What is your most frustrating makeup concern/issue? Share your must-reads!
I think it’s figuring out what eyeshadows can be used wet or only dry. I feel like it can make such a huge difference, but you don’t want to wet a shadow that you aren’t supposed to, only to ruin it!
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Super crazy DARK circles and eyelids! They feel almost impossible to fully cover!
I feel the same way! No amount of concealer of any color or consistency can ever fully take them away! Plus they’ll always be there for the rest of my life.
3rd-ed! I hate buying concealer after concealer!
I third this! I would love a great product, etc to help this.
4th! Yes, I have the hardest time finding something that works for me.
Well, let me do you one better (or worse, I guess). I don’t just have a dark circle under my left eye, I have a dark bluish birthmark that on particularly bad days makes me look like I’ve been punched. I’ve tried several concealers but they either slip or get cakey during the day, and none of them really fully hide the birthmark. Sigh. Have you tried Dermablend? Is it any good? Love to hear your or anyone else’s thoughts on it or any other possible solutions to my dilemma. I’m desperate, help!
I bought some dermablend coverstick, for spiderviens. Didn’t work for me, it just melts off. It is supposed to be waterproof. ):
BethAnn: Sorry to hear Dermablend didn’t work out for you. I’ve always heard about it but never tried it for myself. Have you tried setting Dermablend with a setting powder and/or with Model in a Bottle (a makeup setting spray)?
When applied correctly, Dermablend can work really well. I’ve never seen it used in the immediate eye area before, but it’s worth a try. Unfortunately it’s one of those products that you MUST try on at the store before you buy it. It has to be custom-blended. Most likely you won’t find just 1 shade that matches your skin perfectly. Have the sales person teach you how to apply it and give you samples to practice with at home. Hope you find something that works for ya!
AnGelwinGz: Thanks for the tips on Dermablend, didn’t realize they’re customblended. I’ll be sure to go to a counter to try it in person. Looking at their web site, they do have a quick fix concealer for heavy skin flaws so I’ll check that out, too.
I have a dermablend palette and I don’t really love it to be honest. Have you tried to colour correct it with a salmon concealer? I like the Eve Pearl one. Also be sure to pat it on rather than rub it on back and forth and set with a powder. I also prefer applying it with a foundation brush, a concealer brush takes too long and with fingers it just doesn’t last as long and is harder to build on the coverage.
I hope this helps!
Tam: I do have a salmon concealer from DMK (Danne Montague-King) that I got at IMATS which I mix with a lighter salmon concealer from Graftobian because it’s a little too thick. I apply it with a flat synthetic brush and then lightly pat down with my ring finger. It does an ok job of concealing my birthmark but even after setting with powder, it still slips at the end of the day. I’ll keep working with it for now; guess it’s a matter of finding the right mixture of the two concealers. Thanks for your tips.
I have the dermablend power and helps cover the few little scars that I have from acne but also works with my freckles covering them, I have a ton of freckles on my entire face and under my eyes and sometimes it looks like I have mascara or eyeshadow in there but the dermablend works great to cover everything. I hope it helps you 🙂
MoNyCKa: Dermablend Power, huh? I’ll take a note of that when I go check their products at the department store. Thanks for the tip, something strong enough to cover a lot of freckles might do the trick for me. 🙂
lip balms that do not moisturize lips.. SO frustrating! My lips always get so dry and chapped in the winter and it seems like nothing works!
I second this, most lip balms out there end up drying my lips out and make them crack instead of moisturizing them, it’s super frustrating. I find that I’m better off with nothing on my lips most of the days.
Oh I agree! I especially hate lip balms that make my lips MORE chapped.
Yes, yes yes! That is always what happens to me!
me too! Paula’s choice lip balm (in the pot) is a good one to try. It’s awesome. I have chronically chapped lips from 3 rounds of Accutane. What has given me “normal” lips again is tiny injections of Juvaderm in my lips. not enough to make big lips 😉 just enough so that I no longer have to wear balm 24/7.
