Most Disappointing Products of 2020
For me, disappointment isn’t always just because a product is a failure; it can be something that has high expectations and ends up so-so, too, which is why you’ll find a mix of ratings (though they definitely skew lower!). In a way, I’ve become more accustomed to Urban Decay palettes being more of a let-down, but it is still a little heartbreaking to find so many of their releases on this list! Giorgio Armani’s Daybreak might be the worst-looking lip product of all time.
I’ll also call out that while I selected just one shade, these formulas were flops: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Bronzer, ColourPop Creme Shadows, and Wayne Goss Eye Kohls.
Most Disappointing Products | 2020
Melt Cosmetics Millennial Pinx 10-Pan Eyeshadow Palette ($58.00 for 0.66 oz.) is a new palette featuring a mix of shimmers and mattes. The mattes were...
Melt Cosmetics Millennial Pinx 10-Pan Eyeshadow Palette ($58.00 for 0.66 oz.) is a new palette featuring a mix of shimmers and mattes. The mattes were...
Urban Decay Stoned Vibes Eyeshadow Palette ($54.00 for 0.36 oz.) contains two matte eyeshadows (and Antidote is not the same as the Antidote released...
Urban Decay Stoned Vibes Eyeshadow Palette ($54.00 for 0.36 oz.) contains two matte eyeshadows (and Antidote is not the same as the Antidote released...
Urban Decay Naked Ultraviolet Eyeshadow Palette ($49.00 for 0.36 oz.) includes a mix of warmer, peachy neutrals with lavender to purple hues. The...
Urban Decay Naked Ultraviolet Eyeshadow Palette ($49.00 for 0.36 oz.) includes a mix of warmer, peachy neutrals with lavender to purple hues. The...
Fenty Beauty Pastel Frost (8) Snap Shadows Mix & Match Eyeshadow Palette ($25.00 for 0.21 oz.) is a new, permanent all-shimmer palette that proved...
Fenty Beauty Pastel Frost (8) Snap Shadows Mix & Match Eyeshadow Palette ($25.00 for 0.21 oz.) is a new, permanent all-shimmer palette that proved...
Wayne Goss Pearl Moonstone The Luxury Eye Palette ($55.00 for 0.57 oz.) is a new, permanent palette that launches November 18th at 10AM PT. It...
Wayne Goss Pearl Moonstone The Luxury Eye Palette ($55.00 for 0.57 oz.) is a new, permanent palette that launches November 18th at 10AM PT. It...
Urban Decay Wired Pressed Pigment Palette ($39.00 for 0.40 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette that includes six eyeshadows and four pressed...
Urban Decay Wired Pressed Pigment Palette ($39.00 for 0.40 oz.) is a new, limited edition palette that includes six eyeshadows and four pressed...
Charlotte Tilbury Tan (3) Airbrush Bronzer ($55.00 for 0.56 oz.) is a medium brown with moderate, warm yellow undertones and a matte finish. It had...
Charlotte Tilbury Tan (3) Airbrush Bronzer ($55.00 for 0.56 oz.) is a medium brown with moderate, warm yellow undertones and a matte finish. It had...
Tom Ford Beauty Risk Lip Spark ($55.00 for 0.1 oz.) is a muted, deeper burgundy with neutral-to-cool undertones and a sprinkling of lighter pink and...
Tom Ford Beauty Risk Lip Spark ($55.00 for 0.1 oz.) is a muted, deeper burgundy with neutral-to-cool undertones and a sprinkling of lighter pink and...
NARS Claudette Powder Blush Duo ($45.00 for 0.77 oz.) is a new, limited edition blush duo that has one of the firmest/stiffest textures I've had the...
NARS Claudette Powder Blush Duo ($45.00 for 0.77 oz.) is a new, limited edition blush duo that has one of the firmest/stiffest textures I've had the...
Huda Beauty Rose Pastel Obsessions Palette ($29.00 for 0.21 oz.) is the kind of palette that makes you hopeful but a part of you knows that it's...
