What drugstore beauty brand needs a makeover?
Probably Revlon, since they’ve been around for a long time but I feel like they have the weakest offerings among the big drugstore brands (like Maybelline, L’Oreal, etc.).
— Christine
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I’d say Cover Girl, Revlon and Maybelline. Cover Girl because they hardly have any presence at all on the shelves here in Canada. From time to time, I’ll try to look for some product of theirs that I’ve read about and seen good reviews for and it’s impossible to find and their displays themselves are quite literally, it seems, bottom shelf (and it’s hard even to see what products they have unless I’m willing to scrabble around on the floor!). Revlon for the reasons you stated, Christine And both Revlon and Maybelline have, in past, had really good products that in their misguided-ness, they have discontinued, sometimes replacing them with “newer” products that are of far worse quality!
Cover Girl, for some reason then, is just not catering to or selling in the Canadian market. It has gotten a complete makeover in the last year here in the US. They even changed their slogan. No more easy breezy beautiful Cover Girl. Now it’s “I am what I make up.”
Revlon’s newer releases have been modernized, I think they just need better PR/advertising.
Rimmel is the one that feels really outdated. Some of the products are great, but they could use packaging updates. This has led me to discovering the new Stay Matte Loose Powder, though, and I’m definitely checking that out!
Agreed with Revlon, though rather than a makeover in the sense of image, some better quality products would be nice.
I would have said L’oreal a couple of years back, but I like quite a few of their products now (obsessed with their infallible gel pencil liners, both the lip and eye, though they might be UK only).
We have those pencils in the US too! Revlon is kind of all over the place, imo, and needs to develop cohesive lines and marketing strategies. They used to have that with PhotoReady and ColorStay, but they’re losing their way.
Almay! Everything about their products is terrible — quality, pigmentation, packaging — and I’ve vowed to never buy anything else of theirs.
Also, while I generally love Nyx, they need to stop putting out so many confusing lines of similar looking and sounding products.
I agree about NYX duping their own products, especially lip colors.
Covergirl for sure. Their quality has been so poor that I never consider them anymore.
So agree about Revlon, but I love some of their nail polishes (like Valentine — I’m on my umpteenth bottle — good stuff).
Almay. Nothing they release looks interesting and the few things I have picked up have been terrible with the pigmentation. I think their packaging is boring too.
I agree with you on Revlon too. They have some of the best lipsticks out there and yet no one talks about them. Their original line of nail polish is great too.
I agree about Revlon. They were my favorite brand and I remember when they had these well curated limited edition collections back in the the late 90s/early 2000s. They were fantastic with great quality. They had 4 a year to correspond w the season. Maybe an extra for the holiday but I was obsessed bc they saved their unique colors for these collections. I think once they changed creative directors, they went downhill. Now they rarely release anything unique or must have.
Otherwise I’d say Almay or Neutrogena. They are just brands I’m surprised are still around. Given all that’s released by brands so they still keep in the game, I’m surprised they haven’t folded long ago and tbh I’d sacrifice them from my stores so they are replaced with LA Girl,Milani , Jordana, Essence since those brands are releasing good stuff and aren’t in every location and can be hard to find at times!
Almay is probably the best example of one that needs a makeover but sadly, it’s SO OFF the radar that I forgot about it entirely! I’m not even sure that Almay could be made over…
I remember when Almay was quite an innovative brand… They were the first to do a “cushion foundation” back in 2004, along with a few other unique items. This was, of course, before social media took hold, but I think that if they took a step back, listen to what people want (ie, solid shade ranges, which they’ve done in the past, as well as with some newer products), they can reinvent themselves.
They’ve actually been doing some of that…a newer foundation with a better (although not great) shade range and some trendier product. But it seems like zero advertising/PR so no one knows unless they browse the drugstore or check that New Arrivals section on Ulta.com regularly like me.
I’m the same way when it comes to stalking the DS aisles, LOL! I’m fortunate enough to have a CVS with a really good cosmetics department across the street from my daughters class, so I have time to do so every week. I’ve been using the Almay Best Blend Forever, and I do really like it. It is a bit too yellow, but I can still make it work. This one also has a pretty decent shade range, even on the deeper end, considering the SPF 40. I believe Almay’s parent is Revlon, and I do wish both brands would step up their PR.
OMG, I used to live for Revlon’s curated seasonal collections. L’oreal did them too.
