What beauty brand never seems to capture your attention? Share!
Skincare-only brands; I just find a lot of the claims in skincare (generally) to be so over-the-top that I tune a lot of it out.
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Benefit never captures my attention anymore. Probably because their products are always so hyped but are only ever ok. They aren’t terrible, just not deserving of the level of hype they get for each and every new product they put out. All of their foundations and blushes also tend to run very warm, which is nice for some people but bad for some as well.
I’m not the biggest fan of Benefit either. I love They’re Real but most of their products are too pale for me. Cute packaging and stuff though
I i love their primer and mascara. I am an NC50
Benefit never even crossed my mind when I saw this question… Apparently, I all but forgot about them, LOL! I’ve only actually tried the Bad Gal mascara, and it was a just a dry, flaky mess that just clumped my lashes together. Other products have caught my eye in passing while at a store, but I personally can’t get past the juvenile packaging… The same goes foe Too Faced & the Balm.
Ditto. Their packaging is super annoying too. Although I like their Boing concealer simply for the fact that it is so warm it works really well as an under eye neutralizer.
I completely agree about Benefit. While their boxed powders piqued my interest mildly when Christine gave some a good rating, so many far nicer products just bumped them out of the way for me. I think they’re generally overhyped, especially where I live – their much touted mascara has the biggest, most eye-jabbing wand I have ever, ever seen and a lot of their products are just good, not great. I know the packaging is cute, but I like brands that are more curated, selective and that have best in class products, and I’m really not one for cute anyway!
Anything that is sold online. I am just not interested in anything online unless I can see it in person.
Ditto! I rarely shop online, as I just can’t be bothered, and if a brand wants my money, you’d think there would be more of an effort to make the product available. I haven’t tried D & G or Burberry, for example, for this reason, although there have been a few things I’d be willing to pay for. However, I quickly lose interest when I remember how much of a PITA it will be to procure them…
Wow these answers really surprised me! I do 99% of my shopping online! I’m in a remote area & not near a lot of counters/ brands. Having access is a nice thing, but I also like where I live & I’m not going to move so online access is just as good for me.
I mostly buy online, too. The closest Sephora and Ulta are 20-30 mins. away. Plus, I have a back injury from a car accident from a couple years ago. Some days, I just can’t stand/walk around the stores for long.
TOTALLY agree when it comes to skincare. I swear by checking with Beautypedia (and you!) for reviews, and I can’t wrap my head around designer cosmetic companies that make skincare, e.g. Givenchy, Dior, etc. I also read science and know that the very best way to take care of your skin is to use a high-quality sunscreen and to clean your face of makeup/moisturize at night. Once claims get to be complicated I just tune out.
Ditto! Beautypedia is my bible! Sometimes I’ve liked products they don’t recommend, but for the most part, I follow their advice.
Same here Christine – if I see another claim of pore shrinking and face lifting I’ll scream.
Maxfactor… Yawn.
You should try their Face Finity primer. It is a dupe for Chanels Le Blanc.
Max Factor is still around?! If so, it has def failed to catch my attention 🙂
It was pulled out of North America when Proctor & Gamble bought out the Smashbox brothers. P&G saw MF as direct competition with CoverGirl, so they removed MF from the market. It was at this time that CG went from the second least expensive DS brand (just above WnW) to having some products be the most expensive. Since around 2008, CG foundation went from $4 to $20… L’Oréal isn’t even that pricey!
Many really high en brands, like YSL, Tom Ford, Dior; maybe it’s because I’m not the target demographic, they seem aimed at much older and “straight faced” women than me. Also, they are very expensive, and I like to have more bang for my buck. Sometimes I do want to buy some of their products, but I imagine myself using them… and it’s just weird.
HUGE 2nd – I literally never even stop to swatch these products. They just seem so out of my realm (financially) I’ve just blocked them out! Also – Lancome. It’s not AS pricey as Dior, TF, etc., but nothing I have ever tried of their’s has worked for me.
