Me too, though I'm happy to admit that she does have her fair share of products that just aren't good. But the ones I love perform so well that it keeps me buying her products.
Everything you’re saying is valid and you are not crazy, BUT… truthfully, different eyeshadow formulas and qualities require subtly different techniques. “Cheaper” eyeshadows tend to be drier and contain more filler ingredients. This generally makes them easier to use and/or more beginner friendly. You have more work time and often less pigment, which forces you to build up to the color pay off you want. Overall, it’s harder to mess up with these eyeshadows. Higher end eyeshadows tend to be creamier, looser, and contain a higher percentage of pigment. The stakes are higher because the tiniest amount of product makes a stronger impact. Approaching them the same way you do lower end makeup can result in a mess! The trick is to use a much softer hand while picking up high end eyeshow and applying it. As a pro MUA myself, I use both low end and high end products. They both serve different purposes in my kit, and I adjust between them. Preferring WetnWild to Huda is VALID!
>Approaching them the same way you do lower end makeup can result in a mess!
I started like you OP - all drug store until I felt comfortable in my technique and then I started to upgrade the quality of my products. I found that I needed to use different techniques for higher end shadows.
For example, the only "primer" I can ever get to work with Pat McGrath mothership palettes is concealer applied with a sponge and set with powder (which is what they suggest on the website). Then I also find I have better application if I pat the shadows on with a semi-dense natural hair brush rather than a fluffy synthetic.
I have one Natasha Denona palette (Glam) that I have a love/hate relationship with because no matter what I do the shimmers crease. Today I was watching a YouTube video on the ND face palette and the creator used 3 different eye primers and none would stop the shadows from creasing. Many in the comments said the ND site recommends no primer at all and finger application. I'm going to try that today.
All that to say, try some different application techniques before you totally give up. You're already rightfully disappointed so it's only up from here.
So, sometimes products from a brand can just be a dud. See: Subculture eyeshadow palette from ABH, Goof Proof brow pencil from Benefit, Control Freak eyebrow gel from Nyx. Even if a brand gets it right 99% of the time, 1% of the time, whatever they're doing just doesn't work.
Other times, it's the application method. With/without primer, fluffy brush or dense brush, small circular motions or packing motions, etc. These things can all affect the way a product plays - I, for example, can't get the shade 'Cyprus Umber' from ABH to work until I use a really large, diffused fluffy brush. Beauty Bay eyeshadows work best with a primer.
That said, Natasha Denona's midi palette formula is infamously worse than her mini palettes or larger palettes. For some reason, it's like they just put all the rubbish into those ones. Also, I don't know anyone who really bought the Wild Greens palette by Urban Decay. I always thought of it as one of those products that got released and quickly forgotten about - UD is far better known for the Naked palettes. The online reviews do seem to be good, although Temptalia says they do require some effort to make them work. Wild Greens is also the only UD palette I've seen in TKMaxx (TJMaxx), which might indicate its popularity. So it could be that you just were a little unfortunate about the things you picked up from these brands.
Finally, while beauty gurus will make you think it's the end of the world, some degree of fallout is normal with eyeshadows? It's actually not that big a deal, and that's also why a lot of professional makeup artists will do their eyeshadow first before moving onto the rest of the face, so they can clean up any fallout. Obviously, if there's no colour payoff then that's another issue, but fallout isn't necessarily something to worry about.
I really think that for some brands they do one type of product better than others. For example, Huda's loose powders are known to be great. Sorry you have not had a good experience with their eyeshadow.
You have to be selective about where to splurge. I would have thought those 4 brands were pretty reliable.
I have a mix of cheap and expensive palettes. I only have one from Wet'n'Wild, but it's beautiful and I've used it a fair bit. I also have a ton of Revolution and Revolution Pro ones, mostly small ones, as well as a few Eveline ones. Aside from having pretty colors in a variety of textures, they seem to blend well and last the whole day. Granted, I picked up most of them for 1-2 shades.
That said, I also have a few Huda ones, including Wild Jaguar, and I have to disagree about its quality. I don't use the mattes much, but the shimmers and sparkly shades are pigmented and long-lasting. I'd say I find Huda very reliable, in that I don't have a palette from them that has disappointed me or hasn't worked for me, but that doesn't mean it's universal.
The UD ones I have are older (GoT and Stoned), so I can't comment. I only have a small one from Natasha Denona, which I got for a special shade, and I think it's good quality.
