Wednesday, January 5, 2022

The 7 Worst Products I Tried in 2021 - Makeup & Nails

You should know by now that I really try and shy away from poor or negative reviews - I like to keep things positive around here, so I typically only share things I love! Now, that doesn't mean I will lie, if something isn't great I would never say it is, but I tend to keep my content to things I enjoy. 

But, I make an exception for the Worst Products of the year, because these aren't just a little bad or I didn't like them, these are all pretty terrible products that I could never recommend them! Also, if you are looking for something more upbeat instead, make sure you check out my Favourite Makeup products that I shared yesterday! 

The 7 Worst Products I Tried in 2021 - Makeup & Nails
The Bio Sculpture top coat was received as a PR sample - this post contains affiliate links

It's 2022, but do we still need disclaimers like, "just because I didn't like this single product, doesn't mean I don't love the brand" or, "please, don't be offended if one of these is your favourite products"? Because, yes all of that is true, and I think it should go without saying - a lot of these products are from brands that I like and have tried other things from and one product is not a reflection of the whole brand!

In general I had a pretty good year of trying products, although I really didn't try as much as some past years! I only have terrible products in makeup and nails categories this year (and I know there is only 5 products pictured here, because I must have tossed the other two - but don't worry I come with receipts!) Here's a look at the 7 products that were just not good for me in 2021:

The 7 Worst Products I Tried in 2021 - Makeup & Nails

I have really been trying to get in to more drugstore brands and products lately, and for the most part, I'm pretty impressed with the products that I've tried, but I actually have 4 of the products on this list from drugstore makeup brands! 

The 7 Worst Products I Tried in 2021 - Makeup & Nails

L'Oreal Air Volume Mega Mascara in Blackest Black ~ $16.99 CAN. With a new ingenius formula and packaging, Air Volume defies the rules of gravity and volume. The Air Volume formula is AIR WHIPPED to create a lash multiplying effect with high volume charge that is WEIGHTLESS on lashes. This weightless mega volume and wear locks in for all day wear, lasting upto 24HRS. The key to the mega volume impact and longwear is in the lashing-building team of the the airy formula and double-bristle brush.

This was one of the most hyped up mascaras of the year, and honestly - I thought it was terrible! I'm really picky about mascara formulas, but honestly I'm surprised there is so many great reviews on this! Personally I love the brush shape, but this is such a wet formula, it was hard to use. It clumped and stuck my lashes together and it actually got everywhere putting it on, it transferred off and was super messy. No volume, just wet and clumps. Then, it weirdly has a strange bottle shape so you actually can't stand it up while you are applying it either. Hard pass for me. 

The 7 Worst Products I Tried in 2021 - Makeup & Nails

Covergirl Clean Fresh Hydrating Concealer in 350 Light Medium ~ $9.99 CAN. Covergirl Clean Fresh Hydrating Concealer is infused with coconut milk and aloe extracts for buildable coverage and glowing skin. The vegan makeup formula is made without phthalates, mineral oil, formaldehyde, talc, parabens, or sulfates. 

I've been looking for a new creamy, medium natural concealer after my favourite was discontinued, and initially thought this one had good potentially. But, the more I used it, the worse it good. Initially, it offered good coverage but I was worried it emphasized texture. The more I tried it, the more it was adding texture and looking weird. You can see in this photo where I have it on, how much more textured and weird it looks compared to my bare skin even though there is visible marks on my skin. I tried with brushes, fingers and sponges and all was bad. It was lifting and leaving horrible texture, so it was a big no from me. 

The 7 Worst Products I Tried in 2021 - Makeup & Nails

I Heart Revolution Disney Fairytale Books Lip Topper Belle ~ € 5,99. The I Heart Revolution Belle, Beauty and The Beast Fairytale Book Lip Topper, is a non-sticky gold gloss with added sparkle. Wear alone or over the top of your favourite I Heart Revolution lip colour.