Yesssss, plus they redo the same things over and over and that’s just not exciting!
Almay – very boring packaging, colors, and products. I can’t even remember the last time they launched anything new, much less exciting. Never seems to advertise. I think the brand needs a major overhaul. Or maybe get rid of it and make shelf space for more exciting and innovative drugstore brands, like Milani, NYX, Wet N Wild.
LOL agreed, nothing grabs my attention and on top of it, the shade selection (foundation wise) is SUPER limited.
I was actually talking to an Almay (Revlon) rep three days ago, in the GTA (ontario) and she was saying they may be pulling out of Canada due to poor sales. Seems this sentiment is far reaching of the brand needing an overhaul or time to retire. I also had no idea that Revlon owned Almay.
No surprise here. They’ve just failed to excite and capture the interest of people in general, haven’t they? I don’t think any Beauty Bloggers really review their products either mostly due to lack of interest. I’ve never even tried any of their products!
I agree, plus their performance has never impressed me. I do feel like it’s a good brand for younger guys and girls starting out with makeup because everything is so sheer and safe!
I like a few things from Almay. I think last summer they released some lip glosses that are pretty pigmented and moisturizing. I remember Marlena from MakeupGeek talking about them. Also some of their mascaras are good but just about everything else is a bit “wah-wah”.
Some high-end beauty brands feature packaging I find too garish for my own personal taste. I cringe on sight–and that’s the only attention it will get from me (unfortunately–gaudy packaging aside, some of these brands do feature excellent formulas).
Skincare brands that don’t come in “pretty” bottles I pay special attention to.
Mostly it’s very high end brands for me (because they’re so far out of my budget, I don’t even want to be tempted!).
NARS! Not sure why, but I never ever was taken by the whole Orgasm blush / Turkish Delight gloss waves, and none of the collections that come out look interesting to me, not in the color department nor as far as formulas and packaging goes.. there are a couple duos I’d like to try, but other products always win when I’m at the point of deciding what to buy in store / online.
I am the exact opposite! Perhaps it’s because NARS really only does quarterly collections, and there is a relatively long time between collections, but I always look forward to what’s going to be there. Even if I’m completely disinterested in any of the shades/products (as with the last two), I still look forward to seeing them. Even seeing the sometimes “strange” pairings in the duos inspires me to try new things with what I have until I decide if I want to buy it-and there’s *always* time to think about it!
I wouldn’t say that NARS hasn’t captured my attention (Their recent Audacious lipstick line and the shades they chose are DEFINITELY on my wavelength), but I’ll agree that I never saw the fascination with Orgasm!
Stila. Nothing from them seems to grab my attention.
Stila. Nothing from them seems to grab my attention.
I forgot about Stila, which must mean that… ugh, yes, they’re really not to my taste either.
High-end: Lancôme. DS: Rimmel.
Clinique – I’m not too sure why, I just find the lab coats & sterile displays really off-putting and none of their products particularly stand out as anything different or worth the money (sorry Clinique fans!)
I sort of agree! It’s all very clinical looking, haha. I actually don’t own much from Clinique either, come to think of it!
Clinic…. Clinique… Clinic… Clinique.
Hahaha!
Lol, I understand. They’re probably a great brand. But they just don’t do it for me, sad because it’s a quality affordable brand.
Dior, I never get excited for their products. They don’t impress me at all.
More youth oriented/edgy brands like Urban Decay Kat von D.
Estée Lauder, Lancome, Chanel. I find the first two boring and the last one over-hyped.
Clarins! Elizabeth Arden, Estee Lauder, Givenchy, Lancôme, Shiseido, YSL, Dior. Drugstore brands!
(Pretty much every brand that’s available where I live)
Agreed on Elizabeth Arden! I actually forgot about that brand, probably I always walk right past it whenever I’m in ULTA. I’m also not impressed by Clarins or Shiseido.
