Hmm, I am having trouble recalling packaging mishaps with really good product inside. One thing that does come to mind is Urban Decay’s penchant for bulky packaging on their palettes (sometimes better these days), as they could always go slimmer! I’d also love for Guerlain Rouge Gs to be redone so that I can read the label and keep them standing up.
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I’d say most blushes in general. It’s ridiculous to me that an Essence blush is almost the same size as a Tarte one when the Tarte cases are so big. (Essence’s blush casings could be mistaken for eye shadow singles). It’s so deceptive – you’re getting far less product than you think. Same goes for my beloved lip crayons. They could cut an inch off the packaging no problem.
Any and ALL nail polishes that are housed in narrow, or skinny tall bottles are just a disaster wait to happen. And yeah, they make me nervous as anything when I’ve had to use one!
Another issue I have is that I absolutely LOVE my MAC lipsticks, but I store them upside down so I can easily see the label. However, that tampon or bullet shape, whatever, makes that less than ideal! Then again, it is their “trademark’, so….I suppose I just gotta shut up and deal! LoL!
Gosh, I didn’t think of this. You’re right!
I wish the kids were clear or some sort of color indicator on the Mac lipsticks would be nice?
I wish the lids were clear or some sort of color indicator on the Mac lipsticks would be nice?
Oh man… Nance: the tampon comment… I’ll never look at a MAC lipstick the same again.. LOL
Well, this really doesn’t pertains to all of us, however, the print is so tiny, I can’t read it with bifocals or cheaters. There must be some way to improve this.
Stability of bottles really is a big deal. Not just nail polish either.
Check out the clear MAC lids, that you can buy singularly or in bulk. Since I’ve invested in them, it’s been such a time saver.
MAC’s Mineral Skin Finishes. I never can open it easily!
Yup, they are SUCH a pain to open! Especially if , like me, you have short nails. ?
OMG YESSS. THE NEW PACKAGING DRIVES ME CRAZY .. I’m glad I’m not alone!
In general, a lot more skin care items should come in pumps or squeeze tubes (something more sanitary than a pot or jar). I think Physician’s Formula and Milani’s packaging on powder products are usually too bulky. Urban Decay’s bulid-your-own palette system is bulky and awful, and could really use a re-design. I also wish Urban Decay would ditch the doe foot applicators on the Primer Potions and go back to squeeze tubes, but I know that’s not going to happen. Color Pop’s lipliner and eyeliner pencil packaging really needs help. Half the time the product falls out in transit and breaks, or at the very least is wiggly when used. I would say Wet n Wild lipsticks, but I heard they started repackaging them. The cheaper e.l.f. lipsticks also have really cheap, wiggly packaging that needs to be revamped. E.l.f. Lip Exfoliator should come in a tub or tin instead of a bullet. The bullet doesn’t melt down right during use, causing the sugar crystals to scrape the lips. It works so much better de-potted and mashed into a little tub. It also seems as though MUG always has issues with packaging for things like loose pigments and glitters. That really needs straightened out for good, if it hasn’t been already.
“a lot more skin care items should come in pumps or squeeze tubes”
I absolutely agree! I realize some items need to be in a jar, however… ALL moisturizers could be in either a tube or have a pump.
absolutely agree here ladies!
Rachel, I agree with the UD doe foot applicator. Paula’s choice constantly mentions the contamination issue. As a former surgical.nurse, it really is a big deal.
It doesn’t even work. I still have to spread it over my eye using a brush or clean finger tip.
UD has a new ten pot stackable palette I’ve been waiting to see reviews on. It looks less bulky!
I agree about Colourpop! I’ve had that happen to an eyeliner, a lip liner, and a lippie stix. It’s annoying, but they’re so cheap that I get over it. It makes me think twice about recommending them in spite of their good formulas.
Didn’t think about depotting the elf lip scrub! I tossed it bc I did not see why it was so great. Hard to use. Maybe if I depotted it and it was more like other lip scrubs, in a jar, I’d like it more!
I think, however luxe Burberry’s packaging may look and feel, its not very travel friendly! Its stackable yes, but I cannot imagine carrying anything with me anywhere which is sad because I love the products (atleast most of them!) I wish there was a middle ground here?
Any foundation without a pump (and skin care that comes in a tub/pot – ick).
