BRANDS: LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT

[veronika23]

What brands are you obsessed with and what sparked your love for them? What is it about that specific brand that makes you come back to buy more or try their new products? Any brands you've been disappointed with? Brands that consistently have products that don't seem to live up to the hype... or that just doesn't work for you. Maybe there's a brand you don't want to buy products from due to poor reviews/image. Any brands you've been wanting to try or any that caught your eye due to packaging or a specific product.

Share your stories of brand love and dislike.

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One brand that will always hold a special in my heart is MAC. It was the first higher end brand that I purchased from and what started my love and obsession to makeup! I still remember looking at all the beautiful and endless products they offered. What brought me to them was a lip balm I loved. It was a tinted lip balm and I wanted to match that very specific nude beige to a lipstick and couldn’t find it anywhere else. After seeing the range of color they offered I just fell in love. I must admit that I am a bit disappointed in the brand the last few years… it doesn’t feel like it used to and I can’t really put my finger on what makes me feels this way about them.

KVD is another brand that keeps getting my money. I'm loving pretty much everything she is coming out with! Her packaging and all the work she puts into it make it even more special.  I so wish I would have gotten the face chart reward when it was up. Definitely one of my top brands!

I also want to mention The Body Deli.  I keep repurchasing from them. I love their products and have been using their body line for a while now.  Here's more info about them from their site.

Spoiler

THE BODY DELI is the pioneer in fresh, organic, raw superfood enhanced personal care products. Two Cosmetic Chefs, Margaret Skarin Clark and David Anton Parker, created the brand in the resort towns of Palm Desert and Palm Springs, California in 2001. Two "foodies" with an extensive background in nutrition, raw food, wellness and beauty, envisioned a personal care brand so different, fresh and unique that they started making their own healthy skin care products. Their special method is a process similar to crafting fresh juices and smoothies in a high-end Organic Juice Bar. “Fresh Food for the Skin” was their concept, and since then they have evolved a global brand committed and dedicated to providing the absolute purest alternative for nourishing the face, body and hair. Celebrities, fashion designers, Fortune 500 leaders and health conscious people have fallen in love with The Body Deli’s unique, effective and wonderful creations.

I've mentioned these in the thread today but also a big fan of:

Natasha Denona

Viseart

Pat McGrath

Odacite

Omorovicza 

Love the eye products from the first 3 brands, the serums from Odacite and a few products from Omorovicza. Probably more but just have a huge memory blank right now 😄

[k617]

I agree with most of your leave it brands @Asche! Except Real Techniques...I do have a couple of brushes that I enjoy, but you definitely get what you pay for. They don't perform nearly as well as my IT or my (go-to) Sephora pro brushes!!

I have lots of ColorPop, but after the missing item fiasco with my last order, I've given up on them.

[Asche]

@k617 Color Pop and Real Techniques were definitely in the 'leave it' category because of the youtube shilling. 😛 I have no hands-on experience with either brand, so I can't comment on quality.

I think youtube is a slippery slope for brands. On the one hand, it's a great tool for smaller companies to get their name out into the world. But at a certain point, when it becomes excessive, I stop trusting the youtuber and the brand. It just seems like the brand is paying off youtubers left, right and centre in order to have their product talked-up to the masses. As soon as I start hearing too much about a brand (where they become hyped-up by every youtuber) I feel totally turned-off.

MUG is probably largely to blame why I feel this way. Their eyeshadows were hyped everywhere I looked. I ordered 3 or 4 and was really disappointed. They faded and creased within hours. I use primer and eyeshadow daily, and I've never experienced the fading and creasing like I have with MUG shadows. It also bothered me that they are online-only and don't do refunds. After that experience I really had no interest in trying over-hyped, online-only brands.

[themusefactory]

@Asche - Fan of both KVD and Nars! I'm also the opposite of you with MUFE. I haven't had any luck with the eyeliners but I love the shadows! 

