TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 5.4*
Why: One reader calls this product, "beyond disgusting!" She goes on to explain, "I applied it on my face and found it difficult to blend. Once I completed the application I was not left with a velvety skin surface like primers are supposed to do, and also my skin still looked visibly oily in certain places. I applied my makeup as usual, and found that it wore off through the day as if I had not applied any type of primer whatsoever. In addition, for those with sensitive skin, you may find that this product may also sting." Another reader says, "I was not impressed with this primer. It has little flecks of shimmer in it, it smells weird... I don't feel like it moisturized my skin at all, and I noticed absolutely no difference in the feel or look of my skin."
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 5.3*
Why: Readers say they were "extremely disappointed" with this product after trying it. "It does make a warm, dewy foundation, but with hardly any coverage. It's not worth it for me. I would suggest this only to those with dry skin, because it tends to become greasy on those with normal/combination skin." One reader says, "I was so excited when I found this product. I'd been looking for a light coverage foundation that would give me that fresh, dewy look. What a letdown! It covered absolutely nothing and it ended up making my skin look greasy rather than dewy -- ewwww!" One upset woman says, "Neutrogena, you let me down!" Adding, "I was very disappointed and very frustrated [with this product]. I have fair skin and this stuff just didn't match up for me. I couldn't even give it away to my daughter." Another user says, "the color looked like a weird fake orange on me, and no matter what I tried, I could not get this to blend onto my skin. It ended up looking like a big splotchy mess."
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 5*
Why: One reader says, "I thought I'd try out a budget lip enhancing gloss, but I guess you get what you pay for! The gloss felt almost sticky on my lips, and it was difficult to get an application that looked even... the goopiness on my lips was more noticeable than the plumping. I would much rather wear a regular gloss that felt nice on my lips than a plumping gloss that gives then the texture of sticky gummy bears." Another reviewer says, "a sensation you get from a lip gloss deceives you into thinking your lips are about to be similar to Angelina Jolie's pout. Sally Hansen can't do it nor can many lip products out there, but this one particularly was ineffective and wasn't even long lasting." A woman asks "wrong name?" And goes on to say, "I think Sally Hansen chose the wrong name for this product. I used this product and did not see or feel any lip inflation or plumping."
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 4.6*
Why: One woman says she "bought this concealer thinking it would be amazing, but I was definitely wrong. It did not cover my blemishes at all. It slid right off and settled on the side of the pimple." Another reader says "ick," adding "this is NOT a good concealer. It is streaky and disappears after only an hour or even less. I am usually a huge fan of Rimmel being very cost effective and a very good product, but I won't be using this again." Another reviewer says, "it cakes on me, no matter how lightly I used it, then in a matter of half an hour, it vanishes. So, I thought I'd try it on my spider veins... same result. Having been a user of Rimmel over the years, I expected better. It's now lying at the bottom of my makeup bag, never to be used again! Waste of money and time."
TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 4.6*
Why: "Sticky, thick, ugly and lasts two seconds. Need I say more?" Apparently, she felt compelled as the reader went on to add, "I'm a lip gloss junkie so naturally I want to try each and every single one out there. This particular lip gloss, however, was very sticky and felt disgusting on my lips. It literally made my lips feel as though they were suffocating. As soon as I put it on, I couldn't wait to get it off." Another reader says, "a dollar or three would seem like an appealing price for a lip gloss doesn't it? With this New York Color lip gloss, it's hardly even worth a quarter." One woman had an exceptionally horrid experience saying, "the gloss was everything bad you can imagine: sticky, chunky and smelly. And with the couple of times I used it, I got acne where the gloss touched the skin!"
Isn't it the worst when you are super excited to try out that hot, new lipstick shade or the latest smoky eye gizmo, so you buy it and rush home or -- who are we kidding -- into your car to try it, only to be disappointed? Whether it's a chi chi product or a cheap makeup item, it's a bust either way. Spending any amount on makeup (even if it's only $1.99) that doesn't work is still a waste of money, not to mention it's really annoying. And no matter how affordable drugstore beauty products are, if they don't work, they're never a good deal.
Our readers have had firsthand, bad experiences with cheapie makeup, which, um, make up our list of the 16 worst drugstore makeup products. See the list now. You'll hear them rant about mascara that clumps, makes you look like a raccoon by the end of the day and/or is hard to remove; lament about sticky, gooey, syrup-y, suffocating lip glosses, and complain about powder that doesn't provide sufficient coverage, wears off too fast and is awkward to use. And the list goes on...
We're not suggesting that you have to spend your whole paycheck at a department store cosmetic counter because there are awesome drugstore buys out there too (check out the top 11 drugstore mascaras), we're just saying you might want to avoid the products on this particular list.
While you've got budget beauty on your mind, check out these other stories that'll also help you save a few bucks.
