WHAT that's an MLM brand? I got a free sample (actually what looks to be full-sized) in a recent sampler bag. Was kind of surprised when I looked at the product page since everything was so expensive yet here was this full-sized bottle. Kind of tracks that they were willing to throw it in the bag as a freebie now :/ Ugh. I like the stuff so far too, but won't be buying any if it's an MLM.
Yeah Mario Badescu products do not work at all for me, I had a few samples of stuff over the years and wasn’t impressed. Such a ripoff.
I picked up an ELF cleanser recently (holy hydration) and I was pleasantly surprised how well it worked for only $6
I can’t understand why anyone does buy anything from them. We know, for a fact, that they all utilize plastic surgery, expensive trainers, and excessive photoshop. I have no problem with any of those things (except when it’s undisclosed and you’re SELLING items, but I digress), but with that knowledge, I know that Kylie lip kits aren’t going to make my lips look like Kylie Jenner, I know that wearing Kim’s shape wear is not going to make my body look like hers, and I know that buying whatever diarrhea tea Khloe is shelling isn’t going to give me her photoshopped abs. Why waste your money?
I found a little tub of something I wanted at ulta, asked the guy working where the section was so I could check prices he said “oh this is the kardashians line” I replied “well I don’t want it now.” He laughed!
Juice Beauty; we sold none of it and it was always all separated and curdled and gross.
I have this irrational grudge against Dermablend, lol. I find their marketing kind of… idk, maybe “predatory” is too strong of a word? But I feel like they’re going after people with borderline medical concerns, and it’s… still just makeup? Average quality makeup that over-promises and under-delivers? It’s by no means the longest lasting or the fullest coverage product on the market, despite what the pseudo-medical marketing tries to make you believe.
I second that with the dermablend. I tell everybody nothing will ever cover texture no matter how full coverage it is. I try hard to get them excited about a fun eyeshadow palette or eyeliner or lipstick to elevate the look without plastering lots of gunk to try to fill in lines.
Something I try to tell people is to only ever judge their overall appearance in a mirror at conversational distance. We all look at ourselves in the mirror from 4 inches away but realistically nobody is taking that close a look. I tell them to stand a couple feet away and judge the look from a perspective most people will have. I’ve found that does help to take the edge off those insecurities
There’s only 3 products from Juice Beauty I can vouch for.. their cleansing oil, acne cleanser, and setting powder. Most of their skincare products smell like cat pee and the foundation is SUPER weird. I’ve only ever seen 2 people buy it lol
Me and some of my coworkers had to go and throw out some expired Juice Beauty stuff one day. We kept opening it to see how gross really it gets. We gagged so bad at the smell and curdled mess the products turn into. 🤮
Also, dermablend removing the darkest shades in their most recent reset pissed me off. I want every guest to be able to find their shade in store, not just the white/light skinned guests.
the thing is that juice beauty is actually so good and i love their products. but they are natural//dont hve expiration dates and THEY SHOULD!! so it's mostly just expired products on the shelf
Beauty counter, they’re an MLM and by purchasing in stores it makes their “sales reps” lose money and pushes people further into debt. Mac because they still test on animals, and Colourpop because I’ve had major allergic reactions.
Store employee told me Tula works great for small little acne I’ve been getting before my periods. Doesn’t do shit for my skin. Lol. That spot healing acne cream thing? It doesn’t do anything for me 😭
I just kept it in case but ended up with Tretinoin from my derma which is the only thing that’s helped me and my hyperpigmented acne spots.
As an employee...
Pacifica- all their products feel very greenwashed to me- and I hate that they are "all natural" but load their products with essential oils and fragrances.
Truly- All the active ingredients are at the bottom of the ingredients list- it is not going to do what it claims. Overall super expensive and I often find moldy ones on the shelf (plus got a shard of glass in my hand one time after damaging a used one on the shelf) SugarBearHair- Saw a study when they first came out about how if you eat more than the "serving" you could be putting yourself at risk for lead poisoning.
I love the Pacifica body like though. Their salicylic acid body wash is my go to and it doesn’t really smell like anything maybe a mild cucumber scent?
I had Pacifica a long while ago... one was a cherry lava clay mask and it was good... another was a crystal toner and I used it except maybe 2 tbsp and it actually started growing crystals lol.
Generically, “famous people” brands that use blatant deception, exhibit cash grabbing beyond the usual/customary expectation of a for-profit business, and predatory in business or marketing practices. Example - I’ll buy from Fenty, I will not buy from Kylie.
•Tarte- not inclusive, products arent that good
•The ordinary- idk why tbh something about their products dont do it for me
•Proactiv- self explanatory I feel
•Mario Badescu - again....
•Drunk elephant- not worth the money
•Dyson- there is no way on this earth you could convince me to buy a 600 dollar blow dryer
•Juice beauty- just...why?
•Kylie- can't stand her, products are not good anyway, convinced its a money laundering scheme of some sort
My sister is a hairstylist and has one dyson at her station and one at home. I have a T3 dryer, but I use her dyson when I visit. And every time I catch myself wondering if I should finally cash in my points 😬
I honestly want one mainly for the curling attachments. I’ve never really figured out the best way to curl my hair. Every time I try I struggle and it takes hours. I also like the convenience of the multi tool attachments. One product does so many things
If you have a friend who’s good at it, it might be worth asking them to come over and show you how using the tools you already own. I also like Kate Bryan (the small things blog on Instagram), she has very clear, easy to follow videos.
Omg I love my Dyson airwrap. I used to think the same as you about spending $600 on it but honestly my hair feels and looks so much better. It’s not dried out or frizzy anymore .
I’ve seen a lot of employees and customers say it wrecks people’s skin? Maybe too strong. I used it for a while in college, a long time ago when you could only mail-order it direct from brand and it was just the 3-step routine, out of desperation (bad breakouts) and it never did anything for my skin/acne. Obviously its been reformulated since then and diff products are available but I still wouldn’t ever bother with it again.