Tarte is going through a brand identity crisis, lets hope they figure it out soon, lol. 

As for the brands being shilled on Youtube, the worst is when a brand you really like gets thrown in with these other brands *Looking at you Ardency Inn*  and you're like "Noooo! Why?" *The chorus of Meatloaf's I would do anything for love but I won't do that starts playing in the background* 

[Asche]

I wish I could give you a hundred hearts @themusefactory!! 😄 You made me burst out laughing.

I hadn't thought of it until you said it, but I completely agree about Tarte. They moved away from the Amazonian Clay theme to the 'Rainforest of the Sea' thing, and then came out of nowhere with the 'Make Believe in Yourself' stuff. It does seem like the brand it trying to find itself. :S

[themusefactory]

@Asche Girl... wouldn't you just love to be a fly on the wall at Tarte when someone it would be a good idea to to name lip liners things like "Thirsty and Turnt Up" 

And then they were like "wait wait... back up... Let's be from the sea!" 

"No stop, lets be Unicorns!" 

Tripping with Tarte... Where you can make-believe in yourself, until you want to be completely different. 

[veronika23]

@themusefactoryhahahah omg you are too funny! 😄

[veronika23]

@Asche  love reading your story on NARS.  I like to know how and why people got started with a particular brand 😉  I agree with the end part of your leave it list.  Huda is really hyped up and why it never really appealed to me... BUT she has a new color out that I'd like to have (silver fox) and she's coming out with her version of toppers that seem interesting so keeping an eye out on those 😉

[Asche]

@veronika23 I almost didn't put Huda on that list. I have nothing against the brand, but it just doesn't interest me. A lot of the other brands on that list are there for better reasons. 😛

[veronika23]

@Asche  I totally understand! I have brands like that too... nothing against them just not for me.

[makeupobesessed]

I love Urban Decay, although as of late, I have skipped many of their palettes.  I really love thier lipsticks and setting spray.

I tend to skip Too Faced for their childish and gimicky packaging.  I also am on the fence with Tarte, and I avoid higher end brands like Tom Ford, etc, because I don't want to start something I can't finish (meaning becoming constantly wanting their latest release when it's pricey for me.)

I tend to skip the LE OMGGOTTAHAVEITBEFOREITSELLSOUTANDEVERYONEWANTSIT because I just dont have time to stalk a product, plus I figure something else always comes behind it and becomes the next big thing.  

[veronika23]

hahahaha the

"OMGGOTTAHAVEITBEFOREITSELLSOUTANDEVERYONEWANTSIT"  is too funny! So true! 😄

[themusefactory]

Love it? Nars. I've never tried I product I didn't like, I might not love it, but it's always been good. Also, they are good at both color and base products. I feel like they have a really solid line. 

Lust it? Charlotte Tilbury. I've recently become a bit obsessed, haha. The things I've tried have been awesome and the customer service is literally amazing. 

Leave it? Brands that bully. It instantly turns me off the brand. 

@veronika23 - A bit long so putting it in a spoiler.

Spoiler

I agree with you about Mac as well. I think the major reason it's not what it once was is because once upon a time if you wanted a color (almost any color) you could hop down to a Mac counter and there it was for a relatively inexpensive price and no having to hunt it down or wait for shipping. Now so many companies offer a huge range as well. So, we as shoppers have options, which is great for us but probably took away a fair few amount of sales from them. Then they started the LE train of hype and low quantity which caused another round of problems and the re-promotes over and over of colors that if they are re-promoting to this level should just be in the perm collection. At this point I think they are surviving on the LE collabs and collections for the bulk of the sales instead of the innovative artistry and interesting product launches - which is probably why you're loving KVD - she's killing it at both right now. 

