Urban Decay Eyeshadow — whatever they’re pushing towards in more recent palettes is less consistent than their previous formulas, but it feels less and less modern to me when comparing it to other brands pushing out better eye products.
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American sunscreens. Even with so much pushing from politicians the FDA can’t seem to get its act together to approve modern sunscreen chemicals. Also, why do sunscreens made for the American market have to be an oil slick, even mineral ones? Attention manufacturers – some of us wear sunscreen when not at the beach! Why can’t we have lightweight non-oily formulations like Asia? Not all of us sweat excessively all the time and need to be coated like a bullfrog in slime.
“Not all of us sweat excessively all the time and need to be coated like a bullfrog in slime.”
That made my day. ?
While we’re at it, can we reformulate US skincare? I don’t need 9000 essential oils, fragrance, and whatever kitchen sink fad materials thrown in!
Yes, exactly. That stuff is irritating and that causes damage even if you can’t see it which causes aging! Also fragrance in cleanser burns my eyes! I have oily eyelids so I have to thoroughly cleanse to prevent styes per my opthamalagist even if not wearing makeup and any little bit of fragrance burns.
If there’s a petition for fragrance free and no essential oils, I’ll sign it. 😆
But as an European living in US, trust me European skincare and bodycare has tons of fragrance and essential oils are regarded as ingredients with benefits. In US is way easier to find clean formulas, body wash, lotions or shampoo without fragrance were so hard to find in Europe.
And Asian skincare has often alcohol denatured. Which I understand it might be good in their climate… but it’s a no for me.
I definitely love the alcohol-containing formulas for summer, when my skin is normal-to-oily and the climate where I live is humid, but I have non-alcohol Asian sunscreens now for winter, which are just lightly creamy and won’t make my skin peel. Then I have much more hydrating, but still not oil-slick-territory mineral sunscreens from Burn Out. Those are lower SPF PA than the Asian ones, but don’t have fragrance, which some, but not all, of the Asian ones do
If you don’t need a lot of water resistance, Blue Lizard Face Spf 30+ isn’t super thick and uses a mix of mineral and chemical spf. It’s not comparable to Asian spf but it’s like a lotion–definitely not oily. Elta MD would also be another to brand to check out but the price point is a bit higher.
Thanks for the recommendation! Just added the Blue Lizard to my Amazon wishlist.
Yes! My sentiments exactly!
This is so well said and completely true.
Even so, why haven’t they caught on to this like BB and CC creams? Frustrating and I hate seeing benzyl alcohol in top ingredients. And no, spf 15 isn’t high enough! And regular spf they put tear free on everything; not it is NOT! Most don’t protect as they state, just look at Consumer Reports new tests. I’m super pale and live in the desert and have a pool, so yes, I do notice when your spf 50 is like spf 10! I have put on spf 50 or 70 every single time I have gone in the sun this year and I have a tan and I’m like naturally nw10/nw15.
I actually do sweat excessively all the time, and would like for sunscreen to be able to withstand perspiration without running into my eyes and mouth. The only one I’ve tried that didn’t do that (as much) was incredibly waxy/greasy; when I wore it to cycle and walk around for hours, I would come home with a bunch of debris stuck to my face. On more than one occasion, insects collided with me…and were unable to fly away.
I will highly recommend layering SPF with a mate SPF primer. Even when I go hiking and wear no make-up, I apply Paula’s Choice Smoothing Primer. Because it’s a primer, it kind of locks things in, so sweat seems not to rub SPF that much. I live in California and I can tell when SPF runs of. I also tested this with the Hourglass Mineral Veil, but it’s not as efficient.
I have eaten more than my share of bugs while biking! (Gnats are especially spicy/tangy >.<) I definitely agree that more occlusive sunscreens have their place for exercising and swimming, so they stay on longer, but there are virtually no inexpensive sunscreens on the American market that aren't formulated specifically for swimming/outdoor activity, even though they don't say so. It would be great if they distinguished between everyday wear in an office and something suitable for running, biking, and swimming, because there just isn't the need for something to be water resistant for 90 minutes when you are just going from your house to your car to your office.
Yesss, so well said!!!
Have you tried La Roche-Posay, Paula’s Choice or MDSolarSciencesMineral SPFs? I really found formulas I love in these brands, it’s a personal opinion, but I much prefer them to Asian formulas. Give or take that La Roche-Posay is European, but you can buy it even at Target.
I do have the La Roche Posay! Sadly, European sunscreens sold in the US don’t have the same formulations as those sold in the EU, because they cannot have sunscreens not approved here. So anything chemical based sold here is way out of date in terms of the technology. I also get skin irritation from US chemical sunscreens. I generally stick to mineral formulations if I have to buy an American one, or I will go with chemical or hybrid if I am buying from Asia. Since I go through a lot, my price limit is generally the $18 or so I pay for 2.5 oz of Burn Out, which is still really pricey. That is like $8 for a single full body application! This is part of why I never go in the sun, haha.
I use and like Neutrogena UltraSheer Face and Body Stick sunscreen-it goes on maybe a touch thick at first, but it isn’t greasy (at least on me-YMMV) and absorbs quickly.
