How willing are you to make a product "work" for you?
If it’s really bad–like I have to remove my makeup because it was so bad–then not much. If it’s something like a glittery eyeshadow that doesn’t work as-is but works pretty well with a setting spray or a wet brush, that’s all good with me (as a consumer, not necessarily as a reviewer!). In a way, if a typical “fix” works and doesn’t require a total change-up of my routine or technique, I don’t mind. However, if I already have something like it that works well for me as-is, then I wouldn’t want to work that hard to make something similar work–might as well just use the better one!
— Christine
I’ll do anything to make it work! Firstly, I spent my money on it, so I feel the urge to use it, secondly – I just don’t want to admit to myself that I made a mistake by buying it…
Lately I’m fighting with new foundations I bought, so I’m using every brush and sponge I have, also trying to add some oils, creams etc. to make it work. I found a way with one foundation, so I believe I can make another one work for me as well.
lol, it depends on how poor I am and how much it costs! ATM I am treating melasma, and I need to cover it to protect from visible light, so I am getting all concealers darker than my skin ( I am extremely pale, so, this is not hard to happen) and ressurecting them with products to make them lighter. Did the same with dark powders, it worked well too.
I will try to use a product a few different ways before I give up. And then, even if I have initially given up, I might come back to it months later and give it one more try. Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised, sometimes not.
Two cases in point that I can think of. (1) Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Amethyst. I regretted buying it after trying it a few times and not liking it. I put it away and forgot about it. Months later, I decided to give it another try, and now, lo and behold, it’s one of my favorite quick eye looks! (2) MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick in Sultriness. No matter what I do, this lipstick is patchy and flaky on me. I exfoliated. I tried different primers. I tried no primers. I tried mixing. Nothing worked. I put it away and forgot about it. I recently decided to give it another try. Still awful. It’s in the Back-To-Mac pile now.
I’m currently trying to work with Fenty foundation, the shade matches my skin perfectly but after I put it on my skin looks dry and cakey. Which it’s crazy to me since it doesn’t happen to me with any other foundation. So right now I’m in search of a primer that will work because I really like how well it matches my skin and how much I paid for it. Unfortunately, I am stationed overseas and Sephora returns are non existing.
Maybe try the Fenty primer (Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Primer)- in small bottle? It’s $16 so not huge investment. The primer is more like a lotion in appearance than being a gel. It has silicone in it which the primer should have assuming the foundation has it. It’s matte which I prefer as it doesn’t mess with the finish of the product used on top of it.
Background: I find I have to add some primer to my Tarte concealer that’s used underneath my eyes because the concealer alone gets bit caked and flakes. (I had this issue w/two other concealers so figured that maybe it’s my skin there.) I had been using a different brand than Fenty for this purpose but it was discontinued. I just started using the Fenty primer for the Tarte concealer and it works like a charm.
I also use the Fenty primer underneath the concealers I use elsewhere on my face (I wear multiple concealers instead of foundation) and it worked great. Also used it underneath my brow (above my lid crease) as I needed a touch more moisturizer there for applying eye shadow and it worked great there. What I really like though as it’s offered in a smaller bottle so I felt more comfortable buying it and taking chances with it. Just overall great product.
I have tried the Fenty primer with no success and a couple of different as well. I feel it dries so fast that perhaps I need to maybe think about my application method. One other subscriber mention face oil which I yet to try, I usually used Murad multi vitamin oil and I love it.
Instead of a primer, you might try adding a drop of oil or serum to a pump of foundation, and see if that helps. I’m dry and I’ve had to resort to doing this on occasion.
I’ve read that some people have had some luck actually mixing the foundation with the Fenty primer. Or, if that doesn’t work, try mixing in a drop or two of a facial oil, or using an oil primer.
Hi, I encountered the same problem with this foundation. I find that when I use Hourglass no. 28 primer or Dermablend’s Insta-grip Jelly primer, it doesn’t look too bad. What also helps is right after I apply it (either with fingers or a sponge), I use a stippling foundation brush very lightly in circular motion to quickly buff out and blur the product further. Of course, the key is to use very little of this foundation in the first place. Also, I don’t spray it with any setting products or dust on any powders because they make the foundation look even more chalky. Hope this helps.
I had a similar issue recently with NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop foundation, which seemed to emphasize even dry patches I didn’t had. I was almost giving up on it, until I switched from the The Ordinary High Adherence primer to the BECCA Velvet Blurring primer; now the foundations looks quite well.
Foundations and concealers are very tricky, that’s why I always put a lot of effort in making them “work”. It’s an entire chemistry of the face, skincare, primer, powder used for setting… even a slight element can skew the final look. And it’s not just the finish, sometimes primers and skincare products can make the color oxidize more or less… so the same foundation can have different shades on me depending of what I use. 😆
My go-to primer is Urban Decay Optical Illusion, has been for about a year, and I’ve recently started using Fenty foundation and love it. I don’t get dry every time I use the Fenty, but on some days my face just gets drier than usual, and on those days using UD Optical Illusion before Fenty works really well for me.
The only product I will try and make work are lip products. I can easily adjust the color by adding red or brown. I purchased blushes that were too pale that I can sometimes make work.
