Guerlain! They were always a favorite but for the last few years, I’ve been less and less interested in their offerings (which have felt erratic in timing and often feel like a rehash of past offerings). They’ve discontinued a lot of products without replacing with new formulas, too.
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I’m finding myself less impressed with Urban Decay. They’ve just had a price hike here, the difference between UK and US prices is becoming more glaring (in a way it isn’t always with other brands – this started with the US price drop for Naked Cherry being accompanied by a price hike here), and the quality is unpredictable. I love what I’ve got, but I’ve found myself avoiding of late.
Probably MAC. They release so many new collections so often, most with not great quality, that they’ve become hard to keep up with, so I bowed out at trying to do so.
And if they do release a good collection, its extremely limited edition and sold out by the time I see the reviews. You’re so right
I am dissatisfied with Sephora brand.. they made their line too small for the money and inconsistent pigments…
Burberry Beauty. Nothing much from them anymore, it seems.
I completely agree. Just last year I thought the ultimate luxury purchase would be a Burberry eyeshadow palette. Not too long ago I was even pining for a new Lip Velvet bullet lipstick, but it was impossible to find any place around me that sells the brand. Now it seems like Sephora is phasing out the Burberry makeup online.
Probably BH Cosmetics. I was really excited when they first came to Ulta. But nothing I’ve purchased from them lives up to the hype. I’m not saying they are bad and they definitely are affordable but I’m ok passing on most if not all they release. I just know from experience they are never as great as they are hyped up to be!
MUFE (Make Up For Ever). They still have great products, but the constant re-doing of their eyeshadow line annoys me because everything I have is already discontinued, and they got rid of their cult favorite nº 92 matte purple shade. I take that as a personal offense. 92 rocks.
Oh I totally feel you on the 92 matte!! Why on earth did they discontinue it? I’ll never understand!
I love MUFE but their near-astronomical pricing is getting crazy. I think it cost $64 for the six pan of singles – witth discount?! What do you guys think of their formula? I’ve tried one of each and so far the only formula I know I like is matte. The shimmers/metallics were kind of dull…oddly, the one I ended up loving was iridescent lime? I forget the name/number but there’s only one iridescent lime green and it’s so good. You actually get the look in the pan, on your lid!
Hi M, unfortunately I can’t help you much with current recommendations because everything I have is no longer available 🙁 the metallics of the first iteration of the artist shadows (when they were still in the round pot) were really good. They changed the pan format but I don’t know if they changed the formula as well
Tom Ford. It used to be the name and hefty price tag were synonymous with top tier quality. I have an internal struggle with the label in terms of its advertising imagery as well.
MUFE. I was disappointed when they reformulated their eyeshadow singles to a less consistent quality line, and then I tried their ‘artist pencils’ for eyeliner and it just doesn’t last but for a few hours. I just don’t find myself going to their counter anymore.
Tarte – I was super unimpressed by their whole “50 shades of beige” foundation debacle, and nothing about their response suggested they genuinely cared about the people who were upset. I mostly used to liked their cheek products, anyway, and at this point all Tarte blush products are really easy to dupe with other brands. So…… bye.
I actually gave away a bunch of my Tarte makeup. The only thing I’ve got left is the Tartelette in Bloom eyeshadow.
Both Chanel and Guerlain-lately they have not released anything interesting. Favorite products continue to be discontinued leaving me to find options with other brands.
They did a whole new lipstick line called Flash.
Kat Von D. I think we all know why. And everything she’s made recently has been disappointed, to say the least. The only holy grail item from her that has been difficult to replace is her Tattoo Liner. Stila and EM Cosmetics are close, bit I’m still on the hunt. I might have to break down and try the Tom Ford liner that gets raved about, though the price hurts me.
In general though, I’m over brands that are just gimmicky and that over-saturate the market. I don’t want oddly-shaped palettes and bizarre collabs, I want good products with attractive packaging that deliver on their claims. I tend to become underwhelmed by A LOT of brands for this reason. (Tarte, Too Face, Urban Decay, etc.)
Try Eye Booster Lash 2-in-1 Boosting Eyeliner & Serum. It’s much cheaper and honestly better than any other eyeliner pen on the market that I’ve tried.
Thank you!
I second this. It’s fantastic.
Raye, Nyx Epic Ink Liner is a really wonderful dupe of the KVD Tattoo Liner! I have it and love it for my increasingly rare liquid liner wing days!