I literally JUST said to a friend yesterday that UD’s eyeshadows feel so early 2000’s to me. So sheer that all the colors look alike, so stiff.
Yes. I was looking at older photos of myself when I was first just starting with real makeup looks and I remember having so much trouble, but I really do think part of that was because of UD’s formula! It feels so stiff and chunky to me now!!
Very unpopular opinion, but for me Naked Smoky was the best Naked palette, would wish that formula in all their eyeshadow. Still, the more glittery shades were still the worse in the palette; but mattes and satins were amazing.
Too Faced *flavored* products! ALL. OF. THEM.
Sure, other brands are guilty of adding the artificial sweetener sodium saccharine, too, but nowhere near the level that Too Faced does! Problem is, many individuals have an allergy to sulfas, and that’s precisely what sodium saccharine is. I am one of the many who have this allergy. Mine is fairly severe. Using one of much beloved, very beautiful Chocolate Bar line of palettes could land me in the Opthalmologist office. Obviously, I know better than to use it, but how about all the millions who are unaware of this ingredient being in an eyeshadow palette, a lipgloss, etc. and wind up having a serious reaction to it? Or perhaps someone who doesn’t even know yet that they themselves have a sulfa allergy? I will always come out against the use of this dangerous ingredient in cosmetics.
Is that food? I don’t understand why they would put food in cosmetics…
If one considers an artificial sweetener as being a food, then yes it is. In actuality, it was originally used as a sugar substitute for diabetes way back in the 60’s, later used in diet soft drinks, sugar-freecandies, Jello and such, also in liquid or packets that one could add to their coffee or tea. I totally agree with you, Cameron. Food doesn’t belong in our cosmetics.
I never sure artificial sweeteners were put in ANY makeup. How bizarre!
Wow! I didn’t know sweeteners were sulfas! I’m really lucky I didn’t inherit my grandma’s terrible allergy to them
Hi Polishedhippy, as far as I know, ONLY saccharine is a sulfa. I’m not sure about sucralose or aspertame, though. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t want to see either of those artificial sweeteners used in cosmetics, either. All three of these that I mentioned have their own individual health impacts for anyone susceptible to such.
I agree with you completely, Nancy. I don’t need my makeup smelling like chocolates and peaches. I’ve actually seen YouTubers taste the eyeshadow and say it was pretty good. Yuck. I didn’t know about the sodium saccharine and sulfa allergies connection. I’m very allergic to sulfa. Glad the smell has kept me away from Too Faced products. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
First, any makeup brand that uses sodium saccharine in any of its products should either stop using it (the ideal) or at least put a warning on the product in big bold letters, so consumers can make informed choices.
Second, my body’s very weird on the sulfa allergy front-I’m allergic to Bactrim, a particular brand of sulfa pill, and haven’t taken any sulfa pills since, but I can eat and drink things with saccharine (Sweet ‘n Low) in them and AFAIK wear makeup with sodium saccharine in it and not have any problems with either the food or the makeup. The only way I can make sense of that is to guess that the pills have a much higher concentration of sodium saccharine than food or makeup does and my body reacts badly to the high concentration, but not the lower ones.
Urban Decay eyeshadows would be a big one for me, too. CoverGirl blushes — I tried some recently from a few different lines for old times’ sake, and boy, have they gotten bad. I ended up decluttering them all. E.l.f.’s mascaras. They’re not great, unless you’re into a very natural look.
I do not like UD eyeshadows at all, dry and chalky.
Ditto Urban Decay – their recent reformulations of the Naked line have been pretty much rubbish over the past few years. It’s time they got back to their A game.
Another brand is bareMinerals. I have lots of their older quads and Ready eyeshadow 8 pans when the brand was stellar. It’s pretty average now.
For a third brand – Colour Pop – no more glittery, non eye safe colours please!
Can we ask for brushes to be reformulated? ? And by that go to the old formula.
I don’t know what Sephora and MAC did to their brushes, but the ones I have from 4-5 years ago are way better than the current selection, even with the same name. I’m taking very good care of my 6 years old 217… the new one doesn’t even compare.
Good to know about the Sephora Collection brushes. I absolutely love them. Glad I have multiples, but I’ll treat them well since they can’t be replaced now. ?
MAC switched from natural hair to synthetic. I don’t know about Sephora.
Urban Decay eyeshadow does need to be reformulated. I’d like to see Make Up For Ever eyeshadows reformulated to their original formulation. Tom Ford blushes…please bring back their original formulation too.
I so much agree about the MUFE shadows.
Urban Decay eyeshadows for sure! I love their Naked Heat palette. It’s good quality and consistent. I also like their Born to Run formula. However, it seems like on the whole they are consistently inconsistent with the eyeshadow formula. They are an OG holy grail brand that has definitely lost a step or two in the makeup world in recent years. Would love to see them reinvigorate the brand and get their edge back.
I think some of the Colourpop eyeshadow palettes need to be reformulated. The brand is fantastic at coming up with beautiful color stories, but they push palettes out so fast that the performance of the shadows is lacking sometimes. I was especially disappointed with the Just My Luck palette. A few of the shades are nice, but most of them are so patchy and hard to blend.