What brand needs a revamp?
Urban Decay. They used to have a really fantastic core range, but they seem to have been slowly discontinuing a lot of it. They’ve also discontinued formulas that were really lovely but never got a real replacement (e.g. Afterglow blushes/highlighters). So little of what they release gives me anticipation, when they used to be a brand I routinely looked forward to each season. They also have a tendency to milk a successful series and seem to lack the energy to innovate in the space.
— Christine
Fully agree that UD is the brand that’s lost its luster. They were my first love when I got into makeup (many moons ago), but now I hardly care about their new releases (looking at you, Wild West). It would be nice to see them recapture their former glory.
Urban Decay for me too and for exactly the reasons you stated, Christine. And you are so right about them milking (to the point where the poor old cow is saying “enough, already”) the whole Naked thing (while discontinuing the 3 Naked palettes I really loved) in much the same way that NARS have overdone their “Orgasm” schtick.
I would agree- UD is the first brand that popped into my head. Although I did purchase Ultraviolet (because I couldn’t pass up ONE color), I haven’t felt the urge to even check for this new Wild West (it just sounds blah). I’d also add TARTE to this discussion. Her relevancy has FADED (yep, past tense) for me. Since the ill-fated launch of their foundation (horrible PR response), I haven’t clicked a Tarte link in quite some time!!
You’re so right about Urban Decay. They started out amazing, covetable. No one was doing palettes with the colour combos UD put together or the mainstreaming of glitter that they embraced. Then they just got boring. They remind me of a Canadian clothing chain, Le Chateau. They started off selling edgy, fun “going out” clothes that were actually well made. Then they transitioned to slutty office wear that fell apart after the first wash. They’re not around any longer and unless UD changes I can’t imagine they will be either.
Is Le Chateau no longer around???? I thought I’d seen their store the last time I was in our local mall but that was a while ago, as malls are closed here in our province wide lockdown. I remember coveting so many clothing items from Le Chateau about 40 or more years ago and I can still remember a plaid suit (subtle plaid) with a maxi length skirt that I got and just loved.
This might be unpopular, but PMG. I adored her early products and own way too many of the luxetrance formula. But she discontinued that formula and her eyeshadow palettes (while still good quality) seem to be repetitive. Plus, if you wait a little bit, the eyeshadow palettes end up on sale. In my opinion, she just seems to be lacking some excitement and diversity of product lately.
Her luxetrance lipsticks are great, and I would add her lip glosses which seem to also be on the way out. All of her new balms look pretty but they aren’t exciting enough for me to splash out for them. I will say I’m excited about her coming out with highlighters!
Yeah I’m going to agree with you. Pointing out the downfall of UD is basically low hanging fruit at this point. They’ve more or less been going downhill for at least 4 or 5 years at this point. PMG still has a good reputation in the beauty community but I’m not sure it’s deserved lately. All the palettes seem based around similar color stories. The rose/pink/red based palettes are pretty blah and uninspired at this point. I rarely hear good things about their base products from people who didn’t get the product for free. Like, I don’t hate PGM, but I do think the brand has been resting on their laurels for a while.
I agree on UD. I used to love them, years ago in the days where there were only 2 Naked palettes.
My staple primer potion has changed packaging and I don’t like it anymore. Palettes are often underperforming so I no longer bother to check. They’re also not greatly accessible in my country, but only through the larger stores of the chain that has exclusivity on the brand and those are located in the big cities only.
UGH – Primer Potion. I’ve been through 3 packaging reincarnations and the current one is the WORST (even worse than the “genie bottle” so many of us hated because it was so wasteful). I really liked the squeeze tube with the “needle nose” tip (one incarnation ago) but the current one is dreadful and I have the feeling the formula might also have changed. UDPP used to be my “go to” when I wanted reliable wear in hot, humid summer conditions but I don’t think I’ll repurchase when I finish this current tube.
Definitely Urban Decay. They seemed so sophisticated when I was in school and now they’re more of an unintentional parody of the grungy glamor they used to have.
I’d add that NARS could step it up in the quality game. I’d like to see Charlotte Tilbury broaden their horizons a bit. ColourPop needs to right the ship a little but at least throwing the PET glitters overboard would help.
UD…for all listed reasons.
ABH….what happened there? I am more excited about all these indie brands in the way I used to be excited about ABH.
What is interesting is ELF have managed to keep it fresh and (mostly) reasonable but I find Color Pop overwhelming.
I agree with Urban Decay for sure. The Naked palettes are overdone now. It’s time to move on. MAC as well. Their seasonal releases just seem to be the same thing every year but with different LE packaging.
Yup, totally agree. I used to have so much UD in my collection and now I barely have any. I still like my Naked 2 and 3 palettes but that’s about it. They discontinued the blushes (which I loved!) and most of the Vice lipstick shades I liked and instead keep making all these warm-toned Naked palettes.
NARS is also a disappointment. Everything they put out these days looks so drying and dusty.
Lol! I thought of UD too. It’s used to be great quality and bolder colors, but now it’s just basic and blah.
MAC needs to go back 10 years to those amazing collections that always had different packaging and were collectible. Bring back the MSFs, I got them all but Pleasureflush.
