What was your most expensive product flop?

At least for this year, buying all of the “revamped” Sephora single eyeshadows this year… they were significantly worse, and I never ended up finishing the reviews because they weren’t that good and weren’t that cheap, which resulted in low interest.

— Christine

26 Comments

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Meghan Avatar

I bought 3 of the Nars soft touch shadow pencils when they first launched before your review posted. Needless to say I’m still mad at myself about it!?

Seraphine Avatar

KVD Saint & Sinner Eyeshadow Palette. It looked so awesome when it came out, but for me, the shades turned out to be pretty useless. And since I’ve stopped using her products altogether, it’s even more of a waste.

I’m hoping this next one doesn’t turn out to be a flop in the end, but I recently bought Guerlain Meteorite Pearls 02 because (1) I’ve always been intrigued by them, (2) I love Guerlain products, and (3) I got them during a 20% off sale. Although the packaging looks beautiful on my vanity and and they smell heavenly, I honestly don’t see much of a difference when I brush them on my face. I’ve watched tutorials and I’m sure I’m doing it right. I’ve even double and tripled the “dosage” and I still don’t see it show up on my face. So, although the Meteorites feel (and smell) glamorous to use, I’m afraid they might be a flop for me. And that makes me sad.

Christina D. Avatar

Without question, the most expensive flop I had the misfortune of purchasing was the By Terry Eye Designer Palettes in Smoky Nude and in Color Design. They were $96 each and by far, the worst eye shadows I have ever used. I would never buy anything By Terry again.

Laurel Avatar

The viseart eyeshadow palettes. I don’t know why they don’t work well for me. I find the texture too hard. I am a colourpop/makeup geek eyeshadow formula fan so when I look at my $5 colourpop singles and I want to reach for those over an $80 palette, you know it’s is a flop.

CeeBee Avatar

I bought a LE NARS highlighter trio (cannot even remember the name of it, LOL) with white gold, yellow gold and plummy coppery rose gold shades and I used it once and then never touched it again. It’s still in my drawer and I never reach for it.

AB Avatar

Good product/bad choice on my part — Armani luminous silk foundation @ $64 — great quality product, but I couldn’t find an exact color match and settled for ‘close enough’, and I should have known better.

Poor product — Bobbi Brown Antique Rose $27. I knew this brand’s reputation for dusty, under pigmented and unbuildable eyeshadows, but I wanted this color and thought I could make it work. It is truly a poor eyeshadow and I regret the purchase. Have since tossed it.

Priscilla Avatar

This crushes me to even think about. I “splurged” on Cle de Peau Radiant Fluid Foundation after a makeup artist used it on me in Palm Desert at Saks. $125.00 later, I’m home and the foundation is at least 2 shades too dark. I don’t live anywhere near a Saks and it’s been too long now?

zeezee Avatar

way before i knew my own foundation preferences, i bought the zelens youth glow foundation (abt usd100) as its skincare products were very good. it was way too glowy and fragranced and it was painful to put it on each time. 2 years later, i finally threw it away.

xamyx Avatar

I don’t typically “impulse buy” more expensive products, so this is a really difficult question… I’d probably have to go with Still “In The Light”, or any of my old Too Faced 9-pan palettes. They’re actually really nice in terms of quality, and the color choices are beautiful, but I just simply forget I have them, and they just sit in a drawer… I am in the process of “panning” the Still palette, and have actually hit pan on a few shades, but it always seems like such an effort to use it, which takes away from the enjoyment. I’ve been using it regularly since May, and plan to use it exclusively for the month of December, but I’ll likely just depot half the palette, and toss the rest. I was planning on taking on my Smashbox palettes for my next “challenge”, but now that I actually remembered them, I’ll probably go with the Too Faced pallettes…

Stacey Avatar

Good to see people’s flops. Then I won’t buy….not that I will on any of these products I just read.

I thought I was going to but Chanel No. 5 lipstick limited recently.
I tested it. No bueno. Whenever you get so many choices, ine gets more discriminate.

Marg Avatar

Oh, my, there were several flops, two of which I was able to return (so no harm done in the end) – Urban Decay Backtalk palette and MUFE Star Lit palette. Both were of very substandard quality with poor pigmentation and lack of blendability. The ones, which I couldn’t return are Bobbi Brown Greige Eye Palette and Tatcha The Pearl. The BB palette, which was one of the very first high end palettes I splurged on and had high hopes for, is one of the worst quality palettes I ever encountered. There is basically no pigment in the shadows, one has to layer and layer, and layer… in order to get something to show up. They have no staying power and are too tightly pressed, so that you have to dig at the pan in order to get enough product on the brush. Even with a lot of shadow on the brush, the shadow just kind of… falls off during application, leaving a very sheer layer on the skin. As for the Tatcha Pearl – it never delivered what it promised. For me, there was no brightening, no moisturizing, no coverage of ANY kind, and if anything, it actually emphasized my dark circles by making them shiny (it has a bit of a pearlescent finish). To make matters worse, it creased badly in the tiny lines under my eyes, making me look older. I gave it away.

Marg Avatar

Oh,yeah, I just remembered another one of my flops – Kevyn Aucoin Nude Pop palette. Except of maybe two shadows, none of them want to perform properly for me. No matter what, no matter what brush, no matter what primer. The shadows bunch up on the lids, are patchy, or don’t show up at all. Definitely an expensive flop.

Yen.Lin Avatar

By Terry Touche Veloutée // 2 Cream.
It’s a highlighting concealer in a brush pen packaging. It was drying and a bit “streaky”—felt like the edges never truly blended out.
Bought it for 600HKD ≈ $100 a couple years back (RIP ?). The most I have spent on a concealer to date, and it couldn’t be returned. An absolute disappointment.

Amber Smith Avatar

I sprung for the Kevyn Aucoin skin enhancer in the beauty bay Black Friday sale, since my favourite Rimmel pot concealer has been discontinued and I’d heard nothing but good things.
Although it’s thick, I swear it doesn’t cling, so the coverage I get over spots is very temperamental. I have to blend it out so gingerly and set so carefully, that it always looks evident; yet I still don’t get the coverage or satisfaction. Although the palest shade is light enough, I find it quite grey so isn’t the best as a mix in – and no one mentioned the smell! That flowery powdery smell, that really lingers. They must add that in, why??
It may last a while, but since I don’t like it, it’s a waste anyway. My hope is the Rimmel will reappear with an improved shade range

Jane Avatar

I wasn’t a “flop”, but it just wasn’t as grand as I thought it should be and everyone said, Pat McGrath’s Mothership Subliminal palette. I’m hoping that with some studious effort, I’ll change my mind and easily find color combos and was of getting more pigmentation from it.

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