Only buy one back-up of something I think I’ll use – in general, avoid all color cosmetic backups except something like my brow color or mascara, and then for skincare, I try to stick to just one more of XYZ vs. a year’s supply.
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:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
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!
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!
Mascara on lower lashes is just not for me lol
I like the idea of just one back up!
I’ve discovered this as well. My lower lashes and mascara no longer play well together. 🙂
Something so ridiculously common in current beauty that I’m a bit ashamed to say that I didn’t begin doing this until quite recently: Using one of those brow pencils that have the brush on the lid ala ABH Brow Wiz, followed by my usual eyeshadow I repurposed into my brow powder to set it. Looks much better this way, and using a black-brown pencil matches my haircolor nicely for a less peculiar look in photos!
So you like it? I was gonna buy but so many bad reviews about it breaking scared me. I only recently started using a darker brow product ( previously used an ash brown). Im dark but my brows are thin and light and I prefer a lighter brow.
Hi Janine, mine isn’t made by ABH, but a cheap dupe by Rimmel that works just as nicely! I wasn’t aware of a problem with ABH’ s until now, though.
To do a patch test whenever I am using a new skin care product. I purchased a skin care product and was excited to try it so I put it on at bedtime as the instructions recommended. Within about 5-10 minutes my face was burning and inflamed. I quickly washed it off with plain water and wasn’t sure what to do since I didn’t want to apply anything on top that would potentially irritate my skin more. I reasoned that even if it was a product I had used before and new would not bother me, it might not work on top of already irritated skin. In the end, I used a small amount of Benadryl cream and took Benadryl orally and although my skin was inflamed for several days and there was some slight pealing, it recovered without too much damage. I always spot test on my inner arm now before applying to my face. As an R.N. you would have thought I would always patch test but I forgot the first rule of new product usage!!
I sympathetically chuckle, though my situation was not so severe: this week I tried a new nighttime eye cream, only to have in the morning a bright, pink irritated stripe. Lesson learned
Good work. Although, not foolproof. I use occlusive tape with the stuff on my inner forearm, and sometimes still get outfoxed. One of the issues is when the problem is in the product MATRIX, not the active. With research, comparing ingredient lists, and Cosdna ratings, you usually can get to the likely culprit. That’s how I figured out that Benzyl salicylate was the culprit in mufe waterblend. Since BS is at times a fragrance related ingredient and not always used as a chem sunscreen, it did not occur to me until it got a cosdna safety rating of 7 and said ‘sunscreen.’ I don’t peel, but my temp plummets and I feel like corpse pie. I take 2 antihistamines daily, so have to resort to Rx hydrocortisone, a cool cloth, and sleep it off. No fun at all.
Yes, yes, and yes! Last year, I ordered and spent a lot of money of Kiehl’s anti aging skin products (Midnight Recovery Concentrate, Rosa Arctica cream, Avocado eye cream, and ultra Facial Cream) . I was so excited to use them, and I ended up having a very severe reaction – contact dermatitis (red welts under my eyes, crusty puss around my nose, and a swollen face especially in the cheek and eye area for days). A patch test is a must for me.
At this point, I no longer use anti-aging products, because I’m really nervous about having a reaction. I’ve even used 100% pure rose hip oil, and that irritated me. So far, just using cetaphil as my skin wash and moisturizer provides me with the best face.
If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I’d like to be preventative, but I’ve had back luck the past 6 months. I know that skin is so personal, so recommendations are tough, but our beauty community is so knowledgeable – any feedback is welcome!
A technique to create dimension with 1 shadow (per Tom Ford MUA): apply a cream eyeshadow to the eyelid and then take a blending brush to elevate it above the crease. Then, line upper lashline with a pencil, depositing a little extra at the outer corner. Take same blending brush and swirl the pencil shade slightly into the ‘v’ and up into the crease. Voila, dimension created with 1 eyeshadow.
Love this idea, thank you for the tip!
Great tip!! I’m gonna try that!!
Sounds like a great tip, I will try this one.
Like Christine, avoid backups all together, except if you have a minimal collection. By the time you finish the original item, you taste might have changed , you personal situation (work) might evolve, new and better formulas might come out.
Today I sometimes get frustrated by back ups I bought because they clutter my “magic drawer”, or because I feel an obligation to finish them before anything expires.
So if I do buy backups, I buy it on sale and estimate how fast I could use it in let’s say one year.
For skincare I buy in bulk during sales. But I am much better at estimating what I will use on a said period of time. I did go overboard in the past (I have enough hand creams and scrub for the years to come), but I am really good at not buying more in-between.
You perfectly expressed excellent reasons for not buying backups. Time marches on and, hopefully, both we and cosmetics evolve 🙂 The only exception I make is for Nordstrom’s Mascara Madness (buy two and get one free). I toss mascara every 2 months so it makes a lot of sense for me to purchase three at a time.
You are right Eileen, for some items it is definitely interesting!