I’m not sure. If a brand never captures my attention, I’m not very likely to even remember they exist without a reminder.
With all the launches and limited editions, MAC never grabs my undivided attention or tempts my buy obsession. Maybe it’s age….
Great question! Very high-end brands never seem to interest me — Guerlain, Chanel, Givenchy, Armani, etc. Dior is probably the exception, but only sometimes.
Estée Lauder, I bought the double wear light foundation & had a bad reaction & I think I own one highlighter otherwise.
Alamay and of late, I am not feeling the campaign featuring Carrie Underwood with the slogan “American”. Exactly what do they mean by that?
“Buying American” is a very important issue for a lot of people in recent times. Whether it’s about quality control (many won’t even consider Made in China, regardless of brand), or keeping jobs in the US, it’s a big issue. I would personally rather buy products made here, but I understand (most!) of the reasons behind overseas manufacturing, and I trust major brands oversee production, but it’s simply Almay’s way of appealing to Middle America. Or, it could simply be an attempt to make all women feel pride/unity in living in such a great nation?
I understand and buying from “made in America”. As a woman of color, campaign turns me off
I have a few of them. From the drugstore, I would say Covergirl and Revlon (lately). High End: Benefit Cosmetics – I just think the packaging is oftentimes very inconvenient to store/carry around.
I ignore Benefit. I’ve been burned too many times with mediocre products in terrible packaging to care what they come out with.
Definitely designer skincare. Thank you Paula Begoun! Really small niche brands never really grab my attention, but im sure some have great products.
Marc Jacobs, Clarins, Clinique and Benefit….for starters 🙂
Smashbox. I keep thinking they need to roll out something spectacular because it seems like it’s just been years of absolutely nothing interesting. To me, it’s like the Pier 1 of beauty brands: how are you not bankrupt yet?
LOL totally agree. They have a cult following, though! Their primers are super gimmicky. I used to work for them and had to sit through trainings trying to sell those crazy primers. The only real difference between all of them is the level of dimethicone and dyes. That’s pretty much it.
I have one lipstick from them that I REALLY love – it’s one of the only really beige-y/warm nudes that’s actually STAYED looking that way on my super pink lips… and yet I still forget they exist all the time! Even when I look at pictures of their products online it just looks so boring, their packaging has no flair.
Smashbox was seemingly everywhere about five years ago. I remember seeing their ads in Vogue and Allure and then they just kind of disappeared. I actually have more than a few of their products and they aren’t terrible, just not really worth the price point. In fact, the Second Skin concealer is great as is their Noir O-Gloss (though I routinely forget I have it!). I have one of their Photo Finish lipstick that I love and, of course, they discontinued the shade.
I think they promoted and/or discontinued the wrong things in their line and it kind of sank them. They were obsessed with promoting those awful primers and foundations when those are probably some of the worst products the line has. Their Soft Lights blushes and highlighters are pretty good as were their eyeshadow pencils.
I almost forgot about Smashbox! I definitely bought their eyeshadow trio, oh, 8 years ago, and a lipstick… but that was it, and it was nothing to write home about. I’m pretty sure they haven’t changed a thing since then. Ho hum.
Their Cherry Smoke palette (from last year or so?) is phenomenal though! In general, their photo op eyeshadow formula is great. Much better than some of their other eyeshadow lines.
I can’t get into smashbox either. Maybe for different reasons though. I will not spend high end money without testers. Being darker skin, they don’t give samples and I’m not.paying almost $50 for a product I don’t know if it will work. Oh, and Neutrogena, no thank you not made for women of color.
Clarins, Clinique, BareMinerals, Estée Lauder, Lancome, Sensai… I’ve always thought they were “old lady brands” (maybe that’s a bit rude, but not many my age use them), but it sure has a lot to do with pricing as well. It’s just not marketed towards teenagers!