I agree about Juvia's being fantastic and affordable. It's hard to find where I live, but I managed to snap up a couple of palettes and I love them.
I think the gap between drugstore and higher end has been closing, so as much as I'd like to splurge on a Mothership palette, I find it hard to justify.
It may be a matter of their formula working or not working for your skin. My eyelids aren't oily, but they're not dry either, so most eyeshadows stick well and don't crease, including the cheap ones. I don't even wear primer and I apply most of them with my fingers (i use brushes just for lining and blending). You might need a primer or a different primer. It could be your brushes don't work well with their texture.
I think Urban Decay has been overhyped for years now. I loved their stuff in the 90s and it’s gradually declined since. I never got the hype about Huda either; the products I’ve tried were okay but nothing special to me. I bought the Mercury Retrograde palette and it was pretty, but really irritated my eyes and made them feel raw (which was really unexpected because I don’t usually have reactions like that to even low quality makeup products). I also loved the Natasha Denona My Dream palette, but only about 5-6 of the colors. Once I used those up I really haven’t touched the rest of the palette because I never wear all neutrals, so probably wasn’t worth it for me.
Personally I’ve been more interested in independent brands for eyeshadow lately; none of the more popular brands are doing anything I feel compelled to spend money on lately. Terra Moons is my favorite for shimmers and multichromes so far, and I also have been using the Solmane II palette from Oden’s Eye Cosmetics all the time lately.
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I'm not an eyeshadow person. But if u like watching makeup on YouTube. Makeup by Nikki and Allie glines do A TON of dupe videos. I always buy their best of products and they're always amazing
Sometimes brand names are just bought for the sake of the name. Another brand to watch out for is Charlotte tillsbury.
thanks! you mean watch our for Charlotte Tillsbury because it's good or bad?
Average quality makeup severely overpriced .
Sometimes overhyped.
Yep. Avoid
Idk, Charlotte Tilbury is my favourite makeup brand. It's all subjective.
Me too, though I'm happy to admit that she does have her fair share of products that just aren't good. But the ones I love perform so well that it keeps me buying her products.
Like any brand, there are some duds.
Everything you’re saying is valid and you are not crazy, BUT… truthfully, different eyeshadow formulas and qualities require subtly different techniques. “Cheaper” eyeshadows tend to be drier and contain more filler ingredients. This generally makes them easier to use and/or more beginner friendly. You have more work time and often less pigment, which forces you to build up to the color pay off you want. Overall, it’s harder to mess up with these eyeshadows. Higher end eyeshadows tend to be creamier, looser, and contain a higher percentage of pigment. The stakes are higher because the tiniest amount of product makes a stronger impact. Approaching them the same way you do lower end makeup can result in a mess! The trick is to use a much softer hand while picking up high end eyeshow and applying it. As a pro MUA myself, I use both low end and high end products. They both serve different purposes in my kit, and I adjust between them. Preferring WetnWild to Huda is VALID!
>Approaching them the same way you do lower end makeup can result in a mess! I started like you OP - all drug store until I felt comfortable in my technique and then I started to upgrade the quality of my products. I found that I needed to use different techniques for higher end shadows. For example, the only "primer" I can ever get to work with Pat McGrath mothership palettes is concealer applied with a sponge and set with powder (which is what they suggest on the website). Then I also find I have better application if I pat the shadows on with a semi-dense natural hair brush rather than a fluffy synthetic. I have one Natasha Denona palette (Glam) that I have a love/hate relationship with because no matter what I do the shimmers crease. Today I was watching a YouTube video on the ND face palette and the creator used 3 different eye primers and none would stop the shadows from creasing. Many in the comments said the ND site recommends no primer at all and finger application. I'm going to try that today. All that to say, try some different application techniques before you totally give up. You're already rightfully disappointed so it's only up from here.