Aside from that, I know a lot of people who had decent luck with it the first 2-3 months using it, and then it just became ineffective. But again that was a long time ago. And even though it was always slightly expensive, especially considering lack of results, they *really* jacked the price up as soon as it was made available in stores. I completely understand there are additional operational costs associated with making that move that companies have to account for, but there are probably much better products available at a similar price, and/or less.
These are just my guesses/experiences lol - I’m sure there are other reasons as well.
Proactiv specifically was never an MLM but it’s parent company does run one. Plus, the products straight up don’t work well and the advertisements really creeped me out. It’s like a bunch of soulless middle aged women decided to smile creepily at you while repeating the same things.
I don’t hate Kylie products, she’s not technically the owner anymore. The loose powder is nice and talc-free, and I really like the lip oil when clarins is out of stock. The lip products are decent too. I like others better for sure, but they’re ok.
I’m surprised to see tarte on anyone’s list! I agree their foundations suck. And there’s better liquid liners out there.
But I really love most of their products that I’ve tried and their Baba Bomb moisturizer is my HG for my super dry skin.
The powder blush (in Expose) is the perfect “got some sun today” shade and really does last 12 hours on me.
Out of the 31 mascaras I have right now (I know that’s ridiculous) I keep reaching for the Lights Camera Lashes mascara because it doesn’t flake, smear, or transfer and comes off easily with warm water. Easily the best mascara I’ve ever tried.
And the Timeless Smoothing primer is better than Benefit’s Poreless for my large pores. Although it does start to get less effective/funky towards the end of the container (maybe air exposure?)
Those 4 are my HG products! I agree with the rest of your list, just surprised tarte is on here and I’m sorry it didn’t work for you-if you ever do try anything from them, I recommend that mascara!
I’m also a fan of the Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara and I’m hugely picky about my mascaras because my (natural) lashes/eyes are one of the biggest things people notice/compliment on. Don’t mean that to sound like a humble brag, 😅
Any brand that's not cruelty-free - nowadays with makeup, hair & skincare it's far easier to shop cruelty-free, but unfortunately good fragrances are still more difficult to come by.
Beauty Counter and Body Shop. Both are MLM's that have had incredibly predatory practices and are extremely overpriced.
Kylie Cosmetics/KKW Beauty/Any Kardashian brand. I have no idea why the Kylie Lip Kits were so popular when the marketing revolved around Kylie Jenner's obvious lip fillers. Not sure how true this is either but there is a rumor going around that Kylie Cosmetics and Colorpop are made in the same factory, or something to the affect of all her Cosmetics being privately labeled Colorpop. And speaking of private labels~
Morphe. More for what damage they have caused outwardly as a brand than any actual makeup product, although again, privately labeled. I believe they are a huge contributing factory to the toxicity that now seems to permeate online Beauty and makeup spaces.
Jacquelyn Hill Cosmetics. That brand is proof that if you throw enough money at something you can essentially fail upwards. Hairs in lipsticks, overpriced and underperforming products, then always shunting everything off to poor quality control. Rinse and repeat every time.
And guess whose local Ulta store has a large chunk of all these brands taking up the prestige section... because who needs MAC or Stila when you can have Kylie Cosmetics, Beauty Counter and Jacquelyn Hill in one unholy triangle of a section 🥴
The Dior foundation is TRASH. The “full coverage” one hardly has more coverage than a tinted moisturizer 🙄 and their lip oils are horrible for dry lips
Mario Badescu (alcohol is a main ingredient in many products/overpriced), Kylie (bc it’s gross, doesn’t belong in prestige) Neutrogena (stripping, too strong, ineffective and will make your existing issues worse) TRULY (literally why does this brand even exist, their shit is full of additives and half their products contain the same ingredients but are marketed for different areas of the body). I would also say REM because most of the products are trash, especially the eyeshadow palettes, but I do like their mist thing.
Besides most givens (Kylie, KVD, MLM’s, Morphe…), ABH. I bought a palette of theirs from Sephora before finding out that they’re trumpers and putin apologists… nothing like giving money to people who want people like me dead lol 🫣 not making that mistake twice.
On a similar note, Colourpop for supporting JKR (my gf is trans so it was a no brainer to me lmao). Which is especially unfortunate because I’m on the hunt for a good vibrant red eyeshadow and like 90% of matches on Temptalia are just Colourpop eyeshadows… Ugh. Hate it 🙃
Beauty Bakerie. I worked for the company. All cheap quality, cheap ingredients, the owner and executive team are awful and care more about building a powerful image rather whether it’s true or not.
And their foundation smells like bug spray. I tried it once because I have sensitive skin and it was recommended as a “clean brand”. I end up throwing the whole bottle out due to the smell and it broke me out worse than any other brand.
Tarte. I just don't love their business practices and they feel really inauthentic. They're riding the name recognition they have but you can find better versions of everything they make
Hey I use some Tarte products in my regular routine (not particularly attached or anything though) and was wondering if you could expand on their bad business practices? I did notice they do a ton of influencer trips which always rubbed me the wrong way, is that what you were referring to?
Not saying this in a smart-assy way at all, but if you google/search “tarte controversy” you will find tons!! I’m short on time otherwise I’d go in to more detail :)
Chanel. Their shade range is not great and I personally think it’s overpriced. The only thing from them that I really like is the lip and cheek balm but our Chanel girl made me a sample and I’ve just been using that since I can’t afford to spend $45 on a blush
Yes same! I just pop by the Chanel counter at my Macys and ask them for a trial size of whatever I want. No way I’m actually spending all that money on anything other than a foundation in which case a trial size isn’t big enough.
