The Big Question Part Deux: Gone but Not Forgotten Edition
I think we’ve established by now that I’m a good and virtuous woman (shut up) chock full of moral fortitude and a demeanor that is alternately described as beatific or cherubic, depending on how much I’m sweating. I am, according to all the bartenders and sales assistants I know, a treat and a delight and when it comes right down to it you would be hard-pressed to find someone more full of good and noble nature than I.
That being said, I would happily –nay, joyously– plow down a flock of nuns in my Cadillac (well, using my Cadillac, if they were in my Cadillac it would be much more difficult as blood is notoriously tricky to get out of ivory leather and green shag upholstery, or so I’ve heard) where was I? Right. I would plow down a flock of nuns using my Cadillac for one, JUST ONE, vial of the cruelly discontinued Sally Hansen kohl powder with magic applicator stick-thingy. Yes, I know Guerlain makes one and I’m sure it’s very lovely but it’s not the same. I want my Sally back.
For today’s big question I want to know:
What product did you love and, thanks to discontinuation, lose? If you find something do you stockpile and what are your feelings on buying makeup in the secondary market?
Products with honey always seems to die. Avon made a lovely honey body wash with milk. Body Shop’s Honey Body Butter. Bath and Body Works’ Le Couvent de Minimes honey soap. I passionately loved all three. I did buy the body butter on eBay, and used up every drop. Also, I do not understand why Avon discontinued My Lip Miracle. Hands down, the most fantastic lippy I have EVER used. (Yes, I use Avon, and I’m proud, dangit!)
I can so relate- Almay discontinued a lovely sheer shimmery eyeshaddow that was kind of a oh so light pastey gel kind of substance- best eye shadow ever! It is gone gone gone-
Will go an cry quietly in th corner.
As to the secondary market- Honey, NO- Gross and Ick- And just bad
Donna Karan Black Cashmere is officially discontinued and this breaks my heart. When I go back to work, I’m buying a back up bottle while I still can. I’ve done some sampling of scent dupes from various places for that sad day when it’s out of my life forever, but so far nothing comes close. *pauses for moment of silence*
Bath and Body Works lilac lotion. That stuff was divine — it smelled like lilacs (and *strongly*!) and didn’t break down into some cheap, nasty, sweet-chemical scent. Nothing else is the same or as good, so now it is Aveeno unscented for me, and life is a little less flowery.
Avon Instant Manicure. Especially the French manicure, which I JUST tried for the first time and absolutely loved. Went to order more only to discover they’re discontinued. I ordered a bunch on eBay.
B&BW’s White Tea and Ginger, which smells just gingery enough and not sweet in the slightest. Fantastic, and gone.
Not makeup or fragrance but 15 years or so ago one of L’Oreal’s salon lines made a colour “brightener” that, when diluted with water and decanted into a spray bottle, was the most perfect stuff to spray on my dishwater-blonde hair in the summer. It lifted my hair gently at least three levels and never ever left it the least bit brassy, just a gorgeous pale pale sandy ash colour. It also never made my hair feel stripped or dry. It also cost around $6. Anything else I’ve tried since has been completely subpar, aside from $130 salon colour. Curse you, L’Oreal.
Garnier Lumia haircolor in Flowering Chestnut, Bath and Body Works’ Face skincare line, and the complete disappearance of all Garden Botanika stores. (The latter is more of a bankruptcy than a discontinuation, but still; sad.) Oh! Also, Clinique’s Sheer Matteness T-zone gel.
I’m also furious with Trader Joe’s for carrying 100 calorie packs of cheesy toucan crackers just long enough to get me hooked on them, then yanking them away. That’s not so much of a beauty issue, per se, although aren’t we all more beautiful on the outside when we are filled with crunchy-cheesy goodness on the inside?
As for the secondary market? No. Ew. Unless it’s still all sealed up and everything.
Cover Girl had two products that I loved. One was a tinted moisturizer with SPF. I’ve not been able to find one so great (and so economical!) since. The other was called Lipslicks, and was basically a very sheer lipstick. It didn’t have that sticky texture of gloss, but I had a pretty, sheer wine shade called “Daring”, and am now scrounging the last bits out of it.
