Products that went *poof* and you wish were back?

[Crumblecakez]

I was just browsing through the Vice lipsticks from Urban Decay as they were my first colored lipstick brand that I actually wore out and about and I realized that some of the shades I have been in love with are 'out of stock' now. Voodoo, which was meh as I didnt wear it much. But Roach (brown), Junkie (green), Big Bang (glitter pink), Studded (brown), and Backfire (purple) are all gone now and I dunno what to do with myself as they are my favorite colors. The only reason it took me so long to notice (I mean they could have gone away last year for all I know) is because I stocked up on 3 of each last time I bought them. 😞 Are there any shades or even entire lines that have retired out that you wish were back?

[cmcalcag]

Sunday Riley's Disrobe body lotion and Artemis Face Oil

[greeneyedgirl107]

Redken All Soft Mega Shampoo been discontinued!  This is the response I got from Redken:

Thank you for contacting Redken.

All Soft Mega products have been replaced and reformulated: All Soft Mega Curls Shampoo l Sulfate-free formula gently cleanses while providing intense nourishment and softness to severely dry, curls and coils*

• Instantly nourishes hair leaving curls looking visibly healthier and less damaged

• Defines, hydrates, and reduces frizz for up to 72 hours*

• Adds softness and shine*

• Vegan formula: no animal derived ingredients

• Improves manageability

 *based on consumer test when using full All Soft Mega Curls system, N=75

Thank you for contacting Redken.

So I wrote a lengthy paragraph to Redken telling them how much I love this product and wanted it back.  Here was their response:

Thank you for contacting Redken.

It was not easy for us to make the decision to discontinue All Soft Shampoo. This was a wonderful product that we know some of our consumers will miss. As consumers ourselves, we understand how disappointing it can be when a favorite product or shade is no longer offered. We will be sure to share your comments with the appropriate department.

[greeneyedgirl107]

I remember hearing ages ago how YSL Glossy Stain Lip Color was a product to look into.  I just never got around to it, probably because back then I wasn't into glosses and it was pricey.  It popped back onto my radar, and now I realize YSL has discontinued it.  

[CattyT3]

Aww no - I really liked the look of this line as well : (

[greeneyedgirl107]

@CattyT3 Every time something "new" comes, we need to remember that something "old" just pushed out.

[danielledanielle]

Sephora's Colorful blush pre-reformulation

E.l.f's beauty shield

CoverFx, I know it's still around (for now), but wish it was still sold at Sephora

Bite's Agave Lip Mask (OG one) and they also had these coffee glosses and their first glosses that came out

Becca's Luminous Blushes

[CattyT3]

I'm crying over Bite Beauty going - honestly love their foundation and I'm so sad I'll never have it again.

[CattyT3]

I'm scared to like lip products any more - that entire Urban Decay Vice range is gone - the one with the pretty metal cylinder packaging. I really hate the clunky cuboid packaging everywhere now and is literally a reason I won't purchase a product - I want things to look good on my shelf or at least not be designed in a way to take up double the space for no reason (I travel a lot). 
All the liquid matte lipsticks I liked from Juvia's Place are now either discontinued or forever waitlisted.
So now I fear for the few lippies I love that aren't gone *yet*.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Crumblecakez I'm scared, too - things come and go so quickly!

[greeneyedgirl107]

Does anyone know what's going on with Lancome L'absolu Lacquer?  (I'm unable to tag.) There used to be a ton of shades (about 29) and now the direct site only has a few...and there are barely any at department store websites.  Just my luck that my workplace finally removes masks, and I can't get my hands on any decent shades. 

I contacted Lancome and this was their response:

"We appreciate your interest in L'Absolu Lacquer Gloss. Unfortunately, we are not sure when or if products are being discontinued or when they will be restocked. If a product you like is out of stock at this time, please click on the 'Notify Me' button on the product page to get an update when the product is back in stock.

We appreciate your understanding and hope you find this information helpful."

Tagging @RGbrown because and I know you're a fan and @WinglessOne because I *think* you are as well (if not, then feel free to disregard).

[WinglessOne]

@greeneyedgirl107  The L'Absolu Lacquers are my favorite lip glosses ever. There were over 30 shades and I have 20 of them. I noticed the shade range shrinking a couple years ago and got nervous that Lancôme might discontinue the whole line. So I started trying other glosses that seemed similar in performance—but I've yet to find a worthy replacement. 😞 Shu Uemura once made a gloss that came close but had shorter wear time. I don't like any of the "vinyl" liquid lipsticks you have shake before use; no brand's version of that comes anywhere near L'Absolu Lacquer's non-stick super glassy shine. Bobbi Brown Crushed Liquid Lipstick is reasonably long wearing and non-sticky but isn't shiny/glassy enough at all. 

