It's official, I have too much makeup! I'm so guilty of running into Superdrug to scout out the new beauty launches, and coming out with a hellova lot of crap in the process. This year, I've made apromise to myself to buy less makeup, but when I do It'll be something that I've been lusting after, maybe a high end or even a luxury item. Why have one £30 product sat on your wishlist when you can blow that on drugstore products that are a load of crap?
I spend a lot of time on this blog talking about my favourite products, but posts that can be the most helpful, and indeed some that I love to read are about the products that haven't lived up to their claims. I've gone through my stash and picked out 10 products that didn't live up to my expectations, didn't suit me or just haven't been used as much as I thought they would.
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| L>R Pink Diva, Coral Pop, Tafetta Bloom |
I'm going to start with lip products. I picked up three of the Collection Lasting Colour Matte Lipsticks (£2.99) in Tafetta Bloom, Coral Pop and Pink Diva in the autumn and just haven't reached for them. On first impressions, I thought the colours were incredible and couldn't wait to put them on my lips, however I find the formula a bit tricky. They have quite a waxy texture, which helps them to glide onto the lips initially, but then they are really quite drying on the lips making them uncomfortable to wear. I feel like I need to give these a bit more of a chance, so they won't be going in the bin just yet.
Another lipstick I struggled with was from Essence. I picked this up in the same haul as the Sheer & Shine All About Cupcake lipstick that I don't stop banging on about, but I just didn't take to this one in the same way. The lipstick in question? Come Naturally from the Longlasting Nude range (£2.30). The shade is an intriguing mix of lilac, grey and nude, and sometimes makes me look a bit dead. I'm not the hugest fan of the formula either. Although it is moisturising, I don't think it lives up to its long-lasting claims and I think this shade would work so much better with a matte formula.
The Essence Lipliners (£1) are some of my absolute favourites, being creamy, pigmented and comfortable to wear, so I had high hopes when I picked up another shade, Honey Berry. Whilst it was a beautiful MAC Rebel-esque shade, Honey Berry was so drying on the lips that all I wanted to do was scrub it off and bathe my lips in Nuxe Reve de Miel. I just hope to god they haven't changed the formula of the whole line!
When Maybelline launched their Baby Lips range of balms in the UK, there was a lot of hype surrounding them. When I had an emergency "I've left my lip balm at home" moment, I decided to go for the Hydrate Balm (£2.99). I didn't think it moisturised the lips that well (it contains paraffin, so I'm not surprised) as I found the texture a bit too slippery and it sat on the lips rather than sinking in. I also wasn't the hugest fan of the scent/taste either. If you are looking for a budget lip balm, grab a Burt Bees over this one!
Finally for lips, I've got a lipgloss from H&M. I had this amazing strawberry lemonade one that I loved for years, so when that ran out, I decided to pick up another from H&M. This is the Summer Gold shade, a pretty clear gloss with subtle golden shimmers that make the lips look really plump. My previous H&M gloss was not sticky in the slightest, so when I tried this one and it was sticky as hell it went straight in the "nope" pile. This was pre-H&M Beauty re-brand so the new products might be better. I just picked up a few nail polishes and shadows, so look out for a haul very soon!
Moving on to base, back when I started blogging 2 years ago, the foundation on everyone's lips was Rimmel's Wake Me Up (£8.99). I decided to grab myself a bottle in their lightest shade (Ivory) and was so surprised at how dark it is! I do believe they have since launched lighter shades though. I have oily skin, and find this a tad on the dewy side for my large pores on either side of my nose, but it works quite well for the rest of the face, being a pretty full-coverage foundation. The only gripe I have (besides the shade) is the fact that it's bloomin' sparkly. This has legit glitter in it that makes you look like an extra from Twilight.
While the shimmer may not be great for all over use, I figured one area that could do with a bit of illumination was my dark circles so I picked up the corresponding concealer (£5.49). Again, the lightest shade wasn't pale enough for my under-eye area and I just wasn't wowed by it. There was nothing wrong with it, but it didn't provide that much coverage and seemed to highlight my dark circles instead of brightening them.
The search for the ultimate drugstore concealer was real (I have since learnt the error of my ways and invested in the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer - it's the bomb!) so when the Makeup Revolution Focus & Fix Liquid Concealer (£2) caught my eye, it swiftly landed in my basket. I picked up the shade 02 Fair as it had a "slight" yellow tone which I figured would conterract dark circles. When I got this home, I realised this was really bloody yellow so didn't look right on my pale skin, and the coverage was pretty minimal too.
Last year, I reviewed the BeautyUK Ultimate Contour Palette (£5.99) thinking it might just be the budget answer to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Cream Contour Palette. At the time, I thought it was okay but it didn't stay in my everyday makeup bag for long as I found the creams quite waxy and difficult to blend. I also thought the shades were ever so slightly off, looking a little muddy on my fair skin. These days I much prefer a powder contour as, let's face it, I'm never going to be a contouring pro.
The final product on my dud list is the Tanya Burr Individual Lashes (£5.49). Now this is more a fault on my part rather than theirs as I found that these are literally the hardest things to put on, and I thought strip lashes were hard. I struggled to get them to stay in place, as well as look natural. I think individual lashes always look amazing on other people, but they are not for me. I'll stick to attempting to master strip lashes.
What products have disappointed you recently?
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