I’ll try almost anything to make my lips better! I’l check out the balm first though! Lol
me too! those promising moisture balms and lipsticks dont work on me.. be it winter or summer ;(
I have the same issue. The only product that works for me is Bonne Bell Lip Maintenance Moisture lip balm – I buy it in bulk.
my lips were always dry till i starting using the mac lip conditioner- the one that is in a lipstick tube. that stuff is awesome. i tried everything. that’s the only thing that makes my lips soft and smooth.
Don’t know if you’ve already tried these butttt, I’ve used Burts Bee’s my entire life I feel like. Chapstick still made my lips all gross and it’s super waxy, and sometimes the smell is disgusting. But Burts is always minty and nice! Plus it comes in a lip gloss type version that does the same job! Sorry of you’ve already tried it and don’t like it, or have already been told this haha.
I wish I could use Burt’s Bees… I’ve heard so many happy reviews! I’m horribly allergic to it… 🙁
Try lip balms with Lanolin as the main ingredient. I am a chronic lip biter, so this has been my problem for a decade or so. Qtica Intense Lip Repair Balm, which is basically Lanolin with little other stuff made my cracked and dry lips a lot better. It’s really thick and super hard to spread at first, but then it sticks to my lips like nothing else and lasts through a good meal. But yeah, I agree that most normal ones don’t do much.
Trying to figure out exactly what eye shadow to use!!! after having soo much i dont know where to begin!!!
omggosh I have that problem EVERY day
Maybe it would be helpful to throw out things that you really don’t use or that is really old or out of style. Then put together some combinations that you could use routinely, like quads. I have depotted almost all of my eyeshadows, but I still keep the shadows from the quads together. I don’t have enough to have individual color paletts. But you can get small palettes, and put together your own quads that way. Just change them out every so often, when you feel like a change.
deciding on an eye look
definitely concealing my dark circles! i’ve found ones that conceal well enough but they always look too cakey. i’ve yet to find a concealer that is the perfect shade AND texture.
finding the perfect foundation shade!!! 🙁 it’s been SUCH a struggle for me! 🙁 everywhere i go they tell me something different!
It would probably be making sure eye makeup matches on both eyes. I’m really critical about making sure my eyes look like a mirror image of each other. However, that is not possible because one of my eyes is a tiny bit bigger than the other. It also doesn’t help that my eyebrows aren’t perfectly aligned, so that also messes things up. Eh, you can’t win ’em all ;P
Foundation + Powder that looks cackey on me.
Making lipstick last and look fresh throughout the day. Even if I exfoliate and moisturize when I wear lipstick (any finish) after an hour it fades and it looks cracked in the middle of my lips. I have to constantly reapply. I still wear it. Its too fun to let that stop me.
figuring out what colors work. I’ve bought makeup that looks great in the package, but when I play with it? Different story. I’m still new to makeup so it’s just trial and error right now
The most frustrating, to me, is dry skin. I have super dry skin and sometimes I wake up with dryness around my eyes and on my eyelids, along my cheeks, and on my forehead! Even after these areas are moisturized, eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, foundation -whatever I apply, will look cakey and gross! This results in me giving up and not even wearing makeup. =(
Sorry, no way can I limit it to one XD
-Foundation without a pump. Seriously, WTF
-no pump on basically anything. Like cleanser COUGH PURITY
-things that crease. I have oily lids amongst normal skin, and everything and anything without a primer will crease — under my eye as well. ALL CONCEALERS do it. Those Milani liquif’eye eyeliners are great, too bad I can’t use them too thickly cuz it will go bleh in my crease!
-Dumb and awkward shapes in lipstick or gloss applicators – please. Just go with the basic teardrop. Your lipstick does not have to be shaped like a cat.
Ugh, that I’m so shiny! I feel like I’ve tried ever primer, foundation, powder and mattifier in the world, and still, by noon I’m shiny like —- I don’t know. A very shiny thing.
i feel exactly the same!!! i hate that i’m one big grease ball of a person =(
Ugh, my super oily, acne prone skin. (It’s embarrassing; the first thing people look at) It’s hard to find a good moisturizer, foundation, and concealer 🙁
My concern is skin oil… I can’t stand being outside and finding out that my skin starts to look shiny (it’s combination, so it’s usually around the T zone). That’s why I am always putting a mattifying cream on the shiny areas!