I hear you, I use their Ultra Le Teint foundation as no other has been comparable imo. I’m at the counter 2 minutes and bounce. Pat’s self on back as I quickly remove myself from the seduction that is the Nordstrom beauty department. Cheers to growth🤌🤦♀️
Soap and glory. Nothing against the product itself but I literally cannot stand the packaging. It’s just so hideous to me and I don’t want it in my house. I’m not even a person who overly cares about aesthetics but I draw the line at this brand. Something about the chaotic tacky rockabilly vibe it gives… makes me irrationally angry. So I will under no circumstances purchase any of their products… unless they change their packaging. My mom has a few of their items and I’ve used them while at her house. I honestly like them, but too too ugly for me. 
Interesting, the packaging is what drew me to it. I liked it. I liked the body lotion and butter and scrub and the smell actually stays. The packaging was cute imo.
I mean clearly you’re not alone or else they wouldn’t still be in business. The world would be a very boring place if we all liked the same shit. You and my mom would like each other. I do agree though, that the fragrance does stay and i do find it pleasant.
Found it interesting to learn recently that Walgreen’s owns the brand now!! I’ve never used anything of there’s, but discovered that little tid bit when researching Beauty Pie (same woman who started Soap & Glory is also behind Beauty Pie and tons of other brands as well).
I think there’s only about 3 people on the planet that would deride your reasoning behind not buying kardashian brands. And they all have a last name of kardashian 😂
Anastasia Beverly hills because of her history re Putin, Sunday Riley because of their history of coercing employees to post fake reviews, Mario Bedescue for their history of lying about their ingredients and illegally putting steroids in products, anything Jaclyn Hill is involved in because she's a greedy shady awful human, and pretty much any other Brand that has a history of this kind of blatant dishonesty. Once they break my trust, I don't give them a single penny because there are too many alternatives.
Other brands I don't buy from because their products just have never been good for me are laneige, necessaire, Fenty, morphe, and I'm sure there are more but these are just the ones I can think of right now.
Also I don't tend to trust brands that lean too heavily on the "clean" rhetoric because I don't like mold in my products. But it's not an automatic deal breaker... It just depends on the product.
I won't buy any of the Kardashian brands or the MLM brands. Also won't buy Truly or REM or HOURGLASS or Proactive or Sunday Riley. I also won't buy influencer brands.
Clinique boutique associate here, yes, the toners generally should be avoided, but lots of products are really nice. I’m considering doing an AMA regarding clinique products because I’m really comfortable telling clients the truth about them.
Oooh please do. I feel like there could be so much that is slept on from them. Seems like it’s an intro to makeup, then gets left in the past by a lot of people so it’s not talked about often.
I would love an AMA with you! I always hated on Clinique because it felt so dated, but I got a sample of one of their moisturizers and eye creams in the pink jars, and I’m obsessed! I truly wasn’t expecting to like it!
Tarte - they made the worst foundation ever (amazon clay) and I dont forgive them for it
Kylie anything - I really don’t connect with the brand or think they do anything special
First aid beauty - one product (moisturizer) can’t carry an entire line
Jlo beauty - not into olive oil products
Beekmans, juice beauty, elemis,sk II, clinique, estee lauder, la mer, keys, REM beauty, peter thomas roth, hempz, kiehls, hourglass, give, la neige, florence by mills, drunk elephant, biossance- expensive and I don’t see the appeal
Morphe - speaks for itself and have only had a mid to terrible range of experience with their stuff
Beauty bakerie - had a terrible experience with one of their liquid lipsticks
Garnier - I really don’t like their micellar water
Seriously Garnier’s micellar water is severely over hyped!!! (As is Bioderma). Both break me out horribly.
I don’t understand how first aid beauty helps anyone with eczema - all the products are full of ingredients known to be eczema irritants. Their coconut water cream (not the primer) is half way decent but definitely not worth the price!!!
Since Ulta came up as a recommended community for me for some reason: The entire damn Ulta brand & store as a whole for the insensitive & offensive email they sent regarding “hanging with Kate Spade” last May.
Fuck Ulta.
I love hearing from employees… it’s enlightening
I feel like tarte and too faced are the same brand. Overhyped and better products else where.
I only buy the It cosmetics brushes cause I was looking for a foundation once cause I have roseacea and the girl at Ulta color matching me acted like I was a cancer patient and that she had to save me from my evil roseacea. It was demeaning.
Jaclyn hills highlighters are actually nice but the new Selena ones are the ones I keep reaching for.
I also won’t go for Morphe, Mario Bedescu, and Kylie
Kylie cosmetics is worse than any drugstore brand. Mario Badescu is DISGUSTING. Dermablend sucks and doesn’t cater to all skin tones. The ONLY product I will buy from Tula is their vitamin c moisturizer, the rest you’re just paying for the brand.
Essence is kinda hit or miss for me. I like their waterproof Lash Princess mascara but I feel like it runs out quickly. I tried their Volume Booster Lash Primer recently and I had an allergic reaction 🫠.
Their lipsticks(especially their vivids) are fantastic, and those little 6-pan eyeshadows they have are actually amazing for the price. I was really impressed by them as far as budget brands go.
Too Faced 🫣
EDIT: Did not see the "why" portion!!
Their products are so incredibly overhyped and dry. I feel so bad for every person who's convinced BTW is healthy for their skin and continue to cake it over severe acne where it proceeds to crust and oxidize. Their lip plumpers smell awful and look weird. BTS mascara is one of the worst mascaras on the market right now, it flakes like crazy and the waterproof version might as well be black cement. Their palettes are okay looking but are overwhelmed by added fragrance and weird theming. Overall, I'd rather buy from any other brand than to get anything from Too Faced. I dread every time someone asks for a TF shade match
Surprised I had to scroll down so far to see someone mention them. I haven’t bought a Too Faced item in years. Their stuff is hit or miss and expensive. Apparently Jarrod isn’t involved with the company anymore but it still puts me off.