I still buy backups for mascara, eyeshadow primer (color tattoos) and setting powder! But I try to keep it reasonable… I once got blocked with a few mascara for two years because I had bought to many… I could not see the end of it! Lol
I love your reasons and answers here Marie-Estelle!
Always use a transition color. I thought I could skip it, but it always looks off when I do.
I’m relearning this. I used to use transition colors religiously, but I’ve gotten somewhat lazy with my eyes recently and started doing one-color looks a lot, but I never look quite right when I catch glimpses of myself in the mirror throughout the day. The only time I can seem to get away with it is when the one-color I’m wearing is in the medium golden-to-peachy range.
omg, having just 1 backup of something is something I struggle with! It hard for me to avoid a sale! I’m at a good place with backups when it comes to my skincare, but i always tend to have more than 1 backup for makeup products I know I will get through like brows and mascara. I started an inventory list on my cloud so that if I’m in a store shopping and can see whether or not I really need to pick something up!
Don’t walk into Sephora etc. with an empty mind. Have a plan and stick to it. Consult my makeup spreadsheet (yes I’m that anal) and see what I actually NEED and verses randomly picking things out. If I’m buying a new product to me, do the research, make sure it’s going to be worth it.
Love your advice, Christine. I need to stop hauling backups because I have a couple of years supply right now. Sigh.
My beauty lesson: pencil eyeliner as the last step before mascara because it prevents smudging. I was doing it as my first step and it kept smudging. I even tried it as a second step, after primer/powder but before eyeshadow, and it was better but would still smudge. I don’t know why I’d been doing it this way for years or how I got started doing it this way but on an advice of a friend, I moved it to the last step and it worked. *face palm*
Pretty or cute packaging does not necessarily mean good quality product. Right, Too Faced?
Oh so true!
I can’t think of a lesson, but wanted to comment on Christine’s response.
I religiously buy backups of my shadow and lash primers during a Sephora sale, but I do have several makeup bags full of backups in my fridge. My increasingly large collection has me thinking (or trying to think) rationally before I buy. At this point, I’ll need to live to 100 to use up my makeup.
For the sake of my much needed intervention, please share the rationale behind the limited backup theory (besides the obvious).
I’m in the same boat Nichole.
Nichole, thank you for reminding me that I need to stick my b/u’s of Catfight, Royally Riotous and OG Streak in my frig tonight!?
Ditto
Haha same. I am pretty sure all of my beautiful makeup will expire long before I even put dents in them. I just love makeup & cannot help buying more.
Same here! Lol! I try not to but don’t get near the aisles I have no will power in me. Also have backups of my favorite eyeshadows and lipsticks, a few highliters and blushes. Why? Why? Why! I’ll need a cats lives to use them all even then. 🙂
Trying to improve.
Forgot to include what I’ve learned well, instead of using primer on face which tend to break me out i switched to wearing Cera Vé under my foubdation my skin has improved to much pkumpy, softer and clear and makes the teeny amount of foundation I wear go in so even. For eyeshadows, blushes I blend! Blend! Like a natural look besides I’m a cool toned skin, pale/fair.
I can layer retinol creams on top of my vitamin C serum in the morning (I use retin A at night).
After watching a youtube vid, I tried setting under eye area recently with a small damp beauty blender and my preferred powder in lieu of my usual fan brush. I like!
If you don’t replace your eyelash curler pads, they can break your eyelashes. That explains the chunks of eyelashes that have been going missing lately!
Cute packaging ≠ good quality. Lookin’ at you, Too Faced.
Also, there are so many cruelty free brands out there that there’s no reason I should be buying from brands that aren’t cf. From now on I will talk with my money.
The most valuable of several lately was from the thread on travel tips: using contact lens cases for products that you use in small amounts. I started doing this immediately for travel, and really appreciate what a space-saver it is. I also do this in daily life now — like I keep a case with sunscreen in my purse so I can liberally apply whenever needed.
Always wait for reviews for a limited edition item. I bought the eyeshadow palette from Becca which was done in collaboration with Jaclyn Hill, it was poor quality and I had to return it, then I realized a lot of people had negative reviews on it.
To set the under-eye concealer before setting the rest of the face. I don’t know why I wasn’t doing this, I would always leave my under-eyes until last and have to go in again with a brush to smooth creases out. Makes a lot more sense to apply concealer last and set it first, especially when it comes to baking (which I don’t personally do)! Literally just switched it up a few days ago, even though this lesson is kind of common sense!
I’ve talked about it before here, so I apologize to the regular readers for mentioning it again. I’m dry and am prone to flake. No makeup looks its best over flaky skin. So, my last lesson is when I found 100% pure glycerin and mixed it with my moisturizer. I don’t have flakes anymore. And, I don’t have to worry about self-exfoliating simply by buffing instead of stippling. I can also make any moisturizer more emollient.
That I don’t need 66 eyeshadow palettes?
Seriously, I thought I didn’t need a glitter primer/glitter glue for anything. But I just recently started using the NYX Glitter Primer and found out that it solves a multitude of eyeshadow problems. As it turns out, any shimmery shadow (not just glitters) with a tendency to fall out, and many that are lacking in pigmentation or don’t show up well on the lid, benefit from the sticky base. Since I nearly always use a shimmery lid shade, glitter primer gets used on my lids most days.
