Welcome back friends! If it wasn’t already obvious, I’ve become quite obsessed with keeping my makeup collection grounded. Well as grounded as this wanna-be beauty guru lets it. Surprisingly, I’ve done a decent job at getting rid of products that don’t work for me rather than holding onto them in hopes they eventually would. Why not continue this impressive streak? Join me as I declutter my makeup collection yet again and discover why these beauty products missed the mark. 

Acure The Essentials Rosehip Oil: $12.99

I bought this skincare item after RawBeautKristi raved about its hydrating properties and ability to help acne scars. Unfortunately, my skin never clicked with the formula. Unlike the Acure Seriously Soothing Blue Tansy Night Oil, this product didn’t provide my skin with enough moisture. Instead, it left a greasy residue that never sunk into the skin. The smell of this stuff is also pretty nasty. I had instant flashbacks to kindergarten when I had to take liquid flaxseed every day. If you’ve ever smelled flaxseed oil you know exactly what I’m talking about. I realized relatively quickly that this product didn’t work for my skin type, so I don’t think I used it long enough to notice changes in my acne scars.

Balance Me Congested Skin Serum: $23 (full size) @ Birchbox

I’ve briefly mentioned this product before on the blog and it wasn’t for good reasons. Although this “serum” (it’s more of an acne treatment) does help pesky pimples, the scent cannot be overlooked. I previously described this product as smelling like a combination of “apple cider vinegar, feet, and eucalyptus.” I really feel like I nailed that one. The biggest issue is that the scent lingers after I apply it to my blemishes. There were nights that I would skip this step just because I didn’t want to fall asleep with a weird smell piercing my nostrils. The good news is the Acure Incredibly Clear Acne Spot treatment works just as well without the awful scent. This one does have a slight vinegary-ness to it, but it’s much more bearable than the Balance Me option.

Ulta Beauty Tinted Eye Primer in Champagne: $12

There’s really nothing “wrong” with this product. I used it once and it kept my eyeshadow in place. However, a sparkly eyeshadow primer is just not really my style anymore. I actually used to love the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin, but have switched to Eden (a matte nude shade) in my wiser years. What I do like about this product is the price point. It’s exactly half of the Urban Decay one and the formula did feel comparable. I wouldn’t say this is an identical dupe to Sin because the base color is a little more cool-toned, but if you’re saving $12 it might be worth it.

NYX On The Rise Volume Liftscara: $11

Is anybody else bothered when brands don’t call a product what it actually is? Seriously NYX, what is a liftscara ? Small rant aside, this mascara is painfully average. Like the name suggests it does provide good volume, but the rest of the formula is lacking. My lashes look super skinny and the only way to fix it is by adding a second coat of a different mascara. I’m also not a fan of the brush. Even though it grabs onto the lashes nicely, it doesn’t provide the drama I’m looking for. It also really hurts if you accidentally stab your eyeball with it. Been there, hated that. 

Elf Poreless Putty Primer: $8

This made my 2019 Beauty Favorites and I still stand by the fact that it’s a good product. However, my Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen has officially become my favorite pore-filling primer. I only used maybe a third of this Elf product, but it did a pretty good job at evening out my skin. I do wish it would have been a bit more hydrating like the infinitely more expensive, Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer. However, I did purchase this before the Luminous version was released. Now that my sunscreen doubles as a smoothing primer, there’s no need for this product to take up space on my top shelf. 

Milani Rose Butter Lip Mask: $9.99

I was utterly disappointed in this product after just a few uses. When this was first released, I thought it might be a better and cheaper alternative to the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. However, I’d say it’s actually worse. The formula is just all around thick and wet. It’s sloppy to apply and honestly just feels gross. The subtle rose flavor is a nice touch though. My biggest issue is that the product never feels like it sinks into the lips. Ironically, that’s the same exact problem with the Laneige version. I think I’ll stick to my Glossier Balm Dotcom to get the job done even overnight. 

Acure Juice Cleanse Supergreens & Adaptogens Shampoo: $9.99

The smell of this shampoo masked the true damage it was doing to my hair. This haircare item even made my April Beauty Favorites | 2020 on the refreshing lemon scent alone. I had to finally ditch this product after realizing that it was drying out my hair. Like severely. My roots felt the same, but the ends felt crispy even if I used a hydrating hair mask afterwards. Once I rotated a different shampoo into my haircare routine I realized that this Acure shampoo was the culprit. There’s only a little bit of this stuff left, but I’d rather get rid of it than let my strands suffer. 

Not Your Mother’s Matcha Green Tea & Apple Blossom Butter Masque: $8.99 @ Ulta 

This was an item I bought solely off of the plentiful five star reviews it received on Ulta. To which I say, what? This mask dried out my hair even more than the shampoo I just talked about. I only used it twice before deciding that this formula didn’t jive with me at all. Besides the out-of-shower results, this hair mask didn’t feel good when it was on my head either. It made my hair tangled and stringy which was a complete turnoff. The only redeeming quality happens to be the delicate scent. It gives off a very fresh vibe although the overall effects cannot be overlooked.

Have you decluttered anything recently? Let me know in the comments below!

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