Whoa, another 30 Days post! Long time no see, bra. I can't believe I have 17 more of these...
Are there any brands that underwhelm you?
This is something that I think about not infrequently in the course of my daily blog reads, and I'm wondering if anyone else does the same! Some brands seem to be really inconsistent, which turns me off big time––MAC and NARS are the ones that particularly come to mind, since it seems like some of their products are amazeballs and others are just plain sucky, with plenty of mediocrity in between, even within the same product range––I have yet to buy a NARS eyeshadow in part because they're expensive, and in part because they seem to be so hit-or-miss! Other brands just seem overpriced for the quality––like Smashbox, Stila, Kat Von D, Pixi. There are, of course, some products from those brands that are well worth the mid-range price, but again, inconsistency is frustrating! Some brands' packaging is overly cutesy or artsy, which is not always a bad thing (I have plenty of love for Benefit, Urban Decay, Too Faced, and theBalm), but I do wish that I didn't have to pay luxury prices for nice packaging (Revlon is one brand that does really, really well in that regard––drugstore prices, but weighty and solid products with pleasant aesthetics). And some high-end brands don't seem to have commensurately quality products––some Chanel and Dior eyeshadows, for example, seem to be lacking in pigment (based on reviews and the one lone Chanel eyeshadow I ever tried), and those same brands' lipsticks aren't always as long-lasting or moisturizing as one would hope for from a product that costs $30+. I realize not every product in a brand's range can be expected to be of great quality, but reliability and consistency is something that I would like to see more of! These same issues apply to drugstore makeup as well, but it annoys me much less there, because the price is so much lower so I'm willing to go to the trouble of researching extensively before purchasing and the hassle of returning something that doesn't work is less, because I have drugstores relatively nearby (10 minutes instead of the 20 minutes for Sephora).
Of course, much of that is based entirely on reading about others' experiences with the brands in question, since I cannot afford to try out everything (especially if I have ambiguous feelings toward the brand!), so perhaps with more exposure my opinions would change. And the opposite may be true as well––there are several brands that I view very favorably (Le Métier de Beauté, Chantecaille, Armani, Shiseido, Hourglass) that with more experience would lose their luster. And this isn't even mentioning the numerous problems I have with cosmetics advertising, which also factors into my opinion of a brand––that's for another day, though!
What about you? Are there any brands you find yourself turned off by?
Are there any brands that underwhelm you?
This is something that I think about not infrequently in the course of my daily blog reads, and I'm wondering if anyone else does the same! Some brands seem to be really inconsistent, which turns me off big time––MAC and NARS are the ones that particularly come to mind, since it seems like some of their products are amazeballs and others are just plain sucky, with plenty of mediocrity in between, even within the same product range––I have yet to buy a NARS eyeshadow in part because they're expensive, and in part because they seem to be so hit-or-miss! Other brands just seem overpriced for the quality––like Smashbox, Stila, Kat Von D, Pixi. There are, of course, some products from those brands that are well worth the mid-range price, but again, inconsistency is frustrating! Some brands' packaging is overly cutesy or artsy, which is not always a bad thing (I have plenty of love for Benefit, Urban Decay, Too Faced, and theBalm), but I do wish that I didn't have to pay luxury prices for nice packaging (Revlon is one brand that does really, really well in that regard––drugstore prices, but weighty and solid products with pleasant aesthetics). And some high-end brands don't seem to have commensurately quality products––some Chanel and Dior eyeshadows, for example, seem to be lacking in pigment (based on reviews and the one lone Chanel eyeshadow I ever tried), and those same brands' lipsticks aren't always as long-lasting or moisturizing as one would hope for from a product that costs $30+. I realize not every product in a brand's range can be expected to be of great quality, but reliability and consistency is something that I would like to see more of! These same issues apply to drugstore makeup as well, but it annoys me much less there, because the price is so much lower so I'm willing to go to the trouble of researching extensively before purchasing and the hassle of returning something that doesn't work is less, because I have drugstores relatively nearby (10 minutes instead of the 20 minutes for Sephora).
Of course, much of that is based entirely on reading about others' experiences with the brands in question, since I cannot afford to try out everything (especially if I have ambiguous feelings toward the brand!), so perhaps with more exposure my opinions would change. And the opposite may be true as well––there are several brands that I view very favorably (Le Métier de Beauté, Chantecaille, Armani, Shiseido, Hourglass) that with more experience would lose their luster. And this isn't even mentioning the numerous problems I have with cosmetics advertising, which also factors into my opinion of a brand––that's for another day, though!
What about you? Are there any brands you find yourself turned off by?
