Monday, August 27, 2012

I Wish I Never Bought You

Being weak of will when it comes to resisting shiny new things, it's inevitable that over the past few months of buying way too much makeup, I've taken home some major duds. Some products purely underperformed and didn't meet my expectations, others I regret to the extent that I simply didn't need them and already had superior options at home. The net outcome: wasted money, foiled expectations, unloved and superfluous products cluttering up my precious space, but that I still can't bring myself to simply chuck out.


Revlon ColorStay Mineral Mousse Makeup in Light (030) 
If I remember correctly, I bought this to redeem a gift with purchase promotion at Myer. I needed to spend $39.95 or more, so this plus a nail polish seemed to be the closest combination. I think I've used it once or twice, and have never gone back to it again. I don't like matte foundations. I'm not a fan of the mousse texture. It has a faint but unpleasant chemical smell. I have much better foundations that I infinitely prefer to this one, so it's been sitting in my drawer collecting dust and edging rapidly closer to its expiry date, 99% full. To add insult to injury, not long after I'd bought it, I saw it in Priceline for $7 as discontinued stock, and then $4.90 when Priceline had 30% off Revlon. Revlon ColorStay probably would've been a better choice.



Australis Mineral Powder Brush 
Granted, it was only $2.95, but even then, I wish I hadn't bought it. The main reason being when I first washed it, a truly disconcerting amount of black dye came out of the brush. I'd never actually experienced anything like that before, so it made me think twice about ever putting it on my face. Maybe I'll use this as a body brush for bronzer in the summer, but let's face it, the chances I could be bothered are slim. I'll stick with my beloved Real Techniques.


The Body Shop Candied Ginger Lip Balm
I bought this around Christmas last year as it was a limited edition holiday flavour. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, but it serves to demonstrate my fundamental weakness when it comes to lipsticks/lip balms. I had absolutely no reason to buy this, other than I was doing my Christmas shopping for others, and I felt I couldn't go home without treating myself to a little something. But I don't need it. I don't even love it. It smells more like Coca-Cola than the more exotic candied ginger it purports to be. It's colourless and the texture is a lot thinner and waxier than the popular fruity Born Lippy tinted lip balms.



Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Aubergine (008), Tempting Teal (006), Riviera Blue (007)
I had particularly high hopes for these but they don't do anything for me. They're dull and flat on the lid. I don't seem to have much luck with matte eyeshadows as my eye shape gets along better with satin or shimmery eyeshadows that have a bit more dimension. The texture of these is more on the chalky side, they're quite powdery and seem to lack lasting power, and while they're not complete failures of pigmentation, I needed to go over them several times for the swatch.

Revlon ColorStay Mineral Eyeshadow in Midnight Garnet (03)
Read my extensive rant here (it's the last paragraph). I dislike this so much that I deliberately keep it separate to all my other eye products in my makeup storage. Objectively, it's not totally awful, but I just hate the fact I bought it when I already have countless eyeshadows that perform better and that I won't ever use up. 




Revlon Soft on the Eyes in Sublime (770)
This is now shaping up to be a Revlon eyeshadow bashing post, so let me just clarify that I'm actually a huge fan of Revlon in general, as reflected in the fact that I buy quite a lot of their products. In turn, there's a higher chance that I'll be less than thrilled with a few of their offerings, especially as they release new products and discontinue others so often. I picked this up from the bargain bin price at Priceline a while ago, fully knowing the chance of being blown away by this colourful loose eyeshadow palette was minimal. If you're fair, have huge eyes and a visible crease, these soft wash eyeshadows could be pretty on you. For me, having monolids and no visible socket line, I can't really do much with them. The fact you can only access the pigment through a small hole that you dip the included brush into and the general messiness of loose eyeshadows also don't help.


l-r: Innoxa Summer Matte lipstick in Sugar Frosted, LUSH Lip Tint in Celebrate

Innoxa Summer Matte Lipstick in Sugar Frosted
If there was a candidate for the most unflattering lipstick ever, this would be right at the top. Don't let the swatch fool you, on the lips it's laughably gross, like a whitish purple. A prime example of not selecting a lip colour based on how it looks in the tube or on your hand. It's no one's fault but my own that I foolhardily took this to the counter, fully knowing how chalky and ridiculously light and unwearable it was, but convincing myself I could somehow make it work.