Now just pure shallow aesthetic nit-picking? I fell in love with a benefit eye shadow (single) and didn’t buy it purely due to the fact the packaging looked cheap and wouldn’t fit in with the other goodies in my collection…
I also don’t understand products like the Naked Flush palette that puts such different products in the same pan. I don’t want to accidentally pick up blush in my highlight swipe and vice versa…
Definitely foundations without a pump. I love Bobbi Brown’s Moisture Rich Foundation, but it soooo needs a pump! I won’t buy it anymore because of that.
I so agree with pumps, especially airless pumps for hygiene and prolonged product availability in each bottle.when I find a product without a pump, I purchase the smallest size possible. Bacteria is becoming more of an issue with certain packaging. We need to push for sanitation.
Definitely the Charlotte Tilbury’s Bar of Gold. With the price like that, it’s not reasonable with the product having it inside a “box.”
I agree with you about the Guerlain Rouge Gs, they are bulky and impractical. Other than that the only thing that springs to mind is the MAC Mineralize range, specifically the powders such as blush, eyeshadow etc. I really don’t like the new packaging! However, that’s got nothing to do with function. Although I find them a bit harder to open it’s really just personal preference from a visual point of view. I’d just change then back. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! ?
Everyone needs to email Mac about these problems because they listen and try to change things if enough people complain. You made a point that I agree with. Their packaging is way to bulky in the mineralize line and now you can’t even see the powders inside like in the old packaging. example(soft n gentle)
I think it would be liquid lipstick and/or lipgloss, like ColourPop Ultra Matte and Ultra Satin, Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick, etc. I think it would be nice if they could put a label for the lipstick’s color above, and not only at the bottom so we don’t have to store it upside down (with the color’s name facing up). Since most of them can spill when we open the cap and make a mess on my table.
For lipstick and lipliners, I use a black or bronze gold sharpie, and write the name of the shade in big letters all over the tube, so I can find it quickly.
The Cover FX custom cover drops desperately need something that wastes less product.
Yeah, that one is mega messy. Maybe that’s the unconscious reason I got the BB or CC or whatever. CFX’s squeeze tubes are much better than that bloody dropper. It gets product in/around the closing track. And having to fully open the bottle does not cut down on air exposure. So little product is used, that it could last my lifetime. But opening it for every use will oxidize it eventually. Good product and good concept, with poor dispensing system.
YES! I love them but am hesitating to repurchase because it was so messy.
The original Naked palette needs to switch out of the cheap cardboard! I am not buying it for that price if it’s going to be made out of cardboard and felt.
I think this one is more a personal taste-choice, but I hate the childish-type packaging from brands like Benefit, Too Faced, some others I’m sure I’m forgetting right now. It makes me waaay less likely to buy them.
Also the Becca compacts look exactly like sink drain plugs, which is not a deal-breaker, but it’s definitely no bueno.
From a practicality standpoint, they could de-mattify the Nars packaging for less smudge-prone-ness, but from a design standpoint it looks great.
LOL yes! Too Faced Peach and a lot of their recent stuff has been kiddy-kid feeling. Funny, I have the same but opposite reaction to brands that use a lot of gold in their packaging, makes it feel either *too* mature (YSL, Lancome) or a little cheap (Milani’s gold rimmed compacts). I don’t seem to mind Hourglass’ gold compacts though *shrug*
I LOATHE Milani’s packaging. Their blushes are bulky and that gold is terrible. I love their products. But they are just so gaudy…
I HATE Milani’s packaging! I won’t even try the brand because it looks so tacky.
I also have some of the same feeling with Lancome. Their packaging is just…boring. It’s not sleek or modern or anything (though the new Juicy Shakers are changing that a bit and I do wonder how Lisa Eldridge will change things in the long rum. Oddly I’m fine with YSL, though usually I don’t like gold. It may be the “classic” vibe I get with it, like a little sister to Chanel, while Lancome doesn’t really seem “iconic” to me as a brand even though it’s quite old.
Too Faced Chocolate bon bons looks like child’s makeup and for that reason alone, I refused to buy the palette.
Seriously. It looks like something that would come in a 6 year old’s fake “makeup” kit.
I’m so with you on the kitchy packaging like you see with Benefit, Too Faced etc. I’m less likely to purchase, Benefit especially, bc I think they are hiding something. Inadequate or average product hiding behind too cute packaging. Anyway I have major reservations with such brands!
Seriously. I have a few of their box-o-powders that my sister got me (Dandelion, Georgia Peach, Coralista and Hoola) and I have the Porefessional from a subscription box but those are the only things I’ll ever own from Benefit.
