Foundation — I love the way my skin looks more even with foundation, but getting a good formula and a good shade match is so, so frustrating sometimes.
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Definitely lipstick in general. I love all the different colors and formulas… But lipstick just does not seem to suit my face, no matter how many times I try to wear it! I don’t know which of my features is making it look not-right (or if I’m perceiving something others are not), but I sure wish I could get past it!
You said it, Christine.^^ Foundation, and for basically ALL the same reasons. And my skin underneath isn’t in such great shape that I can leave home without at least a BB or CC on at minimum. It’s too uneven in tone, with acne scarring (thankfully NOT pock marks, scars are now flat).
Another dousy is mascara. Because as soon as I find one I love, within a few years they without fail DC it, or mess with its formula!
You too words out of my mouth Christine and Nancy. I have searched for many years to find a good foundation,that doesn’t make my face look greasy. Also one to match my skin color. AND help with some of the wrinkles. So now I learned to mix 2 different brands and color together. Wella,looks so much better. And I agree with mascara. What gives with it??? I find quite a few I really like,after trying so many and bang,they change it. Oh and yes another product is lip liner. I find a brand I really love,buy them and the colors make my lipstick and lips so off beat. I almost ready to give up on them. I even bought the Dior clear lip liner and the white lip liner. Still don’t look right on me.
1) Eyeshadow — I love to play with colors and bring out my eyes, and get creative with looks. I hate that I have such oily eyelids. I absolutely have to have a good quality primer or everything creases within an hour or so. I can’t wear most cream shadows, even with primer.
2) Mascara — I love how it makes my lashes look, but it’s so frustrating being allergic to most of it. Even more so with waterproof formulas.
3) Foundation — It makes my skin look great IF I can find a shade match; IF I can find an undertone match; IF it doesn’t make me break out or irritate my skin. My oily skin will oxidize most foundations and turn them orange. Primer helps, but not with all brands. The only drug store foundations I can wear without having them oxidize, even with primer, are from e.l.f.
Foundation bc it seems to work for a while then it stops working like it once did. Color matching has never been a problem for me but finding a good one for oily skin that gives good coverage, mattifies, doesn’t look flat or cakey or heavy that lasts a work day and doesn’t quit working on you can be tricky!
Also primers. Aside from an e/s primer, I don’t see what the big deal is!
Under eye concealer! I need it, I love the immediate effect, but can’t stand the creasing or how dry it can make the skin look sometimes. I also have a tough time finding concealer shades that can mask dark circles without making them look grey. I’m still on the hunt for a good corrector that isn’t too creamy, runny, or heavy. A girl can dream…
Best full coverage concealer is bye bye undereye by it cosmetics. Great corrector is benefit’s erase paste
An excellent undereye concealer is Keromask. You only need very little, and pouf it work wonders.
I’m totally with you, Christine! Was just joking with a friend tonight that I’ve kissed a lot of frogs before I found my foundation prince. I’ve tried everything from Ellis Faas (my most expensive foundation mistake) to drugstore brands. I found that the perfect combination for me was a combo (2 parts to 1 part) of MatchCo, which is a custom-tinted foundation mixed with Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place. I have very oily skin and the skin on my face is ruddier than my neck. The MatchCo looked extremely natural but didn’t do enough to tone down the ruddiness and they only have one formula and while it lasts pretty well with an oil-controlling primer (MUFE Mattifying Primer), I wanted something with more oil control and longevity. Turns out that adding half a pump of Double Wear to 1 full pump of MatchCo was the answer to my foundation prayers. Adding that half pump of Double Wear added enough yellow (I wear 2W2 “Rattan” which is too yellow on its own) to tone down the redness and significantly improved the oil-control and longevity, while still looking really natural. It’s been the best solution I’ve found so far.
Powder. I love that it can mattify the skin and blur imperfections, but I hate that it can so easily look cakey and chalky.
I hear you on foundation Christine but for me it’s definitely lipstick. I love the way it can instantly perk me up and transform a look but I hate how my lips dry up with most of them and it ends up a gross mess.
So yeah, I appreciate a good hydrating lipstick that also has good staying power as it doesn’t tend to last on me the same way it lasts on other people. I’m not 100% sure why that is yet, the dryness probably has something to do with it and I subconsciously lick my lips a tiny bit with because of it!
Oh well lipstick, I still love you and always will! ?
Sunscreen — it’s so necessary, it’s the most important aspect of skin care (or at least right up there with keeping your skin clean and moisturized!) — but there are so few sunscreens that are actually pleasant to use on all levels. So many people have allergy and sensitivity issues with the chemical sunscreens, and there are texture and photo flashback issues with the mineral sunscreens, and very few are actually comfortable to wear and work well under foundation, without altering its finish.