[veronika23]

@themusefactory  ohhhh I love the lust it part! I should have added that to the title 😄

That make sense about MAC. Not a fan of the same re promotes... Why not bring back some of the older colors from the 90's early 2000's?  Less LE collections and better quality. There was one line I don't know why it's not out now... they discontinued it a while back. It was the hyper real. That was one of the best lines they had and they were ahead of their time since this was all about highlight.  It would probably do well now.  It's like they were the trend setters now they are just falling behind 😞  I think you are totally right about the innovation, artistry and interesting product launches... that they are lacking and KVD is killing it!  Huge fan of her work!

[themusefactory]

@veronika23 What brand do you lust for? Inquiring minds! Haha! 

I want Making Pretty to come back! Maybe they sold the packaging design to Physicians formula? But it's knowing Mac can make great packaging and amazing products, and when it's just bleh, it makes it so much worse. 

Also Mac, if you're reading this, I'm still mad I didn't get ahold of Boom Boom Room! *fist of anger*

[veronika23]

@themusefactoryhmmm well really into Natasha Denona, Viseart and Pat McGrath. Mostly because of their eye products. Really wish Viseart would come out with another bigger palette... pastel mattes would be my dream! Also wish ND would come out with a cooler toned palette. Been obsessing with Odacite serums too... hmmm what else lol  Unicorn Lashes UK is set to get some of my money because of up coming collections (mermaid brushes, holo glosses).  I pretty much love anything mermaid, unicorn, iridescent, opalescent, holo, color changing lol... so I've been buying from different brands... gotta say Milk has also been getting my attention with their new release 😄

ETA: Forgot to say... Black Moon Cosmetics seems to have some cool launches coming up. I'm definitely following that 😄  Oh and Omorovicza!  Obsessing with them too 😄

Oh yeah that was pretty! I have the compact. A very nice BTer tracked it down and sent it to me one year.  Some of my fav packaging was Moonbathe and Lure! Like come on! This is gorgeous!

Spoiler

Oh I'm so sorry you missed out on Boom Boom Room! I can't believe it didn't come back with Bangin' Brilliant!

[themusefactory]

@veronika23 Pat McGrath, why oh why can she not sell things individually! I have some serious lust happening but I can't seem to justify it for 2 out of the 7 products (one really that just makes me feel things, you know, deep feelings, real feelings) 

Thankfully, I am aware that I lack all grace and any kind of fancy handle brushes would survive all of 10 minutes with me, I'm a savage! 

I'm not UK based but I have family there, if you haven't yet, check out Neve cosmetics, they are an Italian brand and have some amazing duo chrome shades! They don't ship to the US but I'd be happy to help and I'm sure a lot of other BT's would too! 

Mac's Lure packaging! Right? And I can't believe they didn't bring it back either with the Bangin' Brilliant! 

Crossing my fingers for a cool toned palette for you love! 

[veronika23]

@themusefactory  yeah that's the only thing that bugs me about her brand. I own so much I'd rather just keep it to stuff I really want 😄

hahahaha your comment is really just too funny! 😄

Oh I have stuff from Neve!!!! Well I have one palette. I was trying to get more at some point but couldn't... and don't remember how I managed to get that one palette to ship to me. Can't recall which retailer.  If you have family in the UK you must ask them to bring you Unicorn Tears Gin sold by Firebox 😄  I just check and they changed the packaging 😞 It was cuter before 😄

Hopefully boom boom room will still make a comeback at some point.

Thx! Natasha is doing a live chat on BT soon so I'll be asking her if she's doing one 😄  I am soooo excited for that chat!

[themusefactory]

@veronika23 Oh! I'll check out the Live chat! And if you ever need someone to get things from the UK for you, shoot me a PM! I have packages going here and there pretty frequently, haha. I'm sure @unfungirl would vouch for me since I'm pretty new to BT but I've done this quite a lot for people on Reddit 🙂 

[unfungirl]

@veronika23 I can definitely vouch for @themusefactory! She's awesome 🙂

[veronika23]

Thanks @unfungirl 🙂

[veronika23]

@themusefactory  thanks for the offer! 🙂  Now you've sparked my interest for Neve again... haha dangerous 😄