Yes!! If I’m going to spend a decent amount of money on a palette I don’t want it to look like something for a child!
1. Wet’n’Wild 8pan color icons – with a mirror to it’s price it would become a perfect travelling palette.
2. And talking of Wet’n’Wild – the Megalast lipsticks caps fall off from just looking at them.
2. Sleek could have the same images on the palettes that are on the boxes. It is hard to distinguish them if you have more than one.
3. Same goes to Makeup Revolution. You either get a really nice slim packaging but you are unable to distinguish the palettes or you get that ugly see through plastic (I tend not to use those even though I know the quality is good).
4. I also do not like the Benefit Hoola type boxes. I never use it because it takes those few seconds more to get into it. And also it would take too much space in my makeup boxes, which makes another few seconds to grab it from a drawer.
5. And lastly to all palettes. Get rid of the sponge applicator space unless you want to put there a decent double ended brush. Why do they even bother to give those tiny sponges to duo’s and trio’s? And blushes – not too smart to double the packaging size to add a tiny blush brush good for nothing.
Benefit boxes are the easiest thing ever to depot into a magnetized/Z palette. You can cut the cardboard with an Xacto knife. Forget if the pan was metal or needed a sticker. Depotting those suckers is child’s play. Don’t think it even requires heat or adhesive remover. Being square, they fit snugly. Don’t think you’d regret doing it, unless the box design appeals to you. But that’s about 1 1/2 inches of height for a skinny pan. Takes up far too much room. Do it!
I also don’t mind it to depot Benefit boxes at all, it’s so easy! The only thing I don’t like is that their boxes of blushes have a scent, which makes my whole z palette smell… Same reason why I’m not picking up any too faced chocolate palettes.
The e.l.f. HD powder. I love the yellow color-correcting version but the jar is just so darn bulky! And it spills powder everywhere. So I always transfer the powder into a jar of my own.
I so entirely agree about UD’s eyeshadows…they need to come out with something similar to MAC or MUFE rather than the bulky (and no savings) format they have now. Also, I’m glad you mentioned Guerlain because it really would be wonderful if much of their luxurious packaging was refillable. Why not refill boxes of the Meteorites balls? Refill bullets of their Rouge G lipsticks? That is all really lovely and very expensive packaging and it seems such a shame it can’t be reused. I remember when Estee Lauder had refills for their powder compacts and lipsticks and Ultima II had it for their lipsticks. WE’re supposed to be more concerned now about wanton waste and trying to reuse and it would be great to get refill Meteorites for 10 or 15 dollars less with paper/cardboard packaging.
Ooops – also, on the lower end, I’d be willing to pay a buck more for somewhat sturdier packaging on Wet n Wild eyeshadow compacts and powder compacts. All of mine seem so flimsy and while I haven’t had any break yet, I think it’s only a matter of time. And Rimmel’s Stay Matte Powder also won’t STAY CLOSED. I think their other powder products are packaged more normally but this particular item is just dreadful. I have all of mine held closed with rubber bands (SO elegant looking!)
AMEN to all the issues you cited, Rachel! Especially bulky packaging or flimsy, wonky packaging. Wish UD would just go back to their not-so-old tube of Primer Potion, too.
Oops, this wound up in the wrong comment area! Sorry Mariella, the above was supposed to go to Rachel R., but something went wrong!
Must say, I agree 110% with your comment concerning refills for products on the Lux End, like Guerlain G lipsticks and Meteorites! This would allow one to keep the original housing, which obviously, is where a hefty amount of the price point comes into play.
Yes about the Guerlain refills!
The Milani baked blush compacts. They take up way too much room with that huge brush (which is not even that big anyway) compartment underneath.
The Benefit boxed blush range – I don’t actually mind the shape or height of the box, just that stupid rim at the bottom annoys the crap out of me.
Any lipstick that has a really skinny base (eg, Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters, Maybelline Color Whisper, etc) that makes it an awkward shape to hold easily. I’m probably in the minority here, but they annoy the heck out of me and I refuse to buy them.
Anastasia Brow Wiz. It needs to be more durable. I love having an integrated spoolie but the darn thing breaks off after a few weeks.
I know what you mean! I’m onto my third one and I’d barely had it a week before the spoolie broke off. So annoying! Now I need to take a spoolie brush with me when I travel, not that it’s a real hardship but I’d rather not have to. ?
This just happened to me for the first time and I thought it was a total fluke – such a bummer to know this is common!
Ooh this happened to me too. I thought I must have been extra rough. To be honest I’d rather not have the spoolie and have more product! It doesn’t last long.
