Beauty Products That Totally Disappointed Me In 2016

Products that have disappointed me or haven't quite worked the way that I might have hoped are typically things that don't get much air time on the blog. Mostly because I try not to moan and also because I feel bad bashing a product when I have no idea how much hard work must have gone into formulating it. But then I remember that a beauty product really isn't going to take it personally if I didn't like it and talking about the disappointments isn't always a negative thing. So here are a few beauty products that really didn't work out for me in 2016.

MAXFACTOR FALSE EPIC LASH MASCARA*: I think like the vast majority of the beauty lovers in the world I've used the original Maxfactor False Lash Effect and loved it. So I was pretty excited when this new release landed and from what the name suggests I was expecting it to give me big beautiful voluminous lashes but it fell flat [quite literally]. The wand is quite unusual and there is an odd spiky ball on the end which seems to popular with mascaras now but I never find them to work very well. This just didn't really do anything for my lashes, it coated them of course and gave me a little bit of a lift but to even get it to that point it took a lot of effort. And if I'm putting that work into a product I want it to give my lashes some serious lift.

CLARINS INSTANT LIGHT RADIANCE BASE*: It pains me to put a Clarins product in this mix and this is something I had incredibly high hopes for as it's something that I've seen on various blogs for years. And of course the packaging is absolutely beautiful but this just didn't work well for me at all. No matter what moisturiser I use before this when I apply the primer the two in combination pill and ball up so badly that it makes it completely impossible to apply a base over the top. And even though it did make my skin look lovely the formulation is impossible to work with.

ELEGANT TOUCH RIDGE FILLER*: My nails aren't too bad in terms of ridges and texture but anything that can help to smooth them out is welcome in my routine. And this does smooth out the nails but it also makes my polish peel off. Which is great when you've got a full glitter manicure but for a normal paint job that you want to stay on your nails for longer than a few days it's not the best. It sucks that this one doesn't work as the other base coats in the Elegant Touch line work beautifully.

LOOK GOOD FEEL BETTER ANTIBACTERIAL BRUSH SET*: This year I've totally fallen in love with the LGFB brushes, they're fantastic quality and apply product beautifully. I had high hopes for this brush kit as it's anti-bacterial which sounds like the dream when you're someone who is spot prone. And the brushes are wonderful to use and they're incredibly soft. Until you wash them, the one photographed is one that hasn't been washed yet after what happened to the others in the set. When they dry they don't retain their shape and the softness just disappears and they become pretty much unusable. At first, I thought it was the soap that I was using but after trying multiple options it always ended with the same result.

CLARINS INSTANT LIGHT NATURAL LIP PERFECTOR*: Another product from Clarins and this is another one that I find painful to include. I don't think I've ever seen anyone speak badly about these lip products and it's well loved by so many other bloggers. And it's not necessarily a bad item but when I applied it was just kind of nothing on the lips. Yes, it added a pretty sheen and felt hydrating but really it was just kind of a nothing item and you could achieve the same effect from something much cheaper.

THE BODY SHOP MATTE LIP LAQUER*: Liquid lipsticks are incredibly popular right now and when they have a good formulation I love to use them. And even though of course matte lipstick formulations are bound to be a little drying. But with the right prep, you can wear them comfortably and they don't make your lips look absolutely disgusting and like the skin is peeling off. The formulation of these lip lacquers from The Body Shop was super disappointing, they don't apply smoothly and appear streaky on the lips. And then once they've dried down they're just unflattering.

2 ITEMS FROM PIXI*: Pixi is one of my all-time favourite skincare brands without a doubt. And it's not the formulation of these products that's the problem it's the packaging. And when a product has packaging that is completely dysfunctional, especially when it's a little more expensive is just not ok in my book. The Pixi Milky Serum which has the same pipette is the Rose Oil [which I've photographed for illustrative purposes] is pretty much useless. The serum is quite thick and goopy in consistency so trying to get it up and through the pipette is impossible and too wasteful to try and pour it out. It should be in a tube really as the serum is thick enough so that it wouldn't just leak out. And then the Makeup Fixing Mist is a product that I adore but the pump has completely broken and you can see that I didn't get to use it that much before it gave up. And it's not something you can really douse over a cotton round if you want to spritz it over a full face of makeup.