Both had fantastic collections and the quality was there. Pigmentation, textures, colors all on point. I miss them actually
I second Revlon. And the new Flesh line isn’t the answer. The names of the products are off-putting, and the packaging looks cheap for the price. Nothing in the line seems new or innovative. I went into Ulta recently for the new Lorac palette and found that Flesh has replaced Lorac. Tried to get myself to just look at the products since I was there. I love makeup but I couldn’t muster even a little interest. I loved Linda Wells as head of Allure but wow is this one a misfire. Maybe it’s just that as a 40 something I’m not the target demographic?
Shelley, I have to agree with you about Flesh. I don’t like the brand name, or the individual names and that packaging does look cheap.
I’m with you on the Flesh line. The naming really offends me — it feels demeaning, and even after a few weeks since the launches, I’m still feeling strongly about it.
Almay, Covergirl, Rimmel. I like Revlon’s new campaign “Live boldly” and they’ve come up lately with some good lip & eye products. Their PR should be ramped up and they should put forward more their new beauty ambassadors (Gal Gadot from “Wonder Woman” is among them). I have their Colorstay Creme ES in Praline that I bought following a recommendation from Lisa Eldridge and I love it.
Revlon, and everything that has Revlon as their parent company! Including; Almay (it’s on life support, for crying out loud) and their new semi-HE brand Flesh. Revlon Corp. used to be a much more interesting group of brands. Almay actually used to have some of my favorite DS products for eyeshadow, mascara and lipstick back before maybe (?) 2005 or just before. Very nice eyeshadow quads and a few lipsticks that I went through multiples of! Revlon Colorstay lipsticks were my JAM in the 90’s. What on earth happened to these brands once fabulous products?!?
(Flesh is just a “trying to hard to be the cool girl” brand for my tastes)
I rocked Revlon’s gold lipstick in the late 80s, they used to be the trend leaders. And I can’t get behind Flesh, if they were going to try going HE again then they should’ve just resurrected Ultima II and gone for the nostalgia effect.
Yes! The gold Moondrops lipstick was a favorite of mine, too, JDV! Especially since back then I wore my hair with heavy blonde hi-lights.
Resurrecting Ultima II would have been fantastic! Just HE enough for my ex to exclaim: “we can’t afford that shiny skin lotion, Nan!” LOL
Revlon’s Super Lustrous lip stick in Fire and Ice is one of my favorites. I also enjoy those lip powder palettes they put out recently. They look pretty and prolong wear time as lip toppers
OMG, please don’t get me started on Ultima II! It was one of my first prestige brand love. Their Nakeds line, produced by none other than Kevin Aucoin, was ahead of its time. I’m a NC-42 and was so happy to find colors that suited my skin tone perfectly. I also remember that they had a super matte line too. Was it called “Powerderfuls” or am I thinking about another brand?
I think it was in the mid 90’s when they moved from department stores to JC Penneys and the “high end” section of Thrift Drug stores. I knew then it was only a matter of time before the brand disappeared entirely.
I feel like the last time Revlon had a major hit was Lip Butters around 2012.
I miss those Revlon ColorStay lipsticks… I had just about every shade, LOL! I still have several of them in my “nostalgia” bin; I’ve pulled a few recently, and they still swatch like they’re brand new! I was waitressing at the time, and they held up so well. Between the “staying power”, and the shade range, they were truly HG for me. I never tried the new iteration, as the shades didn’t appeal to me, so I don’t know if the formula was the same…
Yep! Same here, Amy. Not only held up like nothing else at that time, but they were comfortable, too! Went through several tubes of Sienna and a few of that shimmery warm brown shade, Coffee(?), I think it was called.
I LOVED Coffee Bean back in the day!!!!
I completely agree with you, Christine. Revlon really needs help. I have recently tried their pore filling primer on the advice of Thataylaa and didn’t find it to be anything special and really didn’t fill my pores. I have used their eye shadows and find them to be the worst of drug store makeup. Nothing is very appealing when I look at their products on the shelf. I think they need a complete overhaul.
The only Cover Girl products that I use are the mascara’s and the Super Sizer is my HG mascara. Even if I use other mascara’s I always finish with SS in the waterproof formula as I have hooded eyes so I don’t want mascara migration.
Out of all the drugstore brands I use the most from Milani, Elf, NYX and L’Oreal.
