What eye product wasn't worth the splurge?
The original Natasha Denona 28-pan palettes. It’s possible they’ve improved in formula at this point–not quite up to paying that price point AGAIN!!! to find out–but they were just so-so. Like the texture and pigmentation of the shimmer shades was really nice, but they didn’t wear as long as a lot of other formulas, while the mattes were often disappointing. Natasha Denona’s formula has improved a lot over the years, though, so I am a fan of the formulas currently!
— Christine
I’ve seen a recent photo of the ingredients of the 28 pans and they don’t look the same as what you had posted, so I am guessing they also got updated. My 10 pan did.
I tried out a Clé de Peau quad and that really wasn’t worth it. The smell was overwhelming for me, I couldn’t use it without feeling ill. It does say fragrance in the ingredients list, but it wasn’t particularly high up so I didn’t know why it was so strong.
Going back a few years (2015?), the original By Terry Designer eyeshadow palettes were, in my experience, the worst eyeshadows I have ever used — with a $99 price tag! I think they were the first palettes I bought in that price range and I have drugstore palettes that perform better for 1/10th of the price. I could not get them to stay on at all; they would disappear within an hour. Forget about it if I sneezed! 🙂 To this day, I will never purchase By Terry products.
The hype was high. The only By Terry product surviving in my stash is the light Sun Designer cheek palette.
…ND Metropolis.
I keep it because I keep thinking I can make it work, but…maybe the formulations are just too advanced for me and maybe my brushes aren’t sufficient. I just can’t get such a pretty palette to look nice on me.
As much as I hold onto it, I know deep inside I should sanitize it and give it to my sister. She’d appreciate it more than I.
The Tom Ford quads that aren’t the Nude Dip formula. Scratch that – even the Nude Dip formula is not worth the hefty pricectag.
I had Nude Dip and hated it. Besides, 4 shadows for $88? Not worth it even if the product was gold plated. Perhaps I got a dud but it was disappointing enough that I’d never buy Tom Ford products again.
The Tom Ford Nude Dip was worth it to be but I bought mine at a CCO for 80% off lol
I have four PMG Mthrshp 6 pans sitting pretty much loveless in my palette drawer. It’s not performance, merely a great deal of fomo in play at the time.
1.Subversive – La Vie en Rose
2.Sublime – Bronze Temptation
3.Subversive – Metalmorphosis
4.Subliminal – Dark Star
Clionadh—the price $100 for like 6 shadows-waiting for product-5 months-the quality -crumbly difficult to apply and terrible for fallout all over your face.—preference- I bought angies bundle —they are neon and very very bright and are not flattering IMO ESP WHEN ALL OVER YOUR FACE DESPITE USING GLITTER GLUE. Their regular shadows may be fine I haven’t used.
Pat McGrath- I’ve bought 3 large palettes and several small. The ‘special shadows’ are just micro glitters and aren’t that great IMO. —the color selection—too many yellow golds are warm browns are overdone repeated in almost every palette.
Charlotte Tilsbury quads— again micro glitters many lacking pigment and mattes.
Do you think you would have been happy and feel like it is money well spent if you have only bought 1 PMG? I agree that the micro glitters are far from amazing and that yellow gold is in every single palette… I do love the 2 six pans I own and am extremely happy with them. I am proud to say that I managed to stop myself from buying a large palette because I know it won’t be a smart move financially since it won’t get used enough…
Yes most likely. The first I bought was the Bronze one and I still like it best. Thanks for your insight.
Honestly, pretty much anything I’ve ever bought from Huda Beauty. I’ve decluttered the Rose Gold Remastered, the Desert Dusk and the Nudes palette and have vowed never to try again. They’re just dry, don’t blend well and far too expensive for what it is.
I second this! The Desert Dusk from Huda Beauty was one of my first expensive palettes and I NEVER use it. I finally gave that away this spring cleaning…
Absolutely agree. HUDA I find overhyped and overrated! I no longer buy from her bc I don’t find her quality consistent enough or really that great for the price. Even her $29 Obsessions palettes are inconsistent and too pricey imo considering the quality. Colourpop is better and I’m not a big CP fan
Steeletto will probably always be my ultimate WTF due to performance, but the shades were not as preferred as LC Venus Immortalis or CP Fame. The other day the V Lilas quad had more of shade 3 (?) on my cheek…a 3” shower of sparkle…than on my eye. Glad only the dogs saw it.
PMG Decadence and Bronze Seduction palettes. Between the glittery ‘special’ shades in BS and the metallic gold, silver, blue, teal shades in Decadence, these aren’t shades I made much use of.
I don’t get the special shades either… While they are pretty, they are so dry and hard to apply… I much prefer a creamier glitter topper than the one from PMG. (hello CP supershock.)
I agree…I have PMG Bronze Seduction (was a special treat since it’s so expensive in Canada) but NEVER use it. I’ve now come to the realization it’s not the formula – it’s just what I always gears toward to – a neutral look. I also avoid anything too red.
