We earn commission on sales tracked from our links and codes. Thank you for your support! We earn commission from affiliate links/codes. Thank you!
What was the last beauty product you thought you’d love but you ended up hating? Share!
Oh, there have been so many. I think Dior’s Gold Shock highlighter, because I love highlighters and high-end ones at that (for their impossibly soft textures), but I wanted to fling it across the room after using it.
Thanks to reader Delainey for today’s question idea Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.
Our collaboration is now available! Get the details! Read now.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
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!
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!
Ha ha, I’m picturing you pouting and throwing an expensive compact at the wall and it is hilarious.
I was really looking forward to Dim Light in Hourglass’s Ambient Lighting Palette, but it’s way too dark for me to use as a finishing powder like I’d wanted. Womp-womp, new contour powder/bronzer–the finish is kind of a waste there.
Tarina Tarantino eye shadow singles! I bought all the special edition ones (Victorian Punk, Tokyo Hardcore, etc) and they were just bad. Zero color payoff, patchy application, showed wear after less than 4 hours. Ugh.
Also MAC Punk Couture and Hautecore lipsticks. I generally love MAC’s mattes but these two were so patchy and chunked up in the corners of my lips.
My most recent one is the Hourglass Ambient light powder, but I think mine may be a fluke.
I actually thoroughly enjoy the product but it smells absolutely horrid. If I bring the compact to my face to use the mirror I gag from the smell. Sephora CS told me they don’t contain fragrance so I guess maybe mine is just off?
Never. I don’t even like to buy online….
I answered in the wrong section….this was to to reply to home shopping.
The answer to this question is Mac eye shadows….except for satin taupe, I don’t care for any of mac eyeshadows…they are so stiff, difficult to apply, and not pigmented.
Awww… I’m so sorry to hear that… but I couldn’t help but laugh at your comment about how you wanted to fling it across the room! XD (Sorry!)
So what do you do with products you don’t like?
It depends on what it is – I keep certain products and certain brands because it’s more likely I’ll need to go back to compare such and such shade to it later on. Anything I don’t like or don’t need to keep usually gets donated or passed along to a friend (used lipstick, for example).
ABH Dipbrow! So drawn on (and I used her brush, an extremely light hand, and a minute amount of product), and definitely NOT ginger-friendly (Auburn was too, too dark). I will stick with my pencil.
this is such a hyped up product & a ton of people love & rave over it. Im always looking for something waterproof or with more staying power for brows but like you said this definitely seems so drawn on so till I find something better its just pencils & powder for me.
there’s been a lot but bare minerals serum foundation tops the list. it didn’t even last 4hours on me before breaking down!
The new Kat Von D lipsticks. They were a major disappointment.
After all the blog raves about Nuxe Reve de Miel, I ended up getting one. I was so excited to try it out! But truth is, I totally HATED it the first time I used it. The consistency is very thick and weird, and it just sits there, so it was the most comfortable thing I’ve ever wore on my lips. I was shocked.
Luckily after some trial I error I found out that if you use a small amount and really work it on the lips, it’s more comfortable and it really does a good job at moisturizing overnight. But well, after all the hype I expected a true holy grail, haha.
Hmmm…a lot that I didn’t like as much as I thought I would. Only a few that I outright completely hated. Most recently, the Kat von D Star Studded Eye Shadow Book. The Lorac Skinny Palette (the original neutral one) comes to mind (Navy was OK; Plum is actually pretty good).
Maybelline Color Tattoo. It does have staying power, the color is pretty: It is so utterly thick and sticky, I cannot get it to go on so it’s not patchy. I’ve tried patting it on with a finger and a synthetic brush. It looks awful. I cannot even pat it on, much less blend it. I have it in a violet color, so I may just use it as a base for my purples. Still…it has a tons of devotees. If anyone has tips on making it work for me, I’d be extremely appreciative. It could be user error.
Hi Rachel! I LOVE the Color Tattoos, but some are most definitely better than others. I have over 20 colors so I feel like I can comment on them both in general and specifically.
I wonder if you are talking about Vintage Plum? Their purples in general tend to be the patchiest of the bunch, in case I guessed the wrong one, but they do work as bases. Note: If you are choosing pigmented shadows THEY DO NOT HAVE TO MATCH THE COLOR TATTOO, especially if you use a neutral one!I The stickiness is just right to make powder shadows adhere all day and they won’t look patchy on top if you use a pigmented shadow (MUG Unexpected in the crease is PERFECT with Vintage Plum as a base!!) Some of my favorites are Bad to the Bronze, Barely Brazen, Caramel Cool, Pomegranate Punk and Cool Crush. Lastly I would say try them as a liner! The shimmer shades look bad ass peeking out under a black wing!!!
