What products are you most critical of? Why?
I think I’m critical of most products that come my way as I’m reviewing like a revolving door, but not all “flaws” are enough to be deal-breakers. I think products like lipstick and eyeshadow are common enough with great options at all price points that I definitely have high expectations! I take a lot of skincare claims with a metric ton of salt, and I find a lot of the marketing in skincare to be particularly frustrating (even though there’s plenty of fluff in color cosmetics – probably because skincare is more about curing what ails you vs. color is most long-wearing, most pigmented, etc. which are just… easier to determine).
— Christine
since brands like NYX, ColourPop, Morphe and even Maybelline have upped their game, i’m hypercritical of eyeshadow and lipstick. i’m a makeup junkie (diamond @ ulta and rouge @ sephora usually by may/june) so i keep trying the expensive and the drugstore brands looking for that “perfect formula” but i’ve gotten much better at returning items i don’t like. frankly, brands i used to buy a lot of were Urban Decay & Too Faced, but i’ve found them so hit or miss lately that i don’t really buy them anymore (unless i read a rave review from you … you’ve saved me so much $$ with this blog!!). also, i used to just keep makeup i didn’t love and let it sit in my makeup drawer until i threw it away three years later, now i keep my receipts until i use it a few times….
Liquid matte lipsticks that claim to be non-drying. Almost all of them are! Mascaras and eyeliners, if they smear or smudges.
I’m most critical of foundation and mascara. For foundation, I don’t think a primer should be necessary for it to perform well. Also, I have large pores and if I see the foundation sitting in my pores, it is an automatic “no” for me. Both prestige and drugstore brands have failed that test. Also, for mascara, I’m more critical of the brush than the formula itself. The brush can’t be too fat or else it gets on my lids. I like a tapered or curved brush best.
Foundation. I have yet to find a foundation that matches my undertones, doesn’t emphasize pores or wrinkles, doesn’t dry out my skin, and most importantly doesn’t transfer. The search continues.
Concealer. Either makes my undereyes look like the sahara desert or floods into lines. Powder on top only marginally helps. Oh, and I’d also like it to cover my blue veins. Evidently it’s too much to ask.
I hear you, Carol! Finding foundation that not only matches my olive undertoned, peach overtoned medium skintone that actually looks “skinlike” is a huge challenge! Same issues with my pores and deeper expression lines, too. Most think of “Medium” as being a super easy grouping to find ones shade in. Usually, yes. But not always. MAC just added shades to their Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof foundation line. Within those, I found my perfect May – October shade, NC41. It is oddly lighter than Studio Fix NC40, but has the same peachy overtones that are near impossible to find in an olive undertoned foundation.
Oh, and I also have yet to find the perfect undereye concealer. Presently using Benefit Boi-ing Airbrush Concealer in No. 1. Sounds ridiculously light, but it sinks right into my foundation and blends with it, creating something closer to my foundation and skin color than I would have imagined had I not tried the sample. I set it with RCMA No Color powder, and it is decent compared to my other efforts!
Skincare tops my list. It irks me when companies make claims for bottling the fountain of youth and adding no real ingredients that have been clinically proven to work and place them in beautiful packaging and loaded with fragrance. I tend to stay away from those stick to cosmeceuticals.
Second is strictly prohibited and eyeshadow cream. Claims of long wearing but creases in an hour- no thanks.
I’m very critical of skincare. I’ve damaged the acid mantle of my skin multiple times with bad ingredients because I didn’t read the packaging carefully, or I didn’t think it would do any harm. Denatured alcohol, fragrances, and items with essential oils are on the top of my no buy list. Too many companies seem to just throw ingredients in skincare because it feels luxurious, but it’s actually damaging to the skin. I want skincare based on science.
For makeup, I’m pretty forgiving of most things except for patchy pigments, and things with overwhelming fragrance. Mascara is the worst offender, who wants scented mascara?
Skincare, because there is so little science behind the claims, and even when there is science, it is often from a test tube, not a human face. I’m looking at you, peptides. Also any makeup product that touts sunscreen. No one ever applies enough to get real protection.
Skincare for sure, mostly because of the tendency of a lot of companies to add outright harmful (and irritating or sensitizing) ingredients to their products. I will also say that I mostly blame consumers for this problem, because many (if not most) of the irritants and sensitizers are intended to add scent; the companies producing the suspect products claim they have amazing properties because they’re natural, but they know that people are starting to avoid the word “fragrance,” while still being perfectly fine with the phrase “rosemary oil.” The day we all stop shopping for skincare with our noses is the day we start getting truly beneficial skincare on a broad basis (though it still won’t make us look 20 years younger).
Very critical of anything that goes on my face or body. I hold onto ingredients lists for products I’m currently using in case I get a reaction (so I can track down the specific ingredient that triggers reactions).