I have no idea how to tell which shadows can be used wet or dry either. They’re too expensive to ruin.
Also due to expense reasons, I wish it was possible to order foundation samples from MAC, as I can’t get to a counter or store.
My biggest issue, though, is that my eyes are now a bit hooded, so I can no longer wing them, and it bugs me 🙁
Finding a foundation that matches my skin.. I never feel like its quite right :-/
Making my foundation last for more than two hours…..after primer and proper skincare….Some days are good, other are greasy grossness 🙁
uneven texture skin 😮
Trying to apply lashes. I’ve looked at some many tutorials, etc and still have not mastered it
MU that looks amazing online or in a catalog and when you see it in person it looks completely different. *cough* IM TALKING MAINLY TO YOU AVON *cough*
For me, it’s figuring out what’s going to crease on me and what won’t! UGH!!!
I think it’s to figure out if perticular mascara or eye liner works for you or not. 1. they have to be applied to the eye area (thus not returnable) 2. you have to actually purchase them to find out (I dare not to use in store samples on any part of my face and you shouldn’t either). 3. It takes an hour or more to figure out if they smudge or give you racoon eyes, so it’s always somewhat humiliating and hard to clean up right away. 4. you either love it or hate it so it’s always a keeper or garbage can and nothing in between…. I think I threw away about 20~25 of each before I found the perfect ones 🙁
The fact that I can’t seem to find a concealer to properly conceal some spots on my face…
Somehow, they always turn out to be the wrong color or consistency AAAAARGH!
Finding the right foundation, I have super dry flaky pale skin (much lighter than NC15) and it seems impossible to find a foundation that is pale enough for me but won’t settle in dry patches. I avoid wearing foundation because even with a primer they just don’t look right on me. Not to mention creases under my eyes.
First it is the undereye area. It’s dry, it’s dark, there are fine lines; it’s just a pain. Second would be my lips. They are always drying out and the lipstick/lipgloss would never stay on. I can think of more but it’s making me feel bad about myself… haha!
I don’t if this is relevant or not but at the moment it is the LIMTITED EDITION craze ! The hype gets the best of me and not having a lot of makeup counters in my country does not help either !
I hate it when as the day goes, it seems like my makeup is wearing off and I look more pale. And I hate looking cakey!
Trying to get foundation to stay on my super oily skin.
Christine, I think you can use baked style eyeshadows wet like the roundy chanel ones or mac mineralise, not sure about others – Nars says wet but I’m afraid to try.
Under-eye concealer going into my fine lines, especially Benefit Boi-ing: do I hate it! I cannot believe I let a Benebane talk me into buying that… X(
The most frustrating thing for me is how fast things sell out sometimes. Ugh!
My shiny nose! No matter what mattifying products I buy, pore-fectors, anti-shine foundations etc, I still get a shiny nose. I hate the cake-y look of powder so I try to blot instead whenever I remember.
Probably not exactly what you meant but…..Limited Edition products that are soooo LE that you can’t get your hands on them before they sell out!!!!
Lol this! I was on MAC at 8:30 PST last night and Strange Potion had already sold out. um, the release is supposed to be today MAC! they suck
Oil control! I have tried so many primers but nothing seems to work.
Deciding what lipstick best goes with my eyeshadow & blush without looking overwellmed & having to ware nude lips all the time.
Trying to find my HG foundation…if it doesn’t break me out, then it turns orange, or my face is transformed into an oil slick by hour 2.
I don’t know if this counts and it may seem kind of stupid, but I hate cleaning my brushes! I have so many of them and it’s just a tedious process.
Finding a foundation that actually matches me 🙁 I’ve tried so many…and I feel too orange or too pale!
Doesn’t help that I have pink (cool) cheeks and yellow (warm) eyelids/underyes/chin.
match the foundation to your neck. Or you could use the Eve Pearl technique to apply foundation, using two different colours on different parts of your face. It looks more natural and you sculpt your face.