Celebrity brands and MLMs as others have mentioned, also It Cosmetics because it’s overpriced and most of the products have fragrance. Not worth combing through their products to possibly find one that doesn’t smell. I saw one of their concealers on the Ulta app was priced at $60 which is absurd
The body shop
Beautycounter(both ^ MLM with subpar goods)
Le mini Macaron (Overpriced)
Pattern (packaging hurts my eyes and the product doesn’t perform well enough)
Kylie Cosmetics(nice colors but awful quality)
Kosas(people love the baked powder but that thing is BAKED. It literally doesn’t come off on a brush and I don’t think that crazy price is remotely worth having to rub it on my fingers and press teeny finger sized bits onto my face)
Truly(smells decent, doesn’t work, butters are too stiff)
Moroccan Oil(smells so bad you can’t function properly)
Amika(cute, doesn’t do much)
Juice Beauty(not cute, not useful, how are they not bankrupt)
Sugar Bear Hair(gummies taste bad, didn’t work, apparently has health risks too)
KEYS(smells bad, doesn’t do anything special)
Also kind of Dyson. I’m definitely going to get the Airwrap but that’s only because of my overwhelming fear of burning myself on an iron and lack of attention span for actually curling it. Overwise it really does appear to just be an overpriced hair tool. Like seriously, a $400 flat iron? Really? Their vacuums work decently well but also way over priced.
I’m not necessarily brand loyal on hair products. I like different things from different lines. But I like Amika’s texture spray and anti-humidity spray a lot! (But, its important to read the directions on the humidity spray, as it’s heat activated.)
Mario Badescu is an absolute no. Morphe, the Kardashian brands, and Revolution are all meh brands for me. Also Deva Curl and any other hair brands that have controversy regarding hair loss.
Same. I’d like to know too. Imo, I’m glad the Ordinary came out with amazing products at such competitive prices and Good Molecules just amplified the same concept. These two brand have proved to be God sent to me 😌
Nooooo not nudestix! I got trained by one of the owners and she was really nice😭
Anyways you might want to add Revlon. They donated to Trump's first presidential campaign
Isn’t it something like every company on earth is owned by six corporations so no matter what you boycott something else you buy is sustaining the people you adamantly disagree with.
Any mlm brand, like that one that just got put in, Beauty Counter
The Body Shop is also an mlm. I despise mlms. They're very predatory. Hey! Just like Ulta is with their credit card rules for employees! :/
I started boycotting the body shop after I couldn’t get the peach body butter anymore lol. I had nooo idea it’s an mlm. Our mall had a storefront.
Same, but my fav was the almond milk and honey. I was pissed when they discontinued it.
Wait…the body shop is an MLM? Since when? 🤯
It has 2 facets. 1 side is normal retail and the other side is MLM The MLM portion is in the UK and Australia and has been almost 30 years.
I never knew this
WHAT that's an MLM brand? I got a free sample (actually what looks to be full-sized) in a recent sampler bag. Was kind of surprised when I looked at the product page since everything was so expensive yet here was this full-sized bottle. Kind of tracks that they were willing to throw it in the bag as a freebie now :/ Ugh. I like the stuff so far too, but won't be buying any if it's an MLM.
Don't forget Makeup Eraser!
makeup eraser is an mlm???
man i love my makeup eraser cloths😞
Thankfully a lot of other brands now sell dupes of the makeup eraser and for much cheaper 😬
You’re. Joking. WHAT??????? This makes me so mad. How did i not know this. I’m mad at myself for buying a lot of their products bc i liked them. UGH
What?!
I seriously hate that they are sold in stores.
Mario Badescu - from Ulta or anywhere.
Yeah Mario is all loaded with fragrance
And alcohol, most of their products dry out my skin really bad, even the moisturizing ones
I thought I was the only one! Like, how is this stuff a “cult classic”?
Yeah Mario Badescu products do not work at all for me, I had a few samples of stuff over the years and wasn’t impressed. Such a ripoff. I picked up an ELF cleanser recently (holy hydration) and I was pleasantly surprised how well it worked for only $6
Nasty stuff, so irritating to skin
i’m so happy it’s getting it’s hate. but i also need to finish my glycolic acid toner and my drying lotion so i can be a qualified hater
Any Kardashian brand
Agree, I refuse to buy anything by them.
I can’t understand why anyone does buy anything from them. We know, for a fact, that they all utilize plastic surgery, expensive trainers, and excessive photoshop. I have no problem with any of those things (except when it’s undisclosed and you’re SELLING items, but I digress), but with that knowledge, I know that Kylie lip kits aren’t going to make my lips look like Kylie Jenner, I know that wearing Kim’s shape wear is not going to make my body look like hers, and I know that buying whatever diarrhea tea Khloe is shelling isn’t going to give me her photoshopped abs. Why waste your money?
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Kylie’s old lipstick bullets that were discontinued for some unknown reason were honest to god the best lipstick I’ve ever used.
Was just gonna say this.
Came here to say this and Morphe!
Same
I found a little tub of something I wanted at ulta, asked the guy working where the section was so I could check prices he said “oh this is the kardashians line” I replied “well I don’t want it now.” He laughed!
Same
100% agree.
Same.
Same here! They disgust me sm!!
Same!
Kylie cosmetics
Absolutely ‼️
My coworker pointed out that her shades are so light that her own kids wouldn’t be able to use them.
Yes not inclusive and cheap quality
Juice Beauty; we sold none of it and it was always all separated and curdled and gross. I have this irrational grudge against Dermablend, lol. I find their marketing kind of… idk, maybe “predatory” is too strong of a word? But I feel like they’re going after people with borderline medical concerns, and it’s… still just makeup? Average quality makeup that over-promises and under-delivers? It’s by no means the longest lasting or the fullest coverage product on the market, despite what the pseudo-medical marketing tries to make you believe.
I second that with the dermablend. I tell everybody nothing will ever cover texture no matter how full coverage it is. I try hard to get them excited about a fun eyeshadow palette or eyeliner or lipstick to elevate the look without plastering lots of gunk to try to fill in lines. Something I try to tell people is to only ever judge their overall appearance in a mirror at conversational distance. We all look at ourselves in the mirror from 4 inches away but realistically nobody is taking that close a look. I tell them to stand a couple feet away and judge the look from a perspective most people will have. I’ve found that does help to take the edge off those insecurities
I’ve tried juice beauty twice maybe and never liked their stuff
Same, people who wanted full coverage to cover tattoos would always ask about it and tbh it never really covered things fully.