Blending, blending, blending and more blending.
#BlendingIsLife
Don’t forget to blend.
It’s always better to see a product ‘in the flesh’ rather than buy it online as there’s no way of telling how accurate the colour is (unless you’re buying a backup, of course!). Also, in real life, you can test the product to see if it’s really what you’re after.
-never go into sephora, mac, walmart, etc. With an empty list. I always end up buying things I DO NOT NEED when I do that. Or I spend way too much money, again on things I don’t need/know I won’t use. If I go in with a mental or phsyical list then I usual cone in under or just on budget.
-don’t keep pretty packaging!! My bedroom, is SO SMALL that the people who owned my house before me, used it as a closet. It’s tiny. I do NOT have the space to keep boxes, and empty jars!!!! Throw it out Shannon! !
I have learned not to buy limited edition before they come out and to wait for reviews. I know on some products you cannot wait too long or it can sell out.
Put my mascara on first so that it dries by the time I have finished the rest of my face and I have put on my glasses to check the results. Otherwise I get the windshield wiper effect on my glasses – so annoying and hard to remove.
I really like the idea of having only one backup. I don’t have any backups of eye shadows, but favourite lipsticks and foundation I do.
I didn’t realize the best blush I ever found was a limited edition. If I find anything that’s perfect for me I buy a few of them.
Have you looked on ebay, amazon, fishpond, and acw.com? All these sites sometimes have discontinued items. And there’s always google…you may find another site to add to these.
Thank you. I’ve tried the first two and never heard of the last two. Will check them out tonight.
I don’t set my concealer: it doesn’t look dry under my eyes and it doesn’t crease. (it Cosmetics).
Air cushions are AMAZING at applying powder! (The things you get in BB cushions)
I learned from Temptalia that using a white base like the Nyx eye pencil can help colorful eyeshadows look more vibrant. I had no idea what a difference it could make!
Same goes for nail polish. White really helps pastels and neons stand out.
Mauve is my best & favorite color. – I keep trying all sorts of other colors but a saturated pinkish purple brings out my hazel eyes best!
Plain old Pond’s cold cream is best for taking my makeup off. – Tried all the fancy stuff but plain old cheapie drugstore Pond’s still beats them!
Must. Pencil. Brows. – Yes, I was a teen in the 80’s & stuck with the lightly gelled 80’s natural brow for wayyyyy too long. Want to make that winged eyeliner or smokey eye really pop? Fill those brows in! It doesn’t have to be a full-on Instaglam ABH Dipbrow heavy-duty structured brow, just a little penciling in for emphasis.
Today it was to never use TOO FACED Born this way foundation. I knew it had issues but thought mixing it with moisturizer would help? NO JUST NO. After 5 hrs I looked 80!
The best trick I’ve learned is using finishing powder it smooths out your blush so nice! I’ve been using hourglass the ambient palette.
Oh I need to learn how to stop buying eyeshadows!
Was so excited to buy the Born This Way foundation when it came out. I can’t believe all the hype it received. IMO it is the worst high-end foundation out there. I have used many drugstore foundations that are better in so many ways. Sometimes all the reviews don’t mean anything.
Haha Linda! Mine matches my coloring so well and looks great at first. The horror show starts later even with primer or mixing it with other products! Yuck!
I read one thing where the gal was at the mall and her boyfriend told her you should never wear your makeup again.. she looked in the mirror and threw it out!
Less is More!!!
I love watching youtube tutorials, BUT I am always appalled at how much concealer and foundation those gorgeous beauty gurus apply. I’m NOT 25 with poreless skin devoid of fine lines – I am 37. All of that being said, my best makeup days are those when I use a small bit of concealer and set it and also go easy on the foundation (tinted moisturizers work best for me).
For me, less facial products like foundation and concealer = more natural beauty and less cake lines or emphasis on fine lines that I wouldn’t have with a moisturized naked face.
Check out Tati, who is 35, and there are others who are older. There is one – her name escapes me – who is 62 and beautiful. Looks like she’s 35ish herself.
I believe that could be Melissa55. Her videos are wonderful for a more mature woman. Very good recommendations.
YESSS! You are correct. It is Melissa55. Also, Risadoesmakeup is 44 and gorgeous too. I also watch many of the younger ones too. I’m not on Temptalia as much because I used to be hooked, and then I got hooked on YouTube. Only so many hours in a day 😉
I’m the opposite, when you find a color item you like and really suits you, buy a backup! I’m probably going to have to get backups of the NARS x CG lippies, they are all I want to wear right now. The gloss formula is stupid good 🙁
Mary Greenwell. Not just watching what she does, but HOW. There is a recent Lisa Eldridge/Princess Diana video where she puts liner on top and shadow on the bottom in a very interesting way. I tried it and my liner never looked better. The bottom shadow isn’t just back and forth, you have to watch carefully. A true master, she is.