I have seen a few beauty Youtubers I follow make videos about this "tag" (a list of questions that gets passed along), and I thought it would be a fun idea in a blog post format as well. Keep reading to learn about all my unpopular opinions when it comes to beauty and makeup, and share yours with me!

Here are the two Youtubers who, as far as I know, created this tag: Ola Quinn and NobodysBeautyGuru. I have seen several Youtube channels I follow do this tag in the past few weeks: Emily Noel, Samantha March, Angelica Nyqvist. I encourage you to watch everyone's video, it's fun to hear what other people think of trends, and sometimes realize that you're not the only one who hates a product or technique...

I have a lot opinions about beauty that can pass for unpopular these days. I think the main reason is that the most popular current trends hardly apply to me. I'm in my late 30s, I have no interest in heavy Instagram makeup, and I love more natural, flattering looks (that includes a dramatic eye or bold lip on occasion, but not a mask of makeup). What gets the most visibility these days is the opposite of what I'm trying to go for when it comes to makeup, and even skincare (can we please STOP scrubbing??). I'm here to remind everyone that there are lots of people like me who love to play with makeup, but don't recognize themselves in those trends. I do not find the Kardashians/Jenners inspiring, and I would love for the beauty industry to stop shoving this image down my throat as the goal to aim for.

But I digress, here are the questions about my unpopular opinions:


POPULAR MAKEUP PRODUCTS YOU DON'T LIKE

There are many. Since I'm not going for the "Instagram look", a lot of the products that are raved about because they work well to create it, don't fit my style at all (such as very heavy concealers or full coverage foundations). There are also products that struggle on my skin because it's starting to age, while they probably look great on a teenager. And then there are products that I just hate and don't get the hype for. Here are a few:


- Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick: considering how drying this product is, I really don't understand why it's so popular. I realize not everybody's lips are as dry as mine, but it really sucks the life out of them. It's the best way to make my lips look about 25 years older than the rest of my face!
- Smashbox Studio Skin 15-Hour Wear Hydrating Foundation: I find nothing hydrating about this foundation. It WANTS to be cakey so I have to work against it, not with it. It can look great in photos as long as I don't do a closeup but it never looks natural in person: it's textured, dry and so far from the smooth skin-like finish I'm trying to get. It was recommended by a lot of people so I was really disappointed! I've been trying to force myself to use it up for two years now. Maybe I should just stop...
- ColourPop Super Shock shadows: they were all the rage just after I moved to the US, so I was really excited to try them. I was very underwhelmed. I'm a big fan of cream shadows, but these didn't blend well and were hard to work with. I find it impossible to get true-to-pan color payoff. Plus they turned bad quickly. Definitely not worth the hype!


MAKEUP PRODUCTS/BRANDS THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO HATE BUT YOU LOVE

Generally, everything that is formulated to have a natural, subtle enhancing effect. Those kinds of products get a lot of hate online these days , but I suspect that a lot of people, like me, actually love to use them. A few that come to mind:


- the Almay brand in general, that is often dismissed as old-fashioned and worthless. I actually found a few of their products perfect for my needs - their Color + Care Liquid Lip Balm has been a staple of mine for years. They're also launching new products that look more fresh and seem to be targeting a younger audience, like their Lip Vibes lipstick collection. I think they have a few gems in their range!
- the Too Faced Love Light Prismatic Highlighters: these cute heart-shaped highlighters are heavily criticized for being very subtle... which is why I love them!
- the one everyone loves to hate: the Lancôme La Rose à Poudrer, a delicate highlighter in the shape of a rose. I've seen people hate it for its high price tag, which is fair. But I've also seen people say that it doesn't show up at all and looks chalky even on fair skin tones, and that is just not true. It creates a glorious soft glow that gives skin the lit-from-within look that I'm looking for. Of course, for people who want a blinding stripe of metallic highlight on their cheekbones, it's way too weak. For me, it's absolutely gorgeous. I must not be the only one thinking this way, since Lancôme just brought it back for the holidays, this time in a gold shade!


