What are some high end products you aren't impressed with?

Makeuptalk.com forums

Help Support Makeuptalk.com forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I won a competition last month for a £100 voucher, so I did get this product for free. I had never tried any Laura Mercier products before so I thought I'd choose a lipgloss. I got the Belle Nouveau lipgloss in Lotus Blossom. I thought the staying power was way below par for a £18 lipgloss. There are much cheaper alternatives which stay on 10 times as long. I would say this lasted on me for about.. 20 minutes, and that's WITHOUT eating or drinking. I liked the colour and smell, but the staying power seriously let it down. I was quite disappointed to say the least.

 
Originally Posted by Beautiijunkii /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Yes, MAC really is cranking out those collections left and right. I get tired of receiving those emails. It seems like there's a collection dropping 3 to 4 times a week.
It is ridiculous! I think they should look at NARS for an example of how collections should be done. One major collection per season (not too crazy big either!) with new items, with some of those items joining the permanent line. I think last year alone MAC had around 50ish collections?! Quality, not quantity!

 
Originally Posted by ladygrey /img/forum/go_quote.gif


It is ridiculous! I think they should look at NARS for an example of how collections should be done. One major collection per season (not too crazy big either!) with new items, with some of those items joining the permanent line. I think last year alone MAC had around 50ish collections?! Quality, not quantity!
Totally agree with you there. As much as I adore MAC, they churn out way too many collections. I like to have at least one product per collection but at the rate they're going it's way too expensive.

 
MAC is over-hyped and has been for a long time. Dior quality is not consistent, for sure, but Dior lipsticks are primo quality. I wouldn't pay $75 for their latest eye color compact because the shadows looked chalky to me.

I only use high- end skin care and cosmetic products.. I disagree with some comments here. I love Diorshow mascara. I recognize that I don't have long thick eyelashes, never have, and Diorshow is one of the few brands which makes the most out of what I have. Since I wear contacts, I won't/ can't wear false lashes comfortably.

As a very fair skinned white person, both The Nakeds and The Nakeds2 are great for me. Not a bum shadow in the bunch, They are great for a casual eye on a laid back weekend but aren't meant to be " exciting" like most of UD shadows are.. I have every BOS ever made, those are the exciting shades for almost every skin tone. 

If I was AA, I wouldn't consider most of the shadows in The Nakeds palettes. Brown on brown isn't going to show up any more than my beige eye primer does on me.

MUFE has great, long lasting lip pencils and lipsticks.

I love Stila's lip glazes.. Have used them for almost 15 years.

Most over-hyped for me-

1) Benefit's line with the TEENY TINY bottles, jars, etc. Most of their full sizes look like travel sizes. ( I do use the PoreFessional primer, Some Kind Of Gorgeous creme to powder face color sometimes, don't dislike their Erase Paste, and own many of  their boxes of face bronzers and blushes) BUT I still feel that I am paying too much for the very lightweight FEEL of the items in my hands,

I think their " Girl Meets Pearl" and "That Gal" face highlighters/ cheek illuminating sticks are more representative of what I think the sizes and feel should be.

2) ANYTHING by Ojon now that Lauder changed the formulation. It was great until they goofed with it. Just like the original Swiss Pantene was great many many years ago.

3) Anything by Estee' Lauder or Lancome', I used both lines when I was younger. It never occurred to me to ask why I needed half a dozen face creams and serums, eye creams and serums, day cream, night cream-- everything but a " weekend creme". I had great skin then, and I have great skin now. No lines, wrinkles, never have smoked, imbibed alcohol, or spent time in the sun without sunscreen.. But,  I ALWAYS came home from the mall with 6 shopping bags FULL of jars and bottles of skin care I had been talked into buying. Also, the two lines have a long history of  very muddy eye, lip  and cheek colors. Neither company  spends much time with the color spectrum. I am aware of the entire Lauder group of cosmetic brands and try to stay away from all of them.

4) MOST eye liner pencils are overpriced. They are usually so generic that it is insane to spend $25 or so for a brown or black pencil made in Germany, as most are.

5) Most Philosophy " themed" items around holidays and other occasions. Their products perform very poorly for me compared to better skin care, generally, and their 3 in 1 shower gels are too drying for my skin. ( I use Korres bath gels)

Those are my pet peeves as far as value and quality go.

I can't say how much I love most Stila products, most Too Faced items- especxially their " The ___ Eye" palettes ( and agree that their holiday line is a rip off) , Chanel lip colors, blushes, foundation

 and YSL concealer.  I adore UD shadow palettes usually, own over 30 different ones, and hope they desist with animal testing.  I think NARS is a fab company if a person can wear Orgasm or one of the other peachy- pink tones they do so well. I love NARS blush, nail polish, and The Multiple in Orgasm, but if I had dark skin, I wouldn't see any effects from these light colored products. I can't really wear any NARS with a tan.

