Products I Regret Buying (Part 2)

Hey, y'all! Today, I'm going to be doing part two of the products I regret buying!

If you haven't read part 1, you can click HERE to check it out!

A couple weeks ago, I talked about the products I regret buying because of things like incorrect color or other problems that aren't due to the quality of the product.This post is going to be the products I regret buying because I don't like it or think that it's not a great product, so it's mostly problems with formulation or design.

Disclaimer: Just as everyone says, this is just my opinion. Some of these, I regret purely because of shade or personal preference. I get really bothered when people use the words "horrible", "terrible" or "hate" to explain why they don't like something. Something that doesn't work for me may work for someone else. There are definitely products on this list that I wouldn't recommend to anyone ever, because I just don't believe the quality is there. BUT, I'll try to explain myself as thoroughly as possible and if you find me using the aforementioned words, please point it out to me, because I don't want to come off as bashing products.

Rimmel Clean Finish Foundation

I tried this out because it was only 3 or 4 dollars, so if I didn't like it, I wasn't wasting much money. Honestly, I'm really glad I didn't spend more than that, because I don't think it's even worth that. I don't think that the paddle is very good at getting the makeup out. I actually don't get the packaging being used like that . I also don't especially enjoy the foundation. To me, it felt far too thick and a bit gloopy, both when applying it and after it has been completely applied. Per usual, it was too dark for my skin, but for once, that was the least important issue to me this time. I would probably have to say that this is my least favorite foundation I've tried.

e.l.f. Zit Zapping Concealer

If you saw my elf haul post, you'll know that I had A LOT to say about this product. I'm going to try really hard to be nice about this product, because I really, really, dislike it. I'll start with the packaging. I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to have huge problems with this "click-up" form of packaging. These little tubes seem to never work correctly. Often, I'll have to click it 8 or 9 times before product will come out, and then 8 or 9 clicks worth of product will ooze out. Then, when you put the cap back on, even more oozes out. I just don't think this packaging works for any product.

On to the actual formulation. This product is very very thick and difficult to blend. I bought it because I thought it would be great to conceal blemishes, reduce their redness, and (according to the packaging) zap the zits. However, it's so thick that rather than eliminating redness, it turns everything green. A little of it goes way too far. On top of all these aspects, it also had a strong Noxema scent and was almost impossible to remove from my skin. I tried so many times to make it work, but I just couldn't, and I couldn't find any redeeming qualities to it.

e.l.f. Loose Eye Shadow

The big fail with this product is the packaging, but I honestly can't tell you how good the product inside is, because I simply can't get it out. The eye shadow is all in the cap and there's a sponge on the end of a springy wand, which is supposed to get the product both from the cap and onto your eye. It's a nice idea to have the product and applicator all wrapped up into one packaging, but it simply doesn't work. It's hard to get the shadow out because the applicator is springy. The sponge is tiny, so it's really hard to get the product onto your eye. Those two things combined make it nearly impossible to get anything onto my eye or even see how good the product is, which is really sad because the color looks so pretty. Also, this definitely isn't a loose shadow, because it's all packed down into that little purpley part of the cap that you'll see in the picture above.

e.l.f. 3 in 1 Lengthen, Define, & Volume Mascara

I thought this might be really great because the brush is such an interesting shape, but while I liked that, I wasn't a huge fan of the formulation. After putting it on, it looked like I had about 5 lashes. It's not clumpy, but it did stick my lashes together, which certainly is not defining or volumizing. I feel like this brush might be good if used with a different mascara.

e.l.f. Precision Liquid Eyeliner

This is the $3 liner from elf's studio line, but I honestly feel like the $1 eyeliner is much better. This is partially due to the brush, and partially due to the formulation. This brush is larger than the brush on the other one, and I think that's its downfall. Although this is the precision liner, the other one is able to be much more precise. I find it very hard to get a thin enough line with this. I also think that this liner is far too wet. It took a very long time for it to dry- much longer than a liquid liner should.