I used Estee Lauder & Lancome as a teen… I only stopped because they “improved” their formulas, and I don’t care foe them anymore. Also, Lancome has been trying to include a younger demographic for *years* (starting with the firing of Isabela Rosselini), and they’re priced in line with benefit, Stila, Too Faced, UD…
Most of the department store counter brands (Lancome, Estée Lauder, Clarins, etc), excluding the couture houses (Chanel/Dior/etc–I can’t afford them, but still watch their releases with interest).
Benefit & Stila; they have too spotty of a track record for the price and don’t seem to offer anything unique.
Skincare-only brands, because their claims are so often unsupported by peer-reviewed medical journals/wildly exaggerative, they often use formulas which don’t actually let the active ingredients work as well as they should, and include irritating ingredients (like fragrance). Not cool, people. Not cool.
Almay, Rimmel, NYC, Neutrogena for drugstore makeup. Neutrogena has some fine makeup, don’t get me wrong, but they have such limited foundation colors I have a tendency to just walk on by.
Mid: Too Faced. It’s rare that they have anything I’d contemplate buying. Melted Lipstick withstanding.
High End: CdP, La Mer, LP, Chante, and basically anything else that I see as drastically over priced for makeup. I’ll try anything for skin care if I know the ingredients, it meets my needs, and it has good reviews. I’m less likely to care about price there.
I agree with everything here! I also think investing in skincare that works for you is such a good idea. I’d rather spend money on my face (especially skincare) than a new purse or shoes, personally.
I forgot Neutrogena even did makeup. I totally think of them as a skincare brand. I guess they’re not on my radar either.
Lancôme, Clinique, Estée Lauder, smashbox, bare minerals, it cosmetics, almay, and Nutragena.
Lol did you just read my mind?! couldn’t agree more!
In general, so-called “luxury” brands… They tend to be difficult to buy, and for some reason, most aren’t upfront with their ingredients (probably because they want to hide the fact they obscenely overcharge for products that include the same cheap ingredients used in products that are 1/2 the price…).
Anastasia abs Kat von d. But I used to feel the same way about tarte and they have become my absolute favorite.
Stila and Smashbox come to mind because I don’t think I’ve ever even used any of their products. I’ve considered it, but never bought anything. I tried a sample of Smashbox Photo Finish primer and hated it. For a second, I almost wanted to buy that new primer water, but I’m still not convinced it’s much more than glorified water.
When it comes to Smashbox I do absolutely love their photo op eyeshadow formulas – some of the smoothest and most pigmented I’ve ever used!
Lancome- the skincare is science fiction, the shadows have too much frost, lippies are awful.
Smashbox- their primers are a gimmick and everything else is underwhelming.
Urban Decay- Their crazy colors are too “teenage wasteland” and even though their quality is good, their price point is crazy high for such crappy teen-bopper packaging.
Bobbi Brown- There is nothing BB makes that I can’t either dupe at a lower price point of find better quality in a more luxe brand at relatively the same price.
MAC (excluding their brushes), because of distribution. It’s inconvenient for me to get to an outlet to try stuff and I never buy makeup that’s more than $6 without testing it first. If I’m ordering online I’m usually getting several different brands, so I don’t like that I have to order through their website. If it’s not accessible through Sephora I’m generally just not interested.
And any company where the average price of any given product is $50+. Tom Ford, Giorgio Armani, etc.
Lately, Bobbi Brown. I used to love her makeup (that was years ago at a time when the brand almost only did matte shadows and blush), but now I feel like the new collections are just “take the same nude and neutral shades, shuffle and release!”. The face products are a bit more interesting but way overpriced.
I have to agree on Bobbi Brown. I feel like she used to be THE brand for rolling out nude and brown shadows and blushes, and now everyone is doing it… but better.