I have read several skincare books by dermatologists to study exactly what it is the skin does and how to aid my skin (even my brother, who is a nurse, consults me on how to care for and prevent dermatitis). After some minimal damage to my face from physical exfoliants and volatile silicones, I have a list of ingredients that I avoid.
Luxury brands! Because, dang it, if I’m going to drop a load of coinz on an item then I expect it to PERFORM flawlessly! I am picky, too. To the point where I can say flat out and unabashedly that I’m not totally in love with an uber popular, “can do no wrong”, beloved brand’s product that others are fawning over. Case in point: PMG Bronze Seduction Mothership V palette. Yes, the mattes are perfection, as are the red and transformer shades. BUT. Gilty Pleasure and Bronze Blaze are PITA to apply and get them just right! At $12.50 per shade, that shouldn’t be.
Oh, and don’t even get me started on Tom Ford’s past few years of extremely inconsistent offerings! Dior, Guerlain, and others have also been guilty of being inconsistent, but none of these quite compares to TF in the disappointment factor.
The two areas of makeup/skincare that I am most critical of are mascara and concealer. I think mascara’s are the most difficult for me to find a good product. Because I have hooded eyes, almost all mascara’s give me raccoon eyes pretty quickly although all say they won’t. I hate having to monitor my mascara constantly to avoid the smearing and to keep from having people look at me like I am insane. If I find one that doesn’t smear then I am dealing with flaking or clumping. I wouldn’t say I have found my holy grail because there are definitely things I would change but the only 3 mascara’s I use and don’t have to deal with raccoon eyes are Cover Girl Super Sizer, (I have been using it since middle school only other different names), Better Than Sex and Thrive Causemetics. It took me quite a while to warm up the Thrive, probably because it doesn’t give me the lashes that the PR videos claim but it isn’t horrible either. I tend to get clumpy lashes pretty quickly and would prefer a little more separation and length of course.
My love/hate with concealers is epic. I have very dark circles under my eyes. Some of it is genetics, (skin too thin), some is lack of good sleep and a lot of it is excessive eye bags and the shadows they throw.
Then the infamous hyper-pigmention which no concealer to date has ever actually covered and maintained the coverage over the course of a normal day. I thought Cle de Peau was going to be the one but it wasn’t. Probably the closest I have come is Tarte Shape Tape and it worked well for awhile but it was making my skin so dry that I had to stop using it, not to mention that I was boycotting Tarte. I have tried colour corrector’s, heavy concealers, light weight concealers, spackle, Secret Camouflage, etc. The perfect concealer hunt goes on but I am super critical of claims and when purchasing concealers.
I’d have to say cool-toned matte eye shadows are at the top of my list (finding them tests my patience to the nth degree). Foundation is a close second (a conundrum to find proper shade, coverage, wearability, availability, etc.), followed by makeup brushes (due to their uber dollar investment). I don’t mess around when it comes to these three. I am super fussy!
FAME palette by ColourPop
I’m critical of anything new. I’m a creature of habit and brand loyal and it’s hard for me to try anything new. I have a curated stash so for anything to make it into the golden vault, it has to be pretty spectacular at this point. I have been going back-and-forth with a couple of brands for the last few years; I keep putting eye shadow palettes/blush/lipstick in my cart and taking them out again and adding them back in, lather rinse repeat. The last brand to make it into the golden vault was Pat McGrath. I am very picky these days because the amount of what I have and the space to store and display it has to be a consideration.
Foundations. Finding a yellow-toned foundation pale enough that plays well with my dry but oddly large -pore having skin has proven impossible. I have about 40 of them. None are correct.
I was going to say “foundation” too because getting it right – colour, for sure, but also application, finish, wear-time, how natural, how matte or how glowy it looks – all of those can be tricky. But then I realized that while I don’t wear foundation most days, I do rely on concealer EVERY day (even going to yoga class or the gym) so I chose that in my answer further down.
give the mini of Benefit Hello Happy Soft Blur Foundation SPF15 in shade #2 – Light Warm a try
Mascara, when they pump it up to be the best mascara since sliced bread and of course it isn’t. I return those!
Foundation shouldn’t be that hard to find for a fair w/pink undertones, normal skinned person with fine lines and some hyper-pigmentation. Sometimes I’d just rather stay home than put my make up on.
Concealer that hides said hyper-pigmentation. It really doesn’t exist!
Skin care products, they all lie about what their products really do, it’s not going to make me really look 5 times younger! Even though you spent the month’s grocery money on it!
I am most critical about skincare products, having sensitive skin I really dislike it when fragrance is added and ridiculous claims are made. I tend to be wary of those products with too much retinol etc as they inflame my face.
As far as cosmetics are concerned – foundation would be my number one focus as it is hard to get the right porcelain shade with pink undertones. That’s why I was so pleased when L’Oreal extended their True Match line to incorporate this shade.
I am now really fussy about my eyeshadows – since I have started reading this blog, I haven’t made a dud purchase yet, thanks to you Christine, with your impeccable rating system.
