I was recently clearing out my make up drawers and came across the purchases I sorely regret. I purchased these items on the recommendation of beauty gurus others were just impulsive buys. A disclaimer, these are my own experiences with these products and your views might differ, I thought I would share my experiences to give you an honest review should you consider purchasing any of these beauty products.
MAC Strobe Cream:
Anyone who is familiar with my make up application style, knows I love a glow. I purchased this after watching the queen Desi Perkins’ glow recommendations. This cream retails for R450 in South Africa and I wasn’t too impressed at first. I finally mastered a technique of layering it under foundation and honestly I will repurchase, the reason I regret this particular purchase is because of the colour I chose. The PINKLITE is actually suited for a complexion tone, slightly lighter than mine. My next purchase will be in the shade GOLDLITE.
How I made it work?
I start with moisturiser, then strobe cream on the high points of the face. Followed by foundation, concealer etc. I always layer a warm/gold highlighter over and set with plenty of fix+. Don’t use strobe cream on areas where you get oily, I avoid my nose completely.
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eyeliner
I dedicated a post on Instagram to this cult favourite eyeliner. It DOES NOT work for me, it transfers on my lids, my wings fade in no time. It DOES NOT last all day on me, neither do I find it waterproof. I do like the felt tip. This liner retails for R255 at Woolworths.
How I made it work?
I go over with a matte ink liner from Essence (which is under R60 bucks), which is too much of effort for such an expensive liner.
MAC Cranberry Eyeshadow
Ok, so this was definitely an impulse purchase but this eyeshadow does not blend well on my eyes and it always turns muddy. I always create a look and wipe it all away after a few minutes. This is really a gorgeous eyeshadow, it swatches very nicely but I have literally used it only twice. What makes this a sore regret is the ridiculous price of MAC single eyeshadows (R250) , thats a quarter of a price of a HIGH END eyeshadow palette!
How I made it work?
I’m considering giving this one up or binning it.
URBAN DECAY Single Eyeshadow
Fun story, when UD first opened its store in Sandton my sisters and I went to the opening. We stood, and eventually sat in the line for many hours before we were let into the store. I excitedly took all my purchases to the cashier only to realise I had left my bank card at home. We managed to purchase only 1 item with the cash we had on hand and I received this eyeshadow as a gift. It is a cool toned, gunmetal shadow (the shade sticker peeled off but I think the shadow is called BUSTED), that DOES NOT show up on my lids. This is a terrible eyeshadow but has remained with me to remind me of that crazy day. P.S UD single shadows retail for R250.
How I made it work?
Cool toned shadows don’t work for me, so this one will get donated to my sisters.
SEPHORA Colourful Eyeshadow
Walks into Sephora for the first time
Gets overwhelmed
Purchases a bright red eyeshadow
I mean there are better things to purchase at Sephora (the Sephora brand liquid lipsticks are lovely). I don’t particulary hate this purchase but its just a peculiar addition to my make up collection.
How I made it work?
This shadow blends really well, I use it as a transition shade for eye looks and with a VERY light hand it works as a lovely blush paired with red lipstick.
STILA Magnificent Metals Liquid Eyeshadow in Diamond Dust.
Every beauty guru ever has raved about this product and yes it is absolutely beautiful. It adds a pop of sparkle to a shadow look but it’s really hard to work with. These shadows dry quickly and sort of flake off when you try to blend it or reapply another layer. I also find doing liner over this shade difficult because of the glitter chunks. If you don’t have lots of eyelid space its very difficult to apply with the doe foot applicator without ruining your crease work. Applying it with a brush also doesn’t’ work because it dries so quickly, and if you make a mistake and decide to erase this shadow from your eyes, your entire make up look is ruined because the glitter is impossible to remove completely. I also find it odd that halfway through the tube I find the product drying out and the applicator does not go right down to collect the product at the bottom of the tube. This retails for R350 at Woolies.
How I made it work?
I dab a tiny amount on the section of eyes I need to sparkle, working quickly so it does not dry. Remove the plastic stopper to get all the product on the sides and bottom.
HUDA BEAUTY Matte Liquid Lipstick in Gossip Girl
I don’t like Huda’s liquid lipsticks. This was my second purchase and I was not impressed. I don’t find it hydrating, it does not apply opaque, this colour is very dull on my lips and it fades in no time. The only lip product I like is the lip contour in Bombshell. These retail for R700 in South Africa, I purchased mine from Sephora for around sR100.
How I make it work?
This pairs well layered with my ColourPop liquid lipsticks, but I really wouldn’t purchase again.
Duo Lash Glue
This smells horrible and takes forever to dry. The SMELL is truly horrendous. This retails for R250 at MAC counters.
How I make it work?
Throw it out like the rotten eggs it smells like.