LUSH Lip Tint in Celebrate 
It's not a complete disaster, but like The Body Shop lip balm, I simply didn't need this. It's literally gritty in texture, difficult to apply to the lip smoothly (you really need to exfoliate and moisturise in advance), settles into fine lines and doesn't last long. Not something I enjoy putting on my lips. I tried to salvage it as a highlighter and wasn't impressed.

54 comments:

  1. I love this post! I must say, the Innoxa lipstick does look, uhhhh...slightly unflattering!
    x

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  2. This post is definitely an eye-opener. Thanks for letting us know which products to STAY AWAY from. It's such a shame about the LUSH lip tint, I thought it was something worth trying, but definitely not now.

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  3. I've never heard of black dye coming off of a brush before, that's just strange, and slightly scary!

    I love the look of the Revlon trio, shame you don't like them though, but chalky and hard to get pigment are a massive no no! :(

    xoxo

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  4. What a shame that these products sucked so much! Haven't seen most of them in drugstores here but if I do, I know to stay away from them now.
    S xx

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  5. Hahaha I love the tone of this post- you sound so regretful. I was about to throw the Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Aubergine into by Beautyjoint cart because I saw Bubzbeauty use it in a video that I liked the look of! I do this often- reflect of how my moments of bad judgement came to fruition in money wasted on disappointing and downright crappy products.

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    1. Lol, I got quite worked up while writing it :p Which video was this - I'd be curious to watch! I think the purple probably is the most wearable out of the three in terms of incorporating it into a smokey eye look. I have to commend you on your considerable restraint re: your Beautyjoint order. For the most part, you've been doing really well with your makeup ban/diet :)

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  6. Unloved products:"You're not my real mum anyway!"

    The black dye rinsing off your brush is quite alarming!

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    1. I know, it really put me off and polluted my sink, lol. And the brush smelt funny as well, like singed hair :S

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  7. I think you should but this in a blog sale. They look pretty decent and good enough to be sold off!

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  8. With your pictures these things do no even look like misses haha.

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  9. Preaching to the choir, sister! Haha I've been down that road... who am I kidding?!?! I AM down that road so many times it's not even funny, I keep thinking why do I keep buying things I know I absolutely DON'T need?, it's beyond me. I have made a commitment this past month, though, to try and finish up some products, like shampoo (I don't need 5 kinds), conditioner (I don't need 4 kinds), face wash (there's only one I love why did I ever changed it?) and like that there are so many things. I do give others the things I don't use or don't like on me, I don't, however, give others awful things (poorly pigmented or irritating products) but the blog sale suggested in other comments would be a good idea. You know what they say, someone's trash is another one's treasure ^^ xx

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    1. I think giving yourself a commitment to use up existing products is a great idea! That way, you can still buy something new, but only once you finish up something you already have. Luckily I don't buy that much skin care (or unluckily?), so I really need to make a conscious effort to use up my cosmetics, or simply throw them out and release some space before I buy anything new. But easier said than done :p

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  10. I love the creative title instead of just "products I regret buying".

    I have monolids too... ohmygosh the troubles we go through with eyeshadow >.<

    Whoa that innoxa lipstick is SO FROSTY!!! O.O

    Love this post!

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  11. wow, looks like all the Revlon...

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  12. Revlon comes our with some amazing products (especially for the lips!), however I have never been impressed with anything from their eyeshadow range. It really sucks when you spend the money on something only to be completely dissapointed by the products!

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    1. Have you tried the CustomEyes palette in Naturally Glamorous? I think you might like that one :) I also really like their eyeshadow single in Polished Bronze - you may like Nude Slip. But agreed about Revlon really excelling in the lip product department - I have so many Revlon lipsticks it's not funny :p

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  13. Aww it sucks that some products were a dud for you:( I actually found those Revlon eyeshadow singles at my local dollar store! I think I got the pearl finish so it's not as flat as the matte. I had high hopes for the custom eye palette by Revlon (paid closer to $11 for it) and I found that the colors were sooo chalky, and there was way to much fall out, I could never bring myself to throw it out though.

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  14. I have the same problem with Revlon. Its either a big hit or a huge miss.

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  15. *UGH* I hate feeling like I wasted money on beauty products, but it seems to happen more and more for me these days. I can see why you're not happy with these products (especially those Revlon products).

