Disappointing Products | Makeup

The suspects...

*Taking cover from die hard Apocalips lovers* I kid of course, as obviously different products suit and agree with different people, and where would we be without variety in the world? I thought I'd round up some of the makeup items I've purchased over the past few months that have unfortunately failed to impress for various reasons. I'm quite fussy with texture and colour, and so I'm sure some readers will absolutely love some of the products featured, but alas what suits some of us might not suit others and vice versa. 

MUA Undress Me Too eyeshadow palette £4

Generally I'm a huge fan of MUA palettes and I was so excited to give this one a go as I'm a sucker for neutrals and this collection looked promising. Unfortunately, having experimented with it a fair few times I've decided it just isn't for me. There seems to be quite strong silver/pale blue undertones to a lot of the shades in the palette which doesn't appeal to me and unfortunately some of the shades look a little bit odd with my complexion. I've also found that unlike other MUA shadows these ones don't seem as pigmented and I need to apply quite a few layers to achieve a strong amount of colour. Ah well, you win some, you lose some. 

Seventeen Brow Scultping Pencil 'Natural Brown' £2.89 & Eye Kohl Soft Smudge Pencil 'Mocha' £2.89

Oh man, was I disappointed in these pencils. I only bought them as emergency items when staying at my fiance's sans makeup bag one weekend, but I figured as Seventeen have lots of great quality products these would be OK to use. I was wrong. Firstly, the eyebrow pencil. I found this has a very stiff, dry consistency making it difficult to use, and it also has an ashy finish which is off putting. The colour looked extremely strange on my brows, with very strong grey tones and I hated it as soon as I put it on. It was near impossible to blend properly and it dragged and tugged like crazy. Not a fan. As for the eye liner, as soon as I opened this the tip fell clean off which immediately irritated me. What if I couldn't find a sharpener?! It does an alright job of lining the upper lid but it's also quite stiff and therefore drags along the eyelid. Not impressed at all. 

Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara £7.99

This mascara seems to divide opinion and I'm firmly in the 'I hate it' camp. I found the 'flexor-brush' to be a complete gimmick and a nuisance when applying to my lashes. The idea is that it 'flexes' and bends as you apply, to help you grip the lashes, but I found it did the opposite and made it extremely difficult to get a good grip. The formula was lumpy and flaked like crazy throughout the day, and it failed to really define or do anything that noticeable to my lashes. It smells good though. So that's a plus. I guess. 

Bourjois Cream Blush '01' £7.99

I love cream blush so I was looking forward to trying out this little peach pot from Bourjois. It does seem like a very small pot for £7.99 but I thought I'd give it a go anyhow, especially considering the rather impressive stats given on the Bourjois website. 100% of 33 users found it 'very easy to blend', apparently. Well I must have freaky cheeks because I find the texture quite dry and not as creamy as I'd like, making it quite difficult to blend over foundation without sort of rubbing my foundation off in the process. While I quite like the peachy colour I do find it quite pale and in hindsight I think I prefer a slightly darker peach coral. So, a combination of the wrong colour choice and the wrong formula for me *sad face*

Rimmel BB Cream £6.99 & Match Perfection SPF15 Cream Compact £7.49

Two very simple reasons for disliking these. Rimmel BB Cream turned me into an absolute grease ball half an hour after applying, and I suffered a nasty allergic reaction to the Match Perfection Cream Compact. I actually really liked the texture of the Cream Compact but soon after using it I developed a horrible red rash all over my face that took days to calm down. I found that the BB Cream didn't deliver good coverage and it smells like old sun cream which I don't find all that appealing. I favour a base that keeps me relatively matte, so this isn't the one for me. I am, however, a big fan of Rimmel's Match Perfection liquid foundation which doesn't bring me out in a rash, thankfully. 

Maybelline Cover Stick £4.09

This was another emergency purchase and unfortunately it wasn't the wisest one. I really like Maybelline foundations so figured I'd like this stick concealer, yet it has a bizarre waxy consistency and it has a really greasy finish. It also has a very strong plastic soap smell which lingers after applying. While the coverage is decent it just doesn't feel comfortable and it doesn't have a matte finish, which is crucial for my shine prone skin. 

MAC Studio Finish Concealer £15

'Surely not?!', I hear you cry! There's no denying that the coverage this little pot delivers is superb, as is the initial consistency. I find it perfect for covering dark circles but it's when applied to blemishes that it all starts to go wrong for me. I've noticed that after a few hours the formula begins to break down, separating and leaving a strange film on my skin. If it happens to get wet at all it turns into a gooey texture which isn't very appealing! It also looks very shiny after a few hours and when touched up with powder it turns into a bit of a clumpy mess. While this pot has lasted me well over six months and while it's great for covering dark circles, I won't be repurchasing after it eventually runs out. Back to Benefit Boi-ing for me!

Bottom to top: Bourjois 'Peach on the Beach', Rimmel Apocalips 'Celestial' and 'Stellar'

               Bourjois Color Boost Glossy Finish Lipstick 'Peach on the Beach' £7.99

At first glance and at first swatch I loved 'Peach on the Beach' but I just can't get on board with the texture and finish once applied. It looks like a lovely juicy peach colour in the tube but I've found it too orange on my lips, which sounds silly but it just looks a bit odd with my fair complexion. Plus it really seems to cling to any dry bits and emphasises every crease on my lips which I don't like. I thought I'd love this but alas, once again, it just isn't meant to be. 

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer 'Celestial' & 'Stellar' £5.99 each

It's not so much a colour issue I've got with Apocalips, it's an application and finish issue. I love the idea of the rich, opaque, glossy lacquer and the colour range is really impressive, but I find it difficult to apply these neatly without colour bleeding like crazy beyond my lip line. I find myself constantly checking my lips when I'm out and about for colour control purposes, as I find that these smudge quite easily and never really feel that 'secure'. I've also found that colour constantly gets on to my teeth somehow which makes me feel very self-conscious! I'm constantly licking my teeth which makes me look strange and I worry about smiling properly in case my teeth are smeared with lipgloss. I really, really want to love these as I do like the colours and they have a unique texture but I'm just too nervous to wear them! The smell is also a bit of an issue as they have a very artificial sweet scent that is a little cloying. I'm still tempted to give some more shades a go but I'm worried I'll just end up with lipgloss covered teeth all the time! Waah. 

Have you tried any of the above? What are your thoughts? Let me know what you think!