Wet n Wild H20 Proof Liquid Eyeliner

Once again, my problem is both with the formulation and the applicator. The actual eyeliner is fairly thin and watery, and the applicator is very stiff. I feel like the stiffness of the tip makes it too difficult to apply the eyeliner, especially with how thin the eyeliner is. It seems like it practically scrapes it off as it's being applied.

e.l.f. Waterproof Eyeliner Pen

While it's certainly easier to apply this eyeliner than the other eyeliners I've mentioned so far, it's almost impossible to get two good lines in a row, which is extremely problematic. I'm not sure if it's only the applicator or the actual product, but it simply doesn't work. I bought a second one to see if it was just this one, but the second one had the same application problem.

EOS Lip Balm: Strawberry

These products are so big and I'm sure some people will be upset that I'm putting this on here. Aside from the strawberry, I also have the lemon. I'm not sure if my strawberry was a dud, because the two balms are very different textures and consistencies. The lemon is very smooth and hydrating, and I really enjoy it. My strawberry, however, is really waxy and not very hydrating at all. It feels like it sits on my lips and doesn't do much. And the strawberry scent is also not very pleasant for me.

e.l.f. Hypershine Gloss

I really like the color of this gloss (fairy), because it's a really natural pink shade. The problem I have with this gloss is that it's very thick and sticky, and I feel like it just doesn't feel comfortable to wear on my lips. I only used it a few times to review it, and just haven't used it since, because I don't like the feeling of it. Another strike this has against it is the packaging. As stated earlier, the click-up style of packaging is one that I'm not a fan of.

e.l.f. Super Glossy Lip Shine

I bought the clear one just for something to put in my purse, but it quickly moved back out of my purse. Just like the hypershine gloss, this is very very thick and sticky. I bought the second one to see if maybe a different color would make a difference, but it felt exactly the same. Although the hypershine gloss and super glossy lip shine are different products, they seem like the exact same product in different packages.

e.l.f. Total Face Brush

This brush just doesn't seem to have any actual purpose. The bristles are very scratchy and extremely sparse, so it doesn't really spread anything well, and it doesn't feel good on the skin. I just don't think it's worth buying, even though it's only a dollar. 

So, there you go, a handful of products I regret buying! I bought a lot of these without looking to see reviews or anything, which I've decided is never a good thing. Often, I don't buy any makeup product unless a beauty guru I trust has said it's good. Or I see them recommend things and it convinces me to buy it.

Hope you enjoyed reading! What products do you have that you regret buying? Let me know in the comments! If you like my posts, I would really appreciate if you'd follow/subscribe, as it lets me know you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all Saturday for the next chapter of The Secret Lightning Scar!

How NOT to Color Your Hair: My Journey to Becoming a Redhead

Hey, y'all! This post is going to be just a bit more... random... than usual. It's not really a review or a challenge or even a get to know me. I'm going to be telling you about the absolute WORST hair dye experience I've ever had. Seriously, never EVER do this to your hair.

Before college, I'd never colored my hair. It was just this color:

Me, in either my junior or senior year of HS

Then, in October of my freshman year, I really wanted to put some red in my hair. I wasn't totally sure what I wanted to do for sure, but I ended up coloring the tips of my bangs red.

Thanksgiving break freshman year...

Then, after my Christmas break, I cut my bangs shorter and realized that if I just did the tips again, I would only have the tiniest red left. So, I decided to do all of my bangs red...

Febuary-ish, freshman year.

...which I kept throughout the rest of my freshman year and the summer. Then, not too far into my sophomore year, I got bored. I decided to amp it up a bit. I decided to color my tips as well, but rather than just put the red dye on my natural color, I decided to bleach it first to get a more vibrant color.

SUCH a good look for me...

So then came the red hair color, and it actually turned out really nicely!

Seriously, I LOVED this color- even when it started to fade to orangey red. 

ALL THE SELFIES!

My parents, unfortunately, did not love this color, and told me that it had to be gone when I came home for thanksgiving. I could keep the bangs as long as I got rid of the tips. I wasn't too terribly upset to lose the tips, since by that point they were almost completely orange. It was, however, a bit of a struggle to get rid of them. I tried Color Oops, but that didn't work. Eventually, I ended up coloring my entire head (sans bangs) a dark brown, and then, for myself, I had a couple inches cut off.

