil product (can’t think of the name right now, will post when I get home) from a grocery store and oh gawd it smelled so awful that I have to return it. I thought I could get over the smell and tried it again, I was so wrong.

Brielle Avatar

I HATE when I buy a concealer and it is super creamy! I know its rare to hate creamines, but it never seems to completely cover a blemish! I also hate when a lipgloss isn’t sticky! That is a perfect example for why im not too fond of NARS lipglosses! I know, Im super wierd!

Heather C. Avatar

I have a hate for brown shadows! I know they can look beautiful but I won’t even swatch them. I go straight for color!

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