Reader question: What's the worst beauty product you've tried?
Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 4:14PM Hi Liz! What's the worst beauty product you've ever bought? I'm reading a magazine and I think this may be an interesting topic. Same question for your beautiful readers out there! :) - ManilaJen
Heeey Jen! Nice question. Thought I'd put this up on the front page so everyone can share their stories as well. ;) Anyway...I don't want to slug beauty brands as I work with beauty brands. When I buy or receive something for free, I always make sure to manage my expectations. Some products are worth more than what you pay for, some just exact, some a little less, but nothing so horrible as to be completely useless. So it's been a while since I've tried anything that is so bad, I didn't bother using it at all after the initial face swatch.
First thing that came to mind is this set of e.l.f Primers. The white and "champagne" primer really didn't cut it for me - the white was truly chalk white and with so many big glitters too! Champagne was chunky and odd-looking on my lids. But the worst part really was that when I opened the box, the primers were already ROUGHLY used. The rims were a mess, it's like someone used the items as testers. :/
Thankfully the translucent primer looked new, so I tried it for a while. It's not a bad primer all things considered. I just felt cheated because the other two in the box were duds.
Kinda my fault because I didn't check before I bought it. It's what the sales lady gave me so I trusted her. But...yeah. e.l.f. is an inexpensive brand with some good products too, but like I keep telling everyone, it's wiser to save that money and buy something you can rely on 100%.
On the other hand, buying expensive products doesn't guarantee that you'll get your money's worth. An intelligent consumer must always research first, test on the spot, and if possible, get a sample before investing on a pricey product. On average though, I get better results with high-end brands. That's a fact and not bias.
So there you go. Please do share your product nightmares, but please be gentle and constructive. The people behind the brand *might* be reading this so this is your chance to get your feedback out. Just don't resort to hatin', is all. :)
Reader Comments (32)
I wouldn't delegate the term "worst" to the Ever Bilena Off Beat Pink lipstick I bought 2 years ago but I'd say that it's my most disliked makeup product so far. The effect on my lips was overdrying even for a matte lipstick that I couldn't use it without lip balm underneath and over it. The only redeeming aspect of that purchase was that it was on promo and I got it for less than PHP100.
I agree with what Liz said about managing expectations. Skin and personal tastes are so different from one individual to another that what may work for you may not work for me and vice-versa.
fashion21 white eyeliner pencil is a miss to me. i have to swatch several times to get the look i want. i want buy that again.
i wont buy that again i meant.hehe
Maybelline (and even, L'oreal) products is not compatible with my skin. I had break outs!! I used their products (from foundie to powder to eyeshadows, blush, brow liner! Even the make up remover!) 2 years ago, and oh my, I still have blemishes up to this day. I had a big scar in the middle of my nose. Researching first, indeed, is worth the effort and time and money. Now, I am learning to understand my skin. Now, I am investing on real good products and I always make it a point to look at the ingredients! It has to be paraben-free, propylene glycol-free, bht-free.. ! I am now a fan of products with certified organic seal! :)
Im lucky di ganon kasensitive ang skin ko s cosmetics. Sa hair siguro un garnier fructis n shampoo un green 700 p dn ang bili ko kaya lang it made a mop of mess s buhok ko. Super frizzy! So yan ang hair horror story ko. S face wala nmn thnk god
excel paris matte lip paint. it has a good color but it's so sticky you'd feel like you've put glue all over your lips. but it's only about 85 pesos so it's not so bad.
I've had the same experience with the ELF eyelid primer too. I guess I expected too much from it since it had pretty decent reviews on the beauty blogosphere. I even did a little experiment just to revive the primer.I added moisturizer but it still failed. I felt cheated even if I bought it just for more than a hundred bucks. T___T
Eshiko hydrated silica powder! Ay grabe, they had the gall to advertise as "the best face powder in the world" but when applied, wala lang. No oil control, no glow, no coverage at all -- NOTHING. What a waste of money.
I bought through a deal pa naman so I can't refund. I just try to find little ways to make it work, like to set undereye concealers or as veil for mineral makeup. But ugh, never again with those gimmicky shit.
I like the ELF eyelid primer in sheer. It doesn't intensify the color of eyeshadows, but it keeps the color on my oily lids crease-free and with only minimal fading all day (12 hours was the longest I've had eyeshadow on).
Worst product, hmm. Probably the St. Ives Fresh Skin Makeup Remover and Facial Cleanser. It doesn't remove makeup at all and it doesn't cleanse the skin. Also Snoe Handy Candy Lip Color. I've seen how pigmented it is on other people, but on me, nah. The good thing is that it smells like chocolate.
Human Nature's moisturizing lipstick! I believe it was their Pink Skies lang, it got discontinued na nga. Its ironic coz its a "moisturizing lipsick", but it glide on well on my lips. It made my lips appear dry and ibroke the bullet in just the first use.