Honestly, I actually ended up really liking this color. I was really glad to get a hair cut, and the single pop of red was great. Now, we approach the point of this post... my journey to becoming a redhead.

I've always kinda wanted to be a redhead. I'm super pale with pinky undertones, and my mom says I totally missed my calling to be a redhead. I've wanted to go auburn for a really long time- even back in high school. Early January, I decided to go for it. My bangs were growing out and fading to orange again, and my dark brown was fading a bit to reveal the remnants of my red tips, so I figured it would be the best time. My roommate was wanting to color her hair as well, so we went together and got color. We each got Garnier's Olia, because a friend of ours really likes that brand. She went for a dark brown, however.

I got the color shown above, and around 2 in the afternoon, my roommate and I began coloring our hair. We both left it on for the right amount of time and then applied the conditioner, rinsed it out, and dried our hair. I was SO confused. My hair appeared to be literally the EXACT same color it had been before on my entire head except for right at the roots at my part. That hair was somewhere between my dark brown and the color on the box. Clearly, something went wrong. What, I'm not sure. But there was a definite problem. Anyway, I thought about it a bit and decided that the best way to get everything to the same color was to bleach it and then apply the color I wanted. So, I went back and got these:

I was extremely wary of repurchasing the Olia 6.60 because of the poor results the first time, so I went with the Garnier Nutrisse foam. I used Splat's hair dye for both my bright red and for bleaching my tips, so I knew it would get good results. So, first I bleached my hair...

Overall it turned out pretty well but I was really concerned about the bangs because they never totally stopped being red. So then, I continued on with the light intense auburn color, but it didn't exactly turn out as expected...

Oops...

Bright, bright red? That's definitely not what the box said it would look like when used on blonde hair! Anyway, I looked at it for a while, and had done SO much coloring on my hair that I thought about just leaving it. I like bright red, and even though it totally wasn't what I was going for, I actually thought I could rock the red. And then, my roommate got back from dinner and we noticed some problems...

AHHH! Everything seemed like it was the same color, but all of this was lying underneath! And obviously some of it didn't even get the blonde! It's so terrible! Good thing I didn't decide to rock the red! Anyway, we headed back to the drugstore to buy MORE hair color, and this time I got:

I was still a bit worried about using Olia, but since my roommate's worked fine, I decided to go for it. I also decided it was best to go for a reddish brown rather than a brownish red. I figured there was enough red already in my hair. I have to admit, it was super awkward walking into the drugstore with bright red hair. So, one more color later, it was finally over. My hair ended up a single color, and everyone's happy. 

Seriously, that's the biggest struggle I've ever had while coloring my hair, and I'm legitimately surprised that my hair didn't fall out. I colored it FOUR times in a single day, all permanent. As the title suggests, this is how NOT to color your hair. Never, ever, ever do this.

Anyway, I hope you liked this totally random story about my usually boring life. I've told it so many times to amused friends that I figured the internet would appreciate it as well. Needless to say, I'm staying away from hair color for a little while! Let me know your crazy hair color stories in the comments! If you enjoy my posts, I'd love it if you would subscribe/ follow, so that I know you like what I'm doing. Thanks, y'all!

Products I Regret Buying (Part 1)

Hey, y'all! Today, I'm going to be talking about the products I regret buying. Lately, I've been watching a lot of videos of youtubers talking about products they regret buying, and since I did my "10 Products I Would Repurchase" post last month, I decided to go ahead and talk about the products I regret buying.

This is going to be the first of 2 posts. The second post is going to be the products I regret buying because I don't like it or think that it's not a great product. This post is going to be products that I regret buying for other reasons (wrong shade, etc.).

Disclaimer: Just as everyone says, this is just my opinion. Some of these, I regret purely because of shade or personal preference. I get really bothered when people use the words "horrible", "terrible" or "hate" to explain why they don't like something. Something that doesn't work for me may work for someone else. There are definitely products on each list that I wouldn't recommend to anyone ever, because I just don't believe the quality is there. BUT, I'll try to explain myself as thoroughly as possible and if you find me using the aforementioned words, please point it out to me, because I don't want to come off as bashing products.

