Rant: Inferior Cosmetic Packaging

Morning all! Hope you're all well. Sorry to start your day with a rant. =P

Recently, as in since I've been buying some higher-end make up only in the last few years, I've been becoming increasingly frustrated with inferior packaging when it comes to cosmetics. Particularly with the brand that I actually do love, Illamasqua, well, because the only other High End brand that I buy is Kryolan, and that is so expensive I can barely afford anything.

Anyway, there have been at least three instances where the product's actual formula (the actual make up I mean) has been amazing, out of this world, phenomenal! And yet, the product container has been so rubbish the product can no longer be taken anywhere due to potential leaks.
This has happened with both my Precision Inks (I have had two so far, both have broken in the same way. A crack along the side of the lid/wand, and it is too easy to over extend the lid when closing.) and my Pure Pigments (All four of them, despite the lids being on as well as possible, product has leaked out or build up along the edges only to create a huge mess, and wastage, once opened.)

Now, I probably could forgive a manufacturer for releasing products with inferior packaging if they were a cheaper brand, but when you are paying top dollar for frankly a great brand with fantastic formulae it is so disappointing, and honestly unforgivable, to see that they continually release poor products (I figure that I haven't continually purchased duds) when good, functional packaging is not that difficult to design and still be aesthetic, just some thought needs to be put into it and proper testing.

Another gripe with this brand I have is that I have an Intense Lip gloss by Illamasqua that is actually amazing, but the brush-tip applicator that comes built into the wand has some kind of gunk, or hard plastic on it. The bristles are synthetic, so I figure it's just some build up of the brush material, but honestly it is scratchy and impossible to apply neatly. In this instance I feel it could just be my product, as I only own one of these. Now, I know that I can easily use a lip brush for this, but that's not the point! If a product is going to come supplied with an applicator then it should be idealised for the product. Not to mention that Illamasqua have a perfectly good lip gloss tube already for their Sheer Lip glosses ( different formulation) and that functions well, so I don't see why they couldn't use that or a variation. Again, this is something you see with cheaper brands; the come with those awful sponge applicators in eye shadow sets, but really now, quality (and advertising) is what differentiates the cheap cosmetics from the High End cosmetics.

Have any of you ever had similar experiences?

xxx Lilly

Goth in a Box

Hey my darling readers, sorry for the period of inactivity; university was getting very stressful with exams and assignments, but thankfully now that is all past. Thanks to everyone who wished me well! I've been on my summer break for about two weeks now, and so far things have been good, although the weather has been heating up more than I would like...

I am excited for this summer in regards to this blog, as I have lots of interesting content coming up, so stay tuned for that!

If you can remember in an older post by The Green Fairy, she mentioned having won a subscription to a beauty box. We were all pretty much unanimously wishing that there was a similar beauty box that was more suitable to darker or alternative tastes. And that got me thinking, I wonder what items I would include if I had my own Gothinabox beauty box, in a jokingly serious way; legitimately these would all be my real choices. I also don't want this to be a Just-Add-Water Insta-Goth set, but rather key items that many Goths would use regularly and consider them favourites. Of course, I'm going to have to carefully skip over the logistics of a beauty subscription box, as that is not my area of expertise, and just focus on the 'what if'...
Enjoy!

• SPF 500+ to block out any of the disastrous and icky rays of the Yellow Hurty Thing.
• Mattifying pressed powder. Because dewy, glowing, healthy 'I just spent the day at the beach' skin is not desirable.
• Liquid eyeliner in black. With a felt tip to achieve a wickedly razor sharp point.
• Blood red lip stain. To create a freshly bitten look....
• Wine coloured lip liner. To sharpen one's Cupid's Bow to a Siouxsie-approved right angle.
• Matte black eyeshadow. For smoking one's eyes and chiselling one's jaw to taut perfection.
• Extra-Strong hold Hairspray. When Regular-Strength hairspray just won't do.

Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment below with what you would put in your own Goth Beauty Box.

xxx Lilly