I am often quick to share the glorious products that both make up my daily routine. and line the shelves of my bathroom but what about those that don't quite make the grade? I feel it is equally - if not more so - my duty to shed some light on what I deem to be under-performing products and why, if only for balance. It all but goes without saying that what works for me and vice versa, may not for you but if you read my reasoning for disliking each product, I'm sure you'll understand why they don't quite make the grade.
Maybelline The Burgundy Bar Eyeshadow Palette
The warm, pink tones of this kit lured me in and in my mind it was a pretty decent alternative to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Renaissance Palette. As no stranger to Maybelline products I had high hopes that this would deliver wonderfully pigmented, washes of colour that would blend with ease - rather I was greeted with quick to shatter and crumble, overly sparkly eyeshadows that created nothing but mess both on my face and in my bathroom. Yes that is a missing eyeshadow you spot, said shade didn't even make it past the first use.
Maybelline Tattoo Brow Gel
A novel and dare I say clever idea: this brush-on gel, quickly tints the eyebrows and dependant on how long you leave the formula on, the wear time can vary from hours to a few days, but in practise the results weren't all that impressive. The peel-off gel aspect was fun, if not a little unnerving (would my brow hairs come away with the sticky formula - only time will tell) but once removed all I was left with was two orange stains underneath my brows that quickly (and thankfully) dissipated after washing my face. Had this lived up to my expectations, it would have changed not only my brow routine but perhaps my bank balance for the better - at home brow tinting that is both easy and cost efficient - alas it didn't and until Maybelline re-formulate or another brand offers something similar, I guess I'll forever be a regular at my local Benefit brow bar.
The Ordinary High-Coverage Foundation
As a huge lover and advocate (seriously I all but push the stuff on those near and dear) of The Ordinary Serum Foundation, I had high hopes that this bargain find would put the end to splashing out on pricey bases in order to hide my acne - sadly that was not the case. The Ordinary High-Coverage Foundation is peculiar in that it sits on my skin in a way that it creates the illusion of dry patches, it creases in places I didn't know was possible and ages me by 10 years; which could come in handy should I ever forget my I.D and dare to purchase a bottle of wine (okay Smirnoff Ice) but otherwise not at all flattering. I won't debate the coverage level as it certainly delivers in that aspect but I won't be reaching for this again anytime soon.
Anastasia Liquid Lipsticks
After trying a good few shades within the Anastasia Liquid Lipstick range I have come to the conclusion that this isn't the matte lipstick for me: they flake, they smudge, seldom fully set and are beyond drying. For an expensive beauty product I truly expected more.
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
Unlike the other products within this post, I don't actually hate Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara but I think we can all agree that the formulation would benefit from the odd tweak here and there? Everyone knows that some mascaras have a "sweet spot" - aka they work so much better once they have dried out a little - this is true of Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara but rather frustratingly the good period is very much temporary, after that the mascara shrivels up and crumbles in the tube. Another annoying factor about this particular mascara is that it smudges, smears and generally transfers very easily - the waterproof version isn't much better either.
Shea Moisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Leave-in-Treatment
As someone with long and fairly coarse hair, I rely on a leave-in-conditioner each time I wash my hair. I'm not particularly fussy when it comes to what I use as long as it conditions, de-tangles and isn't greasy, as such most work for me as my hair isn't exactly problematic. I had high hopes for the Shea Moisture 100% Virgin Coconut Oil Leave-in-Treatment, on paper it was all I wanted in a hair product and more but rather than improving the condition of my hair, it left it sticky and more tangled than ever. On the plus side the shampoo and conditioner of the same name is wonderful but I personally recommend skipping out on the Leave-in-Treatment.
Before I toss these products into the scrapheap, is there perhaps a better way to utilise them - maybe you have a tip or trick up your sleeve to help me get something more from them?
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