My concern is not using up my makeup before it goes bad. I just hate to throw things away, but sometimes if some makeup seems ok- I use it past its shelf life. I’m sure this isn’t healthy, but at the same time it’s fraustrating because it’s hard not to buy new things but at the same time think about your existing stuff going bad and not getting used!
My small eyes and that darm outer v
I have a very hard time stepping out of the box when it comes to colors…. I tend to stay on the safe side and use a lot of neutrals. I wish i felt more confortable using brighter or darker colors.
Also, my eyeliner application skills kinda suck still lol
My ever fluctuating skin. Thanks to medicaion my skin type has been changing from dry to oily and back something shocking over the last year and its costing my a fortune in skincare and makeup primers as i now need to keep something for almost ever skin type just incase my skin decides to change overnight. Also at 26 having my first breakouts was kinda weird as i’ve always had such dry flakey skin.
Eyeliner that smudges. It’s the worst!!
I actually didn’t know you could ruin a shadow if you use it wet and you arent supposed to lol
I’ve heard you can use pretty much any eyeshadow wet if you really want.. guess that’s wrong?
Most frustrating issue for me is oily skin!!!! I hate it!! No matter what I use, it seems to get shiny within a couple hours 🙁
And since it’s also acne prone, I have limited choice with which makeup/skin products to use.
Oily skin! How to make my makeup not slip,slide & fade because of my oily skin. BUT ,that oily skin helps me look younger…wrinkle-wise. No one ever guesses my age right! Lol
Modifying my makeup application, colors and techniques as I age. What works great at 30 is not so hot at 48.
Lipsticks that look gorgeous in the tube but are completely different on my lips and trying to figure out whether something’s breaking me out or not.
I hate when a product claims that It will diminish pores and it doesn’t
Probably how expensive the nice products are. I just haven’t had ANY money since about June and probably won’t until November. I already ran out of my toner, and normal facial cleanser and have to wait. I don’t want to buy something from the drugstore and be disappointed because I really don’t have the money to try something new D: The same goes for make up.
Having my fine lines show up around my eyes by the end of the day. It might look great when I leave in the morning, but by the end of the day, things seem to look dry and “cracky.” I’m not sure what you would call it exactly, but it doesn’t look too nice, and it seems that it is impossible to smooth it out again (when this happens). I don’t get greasy there. Maybe it is a dryness problem. I just have to not worry about it and take my makeup off when I get home. If anyone in the 45+ age group has any suggestions for this problem, I sure would appreciate hearing them. I’m really not enjoying the changes my skin is going through, now that I am appoaching 50.
Controlling oiliness! I have tried everything and nothing works!!
I can’t figure out how to make even lines or “wing out” liquid eyeliner. I’ve tried so many different formulas, applicators, and brushes. So frustrating!
Finding a foundation that matches! My forehead is one color, my cheeks are another and nothing is olive enough.
Finding a foundation and a moisturizer that help my dry skin, not make it worse!! 🙁
Most frustrating makeup concern/issue: keeping my skin healthy. In all ways.
finding the best foundation for oily/acne prone skin, and under eye circles.
Concealer. I have a hard time finding the perfect natural light to make it look perfect and not cakey or dry-looking!
Fragrance/skin sensitivity. Plus, I hate figuring out which issues are just random hormonal changes, and which ones are actual reactions to products. I think that NARS Smudgeproof eyeshadow base is making my eyes sore and watery, but I’m not entirely sure that it IS it.
I second that. If you have bad allergies, there is nothing worse than putting a fragranced (or flavored) product right under (or next to) your nose. I sure wish Mac didn’t fragrance/flavor their lipstick. It is so lovely, but I get an allergy attack in about 3-minutes of putting it on. Boo hoo.
I LOVE the dewy foundation look but it’s so hard to get it to stay dewy for more than an hour or two. It either ends up too shiny around the forehead area, or the dewiness kind of disappears on colder days when the air is dryer.
Concealing blemishes has always been troublesome for me – I don’t have many but it seems like I can’t ever cover them. :/
Finding an undereye concealer that covers my dark circles AND doesn’t settle into my fine lines. Primer helps but it doesn’t totally fix the problem.
trying to find the perfect foundation long lasting and match my skintone !