BeautyCandie, thanks so much for taking them time to give me some help.
I bought Painted Purple. I wear a ton of purples, so it won’t got to waste as a base, but on it’s own I’m not pleased.
I’ll have to try one of the more neutral ones you mentioned before I give up on it. Thanks for the recommendations. I find most sticky/cream bases tend to melt on my oily lids, but Tattoo definitely doesn’t do that.
Thanks to both of u for sharing! I’ve been on a mission to incorporate some cream shadows for various looks and started by buying a couple of the Color Tattoos….have also experienced the pots drying up v quickly and had exact same challenges with application!! So thank you, Beauty Candie for all the excellent suggestions. I will use your tips to keep trying and let you know when we have a winner 🙂
You are both most welcome! Good luck!
Rachel I’ve had pretty much the same experience as you’ve had with the Color Tattoos. I really like the colors I have, but I can’t seem to apply them smoothly. I’ve tried using my fingers, and using cream shadow brushes too. Tough as Taupe is really dry, and the other, more sheer ones I have seem very sticky. They take a lot of work trying to get them to apply evenly, and placed where I want them on the eye, and still don’t look great on me. I don’t know why. I’ve wanted application tips too!
At least I’m not the only one. I hope both of us can get them to work.
I’ve never had a problem with application for most of them, but I do find that they dry out the fastest of all my cream eyeshadows. The matte and metallic ones in particular got quite stiff pretty quickly. I’m trying to figure out if there are any oils I can mix them with to get them to apply smoother once they start drying out.
Good to know. I hope you find something to help smooth yours back out. Let us know what ends up working for you.
I agree with you on the Color Tattoos, I think it’s one of those overrated products. I have quite a few of them and while some work better than others (I find that the mattes are usually the softest and least patchy), I know that trying to achieve true to pan color is just impossible. They do work decently if you’re just doing a wash of color and don’t try to reach opaque coverage. I work with my fingers as quickly as possible.
Some shades just won’t apply evenly though, maybe the one you have is one of those, and only really work as a base. That’s the case of Audacious Asphalt for me.
Lulle, thanks for your input. If I do try again, I think it will be a more neutral color, and practice working more quickly with my fingers. I rarely apply eyeshadow of any kind with my fingers, so I am a bit slow. I have a feeling when these do work, they really work. lol
Benefit Push up liner – Gimmicky! Gimmicky! Gimmicky! The product just dries out at the point and flakes off. Sheer wastage of product! I should have read reviews before picking this up.
Agree! I got a sample and I HATED it. Started flaking as a was blinking while applying mascara! LAMEZORS.
Lorac MegaPro palette. It gave me the reddest, most irritated eyes. The Pro to Go doesn’t do that to me!
Kat Von D’s new lipsticks. Some I bought were good. Others were dry and SO uneven. 🙁
MAC Cosmetics Limited Edition Lipstick in Head in the Clouds. I thought it was sooo eye-catching, even up to when I finally got it in the mail and opened it. However…the moment that lipstick touched my lips and I looked in the mirror, that mesmerized emotion ebbed into eternity… Freaking. Glitter. I had completely forgotten that it had glitter in it and I loathe most items with glitter in it with an intensely fiery, malicious passion. I tried a few of my lip pencils but each time I did, I ended up looking back into the mirror like o.O. So I finally gave it away to my grandmother of all people! Lol! It’s my fault though. I know now to pay attention a little bit more next time.
There’s also Wet ‘n’ Wild’s MegaShield SPF15 Lip Color in Peachy Keen. It’s sooo wrong for my complexion. When I put it on, it looks like a crispy-lipped crackhead kissed me square in my lips and left his powdery residue on them. Yuck!!! And I thought I was doing so well, at least with what I was choosing from Wet ‘n’ Wild. Oh, well… Maybe I’ll try Birthday Suit next, since that’s what I originally intended to get but ended up grabbing Peachy Keen by accident.
Milani Luminoso, Nars Orgasm, Nars Juliette, UD Naked palettes in general, Chanel eyeshadows in general, BTS Mascara from Too Faced! TooFaced Natural palette, and the chunky glittery eyeshadows from Tom Ford. I use all the others, and now I dont get any that might have a gliterry shade on it.
I did once!! I had a gift certificate because I had bought a royal daulton statue for my step mom for Christmas and it came with a gift certificate for a future purchase. I really didn’t know what to get and I caught a thing on this pink gel nail polish top coat kit. It’s supposed to even out the natural nail color and this kit came with a crystal nail file and some nail oils or something.