Rimmel BB Cream

This was one of the BB creams I tried this summer, and as you can see, it was just too dark for me... and I have it in light! I swear, though I am pale, I'm not THAT pale! There are plenty of people lighter than me! Anyway, it's not a bad product, it's just too dark for me! Make more colors!

Revlon PhotoReady BB Cream

Very simply, this is just not a color match at all. It's lighter than most light BB creams, but as you can see above, it's still a bit dark and orangey on my skin. 

L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

My problem with this is partially because of the product, but also the color, so I'm including it on this one. I tried it during the period where I was going BB cream crazy. One reason I gave it a go was because I have really fair skin, and this had one or two more shade options, as well as starting out white and then "adjusting" to your skin tone. They can claim that this adjusts to your skin tone all they want, but I just don't believe it. I have the fair, and this comes out to be both darker and more yellow than my skin, so it just doesn't work for me because of that. So like I said, the problem is with the color, but also the fact that it doesn't actually adjust to my color even though it claims to.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation

TruBlend is on the left, Outlast on the R.

This is a good foundation, but I have a huge problem with the color. I have Covergirl's TruBlend, which has the same shade range as the outlast stay fabulous. However, ivory in trublend and ivory in outlast stay fabulous are totally different colors, and the outlast is significantly darker. Ivory in trublend works really well for my skintone, so obviously the outlast doesn't. If you look at the swatch above, you'll notice two swatches on my hand. The top is TruBlend, the bottom is Outlast. It didn't pick up quite as well on camera, but they're significantly different colors, both in a little dollop and when blended out. They also look very different in the container, which the camera also didn't pick up as well.

Mary Kay Concealer

When I bought this online, I THOUGHT I knew what color to get, because I always need the lightest one. Shouldn't be hard to figure out which one that is, right? WRONG. When I got it, it was so insanely yellow that it was completely unwearable. They've since changed the labels and there is one labelled "yellow," which I can only assume is the one that I have. It's just so incredibly yellow. That swatch above is all the way blended in. Just for fun, here's what it looked like while I was blending it.

This was literally bright yellow in person.

e.l.f. Jumbo Eye Shadow Stick- Midnight Rendezvous

I have 4 jumbo eye shadow sticks, and I do like them, but I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when purchasing this black. I don't wear black eye shadow... ever. This must have been some sort of impulse buy.

Almay Eye Shadow Stick Duo

 

I have the one for green eyes, even though I have brown eyes because honestly, anyone could wear any color they want. The only reason I regret buying this is because I just haven't used it. The light blue and purple are both really pretty, but I've just never used it. Not sure why, but I just haven't.

e.l.f. Matte Lip Color- Nearly Nude, Rich Red

My issue with these is partially color and partially formulation. I bought Nearly Nude because I like nude lips, but the texture was like a concealer. It was so thick and dry and cakey. Then, I bought Rich Red to try and figure out if the problem was with that one color or with all of them. The red was much more smooth and felt like a lip product actually should. However, I didn't think beforehand about the fact that I NEVER wear red lips. I like nude/natural/ pinky lips, so I have no idea what I was thinking. So, I definitely wouldn't recommend the nude due to the formulation, but the red is nice... just not for me.

e.l.f. Lip Stain

 

I have this in natural. It's a perfectly fine product, I just don't like the color. I think that the color doesn't match the name it was given. It's far too reddish to be labelled natural.

So, there you go, a handful of products I regret buying! I bought a lot of these without looking to see reviews or anything, which I've decided is never a good thing. Often, I don't buy any makeup product unless a beauty guru I trust has said it's good. Or I see them recommend things and it convinces me to buy it. Anyway, the second list of products I regret buying will probably be my Feb. 11 post. That one will be a bit more interesting for me because the products on that list are products that I have some pretty major issues with.

Hope you enjoyed reading! What products do you have that you regret buying? Let me know in the comments! If you like my posts, I would really appreciate if you'd follow/subscribe, as it lets me know you're enjoying what I'm doing. See y'all Saturday for the next chapter of The Secret Lightning Scar!