Thanks! I tried it but didn’t find that it had the staying power I was used to. So far EM Cosmetics is my favorite runner-up.
Yeah, I stopped repurchasing that liner in 2018. I’ve been okay with the Stila but agree it’s not ideal. Lancome makes a beautifully deep black liquid liner, but it’s not nearly as long-wearing. Still… not going back to Kat von D.
Thanks! EM Cosmetics has been my closest hit, because they make a decent brush tip. It’s not as dark though, better for tight-lining. Their felt tip is pretty decent.
I’ll have to try Lancome.
I forgot to include the brand earlier– it’s Physician’s Formula. Oops!
i really enjoy pmg’s eyeliner and feel it’s very comparable in terms of performance
Kat Von D. I was starting to get disillusioned with her products already, which had been one let-down after another, but then her extremist beliefs on certain subjects did her in for me. Nope. I’m done with her.
The product quality decline is just inexcusable. That’s also evidenced by the repeated reformulating.
Honestly, it’s a lot of the same – the mid-range “prestige” brands that aren’t any better in quality than drug store brands, and actually are being outpaced by drug stores as they race to gain back some of the market. UD, MAC, KvD, ABH, Too Faced, tarte, so on and so on – I used to watch the hype and get excited.
My buying habits have changed as I’ve moved into my 30’s, and while I still wear the same colors I used to wear (goth aesthetic has no age limit), I find myself purchasing more for quality and consuming more mindfully. I’m less likely to give my money to a company that has a problematic creator at the helm, or participates in racist/bigoted practices such as naming items certain things or ignoring the majority of their consumers in their shades because it says that I approve of that behavior.
I’m also not buying into a lot of marketing schemes anymore. Palettes that are given out en masse on YT for reviewers to try I’ll avoid until I can get some actual coverage on it, not press pack one-liners. “Limited Edition” I avoid like the plague (except PMG because I can’t help it with her, and I’ve never had a quality issue). Repackaged, re-released, reformulated: All of them I avoid because it either means they are taking advantage of their consumers OR they can’t create quality products and for the prices they charge, I’ll save up a few dollars more and get something that’s going to be consistent and from a brand that doesn’t seem to as overtly chase marketing trends.
NARS; once an absolute favorite when it came to eyeshadow, I was very unhappy with the reformulation… Fortunately, I had pretty much just literally just purchased the final few shades missing from my collection around the same time, so I do have more than enough product to work through for a while, LOL!
Also, I was a bit miffed that the larger Man Ray palette was an exclusive European release, especially given the amount of influence he had in the US, and his ties to one of our biggest homicide mysteries… I did manage to get it off eBay, at a surprisingly decent price, but it doesn’t change the fact I was highly disappointed that I had to go through such an effort…
I suspected something was up with Guerlain. I found their Meteorites collection and primer on Costco.com at a very low, competitive price! I did cash in and bought the compact and pearls.
BH Cosmetics, whatever they use in their eyeshadows starting making my eyes itch and burn. These palettes were new, so I doubt they were moldy. I had the same reaction to Bad Habit’s palettes. Something about those two brands doesn’t work for me.
Chanel. I used to love their products, but ever since they named Lucia Pica Beauty Director, all we have are numerous variations of red lipsticks. It’s become a one note beauty company.
Agree with Guerlain, every time I visit my local counter another makeup product has been discontinued. I mean they are owned by the same company as Dior who manage to bring out new shades and products every season. They just rehash Terracotta and the Meteorites each season.
Honestly, Urban Decay. They just throw stuff out there now as if they were manning a machine gun, and palettes were the ammunition. Reloaded is the most “meh” thing I have ever seen. Tame and boring, most reminiscent of drugstore-tier stuff.
I will see how they do with their upcoming collection based off a beloved fantasy book series; if my suspicions are confirmed, that will definitely be it.
As for those basing makeup choices off of the personal beliefs of the line owner, all I can say is this: I don’t go to any owner for child-care advice, health-care advice, lifestyle advice, real-estate purchasing advice or any similar thing. I go there for GREAT MAKEUP, whoever it might be. I would imagine that if one did a little digging, one could find something unlikeable about the owner of ANY line out there, or their parent company. One thing that WILL turn me off is rude behavior from the line owner towards their fans, and that is why I have yet to make a Jeffree Star purchase. I don’t have to give rude people who look down on everyone, money. I just don’t. And I won’t. He’s not funny. He’s not cute. He’s just mean. Nope.