Gotta say, it did what it promised and my overall nail condition really improved. The oil I was meh on but that odd clear pinkish top coat and the file really made the diffrence I think. Wish I remember what it was called.
Tom Ford Black Dahlia! Sad.
what didn’t you like about black dahlia? i was going to check it out today, but will def. skip if its awful.
Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluid -after all the hype, I got a sample. Made me look too matte and flat (ugh). Think it’s good for oily skin people, but not me. Guerlain 4 Colors Eyeshadow palette – the colors creased (even after trying different primers) and 2 of the grays looked the same on me, returned it. Tarte Blushing Bride Cheek Stain – it’s a stick blush that’s sticky, hard to blend, fades. I have to use as a base, then put powdered blush on top, so what’s the point? Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray-finally caved in and bought a small can. Did absolutely nothing to my hair (no volume, no texture), had a super strong perfume smell that lingered, returned it the next day.
Dior’s It Lash mascara. It was like using nothing at all. What a waste!
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. I was first matched to “Custard” but it was horrible – made me look like I had healing bruises that had turned yellow under my eyes. So I returned it and was matched far better to the shade “Vanilla” – a far better match but as I’ve said repeatedly, I don’t know how this stuff is considered “radiant” or “creamy” – it looks dry and scaly under my eyes and if I use a richer eye cream, it sort of dissolves, settles into creases I didn’t think I even had and yet still looks scaly and patchy as it dissolves….
I agree about this Nars concealer. I found it to be so drying that it dried before I could fully blend it under my eye! I ended up returning it and just got Amazing Cosmetics one–it comes in two size tubes (travel size and larger) and in 20 colors. You have to shake it before you squeeze it out or you risk separation (I have same issue with Armani’s concealer) but I so prefer a tube like this to a doe-foot applicator like the Nars concealer.
Whew…I’m glad it’s not just me. There are so many rave reviews for it and users go on and on about how creamy and lovely it is and I’m thinking “Are we talking about the same product?” or “Did I get a BAD batch?”. I’m so disappointed because it’s not an inexpensive product but even more because I really wanted it to work. Amazing Cosmetics isn’t available where I live and I’m not willing to order concealer from a website, sight unseen. I am really happy with several other concealers I have – IT Cosmetics, Clarins, Hourglass and good ol’ MAC Pro-Longwear – but that doesn’t stop me always looking for something new and “better” and that’s what I was hoping the NARS would be.
I wouldn’t say I hate NARS Audacious lipsticks because the formula is great…I’m just bummed that the colors didn’t work for me at all. The only one that did was Anna. The shades looked way much better on you, Christine!
Oh I have so many that it makes me feel like I must be super picky and/or make poor product choices. LOL
Here are a few recent ones: Nars Creamy Concealer (too dry–dries before I can even blend it fully under my eyes); the latest Chanel platinum highlighter (too yellow on me which makes me look sickly); Tom Ford quad in Orchid Haze (lightest glittery shade was too white and powdery and other shades were blah); Dior shadow palettes and Chanel shadow palettes (not pigmented enough and/or too powdery/patchy); and Burberry Nude Blush Quad (although some singles work for me, this quad had colors that were unflattering and made me look like I had gotten beaten up).
I feel you on the NARS concealer! I heard so much hype about it but it looked ghastly on my dry skin!
I can’t think of any product recently that I hated. But the last product I returned because it just didnt work for me was the Hourglass Ambient blush palette. I did love the texture, but the middle shade — I can’t remember the name — didn’t show up on my skin no matter how much I packed it on. Luminous Flush was gorgeous — and I’ll likely buy that on its own. I didnt care much for Mood Exposure as it was a bit too similar to Luminous Flush, albeit less impressive.
Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade and Brow Wiz. I so wanted to love them but the Brow Wiz in Auburn pulled pink(yes PINK) on me and the Auburn pomade was just too harsh and I felt it got quite dry within a few uses. I’ll stick to my $1.99 brow pencil from Jordana in Medium Brown that’s a perfect match for me 🙂
Fiber Mascara. Someone sent me one of the “premiere” ones to review and it’s the worst mascara I’ve ever used. It hurt my eyes for days.
Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anything I truly hated, but I do get a lot of disappointments. The interesting thing though is that many times when I go to try something again at a later time (shopping my stash), I end up liking it. If the product is good, but the coloring isn’t right for me, I’ll usually give it to someone who it will look good on.
I don’t hate it, but I thought I’d have a lot more love for Hourglass Radiant light, and instead it’s basically a bronzer on me and not something I can see myself using a lot. I got it in the palette though and I like Dim and Incandescent. I also wasn’t wowed by Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation. It just won’t stay on my skin, though the affect is nice when originally applied.