I hate slanted plastic applicators on lip glosses. They are useless and gross.
cakiness around eye when makeup is applied. darkness of lid and eye. dark circles. ugh……………………………….
Definitely under eye concealing and coordinating colors. I’m so BAD and figuring out what shades to mix and match!
Trying to figure out what makeup I can actually use without sensitivity issues. Pretty much anything with any scent is right out (even masking scents in “unscented” products are bad lots of the time) , and there are a number of ingredients that make my eyes burn and water, or my skin turn red and itch horribly, or make me break out in new and interesting ways.
Blending eyeshadow out to the corner without it looking messy.
Availability; having items that sell for a while, and wanting to buy more only to discover that they don’t have them anymore.
my NUMBER ONE frustration with makeup is the longevity of my foundation. i love my nars sheer glow to death, but it does not last more than 5 hours on my oily combo skin. after the 5th hour, it will slowly start to break down, so i’ll apply some powder to alleviate the situation. and every hour after that, i will have to pile on more powder and concealer in a desperate attempt to cover blemishes. by the end of the day, the beautiful glowy finish is gone and i’m left with an acne-scarred oil slick of a face.
My most frustrating issue is my skin. I like the color of my skin, but it’s incredibly difficult to find foundation to match it (though I suppose I could just buy a white foundation to mix in with whatever I’m using). Also, my skin is very oily, so I find myself needing to blot and powder numerous times throughout the day.
I’m not sure if this counts but lighting seems to be an issue. I know I’ve packed on blushes and msf’s while in the mirror thinking they were not showing up, or were subtle. Then I go outside and find that I have clown cheeks. I also find that my makeup looks better in some lighting it varies from the different buildings I travel to.
i would say finding a product that completely takes away shine from my nosed without being loaded on or having to keep re-applying throughout the day
Firstly, where my makeup comes from. I want to buy things that contain non-harmful, environmentally sound ingredients from environmentally sound sources, but at the same time I don’t want to compromise on quality and effectiveness.
Also, the fact that I wish I could “try” many shades of different things that I’d probably wear once or twice and then leave… I wish they sold little mini lipstick slices in pots for cheap or had a nail polish service at every nail salon where they’d just paint your nails in a shade you want to try for cheap. That would make life a lot easier and I’d be able to really figure out what I wanted to buy full size!
For actual makeup application, trying not to look powdery and applying eyeliner correctly. For makeup in general, people that buy multiples of limited edition/in demand products just to re-sell them on ebay and make them sell out.
My makeup problem is that I’m always looking to make it better, spice it up, and making it look flawless.
Mine is that my foundation tends to look oily after even just 5 hours of wear. I’m wondering if it’s the moisturizer I wear underneath it or what…
That, and I seem to regularly poke myself in the eye with my makeup wand and end up with mascara smudges under my eye that becomes a pain to wipe away.:/
And, I really want to find the right red for me, but have no idea where to start. I have the exact shade in my mind, but don’t know that it would actually work with my skin-tone…and then figuring out what I could wear it with since I tend to love wearing lots of colors and dark, glittery looks.
Foundation that emphasizes my large pores, no matter what primer I use!
I don’t know if this counts, but I’m asian with small eyes. It is SOOOOO frustrating to buy eyeshadows, cause I have very little space to work with. I will pine and fawn over beautiful colors, but look like a crazy 80s rocker when I put on eyeshadows. I’m about to give up on eyeshadows and just stick to eyeliners forever 😛
For me personally, it would have to be eyeshadow fallout. I have a certain way I do my makeup. I’ll put my base and powder on, then i’ll do my eyes, then cheeks and lips and so on. I’ve switched it up doing my eyes first or just doing my base and not setting it and then going ahead and doing my eyes. Either way that I go i always have eyeshadow fallout and then it looks like there’s dark spots under my lids and way over from my eye. It annoys the crap out of me.
My eyes water every single time I do eye makeup. And not just a little welling up, I mean my eyes pour and pour. I know its not an allergy to a product, I guess its just that I have eye sensitivity