I agree with you 100% in regards to Jeffree Starr. I have watched a couple of his videos and he seems like an elitist snob who has disdain for everyone. People like that turn me off, and I have no desire to try his products.
Completely agree with you on Jeffree Star — I will never buy anything from that brand.
Kat Von D. No question about it. While there are several that have either mucked with their formulas to the point of ruining their quality or have gotten involved in far too much Insta-drama, KVD has literally self-destructed right before our eyes. Not that the warning signs weren’t there already; the whole debacle from years past of her sending a very anti-Semitic message to someone she was on the outs with. And then came the anti-vaxx scandal. Something that had she and her husband had decided to keep as a private decision on their idea of child rearing, however flawed, would never have impacted her brand. But no. She went all out public with it, and now those among us who are immuno-compromised or have loved ones who are vulnerable to these mostly eradicated viruses via vaccine have heard her loud and clear. KVD doesn’t care about us. So now many of us, myself included, no longer care for KVD ‘s brand.
MUFE – This most recent eyeshadow reformulation was so unnecessary and the absurd price hike for lower quality empty palettes that came with it just left a bitter taste in my mouth. I also decided that their foundation was just so watery that I used up way too much product to build it up on my fair skin. After I use up my concealer and backup, I probably won’t repurchase anything from the brand.
Urban Decay – I get wanting to be more mainstream, but now they are so mainstream that none of their line makes me think of the UD I fell for. The continued use of microglitter in shades that don’t need if and the inconsistent palettes have just sealed the deal for me.
I used to love Guerlain. I bought my first luxury lipstick from them in the Paris flagship store when I was in my 20’s. Their meteorite cases used to be collectors and I would slam down over $100 for the metal compact alone back in the day. Now the cases are cheap plastic, meteorites no longer has the signature smell, and neither did their special blush, and I don’t care for the ‘make your own unique’ lipstick cases. I want a solid metal bullet lipstick that screams luxury and protection for the lipstick inside.
I will also echo Urban Decay. I finally threw out my Naked Palettes as I realized they were going unused and I had better and more superior shade combos from Bobbi Brown and Coulourpop.
Previously, it was MAC. I just bought one MAC product for the first time in 8 years this year. That fall out came down to poor and rude customer service at several of the stores.
UD, MAC, Tarte, Too Faced.
Bobbi Brown. Lackluster offering and too high a price point esp for the eye shadow palettes. I still use their vitamin moisturizer primer but don’t even look at their line anymore.
You can now buy Guerlain at WALMART, it just showed up on google. I used to collect the meteorites religiously. And then they were just rehashing and I realised I could just make my own combinations out of the ones I had! So I made one that was all the shades of bronze, one that was all pinks and reds like the blush. Done. Even $39.99 seems like a lot for them now.
Walmart has a 3rd party marketplace that makes it confusing, most likely Walmart is not a Guerlain retailer themselves.
MUFE. I loved the round artist shadows and haven’t purchased anything since they were discontinued.
Guerlain and Chanel, they haven’t come up with anything interesting. I’m gravitating toward PMG and Dior these days.
I am with so many others who say Urban Decay. I still love their Vice lipsticks, but I find myself completely unimpressed with their launches. Born to Run looks like it would be the IT palette like five+ years ago, but now it just looks like more of the same old thing–probably because it is basically a rehash of the Vice palettes in a layout that makes sense. They used to be edgy, then they became so mainstream that they lost all of what made the brand fun in the first place. I think they’ve yet to reconcile their identity with being a basic, everyday kind of brand rather than a fun, out-there, innovative brand. I find myself opting for Tarte way more than UD, which is shocking because I hated Tarte for the longest time and UD was my ride or die.
I was thinking about several companies with which I’ve become disenchanted but the biggie for me is HOURGLASS. They have some really good products and I never minded paying their somewhat steep prices but what really turned me against them in a big way was their continued practice of charging WAAAY over the odds for their “LE Holiday Palettes”. I know I must sound like a broken record but that is the time of year when almost every company at least offers a bit (and sometimes a LOT) of extra value to their customers but not Hourglass….nope, they see nothing wrong with charging $90 for $75 worth of product (and thank you, Christine and Temptalia, for giving us the ounce by ounce/price comparison). I think it is very shoddy and with 1 or 2 exceptions, I’ve not purchased any products from them in 5 or more years.
Too Faced. I feel like they’re constantly churning out the same products time and again, randomly discontinuing beloved items with no warning and I find their cutesy meets trashy aesthetic tacky. I guess it lives up to the “two-faced” name, just not a fan personally.