Products that break me out go in the trash and not allowed back in my house. Foundation or concealers that don’t work get returned or thrown out.
Because the products I was working with all the way back in the late 70’sand all through the 80’s were considerably more fussy, difficult to blend, more fallout prone, plus we didn’t have e/s primer, I believe that all this had the effect of “numbing” me to inconsistent or difficult to use cosmetics. Until I discovered e/s primer, and then came Lorac Unzipped palette and MAC permanent e/s formula that is. Now I would say that I have a very balanced view of what I am willing to put the effort into, and what I’m not. A “bad” eyeliner, lipgloss, foundation or another face product is not worth my time and energy to make it work! It will go back! Liquid lipstick, too. But I’m already used to dealing with less than ideal e/s and lipstick, so I suppose I am a bit more patient with those. A lipstick can be tweaked very easily with the use of a lip primer, lip pencil or a coat of gloss. So, if I love the color, I will employ those little extras! A glittery or more sheer shimmery e/s can almost always work out with a Fix+ type setting spray and/or glitter glue primer. Again, something I will have more patience with. No so with a horribly patchy matte e/s, though!
I am really not willing to try and figure out how to make it work. If it doesn’t perform well the first couple of times I use it I am pretty much done with it and will pack it back up for a refund if I can.
In the UK, we can’t return cosmetics so I MAKE IT WORK or swap it with a friend because I can’t afford not to.
I’ll tweak colors, but that’s about it. If something proves reactive or too difficult, or was included in a multi set, I just give it away. Unless the problem is an undisclosed problem ingredient, then it goes back. I have TMS not to use easy peasy, since i’ve been disinclined to bother with color so often these days. I am willing to try different brushes to determine the best for any given product.
Very willing if it’s a product I can’t return. But it’s probably going to turn into something that doesn’t get much use since I don’t normally have time to baby products when I’m getting ready.
Will give up on it entirely if it irritates my skin or something though
I think my answer if pretty much the same as Christine’s. I am willing to wet my brush, try glitter glue etc. but if I have tried more than two sticky bases and still needs help then I am pretty much done. As for base makeup, the things that really bother me are cakey foundation, really poor coverage or separating and honestly, if a foundation does that then I am not going to try to make it work. Sometimes if the finish isn’t quite right I can add an oil, take away an oil, add highlighter, etc but I am pretty picky about my foundation and it just isn’t worth it to me to try mixing it with different foundations, changing my primer more than once, trying colour correct the foundation to make it work with my under tone or change the foundations undertone. I will use a white foundation to make a too dark foundation work for me but I think that is pretty standard for anyone who is super pale.
I generally give things a good try to see if I can make them work because I have spent money on it. If it is a lipstick, I will add another over it or if it is foundation – I will mix it with another. But after so many goes, I just give up and toss.
Depends on how expensive it is, but for the most part I will try to make things work. If it’s cheap, I won’t feel bad about getting rid of it.
It depends on if the end result is worth it. I’ll try a different primer, a different brush or approach w different or even finicky eyeshadows if the eye look in the end I love. I’m less willing to make foundations work. I might suffer through it if it’s expensive and returning it is too much of a pain. But if I can return it easily I’m more likely to return it but I only do so if I truly hate it and have tried it a few different ways first.
It depends how much I like the product or the idea of the product. if its something I think is pretty generic or simple, my tolerance is low. Also if the price is high, my tolerance is low. if it was a steal or it has some other things about it I really love, I’ll be a a little more patient.
That depends how excited I was to get the item. If it was something that totally turned my head and got me all happy to have it, I’m willing to put some effort in to make it work. Not so much for basic products such as foundation or black eyeliner, where if it’s giving me trouble, I can just use a different one.
Honestly, I have less (like zero) tolerance for inconvenient packaging, like too hard to open and/or close without making a mess or chipping my nail polish. I’m MUCH more willing to work with the product than I am with the package.
I really do think that you need to make all products “work” for you, some more than others. I layer make-up products, I use specific tools and applications techniques… so when I introduce a new product in my routine I like to make it fit at first. Some foundations might need “work” in pairing with specific primers / moisturizer; some might apply better with a sponge or brush or fingers. Some face powders and eyeshadows apply awful with a natural brush, but great with a synthetic one (or viceversa); or with a fluffy vs. stiff brush.
I discovered many make-up products I love by actually making them “work”.
But I won’t change my make-up routine or preference totally for a product.
And there are type of products I simply gave up making them “work” for me. I simply realized that loose powder (no matter how great quality) and brow pomades are simply not for me.
Just to add… a product I won’t try to make it work for me is liquid liner. If it bleeds or smudges at the end of the day, it’s out. I already use good eyelid primers (since I have oily eyelids) so if it doesn’t work from the get-go, it’s out. But I rarely stray away these days from my staples (Physicians Formula, Kat von D, Styla, Fentyliner)… I was on a phase 1-2 years ago in which I purchased some L’oreal, Maybelline, Milani and NYX liquid eye liners… I gave up on them almost immediately… some of the L’oreal and Maybelline ones I think I wore just twice… when the pigmentation is poor and after 4-5 hours the eye liners starts to disappear or smudge… not worthwhile trying again.