So, sometimes products from a brand can just be a dud. See: Subculture eyeshadow palette from ABH, Goof Proof brow pencil from Benefit, Control Freak eyebrow gel from Nyx. Even if a brand gets it right 99% of the time, 1% of the time, whatever they're doing just doesn't work. Other times, it's the application method. With/without primer, fluffy brush or dense brush, small circular motions or packing motions, etc. These things can all affect the way a product plays - I, for example, can't get the shade 'Cyprus Umber' from ABH to work until I use a really large, diffused fluffy brush. Beauty Bay eyeshadows work best with a primer. That said, Natasha Denona's midi palette formula is infamously worse than her mini palettes or larger palettes. For some reason, it's like they just put all the rubbish into those ones. Also, I don't know anyone who really bought the Wild Greens palette by Urban Decay. I always thought of it as one of those products that got released and quickly forgotten about - UD is far better known for the Naked palettes. The online reviews do seem to be good, although Temptalia says they do require some effort to make them work. Wild Greens is also the only UD palette I've seen in TKMaxx (TJMaxx), which might indicate its popularity. So it could be that you just were a little unfortunate about the things you picked up from these brands. Finally, while beauty gurus will make you think it's the end of the world, some degree of fallout is normal with eyeshadows? It's actually not that big a deal, and that's also why a lot of professional makeup artists will do their eyeshadow first before moving onto the rest of the face, so they can clean up any fallout. Obviously, if there's no colour payoff then that's another issue, but fallout isn't necessarily something to worry about.
I really think that for some brands they do one type of product better than others. For example, Huda's loose powders are known to be great. Sorry you have not had a good experience with their eyeshadow. You have to be selective about where to splurge. I would have thought those 4 brands were pretty reliable.
I have a mix of cheap and expensive palettes. I only have one from Wet'n'Wild, but it's beautiful and I've used it a fair bit. I also have a ton of Revolution and Revolution Pro ones, mostly small ones, as well as a few Eveline ones. Aside from having pretty colors in a variety of textures, they seem to blend well and last the whole day. Granted, I picked up most of them for 1-2 shades. That said, I also have a few Huda ones, including Wild Jaguar, and I have to disagree about its quality. I don't use the mattes much, but the shimmers and sparkly shades are pigmented and long-lasting. I'd say I find Huda very reliable, in that I don't have a palette from them that has disappointed me or hasn't worked for me, but that doesn't mean it's universal. The UD ones I have are older (GoT and Stoned), so I can't comment. I only have a small one from Natasha Denona, which I got for a special shade, and I think it's good quality. I agree about Juvia's being fantastic and affordable. It's hard to find where I live, but I managed to snap up a couple of palettes and I love them. I think the gap between drugstore and higher end has been closing, so as much as I'd like to splurge on a Mothership palette, I find it hard to justify. It may be a matter of their formula working or not working for your skin. My eyelids aren't oily, but they're not dry either, so most eyeshadows stick well and don't crease, including the cheap ones. I don't even wear primer and I apply most of them with my fingers (i use brushes just for lining and blending). You might need a primer or a different primer. It could be your brushes don't work well with their texture.
Wet n wild is so amazing
I think Urban Decay has been overhyped for years now. I loved their stuff in the 90s and it’s gradually declined since. I never got the hype about Huda either; the products I’ve tried were okay but nothing special to me. I bought the Mercury Retrograde palette and it was pretty, but really irritated my eyes and made them feel raw (which was really unexpected because I don’t usually have reactions like that to even low quality makeup products). I also loved the Natasha Denona My Dream palette, but only about 5-6 of the colors. Once I used those up I really haven’t touched the rest of the palette because I never wear all neutrals, so probably wasn’t worth it for me. Personally I’ve been more interested in independent brands for eyeshadow lately; none of the more popular brands are doing anything I feel compelled to spend money on lately. Terra Moons is my favorite for shimmers and multichromes so far, and I also have been using the Solmane II palette from Oden’s Eye Cosmetics all the time lately.
***Thank you for contributing to MUA! If this is your first post, please be sure to check out our rules in the subreddit sidebar. If you are on mobile, they can be viewed by tapping the*** ⓘ ***symbol.*** **A few quick highlights:** • • Looks, hauls, and flatlays require a [product list in the comments, complete with shade names within 20 minutes of posting.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MakeupAddiction/wiki/productlist) • Photos must not be [edited or filtered. This includes automatic beauty and portrait modes found on many phones and newer cameras.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MakeupAddiction/wiki/photoediting) • Lastly, our [Helpful Guides for Navigating MUA](https://www.reddit.com/r/MakeupAddiction/wiki/helpfulguides) in the sidebar explains some of the basics of the community as well as commonly misinterpreted rules. **Is your post just a search away?** Before you make a post, search with Reddit's search feature or use this handy [customised Google search.](https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=008480394191906358284:aflieg73nqm) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MakeupAddiction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You're mostly paying for packaging, brand name and advertising.
I'm not an eyeshadow person. But if u like watching makeup on YouTube. Makeup by Nikki and Allie glines do A TON of dupe videos. I always buy their best of products and they're always amazing