Etude House Dr Oil Shine Free Dual Primer. I am most disappointed with this product because I bought it specifically to address my really oily face and it did nothing for me. Actually, the only oil control product that has worked for me (among the dozens that I have tried) is the Revlon Colorstay foundation. After a year of using it though, my skin is starting to get used to it so it doesn't work as well as it did a year ago for me. Speaking of.... do you suggest anything for me to do so my skin and the Colorstay will work as well as it did?
I would say the Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in High heels was the worst product I've ever tried. It makes my lips chapped even if I use a lip balm before applying the lipstick. UGGGG.. Never gonna buy it again!
I really have weird skin. Sometimes my skin will react on organic products and will calm down when I use products that has parabens in it.
The worsts products that I've used are:
1. Neutrogena Moisturizer with spf50- I love that it made my skin dewy but I hate that it broke out me out really bad that I have to consult a derma just to calm my face. Products that has spf 30 and above breaks me out.
2. Olay moisturizer - This used to be my HG moisturizer but they reformulate and sadly the new formulation broke me out really bad.
3. Cetaphil - this is the mildest cleanser that I ever used and this broke me out and rashes appeared even on my neck!
4. Human heart nature balancing toner- again, this broke me out
I notice that eventhough my skin will love a certain product, after a few months of using it, I will break out and I have to change products
@manilajen - This is the best question ever!!!. i do believe that there is no perfect product out there because we all have different skin sensitivity and skin situations. Well i envied those girls who can use almost everything even the cheapest make up and skincare products.
@alen - i agree with you about cetaphil!!! i could get rashes from that product :(.
i agree with miss liz about using high end products but there are also drugstore make up that can perform really well .
My worst beauty product was the Neutrogena Sunblock with spf 50 using Helioplex Technology. This product broke me out BIG TIME, as in!!!! My skin was never sensitive until I tried this. I had pimples all over until I discontinued using it. Until now, I still have some ugly blemishes. I swear by Lancome products, it's worth it, although it is pricey but you get more than what you pay for. :)
That happened to me too from an e.l.f. set. The mascara they have was already dry when I opened it after 2 months. I don't open mascaras and eyeliners when I purchase because I wait for the others to be empty since they expire quickly. but when I opened the mascara, its all dried up na like someone opened it before I did.
Great job for posting this Ms. Liz! We could all really use the warnings from other readers as well. :)
What an interesting question! :)
Worst product so far for me was a Shiseido eye shadow quad. Way too shimmery and chalky :( It was a bit of a disappointment to be honest but the lipstick I got with it made up for it!
Another (though it's more of a beauty tool than a product) would have to be the Ecotools 5-piece brush set and the Etude House stippling brush. Both had so much fallout! I even had to toss the Etude House stippling brush after just 3 washes :-/ Maybe I just got a bad batch for the Ecotools one since I never had any problems with the other brushes (like the Kabuki one and the 6-piece eye brush sets which are great btw) but the concealer and eye brushes I got with this set kept shedding even after the first wash.
NIchido Matte & HD Lipsticks. So far I never had any luck with Nichido's lip product. Lol. :)
Fashion21 eyeliner in navy was disappointing! It's not exactly that cheap, since it's a bit more expensive than my trusty Nichido retractable liner. It tugs and the color migrates! Kainis.
Two products instantly come to mind for me:
1. Human Nature's lipstick (I don't even remember what the particular name for this is) -- It's so dry! As in it felt like eraser on my lips. Ick! I'm huge on moisture pa naman. Sayang.
In all fairness, I bought this one because I wanted to help my friend (a Human Nature dealer) out.
2. Fashion 21 Waterproof Liquid Pen Eyeliner in Black --- It's incredibly runny. Too much product comes out of the tip, I'm afraid. One time, I used it and a blob (as in a bubble) of liner came out. Yikes.
The worst product i've ever used was ETUDE HOUSE BB CREAM BRIGHT FIT. I suffered a severe breakout after using. I notice few bumps the first week i used it. But I ignored it because I thought I'm just having bumps because of busy schedule and lack of sleep. and ta-da! then now pimples pops like mushroom on everywhere and decided to stop using it.
And now I learned my lesson, i also stopped buying Etude products. Sayang I'm a fan of etude's design products :(
I have two - NYX auto eyebrow pencil - Shade is medium brown but disappointingly it had too much red in it which is not flattering to anyone, I think. The other one is Revlon ColorStay Liquid Liner. Too runny consistency and it's not opaque at all. Even if you shake the bottle (as advised by the salesperson when I came back to ask), it's like applying watercolor to the lids with a brush dipped in too much water. Money down the drain for these two.:-(
The worst product I've ever tried is the Kojie-san lightening cream for the face. I have been using their kojic soap and my face has loved it so much I tried the cream because it was affordable and I was thinking maybe I would get the same benefit. Much to my chagrin, I developed the worst kind of acne and until now I am still trying to lighten the scars. So much for cheap products! I'm never gonna use products that are noncomedogenic on my face again.
I have a love/hate relationship with the Revlon Colorstay Foundation. I love it because it gives amazing coverage and staying power, bad thing about it is that it's really hard to blend and kind of a bit ashy the first time you apply it and won't go away for a few minutes. :| I still don't know if I should just stick to that one or buy another one.