As I read through the comments it seems like most of the big name brands are represented. What is happening with makeup brands? In the comments, reason’s for choosing a certain brand seem very similar. Poor quality, bad packaging, lost their mojo, nothing new and interesting, etc I have to say, I pretty much agree with all of the brands listed. The majority are HE brands so are we loving DS and indie brands more? I think we are and while that saves us a lot of money, it comes with intrinsic issues. We can’t sample products, limited shade ranges for some brands, (I am looking at you Physician’s Formula), having to purchase on line so we can’t even look at the products. So far, none of those things seems to stop us from ordering from ColourPop so maybe the trade offs are okay.
My list is long and the reasons are pretty obvious so Tarte, KVD, Nars, UD, Tom Ford, Guerlain, Charlottte Tilbury, etc I also think that limiting my purchases and taking a step back has helped me learn to prioritize and to look for quality over less substantive reasons I have purchased in the past. I am not sure if I had continued the pace that I was buying, whether I would have arrived at the same conclusion so another plus for a no buy for me.
Funny thing – I’ve been actually gravitating towards the tried and true standby drugstore brands instead. L’Oreal has some stellar lipglosses, NYX is great for dupes (try before you spend on the big names), I just bought the new Candid foundation and LOVE it and many of the drugstore face setting powders are more finely milled and blend better than $$$ brands.
Kat von D. Ruining her Studded Kiss lipsticks with a bad vegan formula, when other companies do great vegan lipsticks, was annoying. But her ill-informed anti-vax stance (and playing the victim when called out) and last racist post killed the brand forever for me. I’m using up what I already own, but I’m stopped buying it.
Definitely Guerlain – they haven’t really released anything good in the eyeshadow dept. since Les Gris, which remains a firm favourite of mine.
A lot of the high end brands are so-so at the moment too – especially Tom Ford and Dior.
Urban Decay has disappointed many customers with their newish Naked lines that are generally quite average.
Colour Pop and Too Faced just seem to release the same old shades too.
I want to hi-five Annette on her Chanel comment!!!! I’ve been saying this exact same thing for years!! Lucia Picca (whatever her name is) will ONLY launch makeup SHE wears. Can some get it through her head that HER look is going to sabatage Chanel w her constant pale face burgundy lip look. I find it uncreative and BORING!!! I lived for Chanel seasonal makeup launches and now I’m always like what is this dark red monster makeup???? Like get over the red you didn’t ground break anything so move on! It’s all the same. There are sooooo many gaps in the line. I have to ask…what do they do with the truck loads of makeup that doesn’t sell? You can ask every Chanel counter associate…her launches are NOT selling!!!!!
I just bought the tweed blush it’s pretty and that glide on highlighter. Not that the points aren’t well made about Chanel.
I agree wholeheartedly. Additionally, Chanel doesn’t seem to use any of the new technology available, especially for their skin care. I feel it is stuck in the 70-80’s and I am not impressed.
I like what Lucia has brought to the brand overall. I’ve worn more virbrant eyeshadow shades that few brands could have convinced me to wear, because they were in a Chanel eyeshadow palette or collection. The quads, 9-pan palettes, blush, highlighters, bronzers, and rouge allure lipsticks are high quality core products. I like how Lucia has incorporated red into the line through products and packaging. There have been disappointments – poor pigmentation and/or shade differentiation in the Les Beige 5-pan palettes, an abysmal formulation of the powder lipstick palettes release last summer, and overuse of Kristen Stewart as the face of Chanel. Yes, Lucia’s dark red lip against a pale complexion is a tired look, I enjoy Chanel’s berry and plum lipstick shades very much.
I fell in love with Nars when I switched over to cruelty-free makeup a few years ago. I felt personally betrayed when they started to sell in China and had to start the process of finding new favourites again from scratch. I guess my reaction was similar to the way many have felt about Kat von D but I wasn’t as invested in her products to start with.
I also second Urban Decay, since I realised that bismuth oxychloride makes my eyes itch it has irritated me in both senses of the word that they persist in using this ingredient in nearly all their releases.
Any makeup or skincare sold in China is subjected to animal testing. That means even those cruelty-free brands will probably be tested ‘in house’ in China and chances are already have been.
So your really looking for a product that isn’t sold in China….which is really grass roots products made in America and maybe a few European/British brands that haven’t hit the luxury market yet in the East.
This is going to be a hard one to win.