Is that a trick question? 😉
I agree – skincare brands. I don’t believe a word they say LOL
Stila, Beauty Geek, Colour Pop,
Anything drugstore. Too many have questionable ingredients and the quality generally sucks. I also feel like I’m not a poor teenager anymore so I can spend more on myself. LOL. That said I also never use the super high-end luxury stuff either. I don’t see the need to spend $60+ on an eyeshadow quad. I guess I don’t look at a lot of brands mostly because I’m happy with my middle-of-the road favorites: BareMinerals, Tarte, Urban Decay, 100% Pure, Bite Beauty. I’ve tried things from other brands like Too Faced and The Balm, but they are just kind of ‘meh’. Nothing special.
Unfortunately, tarte now uses alot of “questionable” ingredients… A few years back, when they werw a smaller brand, they touted the fact they didn’t, but some of my newer products have completely different lists. I’ve actually stopped buying tarte, and it was once my favorite brand.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but finding ingredients lists for many “luxury” brands is next to impossible to do, most likely because they use the same inexpensive “questionable” ingredients found in DS products. Trust me, I’m obsessed with knowing what I put on my face, and if I can’t find out, it makes me wonder…
Almay & Chanel. With the exception of a perfume (Chance Eau Tendre), I don’t own any Chanel beauty products. I like Almay’s eye makeup remover pads, but the makeup never speaks to me.
I have lost interest in most High End brands like Chanel, Dior and Clarins.
Stila to start! I’ve never really seen a product that jumps out at me, and I don’t like their Lip Glazes nor do I understand the hype around Kitten. Clinique is the same way, I can’t name a product I’ve actually touched from them lol! I have yet to grab a Benefit product either, since I hate They’re Real! mascara unless it’s layered with MUFE’s Smoky Extravagent and their foundations/concealers don’t come anywhere near being a color match for me 🙁 I *was* excited when Hello Oxygen came out, but finding out the lightest shade was waaaaay too dark killed my interest. There’s the theBalm too, another “pass” for me, and tarte isn’t a brand I buy/pay much attention to. Their Amazonian Clay something-or-other foundation (the brown tube) is a good color match for me, but the $36 price tag keeps me away sadly.
I really don’t like a lot of brands it looks like! 😛
YSL and Lancome never seem to catch my attention! For skincare brands its always Origins. I want to try them but non of the products have ever really caught my eye and I can’t put my finger on why! It might be because there aren’t many of these counters around where I live but I should probably make an effort to try something! Also Benefit products never really interested me because I tired porefessional expecting amazing things and it was no way near as good as the smashbox primer. Just my opinion 🙂
Tom Ford. I do use high end make up but the price point of TF seems absolutely ridiculous, like the 60 dolar eyeshadow that is being featured right now. I would be a little interested if it was a niche make up brand like the ones you can only buy in their Paris boutiques or something like that. At the end of the day it is an another fashion house make up brand under the roof of a giant firm, Estee Lauder that is. Most of the products feel like glorified Estee Lauder products to me. I wasn’t that impressed with the quality either, they were good of course but nothing you cannot find in an another luxury make up brand with less crazy price tags. I am also not the biggest fan of “sex sells” marketing.
Pur minerals comes to mind in my local Beauty Boutique (Shoppers Drug mart). I think they have Benefit too but I never bother with it. Stila is a meh for me too. Never look at Marc Jacobs or Josie Maran when in Sephora. I know there are products from Too Faced I like the reviews on but I hate the displays in Sephora so I can’t be bothered to look.
I had to really think about this one!
CK – they have a whole section in ulta for their cosmetics…but has anyone ever purchased anthing? I’ve never heard anyone online review their products – I have to wonder why they waste the shelf space.
As for the drugstore, Almay. It’s the Wonder Bread of cosmetics. No thanks.
I have to agree with you on CK. They’ve had a section at Ulta for at least two years now and no one ever talks about them. My guess is that they’re owned by a brand that agrees to be in Ulta only if they take the CK line. I don’t know why pur minerals is their either. They’re the mid-range Almay IMO.
The CK shine lipsticks are AMAZING
Kat Von D, Elizabeth Arden, Lancôme, Shiseido, and the really expensive ones that I can’t afford like Guerlain, CDP, Burberry, Chantecaille, Tom Ford, etc.
