I Wish I Never Bought You

Being weak of will when it comes to resisting shiny new things, it's inevitable that over the past few months of buying way too much makeup, I've taken home some major duds. Some products purely underperformed and didn't meet my expectations, others I regret to the extent that I simply didn't need them and already had superior options at home. The net outcome: wasted money, foiled expectations, unloved and superfluous products cluttering up my precious space, but that I still can't bring myself to simply chuck out.

Revlon ColorStay Mineral Mousse Makeup in Light (030) 

If I remember correctly, I bought this to redeem a gift with purchase promotion at Myer. I needed to spend $39.95 or more, so this plus a nail polish seemed to be the closest combination. I think I've used it once or twice, and have never gone back to it again. I don't like matte foundations. I'm not a fan of the mousse texture. It has a faint but unpleasant chemical smell. I have much better foundations that I infinitely prefer to this one, so it's been sitting in my drawer collecting dust and edging rapidly closer to its expiry date, 99% full. To add insult to injury, not long after I'd bought it, I saw it in Priceline for $7 as discontinued stock, and then $4.90 when Priceline had 30% off Revlon. Revlon ColorStay probably would've been a better choice.

Australis Mineral Powder Brush 

Granted, it was only $2.95, but even then, I wish I hadn't bought it. The main reason being when I first washed it, a truly disconcerting amount of black dye came out of the brush. I'd never actually experienced anything like that before, so it made me think twice about ever putting it on my face. Maybe I'll use this as a body brush for bronzer in the summer, but let's face it, the chances I could be bothered are slim. I'll stick with my beloved Real Techniques.

The Body Shop Candied Ginger Lip Balm

I bought this around Christmas last year as it was a limited edition holiday flavour. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, but it serves to demonstrate my fundamental weakness when it comes to lipsticks/lip balms. I had absolutely no reason to buy this, other than I was doing my Christmas shopping for others, and I felt I couldn't go home without treating myself to a little something. But I don't need it. I don't even love it. It smells more like Coca-Cola than the more exotic candied ginger it purports to be. It's colourless and the texture is a lot thinner and waxier than the popular fruity Born Lippy tinted lip balms.

Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Aubergine (008), Tempting Teal (006), Riviera Blue (007)

I had particularly high hopes for these but they don't do anything for me. They're dull and flat on the lid. I don't seem to have much luck with matte eyeshadows as my eye shape gets along better with satin or shimmery eyeshadows that have a bit more dimension. The texture of these is more on the chalky side, they're quite powdery and seem to lack lasting power, and while they're not complete failures of pigmentation, I needed to go over them several times for the swatch.

Revlon ColorStay Mineral Eyeshadow in Midnight Garnet (03)

Read my extensive rant here (it's the last paragraph). I dislike this so much that I deliberately keep it separate to all my other eye products in my makeup storage. Objectively, it's not totally awful, but I just hate the fact I bought it when I already have countless eyeshadows that perform better and that I won't ever use up. 

Revlon Soft on the Eyes in Sublime (770)

This is now shaping up to be a Revlon eyeshadow bashing post, so let me just clarify that I'm actually a huge fan of Revlon in general, as reflected in the fact that I buy quite a lot of their products. In turn, there's a higher chance that I'll be less than thrilled with a few of their offerings, especially as they release new products and discontinue others so often. I picked this up from the bargain bin price at Priceline a while ago, fully knowing the chance of being blown away by this colourful loose eyeshadow palette was minimal. If you're fair, have huge eyes and a visible crease, these soft wash eyeshadows could be pretty on you. For me, having monolids and no visible socket line, I can't really do much with them. The fact you can only access the pigment through a small hole that you dip the included brush into and the general messiness of loose eyeshadows also don't help.

l-r: Innoxa Summer Matte lipstick in Sugar Frosted, LUSH Lip Tint in Celebrate

Innoxa Summer Matte Lipstick in Sugar Frosted

If there was a candidate for the most unflattering lipstick ever, this would be right at the top. Don't let the swatch fool you, on the lips it's laughably gross, like a whitish purple. A prime example of not selecting a lip colour based on how it looks in the tube or on your hand. It's no one's fault but my own that I foolhardily took this to the counter, fully knowing how chalky and ridiculously light and unwearable it was, but convincing myself I could somehow make it work.

LUSH Lip Tint in Celebrate 

It's not a complete disaster, but like The Body Shop lip balm, I simply didn't need this. It's literally gritty in texture, difficult to apply to the lip smoothly (you really need to exfoliate and moisturise in advance), settles into fine lines and doesn't last long. Not something I enjoy putting on my lips. I tried to salvage it as a highlighter and wasn't impressed.