Lancôme is known to discontinue any products that don't meet their sales quotas. That's one of the reasons I tried to let as many people know about the L'Absolu Lacquers as possible: I wanted more folks to buy 'em so they wouldn't be discontinued. I can't count the number of times a stranger asked me what gloss I was wearing that day and was shocked to hear the brand name. 😂 "Wait, did you say Lancôme?" Heck, these are the glosses that finally got me into gloss in general. (I was scarred for years by the old school MAC Lipglass, aka lip glue.) So I'm super bummed to 'em go. 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@WinglessOne the rep at the Lancome counter at my local Macy's sd they were being "phased out" which is probably accurate - although I wish their CS would have owned up to it when I e-mailed them.  I bought 4 from NM that didn't work out due to shade issues.   My sister had an in and got me 4 others.   I tried 2 of those so far and they didn't work out either.  One reason may be that since the shades I have access to are diminished, I'm not picking shades that would be optimal for me.  

Two shades I could have avoided, tho, if I had access to my Sephora reviews.  I've been beating myself up for not exploring these further when I knew their potential.   Then, I realized why: I first tried them summer 2019.  Then 2020 hit!

Some were too tacky and idk if I applied too much or if it was old stock.

For some reason I'm so drawn to these that I feel like I might track down any shade I have an interest in because I have the notion that at least ONE will be lovely for me.

Do you think Lancome will come up with something similar?  At first I was hopeful but upon typing I feel like with the popularity of nude lips and the Matte lips that we don't have a chance.   I agree that there's nothing else like these out there. 

[WinglessOne]

@greeneyedgirl107  Aw, I also wish Lancôme's CS would've just admitted these glosses are being discontinued. I don't fully understand why some brands are afraid to notify customers that certain products are going away. They could've noted that on their own product page, instead of making folks nervously watch the dwindling shade range and then being cagey when asked about it. I think most customers appreciate upfront honestly these days. At least NARS and MAC have a section at their sites dedicated to products (or specific shades of products) being discontinued. I've been watching the Audacious bullet lipsticks at NARS's site to see if they add any new shades while discontinuing older ones, and I'm starting to feel a bit more optimistic that the Audacious product line is staying—but that's a different topic. 

Anyway, sorry you've had issues getting some shades to work. The trick with L'Absolu Lacquers is not using more than 3 coats. Seriously, they'll get very gummy and patchy and gross if you apply 4 or more coats. 

• 1 coat = sheer coverage
• 2 coats = demi-sheer to opaque, depending on the shade (deeper bolder shades will be opaque in 2 coats)
• 3 coats = full opacity, if an additional coat's even needed 

The lighter shades I own are never as boldly opaque as the bolder reds, plums, and roses. Well, except for the gold shade... that one reaches full opacity in 2-3 coats. Energy Shot (the coral one) also gets boldly opaque on me. I'm curious which shades you've tried so far. They're all numbered and Lancôme no longer lists them all at their site, but I have a list of all the shade numbers with their names. 🙂 Energy Shot is 315; Gold For It is 500. 

I hope Lancôme replaces them with something worthy, but I have my doubts about that. They tend to kill product lines and never bring 'em back. Then again, they did kinda sorta replace their old Blur & Go primer stick with Lancôme Priming Serum 24 Hour Hydrating Solid Smoothing Primer , though I haven't closely compared INCI lists to see if they're similar enough. I do know the new primer's fragranced. (The old stick wasn't.) Not sure I want the L'Absolu Lacquers back if they're gonna be drastically reformulated for potentially worse. 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@WinglessOne I completely, 100%, absolutely agree with your whole first paragraph!

I appreciate your tips!  I think one issue was that some of them were a bit thick.  BUT, I take a lot of the credit for mis-use.  One thing for me was that I kinda knew the doe foot applicator had too much product but I went ahead with it.  I borrowed a few loose ones from Ulta, as they don't sell them, and plan on trying them to get a little less product to apply.

That's a shame that Lancome won't bring things back.  But even if they did, it would be a long time before we'd see them again since they kinda just started to eliminate this product.  It's just such an amazing formula.  