Physician’s Formula, I have yet to find a good product from them. They are so hyped up but I feel like for the higher drugstore cost they should work better than my Wet N Wild products. I’ve also found that Jordana is too hyped for the quality as well.
Clinique. I always walk right past their makeup counter!
Oh wow…so many. LORAC is a big one. I was interested when it was first released because the line had some amazing lip glosses. Once those were discontinued, I lost total interest in the line which has seemed to just focus on glitter and bronzer anyway. Same goes for Philosophy. Their makeup has always been terrible (to me), none of their skin care has really worked for me and the body-washes-that-smell-like food is a gimmick is now pretty standard to lesser priced lines.
Then there’s Benefit which is nothing but cute names/packaging and hype but I still can’t get interested (mainly because all their products are awful and just don’t work for me). I don’t think anything from Stila has ever excited me either. Bare Minerals, Smashbox and Drew Barrymore’s Flower are also pretty boring.
I noticed recently (when I bought one of their products!) that I’ve never paid much attention to Tarte. I don’t think that’s deserved, they’ve just somehow always escaped me.
The one that, in my opinion, I don’t so much overlook as more deliberately ignore is Benefit. Their products are just sort of lame lately, if I’m honest. They’re cracked up to be so cool and innovative but they’re actually just mediocre, dime-a-dozen products you’d pay less for elsewhere. But Benefit always comes off as arrogant and immature to me, like “we’ll just sell some crap with girly packaging, call it ‘Pretty in Pink’ and you’ll eat it right up, muahaha.” Nah, I’d rather stick with a brand that doesn’t patronize me, thanks.
Here in Australia it’s not about what beauty brand that never seems to capture your attention, but beauty brands that are available here so you can try them out for yourself. UD has just reached Australia after all these years at Mecca Maxima.
Having said the above, I don’t think I would bother with Stila (so many negative reviews lately), D & G,
Almay, Revlon (products just not good enough), MAC (too expensive here and some average products).
Then it is about the money – TF, Chanel, YSL, Dior, Bobbi Brown, MAC etc are all way too expensive here – out of my price range.
Stila — no doubt about it. I’ve tried various products and all were either given or thrown away. Their Eyes Are the Window palettes were especially disappointing because I would have purchased at least two of those palettes if the pigmentation/formula had been good. It seems they come up with great ideas but lack the ability to bring them to fruition in any palatable way.
Most skincare, most designer/luxury brands, Shiseido, Clarins, Benefit, Flower, Pixi (sucks), and NYC (sucks worse than Pixi). Stila is really starting to bore me.
As others noted, I tend to tune out Benefit nowadays. I do have and like some of their stuff, and I’ll check out the counter as I go by, see if there’s anything new that looks interesting, but I don’t follow their releases really. And their SAs are often pushy and annoying.
I keep forgetting about Shu Uemura! I’ve always thought they looked like they had some nice stuff, and some adorable packaging, but I’ve never lived somewhere with a counter nearby and I’m disinclined to buy expensive products from an untried brand online.
There are other brands that I deliberately ignore, primarily because I know that the majority of their products contain plant ingredients I’m allergic to, but that isn’t quite the same thing as forgetting they exist! I suppose Benefit technically comes under this category.
Oh, and I do keep forgetting that the Body Shop actually does lovely makeup. Which is stupid, since the first foundation and lipgloss I ever fell in love with, way back as a teenager, were both from there. And I use some of their body care and skin care. But I tend to stock up on the regular items when they have a sale on, and then I kind of forget about them until I need to replenish something.
I find MAC too overwhelming to shop. Sometimes I make a note of the “favs” people mention here, but I’ve always wimped out when I approach the store or huge “counter” (more like a store within the store) at my closest mall. I just know I’ll lose focus or get talked into something awful, so I avoid it altogether.