Huda Beauty Rose Pastel Obsessions Palette ($29.00 for 0.21 oz.) is the kind of palette that makes you hopeful but a part of you knows that it's...
NARS Anais Audacious Sheer Matte Lipstick ($34.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a very light, pink-coral with moderate, warm undertones and a matte finish. The...
NARS Anais Audacious Sheer Matte Lipstick ($34.00 for 0.14 oz.) is a very light, pink-coral with moderate, warm undertones and a matte finish. The...
Melt Cosmetics Ghost with the Most Ultra Matte Lipstick ($19.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a medium-dark olive green with muted, warm undertones and a matte...
Melt Cosmetics Ghost with the Most Ultra Matte Lipstick ($19.00 for 0.12 oz.) is a medium-dark olive green with muted, warm undertones and a matte...
Wayne Goss Blue Sapphire Eye Kohl Pencil ($14.00 for 0.04 oz.) is a darker, navy blue with strong, cool undertones and a flat, matte finish. It had...
Wayne Goss Blue Sapphire Eye Kohl Pencil ($14.00 for 0.04 oz.) is a darker, navy blue with strong, cool undertones and a flat, matte finish. It had...
ColourPop Bronco Crème Shadow ($8.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a light-medium, peachy yellow with strong, warm undertones and a flat, matte finish. It had...
ColourPop Bronco Crème Shadow ($8.00 for 0.13 oz.) is a light-medium, peachy yellow with strong, warm undertones and a flat, matte finish. It had...
Giorgio Armani Daybreak (201) Ecstasy Lacquer ($38.00 for 0.2 oz.) is a deep brown with moderate, warm undertones and a glossy, cream finish. It...
Giorgio Armani Daybreak (201) Ecstasy Lacquer ($38.00 for 0.2 oz.) is a deep brown with moderate, warm undertones and a glossy, cream finish. It...
Glossover Averages
Your Year in Review: Worst Products Edition
I thought it would be interesting to read through how readers used products throughout the year, what favorites emerged, what products fell by the wayside… so, if you want to join in, copy and paste the questions below and add your answers via a comment!
- Did you have any product misses in the past year?
- Did you declutter any products this year due to quality?
- What was your biggest product disappointment this past year?
SUQQU eyeshadows – they don’t last for more than 3 hours. I don’t really know what to do with it, the powders are fine and looks nice for the first hour. Maybe for coffee run glory?
SUQQU eyelash curler – had high hope and it was incredibly hard to use.
I bought Selfridge annual global shipment to buy SUQQU products and so far, every single one was a disappointment. I’ll give it another try maybe later in 2021 for its most famous blush products.
Clinique & Hourglass brushes – read good reviews about them on Sephora and bought… well, should’ve just invested in Sonia G or Wayne Goss from the get go. Again, I don’t really know what to do with them, they are okay but I probably won’t use them again.
Luckily, I bought little and most was skin care. I abandoned my fondness for UD eyeshadow and redirected to Viseart and Natasha Denona in the classics but few of those.
I’ve worn much less makeup this year.
I missed the review for Daybreak, so I was like how bad could it be? Christine, I looked just now and let out an enormous gasp. I think you’re right- this may be the worst lip product of all time! How oh how could this have ever gotten through any quality review????
Did you have any product misses in the past year? Just one! I decided to buy Maybelline’s Copper Charge lipstick – boy was that a mistake. It looked pale and barely there on my lips. So I tossed it.
Did you declutter any products this year due to quality? Yes, I did do a bit of declutter this year of older palettes – bareMinerals the playlist, a natio golden eyeshadow palette and a few singles that I have had for quite awhile and were starting to look a bit dodgy. I really want to get rid of Vice 2, but there are a few shades that I love and still use – like Ambush, Radar, Derailed and Damaged. I can’t depot them unfortunately. I also got rid of a few lipsticks that were down to their last bits too.
What was your biggest product disappointment this past year? I didn’t really have one at all, thanks to this blog.