Secondary market — only if it’s sealed. Otherwise, yuck.
Oh what a current subject for me. MAC X-treme – my fave lipstick, wear it almost everyday, get compliments on it. One day, went in to get some more and it was gone. WTF? Been wearing it for years. So I look all around to try and find a match, scouring every makeup counter for months, while scraping the last tidbits of my last tube..and find the perfect match: Nars Kink. Hooray! Hooray! I even bought two tubes. So fast forward and I go to buy more and now that’s been disco’d too.
*crying*
I have yet to find a replacement – I’m getting by with Tamango, but it’s by no means the same intense color. *shaking fist*
(And despite scouring all the makeup counters of Macys, Nordstrom and so forth, there’s no exact match – but if I went to Target, Revlon’s Toast of New York IS an exact match. But I can’t wear Revlon lipstick unless I’m in the mood to get a really intense rash – trust me, I learned this firsthand, years ago [when I first discovered it was an exact match to my beloved Xtreme.] Now why can I find the dead ringer in the cheap makeup but not the expensive. Why? Why?)
Jovan’s _Frankincense and Myrrh_ perfume. I think it lasted less than a year, and then I spend years looking for something similar I finally settled on Clinique’s _Aromatic Elixir_ as the closest I was going to come to it.
Rabrab, you can buy Jovan F&M here (copy and paste) and as one of the many many MANY people for whom the merest whiff of Aromatic Elixirs incites a wish for sweet release of death, may I please request a light hand with it out of kindness to others.
http://theperfumedcourt.com/Products/Jovan-Frankincense-and-Myrrh-cologne__JOVANFRANKMYRRH.aspx
Max Factor lip stain. It lasted all day and it never looked overdone. I hate sticky gloss and this was almost matte, just a slight sheen. It wasn’t perfect, but I liked it. I have really dramatic eyes and bright lipstick adds so much to my face that it is instant clown effect. I tried Clinique Black Honey lip stain for a long time, but it wears off quickly and I always forget to reapply. Someday I’ll find a non-drying, non greasy, long lasting lip stain that is both subtle and instantly better lips.
Frusen Gladje blueberry sorbet.
I’m not so much of a makeup girl.
Body by Biolage Get Going body wash. Absolutely divine smelling! I will confess to having bought a couple of partially used bottles on ebay…don’t judge! :)
I’m still annoyed that BeneFit “improved” the formula of their cream eyeshadows a few years back – they went from perfect to unwearable glop. I might buy nail polish on the secondary market, but no other cosmetics.
Not makeup, but… the original focaccia in Panera’s Turkey Artichoke Panini. It was perfect, all pesto and pine nuts and soft. The “Improved” focaccia is taller, unseasoned, and hard. Boo.
Yves St. Laurent’s “In Love Again” is an exercise in customer frustration – fragrantly released as a limited edition, withdrawn from the market for years, re-released for another short period, withdrawn again… I was lucky to get hooked up with a “dealer” who keeps a steady supply coming – goodness knows WHERE he gets it, but it’s the real, sealed, good stuff. Worth its weight in gold – nobody else has it, and everybody remembers my scent, even YEARS after they last were near enough to smell it.
That said, I always keep one sealed back-up bottle just in case.
I opened my sister’s fridge one day and instead of food it was filled with Diors’ Dolce Vita perfume and body lotion. Ten years later its still in production. Kinda freaked me out and helped create my minimalist attitude. Not speaking of shoes, of course.
I was a fan of Benefit’s Naughty Feather cream eyeshadow, but as Friv noted upthread, they changed it and it’s not the same! I found a good substitute – Jane Fabulizer in “Suede”, and when it was discontinued, I went to all the local drugstores and bought out their stock – at $1.24 each. That was 6 years ago. I just opened my last tube this weekend; guess I’ll need to find a new eye shadow now!
Bless you for that source for Jovan F&M, Plumcake!
