"Meh" Products I'm Trying To Make Work

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If you use enough beauty products, you're bound to run across some that are "meh" (my term for "underwhelming") or that don't work for you. I've been dealing with four such products lately. Below, I discuss the issues I'm having with these products and what I'm doing to try to make them work for me.

SISLEY PHYTO-BLUSH TWIST

The issue: I've used and enjoyed many Sisley products over the years, but I'm not getting along with its Phyto-Blush Twist in Petal. This is a cream-to-powder blush stick that I purchased after Hurricane Harvey and have never been happy with. I've discovered that I much prefer a powder blush - I'm just not one to rub a blush stick on my face over my foundation. It rubs off my foundation and looks too artificial on me.

How I'm trying to make it work: I've had some success rubbing a blush brush over the stick and applying the blush as I would apply a powder to my cheeks, but I'm really struggling to keep myself reaching for this blush.

CHANEL LE TEINT ULTA TENUE FOUNDATION

The issue: I went to the CHANEL counter several months ago to try another of its foundations, the Perfection Lumiere Velvet Foundation, which I had heard rave reviews about. I was told by the sales associate that CHANEL was no longer producing that foundation (but as of this writing they ARE still selling it, grr) and that I might try the Le Teint Ulta Tenue Foundation instead. I did, and it looked great on my face in the store, but I have had nothing but problems with it since. It dries too fast, applies patchy, and separates all over my face.

How I'm trying to make it work: I am trying everything I know how - applying on top of a variety of primers (including a CHANEL primer, which isn't helping), applying with no primer, and applying with a beauty blender, foundation brush, and fingers. Nothing works.

BOOMSILK MOISTURIZER  

The issue: Boomsilk by Cindy Joseph is sold as a moisturizer for face and body, and I purchased it to try as a facial moisturizer. I liked the idea of a natural-ingredient moisturizer (it contains only purified water, organic extra virgin olive oil, beeswax with propolis and pollen, raw Pupekea wildflower honey, and d-alpha Vitamin E). The problem is that I don't enjoy using it because of severe greasiness. It is very oily, like rubbing pure olive oil on myself.

How I'm trying to make it work: Because Boomsilk seems to me like more of a rich body lotion for ultra dry skin, I am trying it as a body moisturizer, although I still find it a bit greasy for my taste. I find that it is especially good for dry, callused feet - I have been applying it to my feet and covering with socks in the evening for overnight foot softening.

ELF ILLUMINATING FACE PRIMER

The issue: According to the elf website, this primer has a "soft golden luminescence." The problem is that it is just too golden for my pale skin and makes me look like I've used too much self-tanner. (I am an NW20 skin tone in the MAC range for reference.) I don't recommend this product for paler and/or cooler skin tones.

How I'm trying to make it work: I think this one may be a lost cause for me due to its golden color, which just doesn't work on my skin tone.

Have you had success with any of these products? Or maybe you've had similar problems with them as mine. Either way, I would love to hear about it!

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