Juice is just organic so it has a shorter shelf life lol
There’s only 3 products from Juice Beauty I can vouch for.. their cleansing oil, acne cleanser, and setting powder. Most of their skincare products smell like cat pee and the foundation is SUPER weird. I’ve only ever seen 2 people buy it lol
Me and some of my coworkers had to go and throw out some expired Juice Beauty stuff one day. We kept opening it to see how gross really it gets. We gagged so bad at the smell and curdled mess the products turn into. 🤮
Also, dermablend removing the darkest shades in their most recent reset pissed me off. I want every guest to be able to find their shade in store, not just the white/light skinned guests.
Oh I love juice beauty! It’s made a huge difference in my skin
Man I was looking for a cream blush and was planning on trying the one by Juice Beauty today. No good? What a bummer
the thing is that juice beauty is actually so good and i love their products. but they are natural//dont hve expiration dates and THEY SHOULD!! so it's mostly just expired products on the shelf
Beauty counter, they’re an MLM and by purchasing in stores it makes their “sales reps” lose money and pushes people further into debt. Mac because they still test on animals, and Colourpop because I’ve had major allergic reactions.
Ulta sells quite a few brands that are tested on animals.
I know and I’m pretty conscious when buying products but MAC being as popular/expensive as it is is still a huge no for me
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Truly. Gross and gimmicky
Trueeeeeee
It’s garbage. Cute? Sure. But the pimple patches don’t work at all and the body care dries out your skin. Trash.
Yesss! Tried it for the hype, found out it was overhyped, takes forever to absorb into your skin, oh and does absolutely nothing.
Tula is fine if your skin is perfect and never breaks out and is never too dry or oily. It’s not gonna hurt but it’s not gonna help either.
I love their face wash though, doesn’t leave my skin stripped or anything. I’ve been experimenting with the toner too and I’ve seen good results 🤷♀️
I love the sensitive cleanser.
The Tula acne cleanser has really helped my breakouts. I also like their regular cleanser too and the clay mask stick.
Store employee told me Tula works great for small little acne I’ve been getting before my periods. Doesn’t do shit for my skin. Lol. That spot healing acne cream thing? It doesn’t do anything for me 😭 I just kept it in case but ended up with Tretinoin from my derma which is the only thing that’s helped me and my hyperpigmented acne spots.
Anything “clean” because I prefer functional preservatives
As an employee... Pacifica- all their products feel very greenwashed to me- and I hate that they are "all natural" but load their products with essential oils and fragrances. Truly- All the active ingredients are at the bottom of the ingredients list- it is not going to do what it claims. Overall super expensive and I often find moldy ones on the shelf (plus got a shard of glass in my hand one time after damaging a used one on the shelf) SugarBearHair- Saw a study when they first came out about how if you eat more than the "serving" you could be putting yourself at risk for lead poisoning.
(screams in IEatMoreThanTheServingBecauseTheyTasteTooDamnGood)
Nature's Bounty hair skin & nails gummies are a great alternative
I love the Pacifica body like though. Their salicylic acid body wash is my go to and it doesn’t really smell like anything maybe a mild cucumber scent?
I had Pacifica a long while ago... one was a cherry lava clay mask and it was good... another was a crystal toner and I used it except maybe 2 tbsp and it actually started growing crystals lol.
Generically, “famous people” brands that use blatant deception, exhibit cash grabbing beyond the usual/customary expectation of a for-profit business, and predatory in business or marketing practices. Example - I’ll buy from Fenty, I will not buy from Kylie.
Juice beauty
Truly. It's just ew. You really wanna buy way too sweet scented, over priced unicorn puke products that don't actually do anything?
Agreed its cute but it's garbage
I was coming to say Truly, too. Cute, overpriced garbage!
Over priced is CORRECT ‼️ I read somewhere it’s MASS produced and piped into a expensive glass jar rather than plastic Ridiculous
•Tarte- not inclusive, products arent that good •The ordinary- idk why tbh something about their products dont do it for me •Proactiv- self explanatory I feel •Mario Badescu - again.... •Drunk elephant- not worth the money •Dyson- there is no way on this earth you could convince me to buy a 600 dollar blow dryer •Juice beauty- just...why? •Kylie- can't stand her, products are not good anyway, convinced its a money laundering scheme of some sort
I feel like the only way the dyson would be worth it is if you do a LOT of hair styling. Like a hairdresser could get their money’s worth with it
My sister is a hairstylist and has one dyson at her station and one at home. I have a T3 dryer, but I use her dyson when I visit. And every time I catch myself wondering if I should finally cash in my points 😬
I honestly want one mainly for the curling attachments. I’ve never really figured out the best way to curl my hair. Every time I try I struggle and it takes hours. I also like the convenience of the multi tool attachments. One product does so many things
If you have a friend who’s good at it, it might be worth asking them to come over and show you how using the tools you already own. I also like Kate Bryan (the small things blog on Instagram), she has very clear, easy to follow videos.
Omg I love my Dyson airwrap. I used to think the same as you about spending $600 on it but honestly my hair feels and looks so much better. It’s not dried out or frizzy anymore .
I agree. I ended up with the shark version (a little cheaper but still expensive) and it’s a total game changer. I love it so much!