Personally, I thought that UD and Colour Pop were the most disappointing brands this year – CP with all their hurried releases, PET glitter and so so formulas in a lot of their eye palettes.
Did you have any product misses in the past year? For product quality? No, because of your reviews, I feel as if me and my wallet have been spared many, many times over. But a miss because I was expecting something I didn’t quite get? Oh yeah! When I bought the UR A QT Palette by CP, I was expecting a much cooler lilac themed color story than what I received. For months I just couldn’t get myself to like it. Not until I began using it with OTHER palettes or singles did I begin to appreciate it as a great auxiliary palette.
Did you declutter any products this year due to quality? I cannot recall, this year went by in a dizzying blur set on slow motion, so I don’t remember.
What was your biggest product disappointment this past year? That I purchased: CP Ur A QT Palette. That was produced and reviewed here? Wayne Goss Moonstone Pearl Palette. Damn. That one could have been a gem! Also, those gawdawful Nars Audacious Sheer Mattes! Man, they made your lips look like you’d been wandering out in the Sahara without enough water! Those are so baaaad!
Oh, and GA Daybreak because hey it’s 2020. Might as well have lips reminiscent of a petri dish with semi coagulated blood, right?
I absolutely love my Wayne Goss palette, liners and limited edition Nars blush duo.
That’s ok. Christine’s word isn’t gospel. I often disagree with her review. Take UD Stoned Vibes. I have thoroughly enjoyed and thought her review was overly harsh. Even looking at responses here, their answers aren’t based off of personal experience but what Christine wrote. Too each their own but everyone has different experiences and we all don’t like or dislike the same things. If you enjoyed something, that’s great. I know many people who enjoyed that NARS blush duo. I generally dislike Colourpop but many rave about them. That’s life 😉
Erica, you’re the voice of reason! I couldn’t agree with you more.
Beth, me too. I love both my Wayne Goss palettes and eye liners. I also have no issue picking up product on the Nars blush Claudette duo. I do use an goat hair brush (not dyed) with the blush. Glad you like it too.
Did you have any product misses in the past year? Oh of course. Pat McGrath Fetish Eyes is a terrible mascara. Flaked, smudged and smells cloying. Also bought the Moschino X Sephora laptop palette bc Theresa is Dead raved about it. It was terrible. I didn’t have too many misses since I’m using a lot of products up and bought mostly what I truly wanted!
Did you declutter any products this year due to quality? I decluttered ABH Soft Glam. Not bc it’s poor quality but rather it just falls flat on me. Same thing with the Kaja Bento Eyeshadow Trio in Chocolate Dahlia. It’s fine but it doesn’t really pop on me!
What was your biggest product disappointment this past year? The Pat McGrath mascara. Haven’t had such a terrible mascara in a long time…bleck!
Did you have any product misses in the past year? Yes.
*Melt 420 Palette: Most of the shades have almost no pigment, and they don’t blend. So disappointing, because the color story is really cool. I’m so mad I wasted so much money on it. The hazel green shade and the dark brown are the only shades I like, and they aren’t the reason I bought the palette.
*UD Wired: I’m glad I got it really cheap. Most of the shades are trash as eyeshadows. They ruined Chaos, my favorite blue in the original form. I’m going to try using this as an cake eyeliner palette using my trusty Inglot Duraline. If not, I’ll DIY modify it into a magnetic palette, because I do like the packaging.
*P/Y/T Beauty Everyday Powder Blush in Exhale: Another item I’m glad I got at a good discount. The color is really light, but buildable and very pretty. Unfortunately, this blush is incredibly powdery. Worse than any drug store blush I’ve used. I’ll use it up, but I would not repurchase.
*UD Ultraviolet: I got it for $10 due to a glitch on the store’s website, and it’s fine for that price. I don’t hate the palette, but the quality could have been better. As a purple lover and long-time UD fan, I was among those who wanted more mauvey neutrals and old quality vivid purples in it. UD let us down.