Deborah, I need to try the Super Sizer as I have hooded eyes also. I tried Rimmel Scandal Eyes in the big bold bright orange tube it sure is scandalous. Lol! and am liking it actually the bristle is big and separated it does make my lashes grow. That and Princess mascaras are my favorites right now. Thanks for mentioning it! 🙂
I have tried so many mascara’s over the years from high end to drugstore and sometimes they seem to work well for a few days and then they will give me raccoon eyes and I end up going back to CGSS. I am pretty sure I have tried the Rimmel Scandal Eyes but not 100% sure. I will have to pick it up and give it another try. I don’t think that the Super Sizer does much for volume but I get pretty good lengthening from it. I primarily like it because once I apply it it doesn’t budge on my eyes. I do tend to use it in conjunction with other mascara’s that give me volume.
Almay, Neutrogena, Rimmel, and Revlon. I like very few of any of their products, and none of them are really on my radar any more.
Most DS brands need need a makeover on their eyeshadows (better formulations) and foundations (color and undertone range).
Neutrogena that’s who I was thinking about and forgot to add to my comment . They really need a makeover! Dull boring products
Neutrogena is more about complexion products, so I don’t actually expect much from them in the way of anything else. That said, given their focus is on complexion products, they can put more into expanding their shade range, and even expand their formulas, and kickstart all the other DS brands to do the same.
Almay. They’ve seemed lost lately. I wore their lengthening mascara for years, was bummed when they discontinued it, so I guess I’ve had hopes they’d get back on track.
I’d say Covergirl and Revlon.
I’d go with Revlon too. I don’t think they have the weakest product line, that distinction belongs to Almay and Neutrogena. I won’t go there about those more obscure brands that only carry a handful of products, which just seem to sit untouched on the shelves.
Revlon and Loreal have always been my drugstore faves and it saddens me to see them falling off. I still buy Revlon Lustrous lipsticks, which are some of the best in the industry. I remember Revlon’s incredibly striking ads from the 90’s, which looked better than Dior and Lancome’s. They always had some of the most beautiful actresses as spokesmodels: Halle Berry, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Eva Mendes, Emma Stone, Olivia Wilde and Gal Gadot.
But lately, even though they’ve been trying to release innovative products, it seems like they’re not catching on with consumers. I hope they can redeem themselves.
I’d hate to see them go the way of Max Factor.
Revlon went downhill when they changed creative directors circa 2005? The ad campaigns with Cindy Crawford and Halle Berry were everything. I used to hang them on my bedroom wall as a teen. I was all about Revlon and Max Factor until the mid 2000s. Max Factor is gone and Revlon isn’t what they used to be!
Max Factor was forced out of the North American market by Proctor & Gamble. P&G have owned CoverGirl for years, and when they purchased MF, they made the choice to keep CG here. To be completely honest, I don’t know if they did it by choice, to eliminate competition, or if it was a requirement in order for the sale to go through. Both MF & CG dominated DS sales, so together it may have appeared to be unfair to other brands.
Definitely Revlon, apart from a couple of products, their standards are woeful and I never buy anything from them now. They are so overpriced here in Aus and hardly ever offer anything that is decent.
Almay never quite hits the mark with color and product selection. I haven’t brought anything from them in years.
I wonder why Revlon doesn’t bring back their lip butters (or whatever they were called). I remember they were all the rage like seven years ago and there’s still people pining over them now
Almay. They went super Aryan Nation with that campaign a few seasons back (during trump’s election campaign, no less) in 2016 called ‘The American Look’. It featured Carrie Underwood and the darkest shade in the range was a mid-tone bisque. The controversy around it was well-deserved and then some. It was terrible. I can appreciate that they’ve spent 2 years back-pedaling, but it’s too little, too late. They can keep their terrible product and equally terrible pr/marketing. They’re literally dead in the water, just turn off the life support, unplug and pour that money into revitalizing the Revlon end which actually does have decent products.
It’s not just about products and whether they’re good or not anymore. It’s also company practices and ethics. When the two misfire, game over.
Revlon. While they are on the right track with some new products, they don’t seem to have a clear idea who their customer is. If they want to diversify and have a younger line and one more appropriate for a working woman, they can do that too but they need to have a greater brand identity.
Almay. They have been trying to suddenly capture the trendier market by increasing shade range in the new foundation, having glittery holographic products, and using the new logo. But they could probably benefit from a makeover a LOT.
Rimmel. They need to bring the cool London edge back to their image. That’s what their claim to fame is, and it’s missing.
Neutrogena. Do they want to stay in the color cosmetics business? Maybe they should just do skin makeup and sell it in the skincare aisle, where they’re doing great. Because their makeup…not so much.