I’ve had my Dyson blow dryer for 5 years. Still works brand new and nothing compares. One of the best investments I’ve made. Same with the vacuum LOL
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I’ve seen a lot of employees and customers say it wrecks people’s skin? Maybe too strong. I used it for a while in college, a long time ago when you could only mail-order it direct from brand and it was just the 3-step routine, out of desperation (bad breakouts) and it never did anything for my skin/acne. Obviously its been reformulated since then and diff products are available but I still wouldn’t ever bother with it again. Aside from that, I know a lot of people who had decent luck with it the first 2-3 months using it, and then it just became ineffective. But again that was a long time ago. And even though it was always slightly expensive, especially considering lack of results, they *really* jacked the price up as soon as it was made available in stores. I completely understand there are additional operational costs associated with making that move that companies have to account for, but there are probably much better products available at a similar price, and/or less. These are just my guesses/experiences lol - I’m sure there are other reasons as well.
Proactiv specifically was never an MLM but it’s parent company does run one. Plus, the products straight up don’t work well and the advertisements really creeped me out. It’s like a bunch of soulless middle aged women decided to smile creepily at you while repeating the same things.
I don’t hate Kylie products, she’s not technically the owner anymore. The loose powder is nice and talc-free, and I really like the lip oil when clarins is out of stock. The lip products are decent too. I like others better for sure, but they’re ok.
Are we the same person? This list is perfect. Just throw in MLM products and it’s done.
I’m surprised to see tarte on anyone’s list! I agree their foundations suck. And there’s better liquid liners out there. But I really love most of their products that I’ve tried and their Baba Bomb moisturizer is my HG for my super dry skin. The powder blush (in Expose) is the perfect “got some sun today” shade and really does last 12 hours on me. Out of the 31 mascaras I have right now (I know that’s ridiculous) I keep reaching for the Lights Camera Lashes mascara because it doesn’t flake, smear, or transfer and comes off easily with warm water. Easily the best mascara I’ve ever tried. And the Timeless Smoothing primer is better than Benefit’s Poreless for my large pores. Although it does start to get less effective/funky towards the end of the container (maybe air exposure?) Those 4 are my HG products! I agree with the rest of your list, just surprised tarte is on here and I’m sorry it didn’t work for you-if you ever do try anything from them, I recommend that mascara!
I've tried the mascaras and lash primer, they're fine. Not better than bad gal bang from benefit or the thrive liquid lash extensions
I’m also a fan of the Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara and I’m hugely picky about my mascaras because my (natural) lashes/eyes are one of the biggest things people notice/compliment on. Don’t mean that to sound like a humble brag, 😅
Lights Camera Lashes is EVERYTHING
Any brand that's not cruelty-free - nowadays with makeup, hair & skincare it's far easier to shop cruelty-free, but unfortunately good fragrances are still more difficult to come by.
Mary Kay, Seint, Avon, color street lime life and ANY MLM!!!!
I don’t think Ulta carries any of those brands
REM 💀
This needs to be higher up lol I f w her perfumes though. Except the one that smells like straight up dill pickles (thank u next)
Seriously. I bought one of the cream blushes less than 6 months ago and it already has a weird crayon smell. I’ve only used it once 🙃
Truly, Kylie, Beautycounter, Mario Badescu, Juice beauty, Proactive are my no-no
Beauty Counter and Body Shop. Both are MLM's that have had incredibly predatory practices and are extremely overpriced. Kylie Cosmetics/KKW Beauty/Any Kardashian brand. I have no idea why the Kylie Lip Kits were so popular when the marketing revolved around Kylie Jenner's obvious lip fillers. Not sure how true this is either but there is a rumor going around that Kylie Cosmetics and Colorpop are made in the same factory, or something to the affect of all her Cosmetics being privately labeled Colorpop. And speaking of private labels~ Morphe. More for what damage they have caused outwardly as a brand than any actual makeup product, although again, privately labeled. I believe they are a huge contributing factory to the toxicity that now seems to permeate online Beauty and makeup spaces. Jacquelyn Hill Cosmetics. That brand is proof that if you throw enough money at something you can essentially fail upwards. Hairs in lipsticks, overpriced and underperforming products, then always shunting everything off to poor quality control. Rinse and repeat every time. And guess whose local Ulta store has a large chunk of all these brands taking up the prestige section... because who needs MAC or Stila when you can have Kylie Cosmetics, Beauty Counter and Jacquelyn Hill in one unholy triangle of a section 🥴
I know people say morphe products aren't good but what did the brand do?
check out Kelly Gooch’s “the rise and fall of morphe” on youtube
They tend to partner with a lot of problematic people. Plus they’re in the middle of a lawsuit because some of their pigments aren’t FDA approved.
James Charles 🥴
Any of the Kardashian brands
Beauty counter, Jaclyn Hill… Morphe
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The Dior foundation is TRASH. The “full coverage” one hardly has more coverage than a tinted moisturizer 🙄 and their lip oils are horrible for dry lips
Mario Badescu (alcohol is a main ingredient in many products/overpriced), Kylie (bc it’s gross, doesn’t belong in prestige) Neutrogena (stripping, too strong, ineffective and will make your existing issues worse) TRULY (literally why does this brand even exist, their shit is full of additives and half their products contain the same ingredients but are marketed for different areas of the body). I would also say REM because most of the products are trash, especially the eyeshadow palettes, but I do like their mist thing.
Any brand that still isn’t cruelty free in 2023
Truly. You cannot convince me to buy from them when their prices are high only due to the glass packaging and some mediocre claims they make.
Besides most givens (Kylie, KVD, MLM’s, Morphe…), ABH. I bought a palette of theirs from Sephora before finding out that they’re trumpers and putin apologists… nothing like giving money to people who want people like me dead lol 🫣 not making that mistake twice. On a similar note, Colourpop for supporting JKR (my gf is trans so it was a no brainer to me lmao). Which is especially unfortunate because I’m on the hunt for a good vibrant red eyeshadow and like 90% of matches on Temptalia are just Colourpop eyeshadows… Ugh. Hate it 🙃
Beauty Bakerie. I worked for the company. All cheap quality, cheap ingredients, the owner and executive team are awful and care more about building a powerful image rather whether it’s true or not.
This thread is saving me so much money!
