I’ve received a couple of very encouraging emails recently that has really helped to brighten my day – and if you are reading, coz I know you are, thank you! One of the questions I had been fielding related to the new Shu Uemura Atelier eyeshadows.
You might have seen them in the stores and counters. New Shu Uemura eyeshadow formulations that come in handy palettes that you can mix and match to your requirements. I didn’t check them out for the longest time until very recently, and the reason is primarily because, I couldn’t wear Shu Uemura eyeshadows.
It was an expensive mistake to find out, let me tell you that! I used to own so many colours of their original formula (and I kept a few of my favourites) but I realized that the eyeshadows made my eyes feel very uncomfortable.
I did not break out in a rash or anything drastic, thank goodness. My eyelids just felt incredibly heavy and irritated as the day wears on. I don’t even know if anyone understands this feeling.
It was very unfortunate because the texture of the original Shu Uemura eyeshadows are sublime. We have not seen its like since they have been reformulated, twice so far. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that not even the new Atelier eyeshadows can compare to the original formula.
I had a similar problem with Shiseido The Makeup eyeshadows – you know the ones in the oval case? The new Luminizing Color Trios don’t irritate my eyes thankfully, but eye products in sub brands like Majolica Majorca do, including their mascara (the reason you don’t see my trying much by Majolica Majorca here). Oh and not forgetting the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils! Iconic as anything but break me out big time 🙁
These aren’t the only makeup brands I can’t use, but its among the popular ones and that used to really bug me until I learnt to let it go – age does have its merits 😛
Your Say: Is there a popular brand of cosmetics you cannot use for whatever reason?
Paris B
none really comes to mind at the moment for me, and i haven’t tried shu’s new atelier ones personally but when i swatched them, they felt very chalky and the pigmentation wasn’t really up to par.
I do find that compared to the previous textures, the new Shu Atelier shadows are more powdery. I can wear the new formula (made in Korea) but the texture doesn’t wow me the way the old ones did.
I recently bought Urban Decay tinted moisturiser….it was on sale and the price was only $3 I think….once I receive it I decided to give it a try but I think that when I wore it I feel a sting in my face like menthol but far more like something piercing…not a good thing for me I guess but still I enjoy buying it just for $3 hahahaaha….
Gosh! Stinging of the skin doesn’t sound like a good thing, even if its just $3 – but I suppose if it doesn’t break you out in spots or rashes, maybe it isn’t as bad?
i can’t use l’oreal….esp the foundations
Gosh I wonder what’s in them that breaks you out?
HAH!
I found out I was allergic to UDPP! Can you believe it? It would sting my eyes for some reason! That’s why I stopped wearing eyeshadows. And then I slowly got back to it eliminating bits and pieces from the makeup routine. Skin care allergies-I’ve heaps, thankfully, cosmetics only UDPP so far!
UDPP! And you found that it worked so well for you too! 🙁 So what do you use then or have you eliminated the use of a base altogether?
Philosophy SPF products 🙁 I am really sensitive to the chemical sunscreen ingredients they use (avobenzone) …
Oh boo! 🙁 I haven’t tried much of anything by Philosophy but its probably a good thing you are sensitive to avobenzone because its not meant to be very good for us either 🙂
The one I used was When Hope Is Not Enough, SPF tinted moisturizer … Purity cleanser is fine though! But I find that I can’t use quite a lot of stuff with chemical sunscreens, Neutrogena’s famous Helioplex and whatever SPF’s all burn my skin. 🙁
Ouch 🙁 Your skin does sound very sensitive. Happily though, there are many sunscreens available these days with physical blockers although I think some may be a little pricier 🙂 Choice was a lot more limited a few years ago.
P.S. Also all of Palmer’s SPF’ed products. It’s a big pain to find even their lip balms are spiked with the stuff!
“spiked” I like that word! 😀
The Faceshop lipglosses. My lips will get swollen immediately.
Gosh! That’s serious. I’ve heard of some people being allergic to EL lip products too
Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Lotion! My skin can’t take hyaluronic acid..
yikes! And so many products these days have hyaluronic acid in them! There are quite a few readers here who report the same sensitivity so you aren’t alone!
Me too! 🙂
Me too!
SKII. I can’t use its moisturizers. Breakouts galore!!
Might it be the pitera? I was using SKII a while ago but it started breaking me out subsequently so I stopped.
I cant use MAC foundation/powder cos I will break out like crazy..I cant use Hada labo Hyaluronic acid too makes my skin itchy, the Prevage eye cream from Elizabeth Arden made the skin around my eyes peel! And the UDPP makes my lids sticky..
On the upside Sharon, you’ve worked out what you can’t use, so you know to avoid them! Do you know if its a specific ingredient in the products that’s causing problems/sensitivity?
i reckon the EA Prevage eye cream has some form of fruit acids or whatnots lol..i have fine line under my eyes which is a bother cos if i try to line my lower lash lines the colours smudges in the folds of the lines.. yes allergic to anything with fibers.. fibrewig mascara gaveme red eyes so yeah..so much for hyped and popular products 😛
hmmm none from the cosmetics. I guess I’m just lucky that way?!
