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What was the last hyped-up product you were unimpressed with?
LORAC Mega Pro 2! Too many very light shades.
— Christine
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Chanel Infiniment Illuminating Powder
For shadow it would have to be the Too Faced Semi-sweet palette. The one I got when it launched was a total dud on my brown skin. Too little pigmentation, a few of the shades were just glitter and no color, and the closure didn’t work at all. I was so bummed I sent it back the next day. I also had to take back a Becca blush in songbird. It was super tiny and what’s worse, the color barely showed on me. For the price I expected much more. Her backlight primer also looked great at first until I hit the afternoon sun and my makeup melted right off my face. I’ve never had a primer make my makeup do that so I was totally disappointed.
I had my bubble burst when I first saw the UD Gwen Stefani palette. I do realize that in recent years, her signature look is subtle pin-up, but she DID use to wear COLOR. And, as in the Lorac Mega Pro 2, just far too many pale, uninteresting shades to induce me into buying it. The disappointment comes because I am a huge fan of hers going waaay back to the No Doubt days, so yeah, I’m bummed!
Oh, and the black SHOULD have been named “Spider Webs”!
The Hourglass Edit Palette 2015. I was really looking forward to the breadth of product but there was too little product for the price and I didn’t like the small pans. Too bad.
Too Faced Born This Way foundation. It looked absolutely awful on me.
I loved Born this Way in-store but after I bought it and wore it, it oxidized terribly! It went in my give-away bag.
Murad Invisiblur. Despite getting such rave reviews, I had a horrible experience with the product –drying, irritating, flaking, you name it. It even seemed to CURDLE on my skin a bit. Weird. Weird and gross!
I realize it’s well loved, so I guess it’s just a terrible incompatibility with my skin.
YSL mascara
Champagne pop. But only because it’s too light for me. Oh no works better it’s a little bit darker and golder.
**The MUG shadows — most of the matte ones didn’t perform well, and most of the duo chromes weren’t really duo chromes then you add a packaging issue on top of it 🙁
**Colour Pop Plaid shadow from 90’s Fall Collection — I was SO in love with the dark blackened green that I saw everywhere online (including the swatch on their website), but I got a dud. It is a brownish black, with no green whatsover!! After reading reviews on their CP website, I realized 7 out of 8 reviewers had the same problem, so it was a QC issue. So I contacted CP to complain. At first they said they don’t accept returns unless the item was damaged in shipping, but after I persisted for a few days, and sent them photos of the black swatch, they finally agreed to ship me another one free of charge. But the new one has the same problem!! So I’m on the prowl for a good dupe, as the closest ones were all LE
Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop
The fanfare over this highlighter was surreal, but I thought it just looked “meh!”. I couldn’t see its special quality like so many others had. From the moment the images of CP were first made public, till the day the first swatches and comparisons were shown, I remained unimpressed.
It was Urban Decay’s Naked3 palette for me. I don’t dislike it, but when I finally got my hands on it, my overall initial impression was, “…meh.”
Naked Smoky. Glitter everywhere. Returned much to the shock of the Sephora cashier.
You mean not counting the Hourglass Light Edit ripoff, er, I mean “palette”? Probably Vice4. I looked at it in store the other day, determined that I would find something to love in it and that the 2 shades I wanted most (which you rated as poor performers) might actually work for me. Suffice to say, I came home without it. Had there been fewer orange and pink shadows in it (shades I can’t easily wear and of which I already have a plethora), I would probably have bought it anyway but….sigh…nope.
I didn’t care for either one of those that you mentioned myself. No way I’d buy that Hourglass joke! And Vice 4 had zero cohesiveness in its layout, as well as some really gorgeous shades that would’ve needed glitter glue!
I’m with you. I was excited about a new palette, but wasn’t excited after I saw what was in it. I bought both the blush palette and the lighting powder last year. The blush palette had an exclusive color. The two blushes in this years combined palette are in last year’s palette and are neither are an exclusive color, you can buy them separately. I ended up buying the other blushes separately over the year (gotta stay Rouge). As for the the Lighting colors, Dim Light is in the lighting palette and the other two I can live without..