I kinda blind bought the shades as there weren't testers to be had.  I could have eliminated two purchases if I had better access to my Sephora reviews*.  I haven't been able to pull them up for ages, so after I made some missteps I did it the hard way and went through almost all the pages of reviews before I found mine.

I bought the following (my notes to myself were rushed):

Nuit & Jour (one I had written a review on but didn't know): Too shell/orange

Pour Toujour: Looked pink online and in the tube but was too orange-y/beige/neutral

Be Unique: Too bright

Power Rose: Too bright

Rose Fugace: Too red/brick red

Infra Rose (one I had written a review on but didn't know): Too muddy/ruddy; had to layer a lot to get color

The brights were quite pretty, I will say that!  I still have two left to try, but I don't have the names on hand.  

[Guessgal]

@WinglessOne I'm so glad that I stumbled across your conversion regarding the Lancôme l'Absolu Lacquers. Too be honest, I didn't purchase these before because lacquers tend to feel too thick for me, but after reading both of you gushing about them (and the fact that they're being discontinued 😬), I figured this was my last chance to try. I saw they were half price during the Sephora Canada Day weekend sale, but ofc they sold out too quickly. Luckily, I found them at Shoppers and for slightly cheaper too! Thank goodness for SDM in Canada - I think everyone just flocks to Sephora, so SDM is great for slow pokes like me 😂

Anyway, here are the shades I chose! @greeneyedgirl107 like you, I also thought Be Unique looked too bright of a pink in online swatches so I ended up taking it out of my basket... however, the colour also looked kinda similar to Power Rose so I'm not sure if I should've gotten that one haha 🙈 I almost got the shade Not Afraid, as the dark plum shade looked lovely but I saw at least two Youtubers show that it was patchy on their lips so I figured I wouldn't risk it for now. Thanks again to you both for sharing your thoughts on these!

[WinglessOne]

@Guessgal  Yay, I’m glad you were able to find some of these glosses! Kudos for Shoppers for having some of the bolder shades in stock, and at a good price. 

I never bought 321 Be Bright (surprisingly) but I do have the other shades you mentioned/listed. I love Not Afraid and it’s not patchy on me, especially compared to many other purple glosses (and bullets) I’ve tried—but I know some folks had issues with that shade. Deep purples in general are problem children. 😄 Power Rose is one of my favorites: it’s cooler toned than Be Unique. The 2 that are closer together are Brave Lips and Be Brilliant: the latter’s a hair cooler rose toned than the former. 

Comparison swatches for the heck of it, on white paper towel because my natural lip coloring often skews gloss shades: 

366 Power Rose, 378 Be Unique, 134 Be Brilliant, and 142 Brave Lips.

I hope you enjoy yours! 

[Guessgal]

Ooo thank you for the swatches, @WinglessOne ! After seeing them, I’m glad I chose Power Rose over Be Unique, as the former is more my shade 😁 and wow you’re right about the two reds… very similar indeed! Well, I guess I’ll need to find some more occasions to wear a red out 😛

[RGbrown]

@greeneyedgirl107 

No clue exactly what's going on, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're being discontinued 😔 I noticed shades being pulled from both Ulta and Sephora last year (or maybe even two years ago now) as they sold out after a really nice sale. It's such an amazing formula, so it's disappointing that they're getting hard to find!

[greeneyedgirl107]

@RGbrown you had posted a pic of swatches of the shades u owned years ago, and I bookmarked it.  Now, I can't find it.  I was going to use it to help me blind buy any shades that were available that interested me (many u had did).   Sigh.  I guess u snooze, you lose!

[jyeezy31]

Hi @Crumblecakez 

I miss all of the LIPSTICKQUEEN 👑 lipsticks & lip balms way too much & try to find it whenever/wherever I can but it's getting harder... I hope that they will get back in business someday.... so unique & fun + great performance too

Totally agree with you about good memories of long ago Urban Decay Vice Days... I liked Manic  still have one that I'm holding onto although for some reason the shade doesn't look as good as I used to think it did anymore - 🙂

Also miss some of the old Smashbox lippies... still ok, but don't hydrate as well

What I miss the most is the original YSL Volupte-Tint-In-Balm (had the silver YSL monogrammed case & the black heart at the center of the lipstick), they changed the formula... so sad! 

SOOO many AMAZING products have been either discontinued or have been reformulated ... no idea why or how these decisions are made because so often the newer versions don't stack up.... maybe using cheaper ingredients or outsourcing... who knows?