Genevieve, I’m like you – I’ve been saved by dud purchases with lots of products (mainly eyeshadow, since it’s my weakness, but other products as well) by Christine’s blog. Some products may not even be duds but I can tell by Christine’s thorough descriptions and details that a product might just not be for me even if it’s a good product.
*Skincare, because it needs to work, especially if it’s more expensive. I also have sensitive facial skin, so no harsh acids or heavy fragrances. I have eczema and really dry hands and feet, so I need lots of moisturization on those areas. Regular body lotion doesn’t cut it.
*High end/luxury brands. The more I pay, the better I expect a product to be, and the more nit-picky I will become. Otherwise, what’s the point?
*Foundation and concealer, because I have hard-to-match skin color and undertones. My skin is also oily and oxidizes most foundations, even over primer, so I have to watch for that. I can’t have heavy fragrance in these products, either. I’m picky about full-coverage foundation: 1) Not feeling like a mask, 2) Not settling into my forehead lines, and 3) Covering my cystic acne breakouts.
*Eyeshadows and eye primers, because I have super-oily eyelids, plus my eyes are somewhat hooded. Products tend to crease on me. My eyes are my favorite feature to play up and get creative with, and I wear a lot of color. Underpigmented and patchy eyeshadows just aren’t going to cut it. Neither are ones that won’t blend or have too much fallout.
*Mascaras — Allergies. Also, I like my lashes full and long. I don’t want a natural-looking mascara. I don’t want it clumpy and too thick, either.
Topping the list would be perfume. I hate synthetic perfumes and don’t wear them. I have several bottles of vintage Diorissimo and original Kiehls perfumes with essential oils. Second level picky is anything that coats more than a small surface of my skin — that would be skin care (use organic and natural brands) sunscreen (same), foundation (don’t wear any), powder (don’t wear any) and hair care (use natural products, don’t color, wear it long= low maintenance.) People always tell me I have beautiful skin, so either I can get away with that or my natural regime helps. I try to avoid eye palettes with too many colors I can’t wear, as well as pricey brands with warm colors or poor performance. My most challenging product to find is concealer with good coverage and lasting power that does not cause my eye makeup to run. I’ve got so many brands of concealer it isn’t funny. Shade is not so much an issue: since I am fair and neutral, I have a lot of latitude on shade. But they all tend to disappear after a few hours. Currently, I use either the new Surratt concealer or the Viseart concealer palette. I’ve made a dent in both so I guess they’re the best I’ve found. Lipstick has to be my least picky product type. Again because I am fair neutral, there are an enormous range of shades I can wear– orange reds (current fave), blue reds, fuschias, bright pinks, wines, red browns, roses, light pinks, bronzes, purples, metallic browns. Still wishing for that perfect green eye palette though.
Foundation, mascara & concealer.
Foundation is the basis for all looks. I want a foundation that looks skin-like and minimizes flaws while being easy to apply, long wearing, and comfortable. Cle de Peau is my HG but for everyday I wear IT CC cream because I need more SPF than CdP.
Concealer- I have a sunken undereye area that looks grayish due to the shadow cast by the depression as well as discoloration. As I have aged my under eye area has become drier and fine lines have begun to appear. So an emollient, opaque, full coverage concealer that is long wearing and does not emphasize texture is a must for me.
Mascara- Lashes are a big part of my look and I have long, thick, but very fine lashes that refuse to hold a curl. Always on the lookout for a mascara that will not irritate my dry eyes, not smudge or flake, and will help my lashes hold a curl.
On skincare – I have spent a lot of $ in my lifetime on luxury brand skincare only to find my skin does better the less I do to it. Mayumi’s Squalane oil and Hada Labo’s Gokujun Hyaluronic Lotion Moist are all I use. I use Pond’s Cleansing Cream or DHC’s Cleansing Oil to clean my face. Acids, retinoids, and vitamin C just irritate the heck out of my skin – I’ll save my $ for peels, laser, Botox, and fillers.
Tough question. Probably I’m most critical of those with a really high price tag but which don’t perform sufficiently to justify that price tag (some recent Tom Ford stuff comes to mind but that’s certainly not the only brand). For specific products, I had to think long and hard about this (which is why it’s taken me a few days to answer) and it finally dawned on me – CONCEALER!!!! Concealer is a MUST HAVE/MUST USE product for me unless I’m trying to look like one of the “un-dead”. I have so many in my collection and I’ve got a few really good ones but still, on any given day, even those can look dreadful – creasing or melting or looking dry and scaly. And the problematic ones like Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer – a nightmare most of the time. Others hold promise when I first get them but then will let me down horribly (and I really mean “horribly”) if I’m caught in the rain or it’s hot and sweaty at work (I teach food and nutrition to teenagers and with 6 kitchens going at one time, it can get very hot and sweaty). Concealer is the bane of my existence, makeup wise and my favourite – Cargo Blu Ray – is no longer available.
Foundation and concealer, because I need them to match my skintone as well as possible.