MAKEUP COLLABS YOU DIDN'T LIKE OR WERE NOT INTERESTED IN

I'm assuming that this question refers to collaborations between influencers and brands to create limited edition products or collections. I would have to say most of them. These days most brands work with beauty influencers whose makeup style is not what I'm interested in, so I have not been tempted by many of these collabs. If I had to mention one, I would say the Morphe x Jaclyn Hill products. I like neither the brand nor the style of the influencer, so it's definitely not something I would ever spend money on.


POPULAR MAKEUP STEPS THAT YOU NEVER DO.

As I go through those questions I realize that I want to ask "popular with who?". Because there are so many things that appear popular through the prism of social media, but that none of the people I know in real life actually do. A few steps or techniques that I avoid:

- baking (heavily powdering the undereye area, then brushing the powder away after a few minutes). If you're a day after 22, the baking technique is most likely not your friend. There's nothing like a thick layer of powder to suck the moisture out of the most delicate, easily dehydrated area of your face. You want to see what wrinkles you don't yet have will look like? Just bake!
- "carving the brows" with concealer (basically using concealer to sharpen the edges of the brows). Why though? Why the need to have brows that look as artificial as possible? I'm not trying to stab anyone with my brows!
- lip liner all over the lips. I don't like to use lip liner in general, I feel like I get a much cleaner line by drawing my lips with a brush dipped in lipstick than with a pencil. But coloring the whole lips with a liner is the shortest way for me to get cracked, chapped lips.


POPULAR BEAUTY INFLUENCER YOU DON'T SUBSCRIBE TO/WATCH

First, let me remind everyone that Youtube is not the be-all and end-all when it comes to beauty tips and inspiration online. There are thousands of great blogs, and people who make fantastic content on Instagram or on other platforms. But if we're focusing on Youtube, I don't watch any of the biggest influencers, because they all tend to go for the same heavy, drag-inspired look. I enjoy watching smaller channels where people just chat about beauty, or people whose makeup looks are more natural. I also watch some makeup artists to learn about specific techniques.


POPULAR MAKEUP PRODUCT/BRAND THAT YOU DON'T USE/SUPPORT ANYMORE

I think this is referring to "canceling" brands, a form of boycott generally accompanied by angry statements made online. I have canceled a few brands:

- Tom Ford, which I have never bought, used (even the samples I have received with purchases) or supported in any way. As I have mentioned before on the blog, the reason why this brand will never get my money is the ads they created for their line of man's cologne that depicted women as sex toys. It's been a long time now, since the ads came out way before Tom Ford even started doing makeup. But I have a long memory when it comes to misogyny, especially the kind that revels in rape culture imagery.

- more recently, Kat Von D, after she made public statements saying that she would not vaccinate her future child. The anti-science insanity has to stop if we don't want to go back to the Middle Ages, and celebrities with a public platform should be very mindful of how they use it. Unless Kat Von D is removed from her brand (which has happened to other brand founders and faces for much worse reasons), I won't be purchasing any of her products.


MAKEUP TRENDS THAT YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN TRYING

- the cut crease, where concealer is used to create a sharp edge between the lid and the crease.
- nose contouring, or heavy contouring in general.
- heavy eye look + bold lips + metallic highlighter. I know it's frowned upon to talk about rules in makeup these days, but the one that says you should focus on one feature at a time is something I believe in. While I do more natural makeup in general, I love a good dramatic smokey eye. But I pair it with more subdued colors on the rest of my face to balance it out. Or vice versa, I wear a bold red lipstick with a soft neutral eye look. The more is more trend is definitely not for me!

Wearing a bold red lips (Dior Ultra Rouge in Ultra Feminine) - for me it pairs best with soft neutral eyes

MAKEUP PRODUCT THAT WAS BETTER IN THEORY THAN WHEN YOU USED IT

That happens a lot! Brands always promise that their products will be perfect, but it's often not the case in reality. My latest disappointments:

- the Natasha Denona Mini Star palette. I decided not to return it for now because I do love the color story, but those eyeshadows are a pain to work with!
- in the same vein, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina palette was a let down. Not as purple as advertised, and again the shadow formula required lots of effort to look good. I sold this one on Poshmark.
- earlier this year there was the Clarins Water Lip Stain. It can look good, but it's really finicky!




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