Did you declutter any products this year due to quality? Yes. I decluttered a ton of eyeshadow palettes, mostly cool-toned budget ones that went muddy on me, plus some older Sigma formula palettes that just didn’t last on my eyes.
What was your biggest product disappointment this past year? Melt 420 Palette
I think I would buy UD ultraviolet if it was cheap or I could use Boots points.
Did you have any product misses in the past year? It Cosmetics ByeBye Foundation Powder was unwearable. I was unable to swatch it but I guessed right on the color. The issue was how much it emphasized the texture of my skin and gave me polka dot pores. The E.L.F. Airbrush Blender Brush was so rough that it’s been repurposed for household cleaning.
Did you declutter any products this year due to quality? The ByeBye Foundation Powder went to Project Beauty Share along with an Ulta Adjustable Coverage Foundation and the Beauty Bakerie Do It For The Graham palette. The quality of the last two was not bad but the Ulta foundation was a strange shade of pink and the palette was similar to others I already owned and not a better version of them.
What was your biggest product disappointment this past year? My HG Purito sunscreen was tested independently and found to have an SPF of around 19, not 50. It worked so beautifully under makeup and was easy to find and not expensive.
Did you have any product misses in the past year? Just an essence from the K-beauty brand a’pieu
Did you declutter any products this year due to quality? Not really, most of the declutter I did this year was just for redundancy, thankfully.
What was your biggest product disappointment this past year? I just tried a sample packet of one of the new-ish Becca liquid highlighters; the product itself is not terrible, but the scent really just put me off. I don’t know why a cheek product would have such a strong scent.
I really didn’t not buy a lot this year, and everything I have tried are good quality wise. And since I got products from subscription boxes, I got to try quite a few things. In my experience, most products nowadays are good, they might just be different and require different technique. And in the end, it all comes down to your preference and expectation. I personally still prefer satin than something super pigmented when it comes to eyeshadow and blush, so I still actually quite enjoy the palettes from Urban Decay. If I don’t like a base product, I don’t get disappointed because I know, it is just not a good match for me, it does not mean that the product is bad. I guess it just really takes a lot to disappoint me nowadays.
If I have to name one product though, I would pick the lip balm from Pat McGrath. They are just nothing special. Not quite moisturizing enough to be called a balm, and it does not give enough color or shine. They are comfortable to wear and that’s alone really does not justify the price tag. (well, even for $12 I actually prefer the one from CP).
That Armani Daybreak gloss might be worth holding onto for Halloween… it’s remarkable how much is looks like coagulated blood!
Daybreak is so bad!!! I’m surprised it even got a 36% haha!
I love the F reviews, I just find them entertaining. And I love when they save people from spending $50 or so on the product too.
All of them above especially Urban Decay..= junk galore.
If it is made in PROC…I will not buy it.
This is the secret….the makeup Company will be on a star show……way in the beginning and good prices for the quality. Then it will be downhill.
An example is Tom Ford…the brushes from Japan…yes, not cheap but beautiful.
Now….you get synthetic.
Yes, I pay premium. Now, there is Christine to test for me before I buy.
I only bought a few makeup items this year and loved all of them, so thankfully I don’t have an answer for the first question!
There were a few things that I decluttered. Mostly old products, but also disappointing things like a few NYX lipsticks, a Clinique eyeliner that’s the hardest thing ever, and two Clean mini rollerballs that just weren’t working for me (and my mom didn’t want them).
I guess the cream pot shadows from ColourPop are a big disappointment. They should probably just stick with SSS.
Did you have any product misses in the past year? the only thing I can think of is an Eve Lom moisture cream that came in a set that I got really cheaply at Winners, so I don’t feel so bad. Christine, I’ve said it before (and others have too) – but thanks almost entirely to Temptalia, I have avoided any “misses” and avoided wasting my money on products that just don’t perform
Did you declutter any products this year due to quality? Nope, I live in a fairly large house with a full basement so have more than enough room to store makeup products. I probably should “declutter” but unless something has spoiled, I keep everything, even things that weren’t very good. I’m not quite sure why but, what the heck. As long as I can keep them well out of my way so they don’t clutter up the stuff I use often, it’s not a big deal.