As annoying as they can be, I think Colourpop is one of the few brands that I deem as impressive. They release way too much and too often. But they continue to keep their low cost and are releasing great and innovative products. They’re unique and fun, definitely for a younger generation but there are still practical products for those that don’t know much about makeup or those who are older and not as interested in neon and sparkly shadows.
I used to love Mac but the quality isn’t there anymore and I feel like the PR for their products isn’t either. I never hear about new collections anymore unless I go into the store.
Urban Decay used to be all the rage, but the quality can be a hit or miss in the shadows and I feel like they haven’t been getting as much publicity from Influencers either (except when Naked Heat released and people freaked out about the swatches). I feel like they’ve been a step behind, releasing palettes with old color schemes that have been repeated a million times already. When Naked Heat came out, no one truly seemed to want it. They’ve overdone the Naked line and it became repetitive and boring. The only thing I like still are the eyeliner pencils but I don’t use those as much these days.
Tarte/Too Faced are unappealing. They use very immature/childish packaging, but then Too Faced especially seems to make it sexual. It’s just weird. Both brands are trying to focus on rainbows and unicorns and mermaids to get sales, but the quality isn’t there and nothing is truly unique. Tarte also flopped with their Shape Tape Foundation.
Higher end brands, like MUFE and Nars, don’t release much that’s new in my opinion. Becca releases the same palettes multiple times a year but with a different collaborator.
Natasha Denona is the only high end brand that has my attention but it’s out of my price range at this time.
I’d say Tarte but I wasn’t in loooove with Tarte to begin with, so… MAC. Used to use MAC exclusively for years, and the last holy grail product I used from them has been forever changed (Warm Soul). Oh well, PLENTY of other brands to choose from…
Kat Von D, enough said.
Nars for taking that huge step back into animal cruelty.
I can’t honestly say I’ve been “in love” with any non-indie brands. I found UD an inspiration at one time (before I knew they weren’t the only “edgy” game in town). But the only brands that have ever consistently delighted me and kept me coming back for more were indies, and I haven’t fallen out of love with any (though my passion has cooled due to the sheer size of my stash).
Too Faced. Aside from the Grotesque Great Gatsby-esque charade of all things materialistic of its originator, the products simply continue to not amaze. The quality of the eyeshadow products in particular, have been disappointing. The offerings do nothing to buck trends or inspire creativity, as they once did.
I had hoped that they would continue to be a fun brand with interesting products but in recent years the whole (swirls a well manicured hand around) ‘whatever this is’ of Too Faced has left me baffled.
Tom Ford. I still like their lipsticks but there hasn’t been that anything interesting in a while.
Urban Decay — I’m down to using only one lipstick.
The balm – No matter how much I love the fun packaging, I just don’t find myself reaching for these products. Though I must say that their matte eyeshadow formulation is awesome.
Benefit. It’s been a while since they released anything new and exciting. Sure, I still buy a couple of faves, but they’re boring. And the stopped carrying my fave shadow base, Air Patrol.
Lancome. I love some aspects of Lancome’s regular line, like the Teint Idole Ultra foundation, mascaras, and Visionnaire skincare products. Lancome’s large eyeshadow palettes are poorly pigmented and products like blush pale in comparison to their discontinued versions. I don’t actively follow Lancome launches anymore.
MAC is another brand whose quality is inconsistent and, at times, poor.
Fell out of love with is a bit strong, but perhaps I’d say that the last brand that doesn’t excite me as much as they did was Pat McGrath…yes, I went there. Even though I finally learned how to work the Subliminal palette (the first one) and really like it for the various looks I can achieve, I still felt a let down. It reminds me of when I went to Las Vegas and thought it would be so sparkly and beautiful and it just wasn’t what I expected (smaller). It’s because the results just can’t achieve what you see in the videos with all the sparkle and facets.
And that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t buy another product for her, but I’ll just expect it to be normal and not thrill me over.
I have to say for skin care, I have been using DHC. Most American brands have been leaving my skin looking like I need SO much foundation I have no choice but to use use medicore cosmetics. By taking care of my skin however and using DHC and DHC foundation, I don’t have quite as many problems. I haad to come to this resolution because of the conclusions many of you mentioned. Not much change in the overall WOW FACTOR of seasonal makeup updates. Figured I’d just update hair color instead…I’ll keep eyeshadow a neutral color, foundation the same, blush and lipstick neutral. Why spend gallizons of dollars when I am so unhappy with the offerings?