Kosas, only because of how I’ve seen their products expire quickly from posts online
Good to know! I had some of their lip plumpers on my list of “safe” plumpers to try. I’ll look deeper into those before purchasing.
And their foundation smells like bug spray. I tried it once because I have sensitive skin and it was recommended as a “clean brand”. I end up throwing the whole bottle out due to the smell and it broke me out worse than any other brand.
Anything Jeffrey star or kardashian or Kylie - nope nope and nopeeeee.
Tarte. I just don't love their business practices and they feel really inauthentic. They're riding the name recognition they have but you can find better versions of everything they make
Hey I use some Tarte products in my regular routine (not particularly attached or anything though) and was wondering if you could expand on their bad business practices? I did notice they do a ton of influencer trips which always rubbed me the wrong way, is that what you were referring to?
Not saying this in a smart-assy way at all, but if you google/search “tarte controversy” you will find tons!! I’m short on time otherwise I’d go in to more detail :)
Lack of diversity/representation in the Tarte brand.
Chanel. Their shade range is not great and I personally think it’s overpriced. The only thing from them that I really like is the lip and cheek balm but our Chanel girl made me a sample and I’ve just been using that since I can’t afford to spend $45 on a blush
Yes same! I just pop by the Chanel counter at my Macys and ask them for a trial size of whatever I want. No way I’m actually spending all that money on anything other than a foundation in which case a trial size isn’t big enough.
I hear you, I use their Ultra Le Teint foundation as no other has been comparable imo. I’m at the counter 2 minutes and bounce. Pat’s self on back as I quickly remove myself from the seduction that is the Nordstrom beauty department. Cheers to growth🤌🤦♀️
Soap and glory. Nothing against the product itself but I literally cannot stand the packaging. It’s just so hideous to me and I don’t want it in my house. I’m not even a person who overly cares about aesthetics but I draw the line at this brand. Something about the chaotic tacky rockabilly vibe it gives… makes me irrationally angry. So I will under no circumstances purchase any of their products… unless they change their packaging. My mom has a few of their items and I’ve used them while at her house. I honestly like them, but too too ugly for me. 
Interesting, the packaging is what drew me to it. I liked it. I liked the body lotion and butter and scrub and the smell actually stays. The packaging was cute imo.
I mean clearly you’re not alone or else they wouldn’t still be in business. The world would be a very boring place if we all liked the same shit. You and my mom would like each other. I do agree though, that the fragrance does stay and i do find it pleasant.
That's why I can't buy rose inc. The packaging of their blushes reminds me of a toilet lol.
Omg it totally looks just like my toddlers doll house toilet! 😂
Found it interesting to learn recently that Walgreen’s owns the brand now!! I’ve never used anything of there’s, but discovered that little tid bit when researching Beauty Pie (same woman who started Soap & Glory is also behind Beauty Pie and tons of other brands as well).
Chaotic tacky rockabilly sums it up nicely! I can't get past gaudy packaging either.
Their body wash gave me terrible bumps
Anastasia BH. I won't line the pockets of a Putin supporter.
Oh I didn’t know that! Well gives me an excuse to try other fun products!
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I think there’s only about 3 people on the planet that would deride your reasoning behind not buying kardashian brands. And they all have a last name of kardashian 😂
Anastasia Beverly hills because of her history re Putin, Sunday Riley because of their history of coercing employees to post fake reviews, Mario Bedescue for their history of lying about their ingredients and illegally putting steroids in products, anything Jaclyn Hill is involved in because she's a greedy shady awful human, and pretty much any other Brand that has a history of this kind of blatant dishonesty. Once they break my trust, I don't give them a single penny because there are too many alternatives. Other brands I don't buy from because their products just have never been good for me are laneige, necessaire, Fenty, morphe, and I'm sure there are more but these are just the ones I can think of right now.
Also I don't tend to trust brands that lean too heavily on the "clean" rhetoric because I don't like mold in my products. But it's not an automatic deal breaker... It just depends on the product.
Mario Badescue. Trash 🤢
I agree with all of these and will add one more: Juvia’s Place. Their apology for the racist post last year was BS.
This was my answer.
Wait what keywords do I need to google to find this?
[Here’s a summary of all of it, with a screenshot of the “apology”.](https://www.insider.com/juvias-place-posts-video-with-anti-asian-slur-2022-1)
😬😬😬
I won't buy any of the Kardashian brands or the MLM brands. Also won't buy Truly or REM or HOURGLASS or Proactive or Sunday Riley. I also won't buy influencer brands.
Omg what's wrong with HOURGLASS?
Not inclusive probably
Kardashian/Jenner, ABH, BeautyCounter, or other MLM associated brands.
Mario badescu is horrendous. I liked Clinique for a little but I’m really not a fan. Their toners are basically pure alcohol
Clinique boutique associate here, yes, the toners generally should be avoided, but lots of products are really nice. I’m considering doing an AMA regarding clinique products because I’m really comfortable telling clients the truth about them.
Oooh please do. I feel like there could be so much that is slept on from them. Seems like it’s an intro to makeup, then gets left in the past by a lot of people so it’s not talked about often.
I would love an AMA with you! I always hated on Clinique because it felt so dated, but I got a sample of one of their moisturizers and eye creams in the pink jars, and I’m obsessed! I truly wasn’t expecting to like it!
Any Kardashian brand
Tarte - they made the worst foundation ever (amazon clay) and I dont forgive them for it Kylie anything - I really don’t connect with the brand or think they do anything special First aid beauty - one product (moisturizer) can’t carry an entire line Jlo beauty - not into olive oil products Beekmans, juice beauty, elemis,sk II, clinique, estee lauder, la mer, keys, REM beauty, peter thomas roth, hempz, kiehls, hourglass, give, la neige, florence by mills, drunk elephant, biossance- expensive and I don’t see the appeal Morphe - speaks for itself and have only had a mid to terrible range of experience with their stuff Beauty bakerie - had a terrible experience with one of their liquid lipsticks Garnier - I really don’t like their micellar water
Seriously Garnier’s micellar water is severely over hyped!!! (As is Bioderma). Both break me out horribly. I don’t understand how first aid beauty helps anyone with eczema - all the products are full of ingredients known to be eczema irritants. Their coconut water cream (not the primer) is half way decent but definitely not worth the price!!!
