disappointing packaging

16.5.14

I'd like to think I'm a practical person but my overwhelming makeup collection says otherwise. After doing a whole post on pretty packaging, I decided to embrace my practical side and show you the products that I love for what's on the inside, even when the outside is terrible. 


Let's get the controversies out of the way first. MAC Lipsticks, like the rest of the beauty world, I love the sleek black bullet. What I don't like is how it's impossible to identify the shades in the permanent collection short of flipping it over and looking at the butt, or pulling off the cap. In cases like this, I'd normally store them upside down, but the bullet tip makes it a bit hard to balance without toppling over. The tarte Glamazon Lipsticks is a tough one. On first glance, the packaging is adorable - I love the bamboo packaging and the print in the shade of the lipstick is adorable. But, there's always a catch, it's deceiving. Almost half a size bigger than the MAC lipsticks, it's disappointing to twist up the tarte lipsticks to find that you have the same amount of product as the MAC ones. It just takes up unnecessary space and gives unrealistic expectations - be ecofriendly and cut out the deceiving bits, tarte! 

I raved about the tarte packagings before, but surprisingly, another one of their product's packaging was questionable, at best. I'm not going to comment on the design of the tarte Cheek Stains as I know it's been revamped to something a lot cuter, but I doubt the tube function has changed. It's one of those products that you have to push from the bottom and it will elevate up, but weirdly enough there isn't a 'go back down' mechanism attached. Meaning if you accidentally push it up too much, the only way down is if you smoosh your finger in it and force it down. Weird, eh? 
I used to love the unique design of the Illamasqua Blushes, but then I got my hands on one of them and was sorely disappointed. It was a lot bulkier than I thought it'd be, and the corners that I once thought was adorable was a hinder to efficient storage. 
I'm not the most careful person with my makeup and having a cardboard packaging, the Stila In The Light Palette has been banged around enough times to look like it has gone through hell and back. There are dents in the corners and even a small chunk of the side is starting to come up. Also, maybe I'm spoilt by my other palettes, but I'd expect the mirror on the inside to be bigger and not have a huge boarder. 
I can't really fault drugstore packaging to be bad, but there are those that are just almost perfection if not the bad design. I've raved about my love for Revlon Superlustous Lipsticks a good amount of times, and just look at how sleek it is - until you look at the top. There's a clear plastic window on top that plunges the expensive look. I get how it's meant for people to see what colour is inside, especially useful when you can't swatch it, but it's just so close to perfection! Another product I've raved on and on about is the NYX Cream Blushes, the quality is ridiculously good but the packaging is flimsy to a sad sad point. I have to chase around the room for this blush when it accidentally pops out of the packaging, it's ridiculous. But nonetheless, the quality is on par with higher end offerings. Last but not least, the Milani Baked Blushes. It could just be me, but I'm not a fan of gold packaging. It's too hard a colour to perfect and can almost always look tacky when not done right. Milani did not do it right, and with the bulky two-layer packaging, it's quite a shame as the product inside is beautiful. I guess the mirror included could theoretically add brownie points, but let's face it, who's going to use the tiny blush mirror? 
A general disappointment is foundations sans pumps. If drugstore foundations can put in the effort to add a pump, then EXPENSIVE BRANDS WHAT ARE YOU DOING??????? *cough* NARS *cough* How expensive can a pump be if I can get a really good one with a £6 foundation? Why can't you just add one to your packaging, or at least design a lid that can still go on if you put on a foundation pump. You aren't doing it right, NARS. 
Packaging can sway me on if I want to buy something or not, but at the end of the day, the really good products are the ones that have disappointing packaging. I mean, if the outside is bad and unappealing and I still want to spend money to have it in my stash, you know the quality is going to be fantastic. Do you have any products that have disappointed you with packaging? 
PS. Don't forget to enter my UK teapigs giveaway! 
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