As a make-up lover, I enjoy so much trying new things and discovering new faves. For this I watch many YouTube videos, follow the award winning products and also try to test them in Sephora at times. For me the biggest challenge has been with purchasing concealers and mascaras, since I can’t really test properly before I make my decision. Take for instance mascaras. Yes they do have testers on display, however it is highly not recommended to try it in the store, as it poses a big hygienic concern. They recently started to offer one time use bristle sticks, but the core of the mascara is the formula and the wand. So testing with a different wand doesn’t help me either, which means I am purchasing products pretty much blind folded.

Testing concealers is another drama. I almost always get it wrong due to the lights in the stores and the wear and tear of the product. It looks nice until I go outside in the sun, or until it dries on my skin making my panda dark circles something from the ‘Grudge’ movie.

Here are some products that were a complete fail for me:

1.       Lancôme Hypnose Mascara

Early this year I was in need of a new mascara brand. The Roller Lash Mascara from Benefit has been my all-time favorite until this year. I started having an eye twitch and my physician suggested that I stop completely using this and any mascara. After a while my twitch went away so I needed a new mascara in my life.

Saw Lancôme name coming up on every possible “Best Mascara of all time” chart on the internet. Overall it seemed like a good bet, keeping in mind I couldn’t go and see it due to the pandemic. I was so disappointed when I used it the first time and my lashes were neither long, nor defined. There was no volume to my lashes and after a couple more tries, I lost all hope for a cat eye…

 Maybe it’s just me. Have you tried this mascara before? Let me know in the comment section!

2.       Tarte Shape Tape Concealer

For the most part of my life I’ve been very conscious about my under eye circles and the fact that I have the resemblance of a raccoon. Concealer was a life saver for me when I first discovered it. It’s been a blessing and also a curse as I am in a continuous attempt in finding my perfect candidate. Again, checked Youtube, checked all kinds of websites and this Tarte Shape Tape Concealer was EVERYWHERE! The best concealer of all time. A clear Youtube Fave and on all award winning sites!

 Hmm… of course, I ended up buying and using it for a while, but it wasn’t as great as advertised. This is a camera concealer, by which I mean it only looks nice in videos or in pictures. During the day it gets very dry and setts in my fine lines. Also during the day it oxidizes on my skin and I sometimes have the feeling I look worse than without. Unfortunately I tossed this concealer and it will definitely not be a repurchase. 

3.     NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer 

So this one was hard to put here, as NARS is one of my most loved brands ever! The NARS Sheer Glow Foundation is honestly my most loved foundation and I wouldn’t see my life without it. I’m not going to stop here, since my favorite lipstick and shade is also from NARS. Audrey Audacious Lipstick has such a great formula and feel on the lips. Also the color compliments best my skin and gets me the most flattering comments.

So imagine my surprise when I got the very raved about radiant creamy concealer and after a few hours of wear it would dry right into my dark under eye area and only make it darker overall. I was indeed extremely sad that there was nothing radiant about it and creamy only before dries out. Sadly will not repurchase and it’s been a major flop for me.

4.     Benefit Hoola Bronzer

So… I know many of you will hate me for this, but I really never understood the infatuation with this bronzer. It is hands down super yellow if you are mozzarella shade like me.. Even the lite version doesn’t work, as the yellow tones are very strong regardless. Sorry 🙂

5.      Dior Backstage Rosewood Neutral Eyeshadow Palette

This one is the only product that I wouldn’t say it got super raved about, but the backstage collection was. I do like most of the products in the Backstage range, including the foundation which is so lightweight I forgot I have anything on my face! This eyeshadow palette got my attention due to the color scheme. I was looking for a small compact palette that I can travel with and that has all the colors that fit a brown eye. This palette was puuurfect! Was ticking all my boxes, so in spite of the steep price point I decided to get it.

I was rather disappointed though on the wear and lasting of the colors tho, as by end of the day, they would fade and crease so much that it looked simply unbearable… You might be thinking now, did you use primer? The answer is Yes! I did use the primer coming with the palette, another primer from Urban Decay and the concealer as an option. The concealer was definitely a flop, as the eyeshadow turned into a fading line plus a strong line on my crease. With the primer from the palette it did last a bit longer, but after a day of wear, it still didn’t look too well. Lastly with the Urban Decay primer it worked a bit better, but when I compare it to my other eyeshadow pallets, this one still performed poorly.

Maybe it’s just me? I was and still am sad with this result, as again, the color scheme in the palette was everything I looked for.  Only the longevity and the intensity of the colors were a flop… I can’t say I would purchase any eyeshadow palette from this brand again.

That’s it for my list so far. Now tell me, what products did you buy based on Award winning makeup faves and didn’t like? Do you relate to any of my stories?

Let me know down in the comments!