My two Tom Ford quads. I own Cocoa mirage and Golden Mink. I love my Cocoa Mirage and hate Golden Mink. I do think the TF products are decent, but I am just as happy with other cheaper things that I own. I guess that’s just how I feel in general with makeup though. I really don’t think there is a big difference in performance between more expensive or cheaper brands at the moment. I personally never got the hype with Natasha Denona… pacakging is nothing special and the her formula never wow me either… With PMG at least the packaging is undeniably luxe.
If I have a really small collection and only own things that I truly enjoy and use routinely than I think splurging can be justify, especially on the packaging. It is very satisfying to have something with a pretty packagings on top of your vanity table. I don’t mind spending a ton on HG either.
I have enough eyeshadow palettes for the life time and feel like they just don’t get used enough. It is like you have 20 kids and can’t spread your love and time enough to truly enjoy them.
PMG Mothership II. It was nothing special and the color that seduced me, that emerald green, did not work as well as my less expensive greens. The other colors were nice but I didn’t find them better than other shadows.
Trish McEvoy High Volume Tubular Mascara provided hardly any volume. It looked almost spidery. I hate panned it by pairing it with a fairly heavy application of black eyeliner, a look that worked only because the rest of my face was covered by a mask.
Haha I love that mascara. I agree though it provides no volume but more separation/length in my experience. Lack of volume aside, mascara is so tricky. It’s so dependent on your type of lashes and preferences etc
I don’t remember a big splurge regret… maybe the biggest recently was Charlotte Tilbury Rock’n’Kohl Eyeliner Pencil in Eye Cheat. I got it as a nude eyeliner to brighten my waterline. But the color is not flattering on me, the product is too creamy and gets in my eyes, it doesn’t have any staying power and looks bad almost instantly.
Not really an very expensive purchase, but it’s still a disappointment.
I’m gonna say it: Pretty much every prestige mascara I’ve ever bought. I just don’t see how they can be worth the price compared to drug store, especially given the short shelf life. I used to tell myself it was worth it to buy the travel size ones, but even those cost more than the drug store ones!
I’ve never bought any REALLY high end eye products, but in the mid-high range, any eye product I bought from Illamasqua and NARS ended up getting returned or given away.
WARNING: Incoming makeup blasphemy. Even though I get some decent looks from it if I’m patient, PML Bronze Seduction just hasn’t always floated my boat. The mattes don’t blend out as nicely as all her other mattes, plus two shades have PET glitter in them. Anyhow, I DO still use it from time to time. I don’t *hate* it, but I definitely love my other Motherships far more.
It sits unused on my shelf, I take if out now and then, swatch it and put it back. It just doesn’t do anything for me at all.
I’m glad I’m not alone, I must say.
The cream pots from Charlotte Tilbury were a fail for me. They crease like no other without a base. Rose gold even creases with eyeshadow primer and a shadow on top to set it, what a waste!
Also Nabla Dreamy and Dreamy two. The OG has very thin mattes and one texture for the shimmers. Dreamy 2 seems more interesting, but the latex formula was so crumbly and fallout prone and the special blue glitter shade was very underwhelming in performance.
The Melt 420 Palette was utter garbage. All the unique shades areunderpigmented and almost impossible to blend. They need a white base and a lot of finessing to wear, which is unacceptable for a $58 palette.
Sadly a few years back I have to say Chanel not a palette but singles .
They were so hard in the pan I just couldn’t get any pigment on my brush ..I tried my finger tips and the same.
Also they would crease on me .
I bought a Chanel blush recently and it is beautiful so maybe the formula has changed by now but at that price point I’m hesitant to try .
There are not many in my collection – but years ago I purchased some of Estee Lauder’s Emerald Oasis and that was definitely not worth the money – dry and dusty. I have never bought another of her palettes again. Ditto for some of Dior’s past iterations of Navy and grey shades.
More recently I purchased the original CT The Rebel and some of the green shades are a bit average too, although the newer version is much better.
As much as I want to love them snd I have 4 of these palettes – Tom Ford – they honestly just look ashy on my lids – I love the wet/dry formula snd I have both nude dip and suspicion but no luck they appear about the same and for the price $88 4 pans – I won’t do it again. I have to accept that I need to stxj to my PMG and ND for the best looks
Thanks to reading Christine’s reviews I haven’t purchased anything in the last many years that has been a fail, I’m very proud of that record
It’s not massively expensive, but the Melt Gemini palette was such a disappointment to me. I was so gutted as I sat on it for about 18 months before I finally caved and actually bought it.
I keep it because I LOVE the colour story and I can get it to work for me, but some of the shadows are just so patchy and finicky to work with that my little heart breaks a little every time I use it.
That’s what I keep hearing about the melt pallettes across the board, and it makes me freak out about the brand phasing out the stacks!
I feel the same. The color story is right up my alley, but two of the shades are duds (in my palette, anyway) with almost no payoff and I really don’t use it. I love the four special shades, and the rest are ok.
Mothership VI, however, is the most perfect palette I own.
Glad to know this so that I’m never tempted to purchase this one in particular.
Oops, sorry, forgot the topic in my answer. PMG Mothership I Subliminal. I do like it and the palette box & container are lovely; however, I’m still a little disappointed with the shimmer shades. The mattes are really good, but my favorite shades in the palette need fixing mediums (and then some) to achieve the high shine I desire. I’m glad I have it, but I’ve never bought another one due to it’s performance.