What was your biggest product disappointment this past year? Biggest disappointment is just not being able to swatch, sample, see, try products in person because of the Pandemic. As for a specific product, probably that Eve Lom Moisture Cream (it’s really expensive stuff, had I not got it marked down and in this “value” set) and also a Tatcha cleanser that was either a Points Perk or maybe the Sephora birthday present this year.
Nars Radiant foundation looks like spackling on me. DAYBREAK. GOOD LORD I NEARLY BOUGHT IT! Christine you helped me dodge that bullet. Any Norvina pallet looks like crap on me and is dusty or way over the top pigmented. Gave it to friend’s child to play with.
Did you have any product misses in the past year? L’Oreal Volumnious Lash Paradise (clumpy)
What was your biggest product disappointment this past year? Pat McGrath Mini Lip Gloss Trio – Lunar New Year (colors didn’t suit me)
The only slight miss was the Fenty Rose Latte cream blush, but that was just because the shade ended up not suiting my complexion as well as I had hoped. The other shades I got are some of my favorite and most used blushes of 2020 (bikini martini, strawberry drip, and petal poppin). Other than that no real misses which I mainly credit to you since I feel like with the swatches and descriptions of the formulas I’m getting stuff I’ll probably like.
Def had some skincare misses though. Tried some Allies of Skin products and I thought they were all rather pricey flops for me. No results that were worthy of the price tags and some of them were too fragranced for my preference. PTR vitamin C serum was also an expensive flop for me, it’s not bad, just not better than some cheaper vitamin C products I’ve used. Tatcha water cream was also a flop for me, not my favorite in terms of texture.
Did you have any product misses in the past year? Yes, the Lisa Eldridge velvet lipsticks were a miss for me. They seem like high quality lipsticks, but I cannot wear mattes and all of the colors, even Velvet Fawn, were too dark for me. I so wish I could wear this lipsticks, but I realized that just because a product is high quality and highly rated does not mean it’s right for everyone.
Did you declutter any products this year due to quality? I returned my Wayne Goss lipsticks because they came broken, I ended up throwing away the Wayne Goss lip gloss because the color was so pale and frosty, it made me look dead.
What was your biggest product disappointment this past year? Jones Road Beauty face balm and lip gloss were huge disappointments for me. The balm caused a rash on my cheeks and barely showed up (probably due to all of the essential oils it contains) and the lipgloss lasted about 30 minutes on my lips. They did not feel high quality for the price.
My favorite purchases this year were from Chantecaille, I noticed you don’t really review their products, Christine. Is there a particular reason why?
Deluxe samples were my only disappointments. ABH eye primer was like milk of magnesia that would not dry. I walked about to dry it, and it spread well beyond the eye area. It was a small amount, too, not a glob of it. Tearing did not help…. Both Tatcha samples were open and dried out. Not worth taking back. But when i realize that 200 was spent to get those samples, it’s irking. Tried a couple of s/cs that aren’t making it into the rotation: Acwell licorice 5.5 toner, iir the name c. Cosrx low ph pha barrier mist. My facial skin has not recovered enough to use the Peach & Lily reboot mask. But it is a milder, more buffered version of the Ordinary AHA/BHA peeling, a/k/a the blueberry fire ant exfoliator. The only neg m/u bought were the liners from the UD stoned vibes set.
Did you have any product misses in the past year? The Peripera Colorfit Water Gel Tint was an impulse purchase made in March and my biggest miss of the year. After lockdown started my purchase decisions became much more curated and there really weren’t any more major misses after that
Did you declutter any products this year due to quality? I did declutter a few lip glosses and a liquid highlighter that have gone off
What was your biggest product disappointment this past year? Definitely the Peripera Colorfit Water Gel Tint