For what it’s worth, I’ve had much better luck with Asian sunscreens. They use sunscreen ingredients that are not available in the US thanks to the FDA dragging its feet, and the formulations are far superior IMO. Lots of gels and liquidy versions that feel like nothing and work great under makeup…might be worth a Google search!
Thanks for the tip, Laura! I’ll have to check this out. My rosacea is super-picky about what it will tolerate.
Hi Fran – check out the brand Neova, it’s a great skin care line with an emphasis on photodamage and sun protection products. I’ve been using their skin care and sun protection products for years have never had a reaction to any of their sunscreens or other products.
I’m not sure my rosaciec skin can handle both octinoxate and octisalate with zinc oxide, but, if I get a chance to try a sample, I definitely will. Thanks!
I fell in love with the tarte sunscreen in the pink bottle try a sample I have fussy skin and it didn’t break me out 😉
I have a sample, Andria, I’ll try it 🙂
Eyeliner. My eyes are quite rounded and slightly deep-set so I find it difficult to apply sometimes and I do not always like the result. Eye pencils that are soft and gentle are my favourites.
Highlighter. I love the thought of it and the way it looks on the skin, but almost all of them make me look plain greasy.
I would say foundation as well. I just got really into it last year and finding something that works with my skin is a process! I think I’m oily so I’m experimenting with a Becca foundation that I love, but I look like a grease ball even without sweating. So more experimenting is in order, I plan on trying a better matte primer to see if that helps and use less product. This foundation will work!
Also worrying if a foundation will break me out. Eyeshadows, lipsticks etc don’t cause skin issues for me.
Cream blush. I love how natural it is and not powdery, but I hate the time and energy it takes not to make it look clownish.
I’d also say foundations. I haven’t tried a TON of them because I don’t live super close to a Sephora where I can get samples unless I have time to make the drive there and higher end foundations can be so expensive so I don’t like buying them unless I’ve either had a chance to try them or I can easily get back to return them.
Finding a color match isn’t TOO hard for my complexion (fair/light with neutral-to-yellow undertones), but it’s a pain to find shades without actually seeing and trying them in person. Luckily, the Foundation Matrix has been pretty accurate for me, usually. 😀
SUNSCREEN! I love protecting my skin, but finding a formula that has a high enough SPF/doesn’t break me out/doesn’t leave a white cast/isn’t too oily or drying/isn’t perfumed/doesn’t contain alcohol/etc. is quite challenging.
Ugh, I hear you! My eyes also have a horrible reaction to certain sunscreens for whatever reason. It feels like I’ve been pepper-sprayed right in the eyes.
Eyeliner.. I hate applying it. But love the way it looks. It just seems like a pain in the butt step. 🙂
Most base products and most recently Amuse Bouche by Bite.
Oh man, the Amuse Bouche formula drove me crazy. I had to return them. Absolutely loved the colors — Sweet Cream would’ve been a holy grail for me if the formula wasn’t drying and didn’t settle in lines/corners on me. I’ve been mulling over the dupe list for a solid week or two now.
Same as you, Christine! I, and my skin thanks to rosacea and hypersensitivity, absolutely HATE everything about foundation except for the fact that good ones make my skin look amazing. These days I just spot conceal with concealer, but sometimes I’ll put a light layer of mineral foundation on top to even things out. Finding a mainstream formula that matches my skin (Nars concealer in Chantilly), doesn’t slide off my oily areas OR emphasize/cause dry patches, and doesn’t cause my skin to freak out = so not worth the time or frustration for me.
Definitely foundation for me as well. I’m fair and cool toned, so I have problems such as:
– any foundation that is a decent match is always a bit too pink
– but I can’t use anything else because then it’s too yellow
– it oxidizes and looks orange (i’m lookin’ at you Dior Forever Flawless!)
– is oddly visible and looks too dry, almost dusty
– or it’s too luminous and I look like an oil slick
– makes me look too ghostly/washed out
– emphasizes all the little hairs on my face
I could be here all day.
And I actually have very good skin! I only use foundation because I love that flawless look (and I hate my freckles and want to cover them up.) It’s been a lifelong struggle to find a foundation that I’m actually happy with. I think I may start trying more tinted moisturizes.
Have you tried Estee Lauder Double Wear Light? I have all the same issues you mentioned, and so far, it’s the only one that remotely works. I use Intensity 1.0. I think it needs a little moisturizer underneath (I use CeraVe PM). Lately I’ve been following the moisturizer with Paula’s Choice tinted moisturizer (it has mineral sunscreen), and finally the foundation applied with a beauty blender. Those products play really well together!