Same here! And it’s all too intimidating and the salespeople aren’t very nice. (I know, huge generalization, but that’s been my experience.)
i keep on walking away from skincare that comes in jars. only buy those in tubes or pumps.
Clinique, Estee Lauder, MAC, Lancome, Clarins & Sisely. All for different reasons, some times its packaging, sometimes it’s lousy ad campaigns that fail to entice or as witht eh case with MAC the ridiculous overuse of limited edition products.
Paula’s choice! I hear so many good things but I never buy. Along with lorAc.
Good answer. Lol. Their packaging is so unappealing.
In the drugstore, Almay, Marcelle, and NYC. In the department store and at Sephora, I’d say Estee Lauder, Lancome, and Elizabeth Arden just because I tend to associate them with older makeup-users, as bad as that sounds! I also tend to overlook Makeup Forever because I find their selection overwhelming (a silly complaint, probably, but it’s the truth)!
Let’s see…
drugstore (Europe): Astor… they are never really groundbreaking, their new products are usually dull, and they are crazy expensive compared to other drugstore brands (maybe not Loreal, but they are at least innovative)
high-end: Lancome… just never gets my attention.
actually, not too many skincare brands get my attention… most of the new formulas I”m not interested in at all. If I find something that works for my combination skin, and keeps the shine and zits away, I’m not going to steer away from it. Also, the same could be told of haircare… not really following Pantene, Elseve, Syoss, Toni&Guy…
High end: Clinique andLancome. Their products (that I have used) were fine, but nothing about them grabs me.
Mid end: Benefit, haven’t been wowed and their line seems gimmicky.
Drugstore: Covergirl, Max Factor and a few others. Just seem kinda meh.
I’m also pretty put off by brands that do things like the 80 colour giant eyeshadow palette, I just assume they’re all going to be chalky and low quality.
Wet ‘n Wild. If I’m at the pharmacy, drugstore, or in any beauty aisle at a Target per se, I will ALWAYS walk past the Wet ‘n Wild section. I have absolutely NO interest in their products. But I’m open to new products, facial cleansing products, or any other new makeup collections.
MAC!
Stila, BareMinerals, Clarins (makeup), Smashbox (although I vaguely remember loving their eyeliner a few years ago). I have to say, even if I have no intention of buying certain brands because I know they don’t cater to my skintone (Bobbi Brown, Lancome), or because they shamelessly overprice their products (Tom Ford, Chantecaille, La Mer), I still keep an open mind in regards to the makeup looks they develop, how they combine colors and textures, etc., because I know that If I like something I can almost certainly dupe it or make it work for me somehow.
Any kind of Disney themed makeup. No, just no.
Clinique- boring, overpriced, and aggressively annoying salespeople (from my past experiences).
Whitening Lightning, Gerard Cosmetics, Colour Pop- Anything pushed in your face by every Youtuber and beauty Instagrammer out there, that has an “OMGZ75%CODELINK!!!!!!1” is a steer clear brand for me.
Tarte and Anastasia- How they can manage to send thousands and thousands of dollars worth of products to every Instagram “famous” person out there, but expect us simpletons to shell out $30 for a pencil is beyond me. Therefore I steer clear.
Almay, Neutrogena, Kardashian Beauty, the makeup line by Salma Hayek- just boring and underwhelming.
Colorpop is like $5 per item, so I don’t have an issue with them, but you’re right- the rest of them are high end prices, being shoved on us by beauty bloggers. Is that Gerard cosmetics lip gloss REALLY worth $20? No. Milani ones are the same and less than half of that.
And I actually got super turned off by the 500 videos of the Anastasia Liquid Lipsticks in my youtube feed. I was considering getting one or two of them at the beginning of their launch but after i saw a few more “honest” reviews from people who didn’t get sent the products (like, all 1 person), I decided not to waste my money.
Brands that are more skincare focused – particularly if not exclusively in the high-end area. Lancome in particular never captures my attention. I bought a lipstick from them once and it is the worst lipstick I have in my collection. Dior for some reason as well…I often force myself to browse their things but I never really pick anything up!