For the money, I like Fekkai's Glossing line of shampoo, conditioner and glossing cream better than anything else I've tried, as I have very very thick, straight, long hair which is professionally colored and highlighted.

My basic skin care is CellCeuticals, and I adore every bit of it. I also use a Clarisonic Plus with my facial cleansing.

I didn't think it was fair to say what I didn't like and not add some of what I really do love and why I love it. I have an entire dressing room full of cosmetics and skin care in my dressing room, and I spend quite a lot per month on new cosmetic items. My skin care will never change unless something drastic changes with CellCeuticals, though.

 

Thanks for letting me share my opinions. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Lilly .

 
For me, almost all HE mascaras.  My HG is now CoverGirl Professional (red or blue tubes).  It doesn't smear at all on me and it gives easy volume & definition. 

Also, Dior AirFlash and the Temptu airbrushing system.  Yeah, the $300 for the Temptu system (split between me and my BFF) was a huge waste.  Another is Sara Happ's The Lip Slip and The Lip Scrub ($30 each).... or as I call them The Baby Oil & Beeswax and The Vaseline and Sugar.  Seriously. 

 
I don't know if this really counts as HE, but I wouldn't pay 18 dollars for theBalm's staniaic that came out in the BBs this month. Some people love it, but it makes my cheeks look oily, and the color wont' go even on my lips. I just can't get it to work.

 
I've never tried Lancome's eyeshadows but I love their lip glosses.

Originally Posted by Vera7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Cha Cha Tint: There was no pigmentation at all, and I have fair skin, it was just all sparkle and I looked like Edward Cullen when he stepped into the sunlight.

Not very 'high end' per say. But it's one of the most expensive things I bought (I usually buy e.l.f products)
 
Wow! That's practically a collection per week.

Originally Posted by ladygrey /img/forum/go_quote.gif


It is ridiculous! I think they should look at NARS for an example of how collections should be done. One major collection per season (not too crazy big either!) with new items, with some of those items joining the permanent line. I think last year alone MAC had around 50ish collections?! Quality, not quantity!
 
Originally Posted by thewendyyybird /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I don't know if this really counts as HE, but I wouldn't pay 18 dollars for theBalm's staniaic that came out in the BBs this month. Some people love it, but it makes my cheeks look oily, and the color wont' go even on my lips. I just can't get it to work.
I've always been too scared to try cheek stains.

 
Originally Posted by ladygrey /img/forum/go_quote.gif


I feel the same way about Benetint! I'm very much over it. I've found that it wears off of my lips and cheeks very, very quickly. Not worth it. 

$45?! Seriously? That is a massive letdown. Were you able to return it?

Oh, and the mention of Benefit reminded me of another product. Benefit's boxed powder in Georgia. This powder is the WORST. The color is too faint to use as a blush, there isn't any shimmer so it wouldn't make a decent highlight, and it gives a weird cast to your face if you use it all over. The only thing its good for is for putting it on over cream blushes to tone down dewiness if there's too much. All in all, a total waste of $30 ($35 including shipping). 
I agree with you guys about both Posietint and Benetint! Posietint = zero color. Benetint is OK, but it doesn't really stay on all day except for on my fingers. Also, I hate the brush taht comes with Benetint! I'm also not a fan of Benefit's Hoola bronzer, which doesn't really come out on my skintone. It sucks cos for some reason I really want to like Benefit things :/

 
Bare Minerals gave me horrible cystic acne.  Nars blush in Orgasm was a total let down, especially with all the hype.

 
Originally Posted by TailgateJuliet /img/forum/go_quote.gif

For me, almost all HE mascaras.  My HG is now CoverGirl Professional (red or blue tubes).  It doesn't smear at all on me and it gives easy volume & definition. 

Also, Dior AirFlash and the Temptu airbrushing system.  Yeah, the $300 for the Temptu system (split between me and my BFF) was a huge waste.  Another is Sara Happ's The Lip Slip and The Lip Scrub ($30 each).... or as I call them The Baby Oil & Beeswax and The Vaseline and Sugar.  Seriously. 
Thanks for letting us know about the Sara Happ products - I was actually interested in trying them but was hesitant because of the price. Your names for them cracked me up! I don't feel so bad about not getting them now! :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
Originally Posted by TailgateJuliet /img/forum/go_quote.gif

For me, almost all HE mascaras.  My HG is now CoverGirl Professional (red or blue tubes).  It doesn't smear at all on me and it gives easy volume & definition. 

