Archived Post

Do you ever purchase products because of their name, even if you wouldn't use it?

I have done it in the past, when I was first getting into makeup, but I don’t think I’d buy something for the name if I wasn’t going to use it–I’m lucky that I can just tell myself I’ll review it instead 😉

— Christine

66 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
KJH Avatar

Not if I were unlikely to use them. But I did purchase all of Poppy’s 7 deadly sins largely because of the shade names. Circa 1990. After being creative director for Prescriptives, she became Lipstick Queen. Who wouldn’t want Indolence? Lust? Anger? Etc.

Katherine T. Avatar

Uh no. So far I haven’t run into any products whose name is so cute, nostalgic, irresistible, personal, or high end that I would buy it just for the name, even if I won’t use it. I like to buy products that I can use, but who knows, some day I might run into a product name that I can’t resist

Erica Avatar

No that is silly lol. I only buy products I like and want to wear! For ex, I am not going to buy black lipstick no matter if I love its name or packaging?

Kawal Avatar

I do, sort of! I want a ‘little’ of every ‘brand’.
But I make sure I buy something of that particular brand which I will use.

Katherine T. Avatar

Christine, I tried to submit a question for the blog, but when I hit the link Submit Yours Here, it says there’s no email program associated with the link or the temptalia website is protected by CloudFlare. But the question I was trying to submit was “Are there any products that you have refused to purchase because of the name? “

Sophie Avatar

Yes, if it’s Charlotte Tilbury then I will buy it, because I know that as long as it’s a shade I would wear then it’s going to be a great product, her brand is just fail-safe

Erica Avatar

I get that. I may buy yet another nude lipstick even though I have 50 nude lipstick just bc it was a nude with a cutesy name. However I wouldn’t buy something I don’t particularly like just bc the name was cool. I have to like the product somewhat.

Catherine Avatar

I’m the type of sucker who, yes, does buy things based on the name. Luckily, the things I have purchased were good for me. I bought the Colourpop Ultra Matte in “Instigator” and “OPI Scores a Goal” because I’m a hockey fan. I’m also tempted to buy anything with my name on it- which is fine for my first name, but my surname is the French word for “gold,” so I have to show a bit of restraint!

Mariella Avatar

I came close with a Marc Jacobs cream shadow/liner thingy with the same name as my daughter…I was going to buy it and give it to her but you gave it such a dreadful review that I didn’t want to waste my money and, worse, didn’t want to inflict a cr*p product on her. I did buy Nars Audrey lipstick for her, though, because, like her mom, she’s a dyed in the wool Audrey Hepburn fan. When Marc Jacobs came out with Daisy Eau So Fresh I was happy to buy a big bottle (and the body wash and lotion) because our beloved, most wonderful Golden Retriever was Daisy but as much as I wanted to purchase a “Daisy” fragrance, I never liked any of them so wouldn’t have purchased them for the name alone. But I love the Eau So Fresh fragrance and so was happy to buy it. So I guess the answer is “No” – it has to be a good product as well as having a name with special meaning.

Jenn Avatar

I’ve bought a couple bottles of nail polish that I probably will never wear because SO FROSTY but they have the names of one of my cats and my now departed dog.

Alecto Avatar

I won’t purchase something that I don’t think I’ll use because of the name, but if I’m on the fence about a product based on its qualities, a name can give me the final push. On the other hand, I do have an eyeshadow I bought because I love the color, which I’ve never worn because of the name.

Holly Avatar

I’m more likely to not buy something I like because of the name. I love Urban Decay’s products, but I hate their names. I’m always on the lookout for other brands that I’m not allergic too, with better names.

Dione Avatar

I purchased Nars Dione eyeshadow! I never see anything with my name, and when I was a kid, I was so jealous of my friends with common names with personalized things. I’m 41 years old and I was so excited to see Dione eyeshadow! It will never leave my collection.

Anne Avatar

No, absolutely not! I’ve thrown away too many products in the past to buy anything I don’t believe I will love and use. Even among these purchases, some don’t work out and I return them. I learned my lesson years ago when I purged my stash — too many impulse buys and too many products to use within their expiration dates, and so forth. Now, I buy selectively — very selectively. Once in a while, I’ll buy a limited edition product on faith that I will love it, but I try to keep that to a minimum.