Mac’s Paint pot in soft ochre (too dry and makes my eyelids look creppy and blending harder) and modesty lipstick (it has fkn microshimmer which emphasizes my flaky lips).
I do not love the three blush Hourglass set from last year. The colors are so pretty, but I cannot make it work for me. I try to use it. I get it out every week to try again, but I am going to give it away. It makes me sad.
Drugstore- WetnWild lipstick in Vamp it Up, it tugged quite a bit on my lips as I was applying it.
High End- Marc Jacobs Daisy EDP, it doesn’t last long enough on me and the scent is nice, but nothing special.
Agree on the Lorac Mega Pro 2. After all the hype over last year’s Mega Pro, I looked at this one and thought, “Really? Ten shades of off white/bone/ecru/cream/eggshell ???”
The emperors new clothes . Champagne Pop by Becca was the most hyped product of the year and the biggest disappointment. A cheap frosty eye shadow would have done the job. While the color was beautiful, the frosty/shimmer textured was unflattering. It had terrible fall out that landed all over my checks. Thankfully I found someone to take it off my hands.
Urban Decay Naked on the Run & Smashbox Double Exposure.
For sure the Smashbox double exposure, I gave mine away!
That I actually bought? Make Up Geek foiled eyeshadow. Hard Candy Glamoflauge concealer: It has great coverage and actually color match for very fair skin, but it doesn’t last on me, regardless of what I do.
That I passed on: Kat von D Mi Vida Loca Remixed palette.
Can I include skincare and cleansers? If so, the Physician’s Formula waterproof eye make-up remover and the Eucerin Aquaphor healing ointment.
The Hourglass Edit palette
That I bought: Revlon MoistureStain! I had several blogger friends tell me they were insanely great. They were terrible on me.
Sampled: I haven’t reviewed it yet but Bite Lip Mask. I like it, but it’s not the second coming of Christ everyone makes it out to be. It’s no By Terry!
Haven’t bought or sampled: Hourglass Ambient Edit. As much as I like the mix of products, it’s super small for the price!
Interesting. I actually get better results with the Bite Agave Lip Mask than I did with By Terry Baume de Rose.
Hourglass Ambient Light palette trio and Luminous Light. I did my research, was really excited and brought them home and . . .meh. I am stymied by these – I just don’t get the same results as other people have said/written. I tried Luminous as a finishing powder and also as a highlighter, and I couldn’t even tell I’d put it on except that I just looked dusty. It never really absorbed, just sat there on my skin and I looked dry and dusty. I even bought a special brush to apply because I thought maybe I was using the wrong brush. I went into Sephora and talked with the SA there and we applied in store and . . .meh.
I really wanted to like these – I like the packaging and the way the product looks. Alas, I will stick with my HGs Kevyn Aucoin and Guerlain Meteorites.
I completely agreed with you about the Hourglass Ambient Palette.
me too. i have no effect whatsoever.
Luckily I haven’t had a true dud in awhile. One thing that I did pass on to a family member was the Boscia makeup breakup cool cleansing oil. It irritated my skin really badly, despite saying “safe for sensitive skin” on the box. A closer look (which I should have figured out before purchasing, I suppose) was that it was probably the menthol. Their luminizing black mask was also really disappointing (and painful) to me! I think Boscia had their moment this past winter, which is when I bought into the hype.
Any of the Too Faced chocolate palettes. Didn’t work on my NC50/NW46 skin. None of the MUG blushes work, but I expected that. The shadows more than make up for it. Kat Von D’s Lock-It foundation was a good product, but my tone was in between two shades and I refused to buy two of them. The Hourglass powders just look like I slapped myself with flour. Definitely a no-go. One day, makeup lines will realize there are dark, deep skin tones in the world that actually buy makeup too. 🙂
LASplash liquid lipsticks. I finally swatched some at Ricky’s NYC and disliked the rubbery finish and patchy-ness they had. Heartbroken ?