. Truth be told, I don’t wear the Aromatics Elixir very often — I’m not even very fond of the way it smells, but it was the only thing I could find that didn’t degrade to something that smelled like I had been out toking all night and was trying to use patchouli to cover the bong pong. The Clinique was like making do with Dove because the artisan chocolatier had closed — not very close, but better than nothing.
Gee, your hair smells terrific. The scent always reminded me of high school but wasn’t too cloying.
(You can still get GYHST via mail-order from the Vermont Country Store. Body on Tap, too, and LemonUp.)
(And Love’s Baby Soft)
(Maybe they have a time machine)
First, to La Petite Acadienne, CG lipslicks still exist – I’m wearing Daring right now, actually! Last time i checked Walgreens, they were there (in the Boston area).
My big losses…when Delux beauty went under, it took with it this phenomenal sheer red tintstick (dot) and great red gloss (riley). continuing in my red theme, Bobbi Brown’s Ruby Stain lipstick – the sheer ruby one she has out now is just not the same.
To Monica the tiara chick: You can find the Le Couvent de Minimes line in other stores. I recently saw it in Dillard’s. They had all of the Honey and Shea products. If you don’t have a Dillard’s in your area, you can order online:
http://www.dillards.com/endeca/EndecaStartServlet?view=20&No=20&storeId=301&catalogId=694&N=1000694
Oh, as for my own private pain, I miss Lush’s Skinny Dip shower gel. Yes, they still make a Skinny Dip buttercream, but as with Plumcake’s Guerlain v. Sally issue, it is not the same. I want the shower gel back.
And as for secondhand beauty products, just no. I am always amazed when I have a yard sale and people buy up all of my used cosmetics in a frenzy — even though most of them are barely used, it still amazes me that people will buy beauty products that have already been opened.
I have nuns in my immediate family. This blog has just lost itself a reader.
Burt’s Bees Orange Essence Cleanser. (I think that’s what it’s called, I know it was orange something…) It was exactly perfect for my weird, sensitive face full of gigantic pores. (Sorry for the visual.) I miss it. I actually buy cosmetics from Ebay once in a while, but only if they’re new and sealed, and the seller has a good rating. You can save a lot of $ that way.
Something recently vanished that none of us will miss is Bridey. Anyone without a sense of humor need not read these posts anyway!
I AM a nun and I plan to read this blog even more often if possible. Several times a day!
When Bath and Body Works discontinued Sun-Ripened Raspberry and Urban Decay discontinued their lipsticks, I learned to not get too attached to beauty products.
If Estee Lauder ever discontinues their All-Day lipsticks, I’m in trouble.
Lyndsae, you can still get Burt’s Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleanser. If none of the stores in your area stock it, you can order it from the Burt’s Bees website.
Cat – I don’t know you, but I am sure you are a supreme example of humanity! Thanks!!
Thanks for the tip about the Lipslicks, Lythium! I just haven’t seen it anywhere in Nova Scotia, and so figured it was discontinued. I should have known better, as when I was at Walgreen’s during my New York honeymoon, I saw a plethora of makeup items that I thought were either discontinued, or not out yet.
The Gap isn’t making their Faded Jasmine perfume anymore, are they? I haven’t seen it in their stores or their website, and jasmine is the one floral scent that drives my husband wild (in a good way.)
L’Oreal Lavenlight lipstick. If someone had studied my coloring and created the perfect shade for me, this would be it. I have one tube and I’m almost through it and even though I have other lipsticks I like, I’ve never found anything that even comes close to this.
Avon’s Regence and Somewhere scents. The former because my mother always wore it, and the latter because I did. I have a little bottle of Somewhere cologne from a rerelease they did too many years ago, and I’m afraid to open it in case it’s changed.
Vanilla Diet Coke. Or Diet Vanilla Coke. I forget how it was billed, but it was so much better than this Vanilla Coke Zero stuff. When I heard they were discontinuing it, I bought it every chance I could, and that’s how I know that even Diet Coke has a shelf life (we finished it before it went truly off). I miss Pepsi Jazz Strawberries and Creme, too.
Y’all, check Drugstore.com when you are looