I think Guerlain was the last brand I was really into but am not really into at all these days. I’m glad they’ve gone the refill route on the Rouge Gs, which had the happy result of making them cheaper, but nothing else from them has caught my eye in a really long time.
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It has been ages sinds i bought something from MAC. Every new collection looks like another, there is nothing new
MAC – Too many rapid LE releases, subpar products, and they’re not cf.
Bobbi Brown – The brand has settled into a ‘comfort zone’ of too many nudes and not much else.
NARS – They seem to have lost their spark, and, for me, don’t have the same innovative ‘wow’ factor they used to.
I think I have fallen out of love with Kat Von D and Tarte. I used to get so excited for their launches and now.. everything’s kinda meh for me.
Hourglass because of the way they really overcharge for LE Holiday releases (at a time when practically ever other company is offering extra value, Hourglass charges MORE per ounce compared to their permanent line). And Too Faced because of the unnecessary addition of fragrance to eyeshadows (other products as well, in keeping with their “themes”, but especially in eyeshadows) and for their increasingly juvenile looking packaging. And I should probably add MUFE. There isn’t a lot from them that I love but one product was their now discontinued eyeshadows, which they “reformulated”, replacing some great shades with mediocre ones and getting rid of some great colours.
Too Faced, Smashbox, MAC. The quality is not consistent and it’s hype over quality nowadays. I don’t mind the Natural collection from Too Faced but the added fragrance makes it unuseable for me.
I think Kat Von D is the brand I have fallen the most out of love with. I rarely use any KVD products anymore. No reason, really, it’s just that my interest in other brands has grown, I suppose.
I love NARS, but have fallen out of love with their foundations. It could be my skin, but they don’t work for me like they used to and the newer formulas are a little off in color for me. Still have other holy grail products from NARS, but it’s a no for me on the foundation.
I used to love tarte, but can easily pass these days.
MAC: now with their reformulated eyeshadows and blushes. Not for the better either. Changing the shades to where Warm Soul is even different. Done with them.
Urban Decay: too much sameness , too often.
Kat Von D: she seems to have lost interest in her brand and it shows. Sub par collections for a fast money grab.Nothing new and creative. I also think her quality has gone down since she went Vegan. Hope this does not happen to Hourglass in 2020.
When did MAC reformulate their blushes? Did it include the regular (non-mineralize) blush line?
They reformulated their mineralize and they are some of they are buttery smooth and some of the BEST on the market. Their eyeshadows are still some of the best too!
Oh back when they changed the packaging? I have a few but I guess they are all the new formula. I love them.
Tom Ford – I still love the brand but I’m tempered. When I started collecting from him/them, I naively thought the brand was all about eye color creams, foundation, quads, blush and lipstick. It was luxe but minimal and that made it very appealing to me. A lot more variety is offered now (eye shadow singles, liquid lipsticks, patent glosses, etc.) but it doesn’t interest me and collecting from the brand doesn’t have the thrill that it used to for me.
Guerlain – I fell in love with Meteorites Perles and wanted to collect them all but after a few seasonal releases that were meh, I’ve gone back to just re-stocking the permanent perles when I run low.
IMAC – I’m far from falling out of love and as long as I’m into makeup, they will be my HG for all of my staples. But my eyes are more opened, I guess. I get frustrated with shoddy releases from them, but their permanent line is great and I love getting makeovers from them. I like how they support the artistic community with collaborations but it rings hollow when the qaulity is crap. They used to set the industry standard and now . . . maybe they are just among other brands.
Interesting timing for this question. I think I’ve come full circle with makeup in general. I have my HGs and couldn’t possibly “need” anything and after seeing about 4 years of releases and launches, it’s like I’ve seen everything. I know what I like and what works for me and maybe I’m just tempered in general because I have everything I could ever possibly want and need. There’s no more hunt, just raising an eyebrow at a new launch to see (okay sometimes agonize) over if I “should” get it or if I want it. Basically I’m up at the top rung of the bleachers at this point, I’ve got my seat cushion, am all snug in my blanket with a full thermos, full face (OF COURSE) and am sitting back, watching things play out on the field below.
Dangit – how could I mispell MAC?!?!
MAC permanent is where I stay tbh. Their LE collections aren’t as rabid as in the past and not all are bad. Their Snowball collection from this past holiday as well as the Patrick Starr collab have been very good and cohesive!
Pearl, I’m sitting right up there on the bleachers with you! Time for my makeup feeding frenzy to go full-stop. Brakes fully applied. Thought for sure I’d be doing better on my 2018 low-buy than I am. Oh well, time for me to try a little harder. I have way too much as it is, and that’s what I need to tell myself!
Pearl and Nancy T.,
Is is possible to be desensitized to these companies that have fulfilled our love of makeup over the years? I never thought I would just have the “raised eyebrow” feeling instead of excitement with a new release, but I’m with you…. not impressed. Or maybe we are wising up to the money grab from some of these brands. ? My collection is pretty awesome and becoming more pared down to things I truly love and I’m not going to waste money on crappy quality and heavy perfume.
Thanks to Christine, I don’t make bad purchases after the extensive reviews! Whew.
I hear you, Nancy!
Priscilla, I think you might be right – I guess I’m sated (for now, ha!).
Too Faced! Between the gimmicky concepts and the constant releases, I am not interested in them really.
I’m still waiting for ABH to redeem itself from the Subculture debacle. (I got one of the palettes that was unacceptably awful, and I’m still annoyed by their social media responses to complaints.) What would it take for them to redeem themselves? Probably launching the Next Big Trendsetting Palette (the same way MR launched a thousand warm/red/pink palettes) — but I’m hoping for a cohesive assortment of either greens, purples, cool tones, or matte pastels (pretty please!) with fantastic quality.
I can dream! 😉
ABH doesn’t owe anyone anything. Subculture is one of my favorite palettes. Pigmented, cohesive palette that gives some of the most beautiful yet unique looks. It’s really strange how people acted like they kicked a puppy or something. Return the palette if you must but people really overreacted. I mean they will buy every crappy UD release and hardly complain but ABH has a palette they were set to hate and it’s like the ultimate betrayal. Lol
No corporation technically “owes” its customers anything except delivery of the promised good in exchange for payment. At their core, all market exchanges are purely transactional relationships.
However, the incredible profit markup on cosmetics is facilitated by corporations cultivating brand ‘identities’ and relationships with customers that go beyond the purely transactional.
So when brands provide a sub-par product and/or respond poorly to customer concerns, they damage that relationship and their brand identity. MR put ABH on the map, so to speak — sure, they had a successful line of brow products and had released previous palettes, but it was the unusual color combination and excellent shadow formula that pivoted their brand identity from “brow products and some shadows that no one really talks about” to “innovative, reliable makeup company with a must-have product.” That is what makes people willing to shell out $40+ for an ounce of colored powder.
I’m glad you got a great Subculture palette, but many didn’t — and when it failed to meet expectations, ABH blamed its customers for not understanding how to use the product. Calling their customers dumb or unskilled, when many talented makeup artists struggled with application and/or were able to document performance issues, was bad PR and bad business. Period. Their inelegant response understandably damaged customers’ relationship with the brand, perception of the brand, and willingness to trust upcoming releases.
The question Temptalia posed was not “what brands are you able to return for a refund if you don’t care for a product,” but “what brand have you fallen out of love with” — and my perception of ABH as a reliable brand (in terms of both quality and customer service) took a huge hit with the Subculture release.
Honestly, it’s kind of demeaning to assume that everyone who disliked the Subculture palette is willing to let every other brand’s “crappy” releases slide. Have you checked out the website you’re on? It’s full of people who take the time to read in-depth reviews, have wide-ranging experience with makeup, and have plenty of thoughts about other brands’ lackluster releases as well.
(For what it’s worth, I did return mine — but it’s not like they also refunded me the expedited shipping (which I paid for because I’d trusted that they would be sending a quality product).)
It was just soooo bad. Muddy colors! People were just disappointed. I got the prism and it was free and not good.
The biggest one is Too Faced, but I’ve been over them for so long it feels like it almost doesn’t count. ColourPop’s recent festival collection is the first thing I’ve been interested in from them in a LONG time, and Urban Decay hasn’t put out anything of much interest since the Naked Heat collection this summer. Overall though, I’ve lost a lot of my interest in makeup because brands keep churning out sub-par releases and I’m just numb to them now.
I haven’t bought anything from Too Faced in over a year. I just feel like I am not their market and their cutesy packaging and flavour profiles in their products totally turn me off.
Actually now that I think about it I haven’t bought TF in well over a year maybe years!
I completely agree with you. Probably haven’t bought anything from TF in about a year and a half. Between the subpar products, cutesy tweener packaging, and wannabe-risqué names, I think they’ve become ridiculous. Would be nice to see them get back to being good quality products for adults and not all about the stupid packaging.
Also agree with the above poster who said ABH since the Subculture major fail with lack of accountability and apology. I realize they are no longer “all that,” and there are dupes just as good or better.
Tarte may lure me back if they ever stop releasing Fifty (Million) Shades of Brown.
Hmm…good question! There’s a few that due to their inconsistent quality or questionable practices, have my love (or at least “really like” category) for them waning. Tarte is a recent casualty. That whole Shape Tape Foundation debacle was a brand reputation killer. Then there’s Too Faced, recently joined by two of my favorite brands, INSISTENCE on using a seriously allergenic ingredient (sodium saccharin) in their products with NO warning label. Shouldn’t use it at all, IMO. Urban Decay is beginning to get as inconsistent with quality as MAC. What a downer! With MAC, I’m already aware that when they do collabs with non-makeup related people, things tend to come out pretty awful, but their core products are usually excellent. With UD, it’s becoming more common than before, so now they’re keeping pace with MAC. And don’t even get me started on MUFE and that disastrous eyeshadow reformulation that wasn’t even needed!!!?
Agree! MAC used to really excite me with the never ending selection of eyeshadow shades…. Now? I can’t be bothered. MUFE reformulation was a huge misstep for this brand. Urban Decay never really hit the right note with me with the exception of their Vice lipsticks.
I think that I am just too spoiled with the Viseart Shadows. They are my workhorses!
I had to be on a low-buy for some time, and I’m surprised by how many brands I now have no interest in. Tarte (for a plethora of reasons), Bobbi Brown (as bad as MAC with frequent releases and the quality of the products has sharply declined), Laura Mercier (nothing really new), Stila (all about glitter), Lancome (uneven quality), Tom Ford (every product an expensive letdown), and most of the EL brands (all duplicating one another). There are so many great small brands now that I’d rather give my money to someone with fresh ideas than another cookie-cutter conglomerate.
MAC big time. I picked up the two eye shadow palettes from the Padma Lakshmi release and don’t really like either of them much. The shades are so weak and are not buildable. Prior to that I hadn’t purchased anything in over a year.
Lancôme- I had a lot of hope for major innovation when Lisa Eldridge took over as creative director but other than the juicy shakers (I really do love all three formulas) I have not been wowed by anything. My daughter just picked up a sample of the Teint Idole 24 Hour Foundation and we will see if it performs as well for her as for others. She had a hard time finding a color match but that is pretty much a given with her complexion tone. I do still love Lisa though and wonder how much actual say she has in anything.
Too Faced- Just so much wrong with this company. I wish they would get their act together. It is a nice mid-level price point and available in Ulta which more and more people are shopping at rather than Sephora. The potential is so great. I haven’t purchased anything from Too Faced since two holiday’s ago.
Too Faced: I bought the Bon Bons palette after the release because I loved the shades. Now I cringe when I think of those heart shaped eyeshadows. Ouch.
High end: Stila. They’ve gotten boring. They named a product “G*psy” and don’t seem to care that it’s offensive when they’re called out on it. I can’t remember the last time I bought anything from them, and I don’t think I’ll be buying anything in the future.
Tarte is on shaky ground, as well.
DS: I used to be a huge fan of e.l.f., and while I still like them, I’m not loving them like I used to. They’ve discontinued most of my favorite products, raised their prices, and the quality seems more hit and miss.
In order for me to say that I’ve fallen out of love with a brand means that I have tried most of the brand’s products, which is rarely the case as I have some products that I prefer from certain brands. For instance, Guerlain – I love their lipsticks (I have KissKiss Matte and LoveLove and Rouge G and I love them all) but I haven’t tried anything else.
Too Faced – their ESs and face products are a big no for me. The strong fragrance in them makes them unwearable for me (watery eyes instantly). But their lipsticks are acceptable.
Lancôme – I love their juicy shakers (glad that they expand the shade range), their blushes, mascaras and mascara primer. But not so much innovation even though Lisa E is brilliant.
MAC – their LE collections seem to be problematic. Still, I love their products from the permanent line.
Quite a few brands that I use to purchase and now don’t anymore are: Guerlain, Lancome and Dior.
To a certain extent UD – as all their eyeshadows have become either too sparkly/glittery or matte.
Too Faced due to the overwhelming number of cutesy releases. This last release looked promising, but the quality was questionable. The lipstick shades looked great, though.
Lancome, Estée Lauder, and other brands using heavy perfumes in their skincare and makeup lines. I’m just not interested in wearing products with unnecessary fragrance.
Kat Von D. The colors and goth design doesn’t appeal to me. I loved the Shade and Light Eye palette for a long time…..
