What were your least favorite purchases from 2023?
So many Dior and Tom Ford palettes.
— Christine
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Any of the spring/holiday Nars palettes this year. They were all nice enough, but so repetitive that they are ultimately forgettable. I bought them with rewards points (Shoppers Optimum, in Canada) so no significant financial outlay other than sales tax, but they take up space and I rarely reach for them.
elf O Face satin lipstick in Dirty Talk. I’m not really in opaque bullet lipsticks and I don’t need another pinky beige lipstick. Decent formula. Just not into it.
YSL Touché Eclat concealer. Too drying no matter what I do. Don’t get the hype
Forgot but the KVD shadow sticks. I got the green one. It was so patchy and creased. Never had such a problem with cream stick eyeshadow but these don’t lock down
The reformulated Dior products, especially my former holy grails, Rosy Glow blushes and Forever Skin Correct concealer, are at the top of my least favorites. I also really disliked the concealers with glitter, Givenchy’s Prisme Libre and Dior Backstage, and the Rare Beauty “lip oils”, which weren’t actually lip oils but a horrible cream/stain hybrid with an awful minty flavor/sensation that wasn’t mentioned in the description at all.
Em Cosmetics serum blushes. Beautiful colors, formula and packaging. For my preferences, I find the pigmentation lacking and don’t want such a dewy finish.
Givenchy lipsticks. Even the satins are drying.
Rare beauty lipsticks. Love the formula but they’re kind of all the same color? I hope they expand their color range.
ZeeSea colored mascaras. Not that I hate them. The colors are wonderful, but the formula is very, very wet. I also found the wand much too small and way too flexible. There is definitely a learning curve to using them
But the Palace Identity lipsticks! I can’t decide whether they are the most beautiful m/u I ever saw or OTT. I always check out what you and others are eyeing and buying.
I received a couple of those lipsticks for Christmas 2022. I think the packaging is stunning, but then I’m all for OTT. The formula is good, too.
Anastasia Beverly Hill Stick Blush. I purchased the Soft Rose which is just the wrong color for me. Too brown tinged. As I’ve aged, I need to keep towards pinker tones. The blush is alright. It lasts. The brush on the other end is questionable. I’ve used it but it is too short to really blend out. I would probably have liked this better had I chosen a color better suited to me. Still – I use it because I am too cheap to just pitch it. I use it then add a powder blush in pink at the end of putting on my makeup.
If you really like the formula, the shade Pink Dahlia may be a better option as it’s a rosy pink without the brown undertone. A great bubblegum pink blush, also in stick form, is Bubble from Persona Cosmetics, if you’re looking for a cool toned shade.
I bought so few makeup items this year, but I did get myself a few new brow pencils, described as ash brown or cool brown. On me the all look warm and very wrong.
Lisa Eldridge Velveteens. Had too high expectations. It doesn’t look flattering on lips with a lot of fine lines. I always top it with gloss. Thats how I fix all my not-so-good lip products; I was hoping i could wear it alone.
Like Helene, I’ve purchased so little this year, largely because I have just so much stuff already that I really have no gaps in my makeup collection but even larger-ly (no such word, I know) because so many of my favourites have either been discontinued or reformulated SO BADLY that they might as well have been discontinued (Cara mentioned 2 or 3 of the Dior products that I can no longer replace if/when I finish them).
RMS Legendary Lipstick feels great going on but are very drying. I was totally disappointed but luckily their customer service is excellent.
I was disappointed in the Les Volume de Chanel mascara, of which many youtubers rave about. I used the waterproof one, could that have been the reason it didn’t live up to my expectations? I disliked it enough not to give a chance to the regular version, because it’s so pricy. Another popular product that I was disappointed with is the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push up lashes mascara. The Clarins lip perfectors left me a little lukewarm, too, although they are moisturizing enough for me to get use out of them, they’re just not much in appearance on lips.
Hourglass Veil Hydrating Skin Tint was probably my most regretted purchase. It wasn’t particularly hydrating and always gave me cake face. I am not sure how it did that because it doesn’t seem that thick but I may have been using it wrong?!
Nyx Blur Tint Foundation – picked this up at the end of the year, Nyx have made and discontinued some of my absolute fave base products in the past (RIP Born to Glow foundation and Bare with Me skin tint) and I love their concealer, so I was hoping this would be a nice light foundation with a skinlike but matte finish. Nope, this gave me major cake face! So disappointing. Maybe I’m just not used to using foundation anymore (I just use the Nyx Bare With Me serum concealer all over my face now) but ugh. Major let down! If anyone has had a better experience with it, let me know your secrets!
I would have to say that this was the Year of The Duds – there were so many of them Christine that you reviewed, wasted time and money on when they all should have been better – from the Dior and Tom Ford palettes, to CP’s latest lipsticks etc.
For me, my least favourite purchases for the year include:
MUFE Watermark foundation – it separated and went greasy on my face
MAC’s Fleur Power blush – that disappeared within an hour or two of application
Nude by Nature’s Cleanser – – it left my skin very dry after use
DB Skin Renew foundation in Classic Ivory – started oxidising by the mid afternoon
All of the above have been ditched.
I’m realizing how few new beauty products I bought this year—around a dozen!—but I disliked the NYX Fat Oil enough to return it (I found it too sticky and not hydrating enough for my dry lips), and after spending ages tracking down a Natasha Denona Gold Palette… I haven’t even used it yet. Shame on me.
I, too, am on a quest to find the Natasha Denona Gold Palette! I think I lost mine during my move. May I ask where you finally found one?
Probably the About Face Eye Paints. I got two of them as a set along with the AF primer (which I love). I see that the eye paints have a legitimate utility for artistry looks, but for 16 USD per paint, and the steep skill of use, the purchase seemed entirely not worth it to me.
Erica, I don’t know how you used them, but I sheer them out with a fluffy brush when I apply; they work well as a one-and-done wash or a base for other shadows on top. If you still have them and haven’t tried that approach, maybe give it a whirl!
A few things: the PMGL Star Wars Lip Glosses (pretty, but I could feel the glitter); the Glamlite Strawberry Shortcake palette; TM Multiverse single; MAC Skinfinish Sunstruck Radiant Bronzer (it was supposed to be rosy but looked gray on me); Olive and June nail polishes.