ANTI-HAUL: Nine Products I Will NOT Be Buying

Hello, friends! I’ve been wanting to make a post like this for a while because there’s been so much new make-up recently and I find it almost as interesting to read about what people don’t want than what they do want. If you’re like me and you have more make-up than you know what to do with, you really don’t need anything else, but the powers of Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and reading other blogs often get the better than me. I’m weak, but I also like to think that I’ve become a touch more discerning as my collection has grown, and I’m getting better at picking and choosing what I want.

Maybe.

Okay, fine, probably not.

The point is, having seen a lot of the new releases on social media and hearing other bloggers and beauty gurus chat about them, I’ve been able to create a list of products that have come out in the past few months or are due to hit the UK in the next few months that I will not be spending my hard-earned cash on. Obviously I’m not out here trying to shade brands, because most of these come from brands I truly love, and also if you have any of these products and you like them then happy days! But if you are like me and have no intention of picking these up, then please do let me know why – is it for the same reason as me, or something different?

So let’s crack on!

Benefit They’re Real Double The Lip Lipstick & Liner (£16.50, buy here)

I don’t really *get* this product. You’re supposed to be able to line your lips with the tip of the lipstick and then fill them in with the flat side, but… isn’t that what most of us do with a standard lipstick anyway? It just feels incredibly gimmicky because essentially it’s just slightly pointier than a regular lipstick bullet, and nobody is going to end up applying it any differently to a regular lipstick if they’re in a rush, or forget to actively apply it as instructed. The shade range doesn’t thrill me either, and it’s just not something I’d ever go to the Benefit counter to actively try. I have enough lipsticks as it is, and nothing about this product interests me even a little bit.

Real Techniques Sculpting Sponge (£7.99, buy here)

What is this sponge going to do for me and my contour that a regular Beauty Blender/other beauty sponge (I’ve been loving the ones from Tarte and from Tiger at the moment) won’t do for me? If anything, the odd shape will make it more difficult to work with and again, it’s the kind of gimmicky product that I’d use maybe once or twice to see if it makes a difference, but I much prefer using my normal sponge for cream bronzing/contouring because I feel like it gives you a more seamless blend into your base. Two sponges is more of a faff to me, and more to clean and more to remember to dampen. I’ll pass.

Stila Star Light Star Bright Highlighting Palette (£32, buy here)

This is kind of a cheat entry, because I did actually purchase this but then I returned it after swatching a friend’s. I wish I’d done more research before I had, however, because these highlighters are not the consistency I want from a highlighter, and honestly, they blend away into absolutely nothing. It’s so sad because I’m a highlight junkie and Stila is one of my absolute favourite brands, and I’m such a sucker for anything to do with their Kitten collection. Save your money, buy their Magnificent Metal Eyeshadows instead, and use highlighters you know and trust rather than trying to make these work. This is probably the thing in this list I’m most disappointed with.

Kylie Cosmetics Kylighters ($22 each, buy here)

Nothing about this launch appeals to me, a highlighter junkie, even a little bit. On her snapchat the swatches look chunky and too glittery, the shade range is super underwhelming, and honestly, do I need to wait for a month and pay an extortionate amount in customs for highlighters in shades that I’ve already got five of? No, I don’t. Next.

Urban Decay ‘Naked Ultimate Basics’ eyeshadow palette (£39.50, buy here)

Urban Decay is one of my all-time favourite brands, for everything other than eyeshadow. I’ve given away all my Naked palettes, and while I reach for my Electric palette fairly often, I haven’t reached for my Full Spectrum palette in ages. Now, this palette is nice, but that’s all it is to me – nice – and nice ain’t worth 40 quid in my opinion. I find the top row of colours pretty samey, not enough variety to get me excited, and I don’t think I’d reach for this over my Modern Renaissance palette or my Make Up Geek shadows. Sorry!

Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Quad eyeshadow palette (£17 each, buy here)

The Shade and Light eye palette is an absolutely incredible palette, and her shadows are well known for being high standard across the board. I don’t doubt that the shadows are high quality here, but I don’t get these little four piece palettes at all. None of them are anything I would ever reach for, and the colour selection in all of them is confusing. It just doesn’t seem like it makes a look, at least not one that’s everyday wearable, and with a palette like that I’d want to be able to grab it in a hurry and wack out an obvious look, but there isn’t an obvious look to be created from any of these. Very strange product, if you ask me.

Jeffree Star Cosmetics Androgyny Palette (£40, buy here)

Do I really need to explain why I don’t need more Jeffree Star Cosmetics in my make-up collection? Moving on…

KVD x Too Faced ‘Better Together’ eyeshadow palette (£57, buy here)

I really didn’t mean to bash as many eyeshadow palettes as I have in this video, but palettes to me are more of a commitment than any other make-up product. I have my favourites and I tend to stick to them, but then I also have my unique palettes that provide me with shimmers or pops of colour here and there. This palette would have absolutely no place in my collection at all. I like the concept of the two brands combining, and it is two brands I do really enjoy, but these palettes don’t have any cohesion and it feels like another gimmick. All the thought seems to have gone into the packaging over the product itself, because like I said about the previous palettes, I wouldn’t be able to make a look with this easily. It’s also hella expensive for not a lot, and I don’t understand it at all.

Kevyn Aucoin The Exotique Diamond Eye Gloss (£30.50, buy here)

Listen, if there’s ever a time I think spending 30 quid on eye gloss is an acceptable move then I’ve either completely lost the plot or had too much vodka. What the hell, Kevyn Aucoin, what the hell. Nothing in the world can justify this much money on something I could achieve with my Soap & Glory clear lip gloss and some pigment. Honestly.

Please do let me know your opinions of these products below, especially if you have purchased or tried these yourselves! Thanks for reading, peace out!

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