Alright, I picked up a couple of products from the Disney Belle collection, because the packaging was cute, but I don't what is going on with the formulas from this brand - I've previously tried their collab with Emily Noel and it was pretty good, so trying this lip gloss (and the highlighter from the same collection) was a total fail. I thought this was going to be a sheer gloss with a hint of gold glitter for a light shimmer on the lips, but instead I got a full on thick gold glitter gloss that is scratchy and gloopy. I can't see this formula working well for anyone. It' s not good. 

The 7 Worst Products I Tried in 2021 - Makeup & Nails

Essence My Skin Perfector Tinted Primer in 10 Light Beige ~ $6.99 CAN. These mouse-like tinted primers are the perfect base for a flawless and long-lasting makeup look. Apply the velvety primer alone to create a smooth, natural look, or apply as a base in combination with makeup to for a flawless complexion.

Well didn't this just turn out to be the worst primer I've ever tried and initially I thought it was okay, maybe emphasized my dry patches a bit, but after a few tries, it was just all around no good. It did have a good tint to it, but in this picture it is the only product I have on, so you can see it clinging to all my "dry" patches and pilling everywhere. I tried it over a few different skincare products, but it didn't work over any. I appreciate that this was going for a matte look which I want, but not a dry and horrible skin looking base - I'll pass! 

The 7 Worst Products I Tried in 2021 - Makeup & Nails

ColourPop Shadow Stix ~ $6.00 US. A super creamy, multi-tasking eyeshadow in a stick! Ultra pigmented for high impact color in one swipe and a long wearing, water-resistant formula that lasts all day.

Okay, these were pretty recent releases and have since already been rebranded as "colour stix" and honestly, probably because they weren't getting good reviews as shadow stix. Now, it probably doesn't look terrible in the picture, but I was going for an orange faded in to gold look and these absolutely do not move - I realize maybe that doesn't sound terrible, but typically when you apply a cream, you want a little give to smooth it out and then have it dry down well. This offered no blend, so as a shadow, it was terrible. It's now being marketed as a shadow or liner, but if this can't look good for what it's pitched as I'm not interested. It was pigmented but the lack of smoothness or blendability meant that I would never reach for it or repurchase it again! 

The 7 Worst Products I Tried in 2021 - Makeup & Nails

Bio Sculpture Ethos Mirror Top Coat ~ $20.50 CAN. Mirror Top Coat is a smooth and silky nail polish finish which has a plumping effect to increase the brilliancy of nail colour.
Mirror Top Coat resists scratching and displays vibrant colour. It is long lasting and has a high gloss mirror-like shine.

As with all the brands I've talked about, I really like Bio Sculpture's polishes, so it's not always easy to talk about a bad product, but I had to stop using this top coat. It was sent to me and I used it a few times, but this was such a weird formula - I felt like this took hours to dry, it was just impossible for me to use. I don't need a quick dry top coat (and I feel like I use ones that take a little while to dry like the Essie Gel one) but I need something that's going to dry relatively fast. This one took forever, and just didn't last long either. My nails never held up like they do with my go-to top coats, so I had to stop using it - it just didn't work well for me! 

Mani Mask - Latex-Free Cuticle Protector ~ $9.00 US. The process of artistic creation is messy and spontaneous! We want to do more of what we love, and we sure don't love cleaning. Our Latex-Free Mani Mask Liquid Cuticle Protector will help to make clean-up time quicker and easier. Each handy little bottle comes with 13ml (0.4 fluid ounces) of liquid cuticle barrier. This latex-free formula doesn't come with the offensive smell of latex-based cuticle protectors and is safe for those with allergies and sensitive skin.

Well this just didn't work at all - I like a cuticle barrier for when I'm doing stamping, etc, so I added this to a Maniology order and it was terrible. I applied it as I should, did my nails and then it would not budge trying to remove it. I ended wrecking the skin around my nails trying to get little pieces off with tweezers and honestly just had to leave it - it was so bad. Never to be used again. 

Did you try a really bad product this year?! I'd love to know (you know, as a warning!)

2 comments :

  1. OMG yes that BIO SCULPTURE top coat NEVER dries!!!

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    Replies
    1. Right?! Love their polishes and colours, but noooot this lol

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