Bobbi Brown: since she left the brand, its hard to get excited about the line. Quality has declined as well. Hers were my first high end brushes and I was ecstatic to own them. Now they feel scratchy (especially compared to Wayne Goss brushes)!
For all the reasons mentioned or alluded to in other comments, I’m up in the bleachers too, and turning away from:
Tom Ford
Tarte
Laura Mercier
Bobbie Brown
MAC (mostly)
Never was into Too Faced, Stila or Hourglass particularly.
I was really into Lancôme but their eyeshadow formula changed and wasn’t smooth anymore.
Then I liked cargo but Sephora quit carrying it and then Bobbi Brown which some was good but the prices were ridiculous.
Now my makeup looks like the counter at a store and it takes me a hundred steps to put makeup on.
Lancome- nothing new & quality of products seems to be declining
Bobbi Brown- quality declining
Perricone MD- nothing new, smelly product (I can’t handle the blue goo that smells like fish.)
MAC- yawn
I feel like Kat Von D and Urban Decay used to really excite me, but lately they feel like they’re just copying off of their own past successes rather than innovating. Plus both brands have had some major flops (UD’s liquid lipstick, KvD’s reformulation of their lipsticks, lackluster palettes from both) which means I won’t buy anything from them without seeing a review first.
I still love makeup, always will. But I’m weary and disappointed in what seems to be a quantity over quality issue plaguing many brands and indeed many consumer products overall. I’ve also become more aware of my own role and participation in helping to feed this mass consumerism monster; formerly scrambling to be part of the latest greatest.
The upside: I still have many products I love from a wide range of brands and I can sit back with my jaded view post jumping off the treadmill and cherry pick only those products I feel will be loved and used. No sanctimony here as this is my own personal journey.
MAC: I rarely buy LE. Still love permanent line
Tom Ford: I do not think the thought and quality is what it once was for the hefty price price point or I just no longer want to afford the premium.
Nars: visually love their campaigns, but do not find myself buying many products.
MAC definitely. Too many limited edition releases in general and ones that are absolute crap. They’re too hard to keep up with, so I have up a long time ago, lol.
I can’t find any thing from Bobbi Brown I like and Kat Von D and Tarte eyeshadows are subpar. Mac I haven’t bought anything in a long time, there lipliner are dry and scratchy and don’t last at all on the lips and I think there eyeliners are horrible.
Also, Urban decay eyeshadow pallets I have never liked. gave them all away! There formula emphasized my eye wrinkles and I don’t have that many,
MAC – I don’t even know what they are doing any more, not excited
Too Faced – eyeshadow quality went down, too much emphasis on cute impractical packaging, too many releases.
No longer care about the constant bombardment of new releases and countless eyeshadow palettes in general.
Sleek, Smashbox (both so long ago), Bobbi Brown, MAC (though I’d like to try to paint pot in soft ochre, as everyone still talks about it as a good lip primer), and speaking of lid primers, never again will I buy an Urban Decay one (one of my first makeup purchases that started me into this craze!) I find they are hard to use and drying fairly quickly compared to others.
For me, falling out of love with a brand means I used to be excited to see what they had coming out, and now, I no longer am. That’s MAC for me, although they did surprise me for a minute with the 3 new MAC Girls palettes. I love those palettes, and 2 out of the 3 new ones are my kind of thing. I mean, I’ll still buy Fix+ and anything else that catches my eye, but I’m not excited to see what’s new.
Other lines that had disappointing releases, where I had hoped they would be better based on my past experience are Tarte and Nars, but not so much that I would say I have fallen out of love.
I haven’t bought too much Kat Von D (I haven’t really been able to afford much above drugstore brands before I got my job last year), but I like seeing what she comes out with. I’m still annoyed by her discontinuing Thin Lizzy during the Studded Kiss reformulation-that’s as close as I’ve come to falling out of love.
Kat Von D – used to be really into the brand but as I’ve grown older I wear less colour in my makeup looks and so the brand doesn’t appeal as much
Lime Crime – I’ve bought products from them and have consistently been disappointed; it seems they’re more concerned with aesthetics over quality
Too Faced – never actually bought a product from them but seeing Christine’s reviews has assured me that I don’t want to!
Urban Decay – similar to KvD; also their recent releases just bore me and they’re not introducing anything exciting any more
Too Faced. They were one of the first makeup brands I ever tried and I’ve loved them for a long time, but a ton of low-quality releases and weird gimmicks have put me off. Not to mention awful customer service when ordering from their website.
I’ve also totally lost interest in Mac, their limited edition collections seem so hit or miss and any excitement over collecting their lipsticks from my early days has died as brands like Urban Decay have revamped their lines.