Pretty much any moisturizer in a tub needs to be put in a pump bottle or tube. Very few are too thick or thin that they couldn’t be housed in something more sanitary and that keeps the formula from degrading.
Can we talk about Nars’s beautiful, albeit atrocious in the long run, matte black packaging?
Yeah, over time I have had to depot a lot, all the old artist palettes. The rubberized starts to deteriorate, I think with temperature extremes. They get tacky or sticky, even if the product is still fine. Most of the powder stuff is depotted. The lipsticks migrate to my bedroom mini fridge, but IDK yet, if it fixes the problem. I keep the upstairs @~50 in the winter, and it hits humid 90s occ in summer. W/0 ventilation, my attic usually is over 110 from June on. Not conducive to anything! The metal pkg for Audacious is one of the big selling points.
Well said! You took the words out of my mouth.
NARS has the ugliest, most atrocious packaging. I get it is suppose to be edgy and graphic but that matte rubber black packaging gets so grubby when in a makeup bag. My orgasm blush is so scuffed and gross looking!
Most of my packaging issues are with skincare. I wish they´d get rid of the big jars you have to dip your finger in!
I think Lancôme’s silver mascara box looks really dated. For products themselves, I can’t think of any right now…
I would love companies to stop using the black, rubbery packaging like NARS does. There is no way at all to keep it clean.
My pet peeve too. Hate NARS packaging. My Orgasm blush looks so gross and scuzzy bc it is beaten up from being in a makeup bag. Looks so sad and pathetic sitting with my other stuff!
My thought exactly…they attract everything and are a misery to keep clean
I have arthritis and some packaging is just too hard to open! From palettes to jars.. I understand they want their product protected, but if they would please rethink this!
Yeah, psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis of the nails. Don’t really want to call a neighbor to open UDNB2. Tend to use a tool, like a mini spatula. Wiggling your fingernail in the opening hurts half the time. Guess I like the magnetic closures best, followed by the push button, on palettes.
I too have arthritis and issues with products. I think a hugely lucrative industry could do much better. Boycott?
I feel like a lot of limited edition palettes have gone towards cardboard packaging, which isn’t my favorite. But I guess as long as its slim, sturdy, and securely closes, then it’s fine. I’d perfer a slim, sturdy, and secure cardboard over a bulky and flimsy plastic palette anyday. I hate bulky palettes and recently gifted two older Tarte palettes to a friend for that reason alone!
Mac Pro Longwear Concealer!!! If they re-did the pump so it dispensed less product… I would be in heaven.
Seconding this! Thirding it, too. That pump is such a butt to maneuver without dispensing enough to do three full faces. :/
I wish drugstore packaging was better in general, though I am seeing some products shift toward sleeker packaging. I don’t mind at all that it’s usually plastic and see-through, but something like the Wet n’ Wild bronzers with their domed lids end up being so big and bulky. I wish they would go the way of WnW’s new mega glow compacts, which are just as wide but have a very thin profile.
I wish MAC Pro Longwear concealer came with a doe foot applicator.
I was going to say Nuetragena’s Water Gel Moisturizer but I just discovered it in a pump tube. The first moisturizer to go empty. I was so excited. I really hate putting my fingers in jars.
Lancome color design lipsticks…have to keep them upside down to see the color name then they don’t sit flat!
MAC Pro Longwear concealer! The amount of product that comes out with one pump could conceal all the world’s imperfections.
Nars Sheer Glow foundation—yeah, I wish it had a pump, but also the specific glass bottle/lid combination leaks product all over the place! At least on the bottle I own. (p.s. I don’t actually like this foundation! I feel like I’m the only one who doesn’t get along with it)
Also, on a general note, I think every moisturizer that’s in a jar instead of a pump-style bottle or a squeezy tube. That’s just me though.
Nars Sheer Glow needs a pump! I know you can buy a pump for $6, but I just don’t understand why it still doesn’t come with one… and MAC Prolongwear concealer needs a better pump and sturdier packaging lol.
I wish all lipsticks had colored bullets or stickers so that I could find the lipstick I’m looking for more easily. I don’t know if its just me but twisting on and off colourpop’s eyeshadows is annoying, I wish they clicked open and closed like most single eyeshadows.
I have two different shades of Kat Von D Studded Kiss lipstick. I love the lipstick….HATE the packaging. On both tubes, the cap doesn’t stay on. It doesn’t even click when you put the lid on like other lipsticks…it just kind of slides over it. Dislike!!