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  16. i love posts like this!! such honesty! thank you ;)

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  17. Yeah, other than the (now discontinued) Revlon Colorstay quads I've tried, their eyeshadows are quite under par. Their lip products and nail polishes are pretty good though, so there *is* a silver lining. (I was about to type "silver liner"...well we are talking makeup here, right? LOL.) That lipstick even looks really weird as a swatch! Yikes!

    There are far too many things I wish I never bought, but I might make a post to show my least least favorites! :)

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    1. Haha, nice one! ;) Revlon does amaaaazing lipsticks - my lipstick collection is weighted very heavily towards Revlon and I have a not insignificant number of Revlon nail polishes as well. I don't mind their satin singles or their Naturally Glamorous CustomEyes palette. I have 3 of their ColorStay quads and I remember liking the matte dark brown in Coffee Bean.

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  18. With Revlon eyeshadows, I have had some fall out and pigmentation issues with them. I have much better luck with the Loreal eyeshadows.

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  19. I enjoyed reading this and i often feel the same with Revlon products. Sometimes they really get it right, but other times, I find myself being so disappointed by them x

    http://wewereraisedbywolves.blogspot.co.uk/

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  20. thank you so much for the info! =)

    www.makeupbydulce.blogspot.com

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  21. Really enjoy the post, I have the same issue with the lush tints, I love luch and keep buying them only to remember why I don't use them later.

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  22. I liked this post too. A lot of the stuff I would also have picked up for the flavour or colour - I'm learning that I just shouldn't buy makeup, since I never bother to wear it. I was tempted to get the Celebrate balm but I just hate every single Lush balm I've tried.

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  23. I love this post! There are some parts that rang my bell. lol.
    I don't know why it's in our nature as women to keep buying things we don't really need. T.T

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  24. Yikes, thanks for making this post and saving me money! By the way, some stores have very generous return policies, so you may be able to return some items and get your money back.

    ~ Yun

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  25. wow thats a big list! thanks for sharing about them i was thinking of lush's lip tints, but they always seemed ot harsh for my skin tone :<

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  26. awww I actually love Celebrate! I think it was majorly stupid of them to put the gold rock candy in it (which might explain the grainy texture) but I love the colour! It does settle into lip lines or show off dryness, but I layer it with a clear gloss and it looks fab! Plus it tastes good :)

    Check out my LippyGirl Blusher giveaway!

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    1. Yeah, I think the grainy texture is from the rock candy they put at the top. It's kind of sunk into the product itself and mixed with it. The colour is quite pretty, I do agree with you - it's just a bit of a pain to work with, which is why I barely ever reach for it. Might try it with a gloss next time :)

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  27. I own a lip tint from Lush, and I feel the same way about it. It's really gritty, and I just never use it... Wasted money!

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  28. Thanks for the helpful tips, it's great to see these products tested on others!
    Material Fixations

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  29. Oh god. I have to do a post like this sometime soon. I regret buying some stuff (hem hem L'OREAL!) because I think it's a "good" deal. Drugstore eyeshadows are a huge hit or miss! I wish brands would have some consistency! Seriously. They pay so much for a patent on a specific formula that sucks? Really? UGH. *rant over*

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  30. Thank you for this review and those tips that you gave us ;)

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  31. Great post! One of the first things I blogged about on emmabovarybeauty was that loose shadow set from Revlon, I didn't mind the light wash but now that I have a larger collection I never reach for it, I have so many shadows that are nicer. Revlon have more winners than losers overall, but you can see why they discontinue and update regularly. I want to try Colorstay, you've just reminded me x

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    1. You have such pretty eyes, I'm sure the shadows looked lovely on you :) But I guess that's just what happens when you get superior products - you have no reason to return to something inferior.

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  32. You know what, I nearly bought that Body Shop lip balm at Christmas! Thanking my lucky stars now, aren't I? ;) xx

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  33. This is a great post! I really like to read posts like this because I tend to do a little bit of research before getting a product. Revlon do better with their lip products don't you think?