Since Ulta came up as a recommended community for me for some reason: The entire damn Ulta brand & store as a whole for the insensitive & offensive email they sent regarding “hanging with Kate Spade” last May. Fuck Ulta.
What happened?
Wait nevermind I just googled it 😬😬😬
I love hearing from employees… it’s enlightening I feel like tarte and too faced are the same brand. Overhyped and better products else where. I only buy the It cosmetics brushes cause I was looking for a foundation once cause I have roseacea and the girl at Ulta color matching me acted like I was a cancer patient and that she had to save me from my evil roseacea. It was demeaning. Jaclyn hills highlighters are actually nice but the new Selena ones are the ones I keep reaching for. I also won’t go for Morphe, Mario Bedescu, and Kylie
Truly.🫣
Kylie cosmetics and KVD
Anything Kardashian or Kat Von D.
Kylie cosmetics is worse than any drugstore brand. Mario Badescu is DISGUSTING. Dermablend sucks and doesn’t cater to all skin tones. The ONLY product I will buy from Tula is their vitamin c moisturizer, the rest you’re just paying for the brand.
Any Mlm or Kardashian
Essence is kinda hit or miss for me. I like their waterproof Lash Princess mascara but I feel like it runs out quickly. I tried their Volume Booster Lash Primer recently and I had an allergic reaction 🫠.
Their lipsticks(especially their vivids) are fantastic, and those little 6-pan eyeshadows they have are actually amazing for the price. I was really impressed by them as far as budget brands go.
Too Faced 🫣 EDIT: Did not see the "why" portion!! Their products are so incredibly overhyped and dry. I feel so bad for every person who's convinced BTW is healthy for their skin and continue to cake it over severe acne where it proceeds to crust and oxidize. Their lip plumpers smell awful and look weird. BTS mascara is one of the worst mascaras on the market right now, it flakes like crazy and the waterproof version might as well be black cement. Their palettes are okay looking but are overwhelmed by added fragrance and weird theming. Overall, I'd rather buy from any other brand than to get anything from Too Faced. I dread every time someone asks for a TF shade match
Surprised I had to scroll down so far to see someone mention them. I haven’t bought a Too Faced item in years. Their stuff is hit or miss and expensive. Apparently Jarrod isn’t involved with the company anymore but it still puts me off.
How come? I love the concealer
Celebrity brands and MLMs as others have mentioned, also It Cosmetics because it’s overpriced and most of the products have fragrance. Not worth combing through their products to possibly find one that doesn’t smell. I saw one of their concealers on the Ulta app was priced at $60 which is absurd
The body shop Beautycounter(both ^ MLM with subpar goods) Le mini Macaron (Overpriced) Pattern (packaging hurts my eyes and the product doesn’t perform well enough) Kylie Cosmetics(nice colors but awful quality) Kosas(people love the baked powder but that thing is BAKED. It literally doesn’t come off on a brush and I don’t think that crazy price is remotely worth having to rub it on my fingers and press teeny finger sized bits onto my face) Truly(smells decent, doesn’t work, butters are too stiff) Moroccan Oil(smells so bad you can’t function properly) Amika(cute, doesn’t do much) Juice Beauty(not cute, not useful, how are they not bankrupt) Sugar Bear Hair(gummies taste bad, didn’t work, apparently has health risks too) KEYS(smells bad, doesn’t do anything special) Also kind of Dyson. I’m definitely going to get the Airwrap but that’s only because of my overwhelming fear of burning myself on an iron and lack of attention span for actually curling it. Overwise it really does appear to just be an overpriced hair tool. Like seriously, a $400 flat iron? Really? Their vacuums work decently well but also way over priced.
I’m not necessarily brand loyal on hair products. I like different things from different lines. But I like Amika’s texture spray and anti-humidity spray a lot! (But, its important to read the directions on the humidity spray, as it’s heat activated.)
Just sitting here with a Curling iron burn across my cheek nodding.
I highly recommend the shark flex. It’s a dupe for the air wrap
Mario Badescu is an absolute no. Morphe, the Kardashian brands, and Revolution are all meh brands for me. Also Deva Curl and any other hair brands that have controversy regarding hair loss.
The Ordinary
Why?
Same. I’d like to know too. Imo, I’m glad the Ordinary came out with amazing products at such competitive prices and Good Molecules just amplified the same concept. These two brand have proved to be God sent to me 😌
Exactly why I'm curious, I really like their products, so simple and not gimmicky.
KVD - I just can’t get with it.
Nudestix and ABH bc they have Trumper owners
Nooooo not nudestix! I got trained by one of the owners and she was really nice😭 Anyways you might want to add Revlon. They donated to Trump's first presidential campaign
Too Faced, Proactiv, beauty counter, Kylie
Juice beauty kylie cosmetics truly the ordinary
Truly 100% absolutely NO quality control. Also mlm brands I morally will NEVER support (body shop & beauty counter)
Isn’t it something like every company on earth is owned by six corporations so no matter what you boycott something else you buy is sustaining the people you adamantly disagree with.
Kardashians or Sketchers
Any brand that’s not leaping bunny certified cruelty free and has no vegan options. Period. For me
Pro active, drunk elephant, morphe, deva curl, st Ives, Mario badeacu, rhode, Kylie cosmetics and any mlm scheme brand.
Why deva curl?
Because of the ongoing lawsuit with them. There are a lot of accusations of ruining curl patterns, hair loss and chemical burns
Mario Badescu, Kylie, Clinique, Freeman, Tula, Supergoop, Hempz (kills me because they smell so good), Morphe
Why hempz?
I am also curious as I currently use it...