Archived Post
What difficult product do you use despite the hassle?
Stila’s Magnificent Metals… some of them are really finicky but I still love the impact.
— Christine
Explore Temptalia
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:
Compare Any Two
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
31 Comments
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!
Comments on this post are closed.
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!
I agree with you Christine, the Stila Magnificent Metals come to mind. I really love the three colors that I have but you do have to be careful when using them. Probably more difficult and finicky for me is the Jouer Skinny Dip palette. Normally when using really glittery shadows you can do something to help make them work, like use MAC Fix + or use your finger or use glitter glue. With the Jouer palette I have to use every conceivable step to make them work. I prep my lids with a sticky primer, I put them on with my finger, I tap off as much product on my finger and press the shadow into the lid being careful to minimally rub back and forth. I do my eyes first and then clean up the fall out before doing my face. I still get some fall out during the day so I take double sided tape to remove from my cheeks. I think my issues with the palette are also dampened by my really hooded eyes. Hooded eyes don’t show the shimmery, glittery lid very much, if at all. I also think my lid opening and closing knocks the shadow off onto my cheeks as the day goes on. All in all, a lot of work but the colors are stunning so I do use it whenever I have the time to make it work.
Late to the party, but thank you for commenting on your experience with that palette. I had since forgotten about it, but was VERY interested in it when it first came out. I also have hooded eyes. I generally do my eyes first, clean up, then finish the rest of my face – but after that I expect shadow to stay in place and would be very aggravated if fallout continued through the day. Glad that I can now cross it off my list for good.
Mascara is tough on my lashes, but I love the effect it gives. And I’ll put up with dry lips for liquid lip stick’s longevity.
mascara! my asian eyelashes are sparse and stick straight down naturally. it doesnt curl up to the same expectations every day despite the same curler and mascara used. i persevere nonetheless! super envious of those who have naturally curly lashes sigh!
I just had a lash lift and tint. Wow! What a difference it made for me. My stick straight lashes were permed into a nice curve and dyed darker so now I can see them before I put mascara on them! This lasts for 3 months, worth the $95 CAD to me.
lipsticks. lol! I have small lips with an undefined border, so putting on lipstick is always a chore. but it’s my favorite & must-have beauty item, so i deal.
I am impatient and don’t use what needs to mich work anymore. The benefits of having a big stash of products to choose from.
Masks in general to be honest. I am such a lazy person that I only just started using masks this summer. I haven’t invested in a really nice mask yet, and the masks that I’ve been using are somewhat mediocre. But I’m willing to try out new things.
(please leave me some comments about masks, I will really appreciate it! 🙂 )
Foundation lol. Everything from color match, finish, feel of it and touch ups is a pain but I do wear it on most days bc I do think it completes a look. If I had perfect skin, though, I wouldn’t wear it at all tbh. Also sometimes I wear loose pigment eyeshadows. They can be messy and require fix + but they can be worth it. I’m in love with MAC Blue Brown. So unique. I know there are a ton of dupes. I probably have most bc I’m quite obsessed with this shade but there is just something about the OG pigment that is worth the effort:)
Hate the packaging, love the product—Maybelline’s Age Rewind Concealers. It’s my favourite concealer, the price/performance can’t be beat, but the twist-up design is so inconvenient (I’ve removed the sponge applicator, it seems both unhygienic and a mess to apply with). I wish they could repackage it in a squeeze tube/lipgloss-style/pump à la Mac Pro Longwear.
Lol the packaging is my favorite and a genius concept to me?
I had to think about this because at first, I thought that I ditched or avoided difficult products. But then I realized I continue to use MAC Pigments and while some of them aren’t a nuisance, I’ve a few that are more difficult to work with because of fall-out (LE Moonlight Night from years ago is one example). Another – MAC again – is Tempting eyeshadow. It’s a Luster and those are notoriously difficult for getting true to pan colour to show up on your lids but I find that using UDPP in the “Sin” colour makes Tempting show up beautifully so I’m willing to take that extra step. UD’s Maui Wowie is another problematic shadow that I keep trying (and failing, I might add) to use well. I even bought a pan of the “reformulated” stuff in hopes it would’t rain down glitter all day long no matter how careful I am. I used it earlier this week for the first time in probably 6 months and – again – glitter on my cheeks as the day wore on.
I love the L’Oreal tubing mascara, but it’s a pain! 2 coats of the white, 2 coats of the black. But it makes my eyelashes look longer and fuller than anything else I’ve used
I just purchases and starting using the L’Oréal tubing mascara. I have used mascara primer before, Lancôme Cils Booster but this one is different and I think I prefer the Lancôme one. I really like the mascara end but the brush is difficult for me. It is too big. My HG mascara has always been the Cover Girl Lash Sensation but it is so difficult to get off that I decided to try this. I almost wish the primer and mascara were sold separately so I wouldn’t feel like I was wasting product by not using the attached primer. I also have some difficulty with my lashes sticking together and I have to comb through them with a metal eyelash comb. Otherwise, no flaking, raccoon eyes and easy to remove. I guess I am on the fence, LOL.
I don’t like applying tightliner or taking it off. My eyes blink, water and tickle when I put it on, but I persevere because it makes my lashes look dramatically thicker. And, if I don’t get every bit of it off at night, my eyes will be puffy and look irritated in the morning.