    Liz
    chewylove.blogspot.com

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  34. I completely relate to this post and appreciate your honestly! I have SO many products that have been a total waste of money and truthfully not necessary! I hate when i buy the same things over and over! But, as a beauty junkie, it's what i do. I should wise up and save my money for better purchases lol. Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I'd love for you to enter my giveaway for a keratin blowout extender if you're interested? It's a $50 value and did wonders for my hair! Did you see my before/after pics? Anyway, here's the link: http://www.fashionmavenmommy.com/2012/08/giveaway-kerapure-keratin-blowout.html

    Hugs!

    www.fashionmavenmommy.com

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  35. This is such an interesting post - I definitely have a lot of these products which never see the light of day on my blog, so I love the idea of combining them all into one post.
    I've actually got a bit of an infatuation with lip tints & butters, too, so nearly bought both the Body Shop and Lush products you mentioned - quite glad I didn't, though, if they're not anything particularly special xx

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  36. This is good info and I like the topic. Helps the rest of us not waste our money.

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  37. Thank you very much for letting us know your opinion about these products ... Very interesting ...

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  38. I buy so much makeup that I don't even use some of it. I just own too much!

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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  39. Great post, think we're all guilty of this!

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  40. haha ohh no, I can think of so many things I would put under the list of "I wish I never bought you"!! the Revlon soft on the eyes and the last two lippies actually look really, really pretty in the photos but like you, they probably wouldn't suit me either. it's such a bummer but when you think about these colours they're probably not best for Asian skintones.

    thanks for your comment too. I'm going to work for the ABS. A few years ago I already decided that law wasn't for me. However although I had already completed my commerce degree I thought I might as well as keep going for the last two years which would be pure law (my course of a combined degree is 5 years in total, where the first 3 years are a mix of commerce and law, and by the third year you finish all your commerce subjects). So I didn't apply for any paralegal positions or anything and I just had no idea what I wanted to do. working at ABS is kind of random for me (majored in accounting, and I have a law degree) but the pay is pretty neat and I like the position. :)

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    1. Hey, congrats :) I actually like the idea of a government job. I'm not really ambitious in the sense of wanting to ascend the corporate ladder, and a government grad job seems like it'd be more suited to me than where I am right now (which is in financial services, but more an admin capacity than anything else). I guess I could still apply for grad jobs, but I honestly just can't be bothered (which will eternally be my downfall). I sometimes wonder how things would've turned out had I not done my law degree. Like you, I did 5 years but I studied Science (majoring in Psychology) and Law, and I'm doing zilch with either of those degrees. I never felt an affinity with law in terms of wanting to pursue it vocationally, but I didn't mind studying it. I think it was probably the best subject for me in terms of study, because I had no idea what I wanted to do anyway and it was more like a glorified generalist degree that my parents could be satisfied with. But anyway, once again, congrats on the position and achieving your goal :)

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  41. Oh Im so guilty of this :)
    I buy something thinking that "I will totally make this work somehow" and then after trying and trying I find that there is no way I can make it work :/
    I have a few products that I am so not happy with :/
    hugs

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  42. I have the Revlon eyeshadow in Aubergine and I regret buying it cause the colour is so dull and flat! Love this post, cause I know what to stay away from the next time I see these products at the drugstore! :P

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  43. This post cracked me up! Thanks for sharing the products that disappointed you the most! I have that very same Revlon foundation, the smell is atrocious! Applies on greasy but dries on to reveal dry flakes on my skin. Disaster. The 4 loose eyeshadows don't look too bad in terms of pigmentation, but it would be such a mess to use! I saw it in a bargain beauty stand for $2 too and nearly picked it up, glad I didn't!

    http://reveriebelle.blogspot.com.au

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    1. You made the right choice - $2 is still $2 wasted if you never use the product :p The Revlon foundation is still lying untouched since I wrote this ... about to be chucked next time I have a makeup spring cleaning. If I didn't have any other foundations, I might try to make it work, but it simply doesn't entice me to use it when I have so many better products. But at least I bought it to get something for free :p

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  44. Just browsing your posts and I had to see this one! I can totally see how those two super pale pink lippies didn't work out! And I too have bought eyeshadows from revlon's matte line years back but luckily I picked up two cheap and am now still using the dark brown one for my brows! That's so damn nasty that the brush bleed so much when washed! I've had that happen and I was all shocked not expecting it to happen and I've had brushes that still smelled awful of chemicals even after multiple washes with really nice smelling soap! Great post! I've long gone thrown out the stuff I regretted buying!

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