7 Overrated Makeup Items I Was so Disappointed with ...

Tracy Mar 31, 2014

I love makeup, and I’ll try just about anything, which is why I have a basket full of overrated makeup items I couldn’t return due to store policy. Most of the makeup listed here is so popular, you probably have some in your cosmetic case or you’ve done a buy and try, like I did. If all of these overrated makeup items actually worked as expected, it would represent my entire makeup routine! Instead, I feel compelled to try and stop you from buying these from a store that doesn’t allow returns.

1. Bare Minerals

Bare Minerals Like every other woman on the planet, I had heard so many wonderful things about Bare Minerals by Bare Essentials that I just had to give it a try. I’m handy with makeup application, but the Sephora associate made me look so good, I wished she could do my makeup every day! I was so pleased with the result that I ended up buying the original starter kit. This kit included two shades of foundation, Warmth, Mineral Veil, foundation primer, Maximum Coverage concealer brush, Flawless Application face brush and a kabuki brush. I couldn’t wait to apply my Bare Minerals the next day! Well, I didn’t do such a great application job, but I knew that would come in time. My biggest issue was the itch factor! All day I was scratching my face. What an annoyance. I used it on two subsequent days and the second day I applied it with my own makeup brushes, but I still had the dreaded itch. If I can help it, I won’t stick myself with overrated makeup items, so back to Sephora this went.

2. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment I’m a Sephora Beauty Insider so I receive a birthday gift each year from them. One year it was a 2 pack mini of the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment by Fresh. It included Sugar Rose and the Original Sugar. I was super thrilled because I had been contemplating a purchase of the Sugar Berry, but because of the $20+ price tag, I had hesitated. Good thing! By the third time I used this, the product was already listing to the side like a miniature replica of the Tower of Pisa. The fourth time was the death knoll, and the contents just broke in half. I kept the other mini in the fridge and it held up slightly better, but my intent was never to buy a pricey lip treatment that I couldn’t carry around with me. I did return it, hoping that just maybe this particular Sugar set just happened to be a lemon, but the replacement did the very same thing. I never bought the full size.

3. Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey

Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey Oh, I wanted to love this because I think it’s the most beautiful, most becoming lipstick I have ever worn. Aside from being sexy and flattering, it makes your teeth look undeniably whiter. Unfortunately, this product disappeared from my lips in under 30 minutes. This was a huge disappointment to me. Black Honey would be my one and only lipstick if it worked. Aside from the disappearing act, I had to apply so much of this product just to get a decent color payoff. I’ve actually purchased this on two separate occasions, hoping I would get different results. Duh. I didn’t.

4. Great Lash Mascara

Great Lash Mascara I will never understand what makes this mascara a cult favorite. Are you kidding? I can start a petition to rename this. How about: Great Clump Mascara or maybe Great Transfer To Under Your Eyes Mascara by Maybelline. Either of those names would be more a propos. If you are a fan of this mascara, please help me to understand why. I think the problem might be because the formula is just too wet. This leads me to an even better name: Great Smudge Mascara. I wouldn’t take a tube of this for free.

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5. E.L.F. Eyeshadow Palette

E.L.F. Eyeshadow Palette My favorite shadows tend to come from MAC Cosmetics, but when I saw this 100 pc palette for $10 at Target, I just had to try it. I have such incredible eyeshadow brushes, and I use the E.L.F. eyeshadow primer, so I thought I could combat anything that could go wrong. But I was the one that was wrong and all 100 pieces are wrong. From the moment I put this on my eyelid, the shadow had so much fallout, that my black top was loaded with a purple mist. The shadow went on so light and the more I added the more fallout I experienced. I gave up, removed all eyeshadow from my lids, and then for the entire evening my left was eye was irritated. I didn’t even feel comfortable giving this away, so I just tossed it.

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6. Nars Blush in Orgasm

Nars Blush in Orgasm What’s the deal with this? It looked like a shimmer bomb had exploded on my cheeks. This might be the most unnatural color blush I have ever seen. It just screams makeup and because of that, it’s very disconcerting to me. I look at a picture of someone wearing this blush, and I can’t see any of the other makeup she is wearing, or her pretty eyes or smile, I am that focused on this coral over-the-top shimmer. I think people are just infatuated with the name and secretly hate the blush as much as I do.

7. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Fondly referred to as UDPP, this primer has a huge following. Can’t understand it. I had to apply a lot of the product to get the desired result. Way too much product was left in the container with no easy way to remove it and you can’t see how much remains with the opaque packaging. I did use the original with the doe foot applicator and now it’s in a squeeze tube. I don’t know if that would change the application any. I am way happier with E.L.F. with the see-thru applicator for only a buck.

Have you tried some of these popular cosmetics? Has your experience been anything like mine, or did you love them? My problem is I get so caught up in the moment that I have to make the purchase as soon as I see the product, rather than wait until I can buy it at a store that allows returns.

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I use bare minerals daily & love it. Same w great lash, my mom has used it for years, & I've used it since I was a teen. Fantastic. The Clinique lipstick works fine for me w a lip primer or liner, & I love the mars blush. Lol

Great lashes only works for certain types of eyelashes, like mine

I bought a lipstick once due to the pure novelty of it having a lip stain in one end and a gloss on the other. Sure it was Rimmel. Anyhow.. First time I used it didn't stick lips as they have to have no balm on them. Everytime I use it subsequently it left a flaky appearance on them and hours after the stain had bled round my lips and left a horrible shade. Then It started to leak into my bag. It's been resigned to the crap pile of my makeup stuff

I use the UDPP and while most people have trouble keeping their make up on, I have a hard time getting it off. I'm guilty of sometimes not taking off my makeup at night and in the morning, my makeup is still perfect.

I totally agree- Great Lash is the worst! My mom has sworn by it for years, but I don't understand why they haven't just discontinued that line. I use the Bare Minerals pressed foundation powder and bronzed every day and I really like it, though I have found that less is more with this product! (Which is sort of what I was going for anyway...) As for Sugar Lips, I also got the free lipsticks from being a beauty insider at Sephora. They both melted and started leaning for me too, and in my opinion they smelled like bathroom cleaner!

Sugar lip treatment is such an amazing product! The reason yours was breaking was because it was the mini version. The primer potion is awesome as well!

I agree with all of them except the primer potion! I have super oily lids & it's my holy grail of primers! My shadow and liner last all day without creasing or smearing! Also, $10 for a 100 piece eyeshadow palette- did you honestly expect good results?

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