Clarins as well…the skincare confuses me like the above. Shu Uemura just really isn’t really my thing. Illamasqua used to be my go-to every time at the shops but in Australia they seem to have a MASSIVE stock replenishment/discontinued items issue. Sad to say…I haven’t bought anything from them in almost a year.
LORAC, for sure. i’ve tried to be interested in their products and i always look at them at ulta or kohls now, but just nothing does it for me. i bought one of the limited edition summer palettes in like 2013 i think and i never reach for it. the pro palettes are just meh to me, since there’s so many better neutral palettes out there to me. i guess i just don’t understand the hype! i’m not really big on benefit either, for the reasons people have already stated. i love stila’s liquid eyeliners and the in the light palette but other than those i’m not really wow’d by them. same for smashbox.
drugstore, i was never really into eye shadow products by like covergirl, loreal, or maybelline. i’m still not tbh. maybelline mascaras are my HG, however. i loathe their lipsticks as i find them too waxy and the scent is so off putting. i recently threw away two because i never used them and the scent is horrible. i’ve never had luck with drugstore foundations either except with the loreal true match as everything oxidizes on me or even their lightest shades are too dark or way too warm.
Bareminerals, Stila, Lancome, LORAC, Smashbox, Neutrogena
Thanks for asking my question, Christine!
Given these replies, anyone else kind of surprised Lancôme is still going?? 😉
I’m in England so may have slightly different answers to the US: Rimmel (generally poor quality and too ‘teenage’ and not in a fun way), Natural Collection (boring), Clarins, Clinique (too clinical, skincare focused and samey) Maxfactor, No.7. With the latter I just feel like it’s overpriced for the quality and even when I get a £5 voucher it’s so ‘blah’, I just end up getting a pencil sharpener or something!
Lancome was probably on it’s deathbed, but they brought in Lisa Eldridge to become the creative director! Now they are trying to revive the brand. And she did a massive makeup “excursion” in South Korea, so you will start to notice of lot of Korean inspired beauty from Lancome now. I probably still won’t buy any.
I live in the UK now, I’m from the US and have been living here for just over a year. I’m with you about the boring makeup brands here. I am going into makeup withdrawals as there’s hardly any good makeup brands that are easily accessable like in the states. I find all the brands in Superdrug and Boots so incredibly boring. MUA, Sleek, Collection, Bourjois, Miss Sporty.. It’s like all these brands are only catering to the teenage girls. And not 18 year old “teenage”, but 13 year old “teenage”. I miss Ulta and Sephora!
Stila, Smashbox, Benefit, Lancome, Almay, Chi Chi, Kat Von D and NYX!
That, and BareMinerals, LORAC, Neutrogena…
Oh, and (I hate to admit it), but I’ve never found Bobbi Brown that interesting. I actually find the advertising and promotional images almost jarring! While the liquid liners sound nice, there’s something about the aesthetic that has never appealed to me.
Regarding Urban Decay, I have to agree with everyone’s comments about the style of it being too edgy, rude (I can’t believe they have a brown eyeshadow called “Backdoor”, ugh!) and tacky to really appeal to me all that much – I don’t go for that “Teenage Wasteland” vibe, but the eyeshadow formula sounds nice enough for me to perhaps consider buying maybe one or two shades when I head Stateside, even though the packaging and presentation actively makes me cringe.
MAC as well – I don’t follow them at all (The constant collections are mind boggling, and I don’t think their aesthetic is at all my style. I think they’re really quite overrated), but I miiiiight buy a couple of their better products if I can go overseas where it’s actually inexpensive.
Merle Norman, Mary Kay, and Almay never seems to catch my attention
Such a great question, I’ve loved reading everyone’s comments! For me I would say Rimmel and Estee Lauder. I haven’t tried much from either brand and when I have, I’ve been rather underwhelmed.