I struggle getting it off. What product do you think works best, Anne?
I keep experimenting and experimenting. My eyes are so sensitive now. I’ve tried Bioderm, Koh Gen Do, Shiseido and so many more. To tell you the truth, I don’t like any of them, lol. Someone suggested on here to try Ponds and I keep forgetting to buy it (probably because I have so much other stuff to use up). But, I think I’ll get a sample size of Ponds and see if it will be easier on my eyes. The Shiseido Eyes and Lips oil is excellent: I soak cotton pads with it and let them melt as much gunk on my eyes as possible for at least a minute or two before wiping it off. After taking off all the mascara, I go back and specifically wipe my eyelashes up in a horizontal fashion among the lashes, if that makes sense. Then I have to remove the film from the oil out my eyes with a saline solution. All this work — and I try my best to be gentle but thorough, but I won’t kid you. It’s not easy at all. Some mornings I look at my tightliner and just tell it — no, not today, thank you anyway, lol.
After years of wasting lots of money on eyeliners that wind up melting, dripping, smudging, and disappearing, I finally found my HG product that actually stays in place when I use it to tightline my upper lash line: ABH Waterproof Creme Color.
But it isn’t easy to use. It’s a gel that takes a lot of patience and a steady hand to get it right. Just getting it to go smoothly from the jar onto the brush can be a bit annoying sometimes. BUT…once it’s in place on my lash line, it stays there all day without melting into my outer corners like every other product in the world, and that makes it all worth it.
Mostly if something is a hassle, I don’t use it. The only item I use that’s close is Smashbox camera ready BB water foundation — I don’t like the drop applicator but really like the product. The applicator works fine until it comes apart and you just have to hold it more carefully from that point on.
Just about *most* very glittery eyeshadows, regardless of brand! But I have my Nyx Glitter primer, so between that for some and using a damp brush (e.l.f. Mist & Set), I make them work because I love the effect when worn on my mid-lid as a halo effect or in my inner lid blended into other complimentary shades.
Liquid eyeliner! Just when I thought I got the hang of it, I mess up.
Foundation I think!
I’m currently 3 weeks into a new skincare routine. And my skin had never looked better! It’s soft, and I can see it starting to heal.
But I still have that mentality that I “need” foundation from two years ago when I have SEVERE cystic acne.
It always creases, sinks into pores, transferrs. Etc.
So now all I do Is load up on spf, apply concealer under my eyes and on any severe scarring and I’m good to go!
Guerlain loose kohl and Mascara!
My pick is actually a skin care product — Exuviance’s Firm NG6 Non-Acid Peel. For my night routine I like to move through the steps reasonably quickly since I have the nasty habit of waiting to start until after I’ve decided I’m tired. I expect some steps might need a couple of minutes to sink in, which gives me a chance to brush my teeth and do other “getting ready for bed” steps such as eye cream, lip moisturizer, etc. However I find using this peel to be pretty frustrating. You’re expected to “tap it in” without rubbing. (Seriously, who thought of this???) You need to use less of this product then you think you will. (Use two pumps and watch it ball up and be forced to restart your nightly skin routine.) Then finally you have to wait about 10 minutes for it to sink in. Now that I type this, I’m not even sure what I continue to bother with this product. I suppose just because it mixes up my usual peel routine, which I probably don’t do often enough.
Loose powder eyeshadows/pigments, glitter, lip tars, and liquid eyeliner.
Putting on mascara is a hassle for me (really poor eyesight without my glasses), but I still love the effect it has on making my hooded eyes larger.
For the most part if something is hard to use then I just don’t even bother with it. But one thing I do use that can be hard at time is ColourPops Ultra satin lip in some of the darker colors. It looks so pretty and is very comfortable but I have an issue with over lining my lips at times with it and then it looks over done. It also really stains my lips. But ColourPop is for sure worth it.
Ditto for me Christine. I ❤️ The 4 I own but man do they require work and patience.
I have to add KVD Pastel Goth palette. Every time I use this palette I add a white base to help with the intensity of the color, an extra step. You also have to be careful with the amount of product on the brush, too much and your blending like a mofo.
Regardless of the time consumed using these products when I’m done I’m always ?.
I love the whole simple, effortless makeup vibe too much to use a lot of products that are troublesome. I don’t wear foundation anymore, I almost never do winged liner, I rarely use liquid lipsticks. If I had to name something I’d say non-tubing mascaras, like the tarteist lash paint, because they’re really messy to remove compared to tubing mascaras, but I love the effect of the tarte one too much to give it up. Also, colourpop super shock blushes and highlights had a bit of a learning curve to them but they don’t cause me any trouble anymore. Setting my undereyes can be a pain because they’re so dry, one false move and suddenly I have the creases of a sleep deprived 50 year old, but if I don’t set it, it creases. C’est la vie.
I love the look of cream and liquid blushes but they are almost always more difficult to use than powders. With creams I need to be sure the color is blended out just right so it looks natural. With tints and liquids I have to be careful to tap out the color on the back of my hand before applying, it is so easy to achieve “clown face” with such pigmented products and does take extra effort to avoid It! ; )
My brows! Too light, too dark, argh! I’m seriously thinking of micro blading them. They’re the last thing I do and whatever I use it just fails.