Also, Dior AirFlash and the Temptu airbrushing system.  Yeah, the $300 for the Temptu system (split between me and my BFF) was a huge waste.  Another is Sara Happ's The Lip Slip and The Lip Scrub ($30 each).... or as I call them The Baby Oil & Beeswax and The Vaseline and Sugar.  Seriously. 
Agreed. I received the Red velvet lip scrub and lip slip as a gift set from my husband (was $40)... I had heard so much about it " Oh the lip slip smells like a bakery, cake and spices, the scrubs taste so good!"

uh.... maybe it was JUST my batch...? but I can't say I share the same sentiment... The scrub tastes weird but does a good job at exfoliating.. However it is something you can easily make at home, and NOT worth the twenty something bucks imo. The lip slip is NOT something I'd wear during the day. it is VERY sticky, and if you have long hair, you're going to get so angry that your hair keeps sticking to your mouth, and even more infuriated when the goop makes your hair sticky and stringy, and WONT go away. It's best to use at night before bed. :( /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />  And the smell? did NOT smell like cake or spices or a bakery for that matter... don't know what those reviews were talking about. It smells like the rosebud salve bath and body works used to sell which is kinda ironic, because when the lip slip first came out, it was sold at Bath and body works. Overall: I'll use it because I have it, but when I run out, I won't be re-purchasing.

 
Chantecaille eyeshadows have done nothing for me.  The packaging is cheap, and the shadows don't stay on.  I love their lipsticks, but the shadows left me cold.

My big fluffy MAC loose powder brush - it sheds all the time, every day when I use it.  I'm always having to brush little bristle bits off of myself after I do my face.

 
I have tried and hate the MAC Studio Fix Plus Powder Foundation and The MAC Fluidline. The foundation is heavy, cakey and chock full of chemicals. The Fluidline barely shows up and smudges really easily. In general Mac Is Just Cheap Bad quality make up. MAC is one reason why I stick to only truly high end make up.

 
Pretty much everything Lancome makes, except for their lip products. I don't know if they've changed their practices since, but you can't find any ingredients info on their site or on their packaging--I bought some $50 tinted moisturizer that made me look greasy and irritated my skin. Their matte single shadows have atrocious pigmentation (black = barely visible grey). Their palettes are ok, but still chalky compared to brands like UD, Lorac, etc.

 
Smashbox Studio Pop for Eyes eyeliner pencils. Nice colors but smeared and ran like crazy. Stila Written In The Stars eyeshadow palette- chalky with very little color payoff. I'm on the fence about UD Naked Skin foundation. I want to love it, I even bought the optical blurring brush to apply it, but I hate how it seems to dry very quickly without enough time to blend. Also I hate the stickiness of Stila's lipglazes. My hair is always getting stuck in it. I much prefer the $1 ELF luscious liquid lipstick (really more of a gloss).

 
I have never been a fan of upper end make ups. For example, as much as I love Clinique foundation and moisturizers, their eye make-up is crap compared to drug store brands! My FAVORITE eyeshadows come from Almay and Maybelliene (sp?). Their pigments are fantastic and they last for so long! As far as foundations go though, I always stick with Clinique. I did find this awesome concealer pallette on Amazon for like 5 bucks. It has no brand listed on it or else I would recommend it to everyone! But yeah, I never shop at Sephora or MAC whenever I have a WalMart right down the street. There is just no point to me.
 

 
I didn't like the stila, benefit, urban decay, or MAC mascaras that I tried. All of them had terrible brushes, smudged, were cakey and weird. Maybelline continues to have my favorite mascaras.

That primer from Smashbox. I seriously see no point in using it. For me, it really does nothing. I also am not a fan of their concealer stick.

I also had an eyeshadow quad from them that was just terrible. It cracked and I had to repan it with alcohol and the color was never that great.

I did like their eyebrow highlighter pencil a lot though!

Benefit's High Beam. Josie Moran's Argan Oil highlighter stuff. Both of them just do not seem amazing to me.

The Josie Moran one is soooooo thick. I have a trial size of it and I cannot get rid of the stuff fast enough. It has this bizarre golden metallic hue to it, that on my skintone makes me look like I'm trying to look like some futuristic android. Plus, it burns my skin when I use it!

I feel like the pump pumps out way way too much of it and I end up having to smear it on my eyelids like a cream champagne colored eyeshadow, but then it burns on my eyelids!

I put it under my foundation/concealer but it just doesn't really "mix in".

The High Beam is gloppy and i really really do not like the brush applicator at all. I feel like the product is too thick for that. Plus how is that tiny brush supposed to reach into the whole jar?

The color is alright on me, I prefer it to the Argan oil one. But the packaging really sucks and I don't see how it's any better than my powder highlighter from MAC.

I've been using them for about a year now, and I would never ever buy the big one of the Argan Oil. I'm so so glad I just have the tiny bottle that came in a Sephora Best Of Box.

The High Beam is a full size though, so I'll be trying to use it up for quite some time.

I bought the Estee Lauder BB Cream and at first I liked it. But it REEKS like cucumbers and it's just soooo yellow toned. Not a fan of it.

 

Latest posts

Back
Top