Personally, I d e t e s t cardboard/paperboard packaging. it’s just so impractical. And, as pretty as NARS’ packaging is, I hate that every drop of powder or smear of foundation sticks to it.
Benefit Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer, for sure. The nozzle continually leaks so congealed product has to be wiped clean before each use. It wastes product and wastes time. It’s too bad because it’s such a great product. I love that it has SPF and color corrects.
Did not mind too bulky, when I was younger. Some of the 90s UII, Borghese came in bulky, but clever, and cleanable packages. Now that I suffer from TMS instead of PMS (too much stash) I really need to consolidate. Zs have been invaluable. They do have a learning curve, and each different product may require a different technique. Magnets, no clasp/closure. Yay. Now I get very bugged by the extravagance of packaging. Looking at you, UD BOS 4, was it? Shadows in the pull out tray below, and all this claptrap in the housing? Whatta waste! Vice 4: know I recently whined about that one, when I caved and got it on sale. The fragmented motif was sufficient, without plastic piercework over it. And a slipcase with the same fractured glass look. You cannot get away from it. Overkill and not practical. Your fingers can get stuck in the top. Really. I deselect any pop-ups or 3 D. In addition to the earlier rant, those eventually fall apart or won’t stay open. Seems to me that the more ultra HE brands do not have to pander to trends or get gimmicky. But I don’t look at those any more. Clean, classic lines. Products that are functional and take up a small footprint. And I’m not even getting into the mfg/trash/recyclability aspect of any of this. Lipsticks had refills, when I was little. Now, everything is disposable. And will last forever in our landfills.
I see that many readers are insisting on no jar packaging, clearly better for product stability and to keep the product from contamination. Thanks, Paula’s, I agree. Learned a lot from PC.
“Now that I suffer from TMS instead of PMS” — love it! KJH, not only are you right on the money in your posts, but you’re hilarious as well.
I agree.
Paula Begoun has been such a gift. I have learned so much from her. Wish too more products has refills. With z palettes and the like do we need such bulky, wasteful and extravagant packing. Have to admit, I love my sleek Armani lipstick a magnetic closure but it is bigger than the average lipstick it does not fit in my acrylic organizer. Why?
Rimmel Stay Matte powder!!! Yes, it’s drugstore, but good god, you would think they could justify something a bit better than that clear plastic cap that splinters almost immediately. Such a shame because it’s such a good product for the price – this is the one product I can think of where I won’t be repurchasing just because of the packaging.
Buy loreal’s true match powder instead. Give same great coverage as Rimmel and more durable packaging. Funny with the Rimmel, mine is cracked too!
Sephora’s gel serum concealer. Its a decent product but so hard to get out of the tube and not only that but the applicator is crazy rough and scratchy compared to other concealers out there.
I’ve heard others have the same problem, but I store mine on the side, and there’s been no issues.
Thanks love. Will try that!
Vice 3. Very ugly package and probably the best of the Vice palettes. I’m also going to go with the studded kiss lipsticks. The packaging is beautiful but my lipstick tops are always popping off in my purse so something it up with the inners. Last? Mascara in general. There has got to be a way that doesn’t put air in the tube making it go bad. Maybe a redesign of bar or tube mascara?
I buy the smallest available mascara tubes for sanitation reasons. I feel mascara can become bacteria factories very quickly.
Wet n Wild’s Megalast lipsticks for sure. Amazing color payoff, beautiful shades, however the cap often comes off and is loose, so I don’t fully trust it in my purse. Still absolutely worth buying at $3 though because everything else is great!
I’m with you on that. I would never put those lipsticks in my purse -or try to travel with them at all. I appreciate that WnW tries to keep the prices low, but their packaging is so cheap that I risk breaking the product & making a mess. Elf usually manages to make some pretty sturdy packaging, why can’t WnW?
The benefit boxes! The ridge is too high and as i hit pan it is harder and harder to swirl the brush the way i like. I would buy twenty dandelion if the box blushes got released in slimmer, less deep, packaging.
Urban Decay for sure.
*Agree with you on the UD’s bulky packaging for shadows. I had to return their refillable 4 quad -it was so bulky, heavy, and hard to pop shadows in and out
*Guerlain needs to make their Rouge G packaging re-fillable, such a waste to finish up the lippie and throw away the beautiful packaging with mirror.
*Benefit box packaging for shadows and blushes is cute, but very bulky, and the magnet doesn’t make it shut securely for travel.