Fyi. Le chateau is closing. They went international and kept the cheap quality. They also tried to advance their style with their aging customers. Business class doesn’t like cheap polyester. But their evening wear and shoes were thriving. Plus the owners must be 80-90 by now. They opened stores in the 60s in Montreal.
The quality went down. The evening stuff was still okay, along with the jewelry. I didn’t like the feel of the cheap polyester for business wear and passed on that sort of clothing during the past few years.
Why is no one talking about mac cosmetics. They seem to only sell pink, red and beige for years now. Boring. What happened? Years ago they had the most innovative collections everyone was copying. Colors galore.
I don’t think mac will go anywhere, but I bet they aren’t selling like they used to. Also doesn’t help that no one knows about their new collections coming out unless your a makeup artist.
I could not agree more with this.
I feel like they threw quality and innovation out the window and then decimated the color range that they had!
Yes, Christine, Urban Decay more than any other. They’ve clearly fallen flat on their faces, and it’s a huge shame. Even a couple years ago, they churned out some excellent palettes: Naked Honey, Born To Run, even GoT Palette was far better than Naked Ultraviolet or Wild West! And where oh where did their absolutely wonderful blushes go to? As a brand, they are visibly sinking deeper and deeper. Makes me very sad.
Unfortunately, my staple brands all qualify: UD, Clinique and Mac. Both new ideas and quality control have become issues for both UD. Mac’s shopping experience became unbearable ages ago. I have more hope for Clinique. While they’re not trendy, they already managed to evolve from their 90s image to something more fun. Maybe they can do it again.
Also Colorpop. They never expanded into the cooler undertones that work for me. Plus, their products shelf life is shorter than average. Coupled with how quickly they pull colors from their inventory, I’ve stopped bothering with getting attached to anything they release.
I agree with Urban Decay. Maybe go back to basics. Put out a good quality product. The new Wild West one does interest me, but then the review was poor. Figure out the niche in the overcrowded makeup market. Bring back some of the innovation.
Tom Ford. At that price point an occasional dud is one thing. The name and its cachet cannot sustain a brand that has a significant price tag for most of its products. At $110 CAD for an eyeshadow quad, I expect quality. That hasn’t been always there. I can’t afford most of his line and can’t justify $75 for a lipstick unless it is something special. The average woman doesn’t have a huge cosmetics budget. Makeup isn’t exactly an investment product, like a good coat.
THIS! Christine, you articulated this issue with Urban Decay so perfectly. “They also have a tendency to milk a successful series and seem to lack the energy to innovate in the space.” Wow… yep.
I don’t think any of the Naked-adjacent palettes have really taken off since Smokey- which they DC’d so out of blue? And it feels like they’re clinging concepts at a wall and hoping the power of the Naked halo will make them stick, and time after time, they just aren’t.
I would love to see them take the opportunity to bring *high-quality* multichromes or other exciting textures and effects into the mid-range market. At this point it seems like a pipe dream (very on brand for them… yikes) but I can still hope, I suppose!
I’ve never been a huge fan of UD, because it seems they peaked before I entered the community around 2013, and the only massive smash hit I’ve witnessed from them is Naked 3. That’s saying something, 8 years later.
I agree with ud, and I think everyone covered their issues. So I’ll say melt. Not so much the art direction/visions/etc or anything, I think that’s all great, but their formulas. I have 3 palettes and they work beautifully for me, but no matter where I look, without fail, every new release is followed by a chorus of “I’ll wait and see about that formula before buying”. I remeber people having different experiences with smoke sessions too, so it seems to vary from palette to palette even. That is unfortunate, especially when a lotta brands can offer consistently high quality formulas. I think they’d be even more beloved if they got their formulas down pat.
They are freaking breaking my heart! I remember ordering in the middle of the night when things dropped, they were that reliable. Today I went to Ulta and noticed shadow singles wiped out on sale. Are those going now too? Last shadows they had with any quality left so I guess I’m done. End of an era.
Yes, they’re discontinuing the singles. They’re on clearance at Sephora and Ulta now.
Most definitely Urban Decay – it’s been a slow and steady decline over the past five years, with the occasional goodie along the way.
CP – with their multiple releases and the discontinuation of their beloved (by me) Lux Lipstick range
PMG – still bringing out rose pink themed palettes, containing many shades that live in other offerings, needs to bring out something new and exciting.
ABH – since the epic failures of the Norvina palettes, that stores can’t get rid of, has gone to ground.
Yep, there are quite a few brands that could do with a makeover.
Nars, urban decay and too faced. I think I got my first blush from Nars , first eyeshadow from urban decay (half baked), and too faced nude palette. Now I don’t think any of their releases interest me.
Honestly I find colourpop super shock blush & eyeshadow outperform these three brands at 1/3 of the price tag and much more interesting color choices
I would like to see KVD actually revamp. I understand that from a branding perspective they needed to distance themselves, which makes sense. However, I feel like they missed an opportunity to ACTUALLY rebrand by keeping a lot of the same tired products and packaging.
Agree about UD and I would also throw Too Faced in there. It is almost becoming a novelty/holiday brand at this point I think.