Thanks for the suggestions Meghan! No I haven’t tried that foundation, but you’ve got me curious. Right now I’ve been alternating between Armani’s Luminous Silk and the Hourglass Illusion Hyaluronic Skin Tint, but neither are 100% perfect. I hadn’t thought to try Estee Lauder since I tried double wear and it emphasized the little hairs on my face like no other (needless to say it was returned). I’ll take a look at Double Wear Light next time I’m in Sephora. I’d be so glad if it solved all my problems. 🙂
Also foundation. I look amazing in the morning and first half of the day. Amazing, like, I’m finally looking good in my own eyes after all these years, which makes my heart sing. But by afternoon my oily skin has broken down my foundation and the pigment pools in my larger-than-average pores, letting my rosacea-colored face show through. So I have a red canvas with yellow dots. I end up looking like one of those Lichtenstein paintings. I have a routine now that gets me a lot further in the day before break down (it used to happen about an hour after my makeup went on), but I despair of getting through the day. I think it’s going to take dermabrasion and multiple applications of IPL to get me there.
Totally agree with the foundation!
Mine would be cream eyeshadow. The colors are usually so pretty and nuanced, and they’re just so easy to use–but I haven’t found a formula that lasts very long without creasing/fading significantly on my lids, even with my go-to primers.
Under eye correctors & concealers. I need to conceal under eye redness dark circles without emphasizing the dark circles, lines, creases underneath my eyes. I love when certain products work, especially with as few layers as possible. I find it maddening that certain concealers are really eye brighteners that emphasize these issues or require 2 shades to properly conceal vs. one shade as advertised.
Eyeliner pencils. Love how they look, hate that most of them smudge into either a mess or nothingness on me. I can only use them on my lower lids, never ever the upper (recipe for disaster) and I envy people who can.
Anything for the under eye. As I age, that area gets more finicky and harder to deal with. What performs a ‘miracle’ one day is just so/so the neck day thanks to wrinkles, dryness, allergies, lack of sleep, water and the moon phase 🙂 ♥ Elle
I have two answers.
1.). Lipstick. I love lipstick, but I hate having to constantly reapply it. The “long wearing” types tend to be very drying on me, and the formulas I seem to love the most don’t seem to last longer than an hour on my lips
2.) Concealer. Ugh. Most of the time, I go without it, but during allergy season I tend to get puffy bags. Concealer helps during those times, but finding a good one that doesn’t slip or get cakey and crease-y has been a huge challenge.
I’d also say foundation. I love how it can even out my skintone, but I hate that it can get cakey and too obvious/unnatural. I have redness on my cheeks, and to completely cover it I need a full coverage foundation, but these are prone to caking, settling into pores and lines, looking dry…
Foundation and I have had a love/hate relationship, as well. I do have two Holy Grails. Clinique’s Super Balanced Makeup in Cream Chamois is one. Stay Tuned Balancing Face Makeup in Linen by Origins is the other. Every now and then I will stray…but I always go back to one or the other.
For me it’s eyeshadow ! I have dark brown eyes and I love playing with golden Browns and Taupes! But my eyes are round AND hooded, so I can’t figure out how to apply it without it looking crazy.
Facial primer. I love how it smoothes my face and how well my foundation goes on after I apply but have not been able to find one that helps with oily tone.
Concealer. It either wears off, or it creases, and if I set it with powder like all the YouTube people say to, I look like I’ve aged 10 years. That’s all to say nothing of finding a color match.
Runner up is liquid eyeliner. I can’t make it look good on me no matter what, I think I just look better with a smudgy pencil look and liquid is too stark.
Mac! Great lipstick but I don´t like the foundation
Liquid foundation. I love how it looks, but I always break out and I’m not sure why. I’ve tried so many different brands, and end up breaking out like the next day. I don’t know if it’s because I wash my face so well to be sure I’m getting everything off and stripping my natural oils, or what. I make sure to moisturize after. Not to mention finding a color match. I may have to go back to powder foundation although I worry about it settling in fine lines…
1. Foundation – Finding a shade is RIDICULOUSLY hard because most medium-toned foundations are either too orange or too yellow, and occasionally too pink! I don’t think most cosmetics brands really understand how medium-toned Asian skin works. It’s really not as yellow as you think it is! I also tend to look really cakey if I put even a little too much foundation on, so finding a lightweight formula that still covers up my redness is hard to come by. I’ve really liked the Bareminerals loose powder formula and Golden Tan matches me really well, but I don’t have the $28 to drop on another one right now! Sad.