*I always prefer skincare in an airtight pump, it’s sanitary, and the beneficial ingredients don’t degrade due to exposure from light and air.
*Supergoop City Serum Sunscreen -had to return 2 tubes because the pump broke after like a month, and it’s in airtight tube, so you can’t open it to get the rest out
*I HATE bottles where the pump stick is too short, so you got tons of product left, but you can’t pump it anymore, have to turn bottle upside down.
Oh, and the Natasha Denona shadows need to be completely repackaged. You’re paying almost $30 a shadow, and it comes in the cheapest, flimsiest, plastic case imaginable, with no mirror either. It looks (and feels like) those cheapie plastic pill boxes you get at DS, AND it’s white, so gets dirty fast. I mean, c’mon, even WNW has better packaging than that!
I got the UD OZ Theodora palette, and I was trying to leave it intact for collector purposes. It was so bulky and such a PITA that I wasn’t using any of the beautiful shadows. I finally bit the bullet and de-potted the shadows and just keep the tin for decoration. The finicky part of me hated doing it, but the practical side of me is very glad.
I wanted to depot my Glinda palette for the same reason — I never use it because of the packaging. My husband talked me out of it. I don’t even know why I asked him for his opinion! I’ll probably depot it… eventually.
Mine actually is Glinda, not Theodora. I have no idea why I even typed Theodora. Flu brain. lol I wish I had Theodora, too…
Mac Prolongwear concealer. I’m all for pumps for sanitary reasons, but it’s nearly impossible to pump out just a tiny bit of product.
Nars. The compacts become sticky.
Any skin care with a dropper style applicator. Do I drop it right onto my skin? Do I put it into my hand? Why not have a squeeze tube instead?
Also any and all loose powder, including eye shadow and blush. Honestly, it’s 2016, why am I still trying to get the residual powder back down through the little slots in the sifter? They should use those applicators that are tubes with little free rolling balls on the end, so you can just press it onto a mixing palette, or the back of your hand or something to release some of the product. Or something (anything!) else.
Agree about droppers! Sometimes they work all right, but usually they’re mess and annoying. I don’t know how I forgot to mention Tarte Foundcealer. The dropper bottle makes no sense and just creates a huge mess.
With droplets, squeeze them above our hand and apply. Don’t touch the dropper.
– Any jar packaging for wet products, needs to go. They don’t last as long, gets exposed to air and germs and are sometimes a pain to store.
– Screw-lids that leak. powder or otherwise.
– Bulky palettes, of any size/number of shadows. i hate inefficient use of space, and so many palettes have such thick cardboard and plastic. packaging adds to cost, so i dont know why so many brands go crazy with it. premium materials would make a product seem more luxurious to me, like metal or high quality plastic. not inches of packaging between colors. so the whole thing ends up being way more expensive than it had to because someone thought it was a good idea to space pans out
– Packaging with brush holders. this is a really big pet peeve of mine. i store all my brushes in one place, so any well designed for pencils or brushes is wasted space and added bulk.
– Things that don’t sit on a flat surface, or stack nicely.
MAC Pro longwear concealer. Nice that there is a pump but it dispenses way too much product even for someone with horrid black circles as I have. I have RA and sometimes my fingers, hands, thumbs don’t do what I want them too and this pump isn’t helpful
MAC’s mineralize packaging. I have to struggle to figure out the “trick” for getting those cases open and usually have to turn the whole thing upside down to make it work. Lip crayons that make you think you’re getting a lot more product than you actually are. GLASS packaging that will shatter if it’s dropped on a tile bathroom floor making you take 20 minutes to clean it all up and be late for work so you don’t cut up your feet the next time you walk in the bathroom in bare feet.
Urban decay 15th anniversary style of packaging. So bulky and impractical. I dropped the palette once, the lid came off during the drop and most of the shadows shattered.
I LOVE Mario Badescu skin care products but I think the packaging looks incredibly cheap and unoriginal-until you try their product you almost feel as if it’s going to dull your skin (and maybe your life). For what you pay for the product and how well they work I would say up the packaging a bit1
Foundations in glass bottles. Why not have a pump?
Lip gloss or concealer with the twist up brush. Just annoying.
MAC’s new MSF. Cannot open with any ease.
And ALL of NARS packing. That matte black packaging isn’t cool imo . My NARS looks so junky from being tossed around in a makeup bag. So scuffed up. Hate it!