Too Faced better than sex mascara. Didn’t find that it applied well, went clumpy easily, crumbled off during the day. Total disappointment.
I agree. It clumped at the base, didn’t lengthen at all, and just felt like a melted rubber mess coming off. Not fun, not pretty, not worth the work of scraping it off later.
Agree, better than sex mascara is the WORST!
I bought two of the MUG foiled shadows and was super disappointed in them. They creased terribly, even with primer. I will not buy anymore shadows from her. I also have been disappointed in UD Naked 3…all the colors just seem muddy and blah on my lids. And lastly, ColourPop. The lippies bleed (which I never have an issue with) and the eyeshadows just aren’t that great. They are a bit difficult to work with and they crease as well. Oh, and BareMinerals BareSkin foundation. Hate it. Totally settles into every pore!
Glam Glow and Smashbox CC cream! Glam Glow did nothing for me. I’m glad I only got a sample from Sephora and didn’t buy it. Smashbox CC cream smells like paint and oxidizes on me. My oily skin makes it darker and it disintegrates leaving patches of CC cream on skin. I only got a sample of the CC cream too.
Definitely the Clinique Cheek Pop! The hype was crazy – I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them! I bought way too many; one spun around in the pan and the others just didn’t do a thing for me.
MAC anything . . .
Finally someone who feels the same way, everyone raves about MAC but their eye shadows lack pigmentation in my opinion so I don’t get it.
Benefit products on the whole are under-performers for me, but I was especially disappointed with the porefessional. It was just too oily for my combo skin, and broke me out.
Agree! Benefit products are way over priced! High beam made my cheeks so dry!
There’s a few:
Yes, the Lorac Mega Pro 2 – for the same reasons as you Christine
Tarte – lots and lots of the same sort of colours – brown and beige
Swatched Dior’s latest offerings (Gold Holiday series) in the shops – and don’t bother Christine – it is awful.
Products I didn’t buy- becca champagne pop, mac oh darling, Lorac pro 2 palette, bobbi brown naked plum
Product I did buy- maybelline push up drama mascara , aveeno facial cleansing wipes, cerave am moisturizer
A bunch of stuff actually. The new Hourglass palette obviously due to the value per oz. The Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop was waaaaayyyy too disco ball for me and the consistency was very chalky (but my makeup style is pretty much the opposite of Jaclyn Hill’s). The Naked Smokey palette was just meh. All Lorac palettes, as they never seem to have a combination of colors/finishes that I like. Thankfully I’m a “see in person and test out before I buy” kinda girl so I never wasted my money on any of them.
ysl rouge volupte… the formula its too buttery, sometimes it transfers easily and some shades bleed… i had to buy a lipliner to wear it for the price tag i expected someting a bit better though. i still use it tho.
Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner. It didn’t last nearly as long as Stila’s does, and I mean both on my face throughout the day and in the pen without drying up.
The VIB rouge Marc Jacobs special edition colour, So Rouge. Lovely formula, great reviews, utterly unwearable clownish orangey red on my dark skin. I gave it away and purchased the same formula in “Blow”, which suits me much better. Disappointing that the “reward” for buying an ungodly amount of makeup at Sephora is a lipstick that is a godawful colour on many many skintones.
I would have to say the too faced vegas nay, seems like to me it’s just all repeats of previous palletts. I think too faced better up there game seems like all the palletts released for this holiday season are just repeats, I want so etching new!!!
I bought this for my birthday last week I switched all the colors on my arm with a nyx white primer and the UD primer potion. Most of the colors snatched HORRIBLY, we’re kind of dry and rough, and didn’t look good at all on my NW 43 skin. I’ll be returning this one. Shame because I LOVE all of my TF palettes and TF is one of my favorite brands for eyes and lips.
MUG eye shadows ( mattes ), Color Pop lippies, Naked Basic 2.