MAC Pro Longwear Compact foundation. It’s so smooth and silky but sank right into every enlargened pore and fine line — terrible for my oily skin. Also the shades run really light and finding a match is a nightmare.
Marc Jacobs eyeliner in Th(ink). It swatches beautifully but performs so poorly on the eye…. I can’t smudge it out because it kinds of flakes away and looks like a muddy mess. I can use it on the upper lash line, but it doesn’t look half as pretty as I thought (not as luminous, not as saturated) and I just can’t use it at all on the lower lash line. It looks too uneven and I can’t fix it with my pencil brush because of the flaking issue. Total waste of money!
Kat von D Everlasting lipsticks. SOOOOOOOOOO drying, and felt and looked like clown paint.
Kiehl’s Rare Earth Pore Cleansing Mask. It has great ingredients but I felt this burning feeling right away! I’ve been too afraid of trying another mud mask since.
I buy so much online – I am disappointed sometimes but not in the product as much as how it looks on me.
Most recently, Mally Primed and Poreless Face Defender. Made my skin look cakey and dry. Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation was a total fail for me too – oxidized terribly on me. I also tried YSL Fusion Ink foundation and it settled into the pores on my cheeks and forehead. Luckily it was applied by a YSL makeup artist.
Any matte from Mac’s last three collections! I don’t know what’s been happening or why, but ever since the Rocky Horror Picture Show collection, it seems like their matte lipsticks have a different smell: it’s both sweet and plasticky, the sort of scent that makes me want to avoid the lipstick. I gave Frank-n-furter to a few of my friends who are interested in makeup, and they all agree that the scent is there and not pleasant. The people at Mac said it must have been a bad batch (even though their testers smelled the same…) and I’m a sucker, so I bought lippies from the matte collection AND the heirloom mix one and I had the same problem every time. Not every lipstick smells as strongly, by each of them has that unpleasant sickly sweet plastic smell. The regular lipsticks don’t have that problem at all (yes, I’ve stood in Mac sniffing the testers). I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know if Mac has messed with the formula for some reason, but I’m really unhappy that all these great lipsticks have been made unwearable by the scent.
Oh, no! You’re making me want to go and smell all my mattes to make sure the smell isn’t there! D:
It’s not in all of them. It is really just the mattes from the Rocky Horror collection on (I got a Lustre from the Brooke Shields collection and had no problems with that). Maybe Mac is adding something to the mattes to make them less drying? I don’t know, I just hope they stop and soon!
I really wanted to like Olay Total Effects CC Cream. It won awards and was priced well for something that felt more expensive. Unfortunately, I broke out in a rash after I used it! It got returned.
Naked 3. I wouldn’t say I hate it but I thought I would love this palette. I disliked it so much I passed it on to my daughter. I like only 3 colors out of the palette limit nooner and trick. The lorac unzipped is more up my alley.
me too! I don’t hate it but when I saw a pink toned palette I thought I would LOVE it. I like a few of the colors, especially factory, darkside & blkheart but most felt sorta powdery & dry-ish. This is my 1st Naked palette & I thought since every1 raves about them & alot of UD regular eyeshadows are so buttery this would be the same or similar but I’m kinda disappointed & on the fence about keeping it.
The bare minerals serum foundation. It did positively nothing for me. I was able to return it.
Benefit push up liner (it just sucks & flakes off) and YSL fusion ink foundation. I didn’t hate Naked 3 or my YSL touche eclat but definitely thought I would LOVE them and they just don’t live up to how much I’d like to. 🙁
That is so crazy about the Benefit Push Up liner! I’ve heard like 90% of people absolutely HATE it but for some reason it’s my favorite eyeliner! (Totally feel you about the Naked3. Like it, but didn’t love it as much as I thought)
MAC Studded Kiss lipstick. I loved the color in all the swatches I saw, so I ordered it online before seeing it in person. What looks like a gorgeous vampy burgundy color on most people, against my super pale skin tone is almost black, and even though matte finishes are my favorite and I love Ruby Woo, the dark color and the dry texture emphasizes all the imperfections on my lips 🙁 Super disappointed!
Urban Decay’s Rapture Lipstick. I don’t hate it, but the shade turned out darker on me than I expected. I wanted the pinky-plum color, but it’s more muted and dark plum on me. 🙁
I can still make it work if I apply it lightly.
Barry M Lip Paint in Hot Pink. Truly the worst lipstick formula I’ve ever encountered—it was so tacky and dry, applied very unevenly, pulled, and smelled horrible. Great color, though.