Good on ya! 😀 Very lucky indeed!
haaa same here, MM mascara and eyeliner make my lids feel heavy and uncomfortable. therefore I didn’t dare to wear their eyeshadow and eye makeups from shiseido’s other brands
but I love their base & lip products like maquillage stick foundation, za powder foundation and lipsticks, MM glosses and shiseido perfect rouge
Ohh someone who has the same “allergy” I do to Majolica Majorca! So you will understand the heavy feeling on the lids which is super uncomfortable. Initially I used to think i was falling sick or there was something in my eye. Now I know better. The Luminizing Trio from Shiseido Makeup was ok for me though.
and also the majorlica majorca lash expander frame plus mascara doesnt do much for my eyelashes and worse is i am allergic to the fibers…
Is it fibres in this mascara or fibers in general? I have had some fiber mascara really irritate my eyes too so I try not to use them.
I would say most non-mineral makeup foundation would probably make me breakout. Also totally get what you mean, some eyeshadows makes my eyelids super dry, and then my skin around would get all flaky making it hard to apply any sort of eyeshadow.
So you still use mineral makeup foundation then? I stopped because contrary to everyone, I’d break out from mineral foundation sigh… Hope you’ve figured out the eyeshadow/brands that cause you problems so you know what to avoid 🙂
I wonder what it is about those shadows and Majolica Majorca products that you’re allergic to! I don’t have a specific makeup brand I can’t wear, but my dermatologist has specifically banned me from using any sort of oil cleansers, so those are out.
As for skincare, and oh, foundations…the list is endless :P.
I have wondered about the ingredients actually. I was told it might be the deep sea water they claim to be in there (in the original Shu Uemura formula) but its not present in Majolica Majorca so I don’t quite know what it is that’s causing this strange symptom. Out of curiousity, do you double cleanse then, and what do you use for makeup remover? It must be odd to be in Japan and not be using oil cleansers like everyone else 🙂
Weird, but good thing you know exactly which products cause irritation! I use a water-based makeup remover, then a regular facial cleanser. I absolutely love the Mandom Cleansing Express since it takes off all my makeup super quickly, isn’t greasy, and doesn’t require rubbing.
Mandom Cleansing Express! I have one in a tube but I’m not sure if this is the one you mean? Or do you mean the one in the bottle? I’ve been reading a lot of raves – I need to try. NEED 😛
For me will be Chanel’s and Shu Umera… Both totally dry my skin out and break outs too… Quite shocked at it as I bot the most moisturzing series…
Would that be skincare or cosmetics? There must be something in there that’s not agreeing with your skin but drying skin out is horrible!
Estee Lauder’s eye makeup; be it eyeshadow, eyeliner or mascara. My lids hate EL, they get really itchy, red and at the end of the day they start to to flake. My water line and the roots of my eyelashes start developing scabs if I wear EL mascara. I found out the hard way because I was in denial that it was their products that were causing my eyes to water and itch like hell. Give me facial breakouts anytime rather than scabby eyes.
Ok Boogie, you have to win for worst reaction to a cosmetic product! 😯 That is most certainly an awful reaction but its good to know that you’ve worked out the brand and products that you cannot use and so you know to stay away from them
I cannot wear ANYTHING with alcohol in it!! So, there goes most Japanese skin care, which is loaded with alcohol!!
Oh yes, Japanese skincare is an alcohol fest! I’m always amazed though that the ladies in Japan can still use them. Actually I can use most of the Japanese ranges too but not all.
Mmm makeup-wise I can’t think of anything… I just avoid products with isopropyl palmitate cos it makes me break out so bad, but apart from that I’m lucky that I never had any allergic or bad reaction to any cosmetic product.
I have seen that ingredient popping up now and then – glad you have isolated the cause of breakouts so you know what to avoid! 🙂
Anything with alcohol (Listed as Alcohol and Alcohol Denat. especially) is a no-no for me. I also try to stay away from mineral oil. They break me out pretty badly 🙁
Makeup-wise I don’t experiment much, so I’m not too sure what brands I cannot use- the ones I’m using now are fine so far 😛 But skincare I cannot use Shu Uemura, SK-II and Dermalogica’s new Ultracalming range. They break me out as well.
How interesting. Someone commented a few days ago that I use a lot of products that contain mineral oil and asked if it breaks me out, and it doesn’t. Alcohol doesn’t either but its good you know what does affect your skin so you know to stay away.
True- while I tend to stay away from mineral oil in general, mineral oil in Creme de la Mer doesn’t give me any adverse reaction. Instead, it worked beautifully on me, which is kind of ironic. It was after I used it did I actually read the ingredients list and found that they had mineral oil and so expected it to not work 😛 But most products with mineral oil in general tend to break me out.
As for alcohol, the worst offender has to be alcohol denat. for me. Alcohol is second on the list, but Clarins UV Plus HP sunscreen contains alcohol and I’ve been using it for ever without any bad reactions towards it (Touch wood!). Other types of alcohol e.g. cetearyl alcohol and the like are usually fine by me.
On the negative side, it means I have less choices to play around with too because I’m usually wary of the ingredients hehe 😛
I think sometimes its to do with the quality of the mineral oil or alcohol and the quantity in the product. I personally do not believe its all bad but in large concentrations maybe it is.
Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils give me a rash. Their blush is okay for me but aside from that the only product I use by them is their eyelash curler hahaha.
Oh I love their lash curler too! Its the best I’ve used 🙂