I haven’t read through the comments yet but I was thinking gel liners and cream shadows in pots.
Packaging should be:
-modular (easier to stack/store)
-minimalist
-slim
-air-tight as possible
-protective and not easy to open in bag
-easy and convenient to use (as effortless and with few steps as possible)
-opaque or dark container if skincare
-if pump, dispenses just the right amount (like Paula’s Choice BHA 9 pumps way more than needed)
-if pump dispenser in opaque packaginng without a lid, then a hint somewhere to show how much is left, Paula’s Choice bha9 has a little meter to show the changing level in the tube).
Easy answer for me: Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation!
It’s such an amazing product but it still has no pump. Just a bottle that pours straight out and it’s very annoying. Put a pump on it Estée!
Agree. I want to try but that old style glass bottle with no pump is such draw back for me!
Christine I love your comments and to add on Surrats Primatique Eyes, needs reworking. The current swivel packaging breaks easily.
Rachel R – if you buy the original eye primer from the UD site in a two pack for $29, it’s the original, not the doe foot applicator.
For me, the travel size of the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer – the pump stops working every time when it’s just over half empty.
Milani blushes – I split a nail every time.
Thank you, Dianne! I didn’t know that.
I too, like the all travel size UD eye primer with the sqeeze tube. Less contamination and less product to expire too soon. I do the same with mascara. Small size so less waste. Really, how much can you really use in three months.
Well, I think that Mary Kay Cosmetics and Skin Care should go back to being pink and not black. It’s a trademark really. Everyone knew that if you pulled out a pink compact, it was Mary Kay. But I have to go with the pumps..in skin care, foundations, even in shampoo and conditioner bottles. The less oils from your skin that get into your shin care and foundation IS a big plus in my book and life. 🙂
F.A.B. Ultra Repair Cream. Wish it came sealed with a pump dispenser instead of in a huge pot that I open & dip into with every use. Agree with previous posts about Rouge G being too bulky (and heavy), tall skinny nail polish bottles, and palettes in huge containers – remember the MUFE palette in the box with hinged lid and metal closure? Ugh.
Drunk Elephant is a company that understands how to package skin care products. I also like Clinique’s new powder foundation compact that has a separate compartment for the sponge applicator. In general I wish companies would skip the applicators for blush and eyeshadow, but I like a having a compact sponge or puff handy for touch ups on the go.
I de-potted my MUFE case, and the shadows easily fit into a small Zpalette. Talk about wasted space! I use the empty case to store my colored mascaras, and I’ve got room to spare. I’m glad they didn’t repeat that format.
Marc Jacobs remarcable foundation concentrate
Yeah, there’s been defect issues with the MJ foundation packaging.. I had to return one because it made a mess and leaked every time I opened or closed the top, no matter how careful I was. And I don’t like that fake dropper applicator at all.
That is exactely what I mean
You also waste product because of this and for the Price This should not happen
Nyx and Stila.
Nyx has a few duds but has a LOT of great products, but their packaging leaves a lot to be desired. Don’t get me wrong, it’s usually cute, but lids that constantly pop off irritate the hell out of me.
Stila has drop dead amazing products. The packaging is usually cute or in some cases is quite beautiful and high end looking, but it’s usually flimsy. I really wish Stila would address this. The quality of their products is so good, just as good as any higher end makeup brand imo, why not have quality packaging to match?
Even though I love Reve de Miel lip balm, I HATE using it! It’s the only balm that works for me overnight (I put it on before bed) or I would just throw it out. The consistency is similar to Carmex so I don’t understand why this isn’t offered in a squeeze tube. =(
My only pet peeve is when it is really hard to open the jolly product……honestly you would swear that some brands don’t want you to use their stuff.
Glass bottles – no no
Any face moisturisers in a tub – they should all be in a pump pack – more hygienic and it keeps the active ingredients active
I’ve gotten over the weight issue of Rouge G. I seldom carry more than one lipstick and one gloss at a time so it’s not a big deal. However, I agree completely with Christine about how difficult it is to read the labels. Since I have a lot of Rouge G, that could be a problem. I solved it by using my label maker to make my own (black lettering on white) and attach them on the flat part of the case.
As for creams or foundations in jars or bottles without pumps, there is no excuse for that. I think the consensus is that they should all come in tubes or pump bottles. You’d think the cosmetic industry would have heard us by now.
Viseart palettes! Expensive high end eyeshadow in cheap looking, ugly, plain packaging! Love everything about my Viseart palettes but that!