L’Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes mascara. This actually looked pretty good on, but it smelled so terrible that I would gag when I applied it. It made me worry to put something so bad smelling so near to my eyes!
I have got a possible explanation for this, but Smashbox Full Exposure eyeshadow palette. Some of the shadows are OK, some unpigmented and so much fall down from the glittery shades. I don’t hate it, but it was a big disappointment. Another major disappointment was MUFE waterproof glide-on eyeshadow pencil in I 90 (purple) I can’t get it to look good, It’s quite dry, it easily gets patchy when I try to blend it out. This could just be me, of course 🙂
I must add that it worked better when I just applied it on my very oily lids, but it still doesn’t look good.
Tarte’s Amazonian clay 12 hour full coverage foundation
When I first used it, my exact thought was “where is the full coverage?” I feel like I’m wasting so much product when using it. Don’t get me wrong I’ll still use it time to time since it wasn’t cheap. I have oily skin, moisturize after I wash my face and before I do my makeup yet I feel like my face looks a bit dry with this on. Luckily I bought it in a set from QVC which included their bamboo airbrush foundation brush as well. I absolutely love that brush, so I’m not going to complain about wasting $38
Another thing I thought I would love but don’t is Ruby Woo by Mac. I wouldn’t say I necessary hate it because I do like the color but I know now not to buy retro matte lipsticks. I hate that it feels like I’m applying a brick to my lip. I am a huge fan of matte lipsticks but my lips get so dry and nasty in the center very fast.
FUNNY you threw this question out @ this very time, because I bought (or hauled, as we lsay here on Temptalia!) the Chanel Les ombré quad in Tisse Mademoiselle last week. I was SO excited, because I haven’t I haven’t had a Chanel splurge in years, but it was a huge disappointment. The colors didn’t show up on me at all, and I literally felt sick at having spent so much on a dud.
However, I think this story will have a happy ending. A friend complimented me later in the day and asked what shadows I’d used. I was like, huh?, went straight to the bathroom to look, and the colors were a lot more apparent than they had been in my bathroom light, but still nothing special.I tried again last night and built up the colors more than I usually do using some good brushes I’ve recently purchased but not quite mastered yet; the effect definitely improved. Today, I did the same thing, plus a generous swipe of Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Amethyst on my lash line, and finally got the look I’ve had in my mind since I first saw the palette months ago!
I am v relieved that I stuck with it, because buying it really was a special treat to myself 🙂 I’m also happy to finally be aware of some issues in my bathroom that are affecting my makeup application. Tomorrow, my electrician husband is putting in some new lights, and today I switched out my shower curtain. It was a crazy melange of unusual, dark colors, and it reflects directly into all the mirrors I use for makeup. I just a hung a spa-like white waffle weave in its place and can already see my makeup application will be very different
Anastasia Dipbrow! It is horrid. I really am annoyed at how fake it looks on me. I can spoolie all day and my etebrows still look unnatural and odd. I also have issues with Maybelline Color Tattoo. I have Barely Branded and have used it as an eyeshadow/pigment base. The staying-power is there, but it is so heavy (even with a light application) on my eyelids, it hurts! Those are two products take issue to.
The new YSL Ink foundation (made my dry skin a greasy, hot MESS), and the Josie Maran Argan Creamy Infinity Oil (Or something like that). That stuff made my dry skin flake and actually crack. CRACK, Christine. As in, my skin was about to bleed. I guess my skin just REALLY doesn’t like argan oil.
Aside from those two, I’ve had good luck with my purchases recently!
Some nail polishes — you can’t exactly swatch them in most places so you don’t know how well they cover even tho the color looks glorious in the bottle. I hate when I have to do three coats just to make it even.
YSL Fusion Ink and Dior Star Fluid. They both look beautiful when you first apply iy, then the product separates… Not a good look.
Chanel eye shadow quad in Poesie, all of the Two Face eye shadow palettes that I’ve ever purchased. Chanel brow pencil. MAC VIVA GLAM Rihanna 2.
You seem to be such a nice, gentle person, I had to chuckle visualizing you upset and that disappointed at a product! lol! Thanks for the happy thought, lady!
For me, most recent would be the Brooke Shields lipsticks; although colors have been redone over and over again, I expected a bit more from that collaboration.
Too Faced Melted Liquified Long wear Lipstick in Melted Nude was a huge disappointment. Weird feel on the lip and the color was in no way a neutral nude, it pulled a very warm, almost burnt orange/brown on me that it is not wearable without adding another lipstick to it to counter act the undertone. My lips looked dirty! It was just total yuck, and it was an expensive splurge purchase. booo! Total fail!