I hate to say it but Tom Ford’s eye and cheek colors. The little enclosed brush was useless and the the colors were as hard as rocks. The only way to pick up color was to scrape with a palette knife.
LOL!
Those lash fiber extensions kits from Younique, Physician’s Formula, Too Faced, Tarte, Lashem, Cherry Blooms, Maybelline, & seemingly everyone else.
Instead of looking like I was wearing false eyelashes or achieving incredible volume & length all I got was a spidery, clumpy, mess that gradually flaked off all day on my face.
The Marc Jacobs Skyliner set.. I was so looking forward to it because every one raved last year and it was so dry in this years formula. I returned it and still no refund.
The NARS sheer glow foundation. Despite trying various application techniques I just can’t get perfect application with it. I also didn’t find that it lasted all that well throughout the day. Gutted because the colour was the best I’m yet to find!
I forgot to mention the UD naked smoked palette. I pre ordered it months before the release date. UD eyeshadows have never let me down befor but this pallet I just find it a bit rubbish. I guess it’s the ‘smokey’ aspect of it but the shadows are just too soft for my liking and the usual UD strong pigment just isn’t there. Sadly not for me, but I’m determined to try to like it one day!
I really, really wanted to love Naked 3. It was my first Naked palette, and my first higher end makeup palette of any kind – I was so bummed when the quality of many of the shades was less than many of my drugstore NYX eyeshadows. Some of the shades performed beautifully, but overall it was a bust.
Anything MAC and/or BeneFit
I haven’t bought any of these products, but they seem overhyped to me:
– The Lorac Pro palettes. The shades don’t look interesting to me in general.
– MAC eyeshadow singles. Every time I swatch them at the store, I’m extremely unimpressed with the pigmentation.
– Liquid lipsticks in general.
– Naked Basics 1. Too many light shades. I prefer the second one.
Dare I say it! The first naked palette! The shades just didn’t suit me. I preferred the chocolate bar palette.
All of the Urban decay palettes. The singles are spectacular, but the palettes are beyond underwhelming. Also, really unhappy with Lancome’s Auda(city) palette. The quality is good but there are so many neutral/warm shadows, I find I don’t use it enough to justify the cost.
Dior DreamSkin
As soon as I saw the Mega Pro 2 I was unimpressed. I agree, there were too many light shades and not much diversity. The first Mega Pro palette was better. Another product that I was disappointed by was the Sephora Jem and Holograms Palette. It was chalky with zero pigmentation. I returned it the same exact day that it came in the mail. Just a mess.
Nars Sheer Glow foundation. Makes my oily T-zone oilier and my dry cheeks drier. No matter what I tried I couldn’t make it work.
Benefit’s They’re Real Pushup Liner. I’ve never tried so hard to make a product work for me. It didn’t. AT ALL. The formula is cakey and globby, and the applicator just spits out random blobs of too-thick goo that dry too quickly to be smoothed out. I returned it before I could follow my impulse to set it on fire and throw it across the room.
LORAC MEGA PRO…with all the hype i guess I thought it would be more amazing. And a little bit with the vice4 but it took me a while to love my vice3 so I still have hope for it.
Makeup Geek blushes, specifically Spellbound and Bliss.
They were chalky, powdery, and just sat on my skin. 🙁
Kat V. tattoo foundation with all the rave, just didn’t work for me, made me look sickly.
ColourPop Lippie Stix – all the shades I got were matte, but they never seemed to ‘set’ on my lips and smeared everywhere 🙁 and I don’t like the way they smell. Also, ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks – these felt so drying and flaked on me. I’ve decided against buying any more lip products by ColourPop.
The Marc Jacobs holiday palette. I was so excited until I saw how many light shades there were. If there were more mid tones I couldn’t have given my money to Sephora fast enough. Overall this year’s holiday palettes are lower in quality than I was expecting. I always buy the Too Faced Sephora palette, but this was was a poorly pigmented glitter bomb.