I hate how bulky benefit boxed powders are. There are at least two I want and I never buy them because of how much of a waste of space the packaging is. Plus there’s just the fact that I loathe the idea of spending that kind of money on cheap-looking cardboard packaging.
Tarte Color Clay Foundation. This product is a QVC exclusive and one of the sponge type dispensers. I will definitely steer clear of this product due to the fact that I had to dismantle the pot to use all the product. I resent paying a considerable amount for a product that I can’t use fully. I also don’t buy the pump action cans of Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish for this reason too.
OMG.. This is a hefty one. Moisturisers and treatment creams coming in tubs, matte packaging of NARS, no color coding on NARS, MAC, CLINIQUE.. and so many other lipsticks, the flat topped bullet of some lipstick brands ( bite beauty), certain eyeliners/ kohl which donot retract back( Clinique quickliners); tshape of Louboutin lipsticks( pretty to look at, but how to store it, foundations coming without pumps ( so many of them.. Mac, clinique, nars), pressed powders coming without a sponge ( mac prep and prime pressed powder) , colorpop eyeshadows still not coming up with a palette, only certain shades of foundations and concealers available in certain countries, limited shades of local base products even in their own country, ohhh… The list is endless…. The actual thing which really irks ne that brands( even hi end brands) sometimes promising the heaven and delivering not even a tenth of it.
I’m not as fussed about the hygiene issue with pots as most seem to be. It just doesn’t bother me and I always make sure to have clean hands. Similar to Christine, Cle de Peau lipstick packaging looks lovely and has the benefit of being refillable, but it doesn’t stand up; you have to keep them flat which is a pain and you have to open the product to see which color it is. I can’t bring myself to put a label on and ruin the esthetic. It’s a similar problem with all CdP products; I’m happy they went refillable/green, but if you have a lot of lipsticks or shadows from them, you have to open everything to find what you’re looking for. Along that line is the design of Louboutin lipsticks. Frankly they’re gaudy, let’s get that out there right now, but again, no color labels to know which one is which and they store horribly. The formula is great, but they should be refillable too. Finally, a warning to anyone who travels a lot – TSA freaked out at these in my make-up bag and I got flagged for screening because they appeared to be weapons. So now you have to sit there while everyone watches you demonstrate they’re lipsticks and wonder what the heck kind of crazy over the top kind of person I must be!
I wish Kat Von D lipstick tubes stayed closed and I wish my elf 4 pan palettes were easier to open. I have 4 of them, blush, bronzer, highlight, and contour, and I have issues with my dominant hand so I can’t even get them open some times.
I think companies make extra large packaging to deceive people into thinking they have more products and if you watch youtube, many girls say things like ‘You get so much more in this one…’. Yet the packaging is just huge compared but when you check the amounts contained …they’re the same. I hate Mac’s huge packaging in they’re new repackaged mineralize line and I have a hard time opening them, also before you could see the colors inside and now you can’t. Why so bulky Mac??
We need to email companies about this. I know they listen if there are many complaints otherwise they don’t care. Who designs these things anyway? It can’t be a woman who carries a bag and puts makeup in it. Bobbi Brown packaging is the best. Black, sleek and small.
I can’t read the big letters on the eye chart and my close vision has become very limited even with prescription gla
Glasses. I need a magnifying glass, I think. Very frustrating because I do read labels. I’m a clean freak with cosmetics. As a retired nurse, I hate contamination. We will succeed in improving these issues.
I kinda buy by the packaging so I can´t recall any
I wish all lipstick packaging was color coated. It’s hard to sift through my favorite Mac and Bite Beauty lipsticks. I also want all skin care to be airtight in pumps to prevent bacterial growth. This one is really particular but I wish all palettes and singles had magnetized, removable pans. That way I could keep things I like in their nice packaging but still be able to transport them in a Z palette when I want (one thing I love about Tarte full size blushes).
One last thing, I hate anything with brush tip applicators. You know lip glosses or concealers that you have to twist up and the product is dispense into the brush. Don’t care if it is low end or high end, I steer clear of products with this juvenile messy packaging. One exception I make is for Revlon’s Photoready eye primer/brightener bc I love the product and I am on my 5th or 6th tube. But other wise I think those products are a pain, cheap looking and you always close the cap on the bristles bending them making the product even more of a mess to use. Also I don’t get why products come with little cheap brushes, sponge tip applicators, puffs etc. I always toss them. Think of how much cheaper or sleeker the product could be if you didn’t include those unnecessaries?