Maggie Avatar

I’m really tempted to buy Shiro’s highlighter The Last Unicorn because it’s one of my favorite books/movies, but I would wear it. It’s just that I have a highlighter in a similar color already.

Carly Avatar

I do want one of the Lips and Boys lipsticks in “Ian” because that is my partner’s name, but I also like the color. A good name is a bonus, but it’s not the deciding factor. However, I will not purchase a product if I really don’t like the name of it. Jeffree Star’s liquid lipstick in “Abused” is a gorgeous color but I just can’t get past the awful name.

Sarah Avatar

ALL THE TIME. This is the whole reason I stated buying from My Pretty Zombie Cosmetics. I bought a blush called Fluoxetine just for the name even though I knew I’d never wear it on my cheeks. Pretty eyeshadow for a summery halo eye, though. Also got Homemade Death and Celery and Bile for their names–turns out they’re really pretty colors too! Product names are huge for me because I have synesthesia so name-color correlations are awesome.

N Avatar

I have synesthesia too!!! It’s one of the big reasons I buy makeup – because colors are how I “make sense” of things, you know what I mean 🙂

Ashleigh Avatar

I’ve bought nerd and fandom-related makeup products before knowing I wouldn’t get much use out of them. Although I ended up loving a NARS gloss I bought specifically for the name- Mezmer. Would never have thought hot pink would be wearable on me.

SallyC Avatar

The name really doesn’t draw me to the product unless I know that the brand makes a good mascara, lipstick, blush, whatever I’m looking for. I never buy something I won’t use. No enough storage space or money for that.

Kylie5 Avatar

I cannot remember. But if I like a product very much it is always nice if it has a Cute name.
I Love for example the Mac lipstick Betty bright and the name is so Cute.

Ardis Avatar

Do you mean the name brand or the name of a beauty product? (ex: Red Hot Red). I have a big thing with names, the latter, and love fun names so every time I buy a product with a name I love, I def expect to use it!

Judy H. Avatar

Never, ever in my life! Even when I was 14 years old and had been allowed to experiment with makeup, the money I was spending was my hard earned babysitting money and I was not about to waste it

Dianne Avatar

I purchased the LA Splash Smitten Lip Tint Mousses in Ginny and Lovegood basically because of the names (Harry Potter need right here!). They’re matte liquid lipsticks in very neutral shades so I’m sure I could’ve picked up similar products more easily than ordering online sight unseen. Sadly I hated the formulation and have passed them on.

Denise Avatar

Sometimes I do buy because I think to myself “oh I love this brand and yes I will use it”. But no,not if I have no need to use it. I have enough of makeup to last me and 30 other ladies . Especially that I am over the top a picky,fussy,nutty type of person when it comes to my makeup. I do a lot of research when it comes to buying myself makeup.

Susan Dowman Nevling Avatar

I can’t remember a time when I bought something I didn’t at least try. I do antimony to buying fails, however.

Arpita Avatar

No way… If i wont use it , i wont buy it.. Except if it for a gift or some frnd has specifically asked me to get it. Brand names are important; but the review of the product, whether i need it or not and whether i will use it or not are my prime concerns.

Connie Avatar

I wouldn’t buy a product I don’t like because of it’s name but I wouldn’t stop buying a product because I don’t like the name either, I just don’t care about it, I don’t even read the names of the products frecuently!

Lauren Avatar

Kinda, but not really. There have been more instances when I was on the fence about a product but the name really sealed the deal. The Tom Ford Lips and Boys lipstick in Matthew is a good example. It’s not quite my color, but I generally like it and make it work because it tickles me to own a lipstick with my husband’s name. I was already planning on buying theBalm Meet Matt palettes when they released, but again the name really sold it lol. To be fair, I love and frequently use both of those. I also bought a Buxom gloss just to have one with my name just for funsies.

Mel Avatar

I’ll do this sometimes but pretty much only if they remind me of songs I like for example I bought Colourpop’s eyeliner “Call Me” because it reminded me of Exo’s Call Me Baby and I also bought their Ultra Matte in Trap because it was named after Trap Queen which I thought was funny and cute.

Holly Avatar

I’ve thought about it, I want a Tarte color in the Rainforest Of The Sea line called bikini, I like all the names actually, but I’m waiting to test it and see if it’s a color I would wear.

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!