2. Eyeliner – C R E A S I N G. The fold in my eyelids is pretty close to my eye, so if I move my eye even a little bit while it’s drying it just gets everywhere and messes up the rest of my makeup! I pretty much gave up on liquid eyeliner and used pencil for a while until I gave the Colourpop gel liners a whirl, and I’ve been converted. They dry so fast and I can make it as thick as I want without it creasing! I think I can finally make peace with eyeliner now.
3. Mascara – I have sensitive eyes so it’s hard to find mascaras that work well and give me the effect I want without making my eyes itchy and watery. And trying to find truly resilient mascara is a hard, hard task!
it used to be foundation for me! then started spraying my real techniques sponge with MAC fix+ and applying my loreal pro matte that way and its flawless and long lasting w/o looking too matte or shiny by the end of my long work day (and i mean LONG – i have a 16 hr work day). i just have to make sure i use my becca ever matte primer on my t-zone first!
the thing i have a love/hate relationship with is definitely undereye concealer! haven’t found a good one yet that doesn’t look dry/crease/actually covers/color corrects (I like salmon toned concealers)
I am most conflicted about using L’Oreal and MAC products. I love MAC lipstick and brushes. I love some of the L’Oreal eyeshadows and the perfecting primer. I hate putting money into an obvious monarchy and the family that rules.
Mascara! I hate wearing it (and taking it off) but without it my eyelashes look “meh”, and if I’m wearing eyeshadow there’s always at least a tiny bit of fallout that gets on my lashes, and the mascara covers that up.
Also lip products. Love the look of it on me, hate the paranoia that it’s on my teeth or somehow migrating all over my face.
1. Foundation that lasts all day and not disappear after about 3 pm…..(in my shade of course)
2. Shampoo for oily roots – very few good quality shampoos out there for those with oily roots. Most of those on the market cater for dry hair and these are way too rich for me. Some oily hair shampoos leave your hair completely stripped of moisture and wreck your hair. Also I colour my hair too…. a problem.
1. Shadows of dark colours. Smoky eyes are my daily make up, and my shadows collection consists of grey-brown-taupe colours. But those who are darker are sooo hard to blend, sooo easy to make mud and spots on the lid, sooooo long time to get a wearable result, I definitely have no time for it in the morning.
2. Same for cream shadows. Sometimes the colours are great, but I hate to apply and blend cosmetics with fingers.
3. Foundation. Definitely. You said it all.
Under eye concealer for mature skin.
Because I have bags and wrinkles I have tried a thousand concealers and have yet to find one that doesn’t mark my wrinkles and disguises a bit my bags…. Very frustrating.
I can never get my face to be moisturized and not have my foundation get greasy. Primers help but sometimes it makes me look cakey.
I have to say concealers for starters… especially for red broken capillaries on my nose from a serious car accident. It just doesn’t seem to stay put no matter what I use or try. After 2 hours it needs to be reapplied and then it starts to look like it was covered up, about 100 times! Mascara is the last. I love waterproof mascara for certain occasions, and summer weather. I get those long thick lashes, but trying to remove it at night, what a chore! The next morning I have leftover mascara rings and some flakes. I use baby oil, olive oil, or almay eye makeup remover. Still, it just doesn’t seem to want to come off all the way.
Cream eye shadow! I want to love it so badly but it always seems to cake weird and emphasize all the wrinkles on my eyelids!
Lipstick! I love the way it looks on other people, and when I first apply it. But the upkeep and the potential mess is just too much for me to deal with.
Eyeliner. When it goes well, it’s amazing. When it goes bad, it’s so very, very bad. Maybe my relationship with eyeliner would be better if it weren’t for just how much I love winged liner and just how much my hooded lids hate it!
Mascara & lash curlers. I’m half Asian and my lashes are stubborn straight, short, with a downward slant and they can’t hold a curl to save my life! All mascaras MUST be waterproof. Then there’s the problem with formula because many waterproof mascaras such and they are thick, goopy and clumpy as heck! I NEED a lash curler otherwise I have no curl whatsoever. It’s annoying because I have to be careful about eyeliner because the curler will take off any eyeliner I put on, thus, I have to curl my lashes first then apply eyeliner. It’s not easy task and it’s bothersome.
Coming in third place is eyeliner. I have hooded eyes AND I wear contact lenses which means I cant apply anything to the waterline or tightline and I need something that wont transfer on my hooded lids so it’s gotta be absolutely budge proof, waterproof.
Foundation, especially the long-wearing foundations. Starts out fine but oh my gawd, ends up a splotchy mess by end of day. No change in color, just a change in finish, even when I put an oil or serum in the foundation to make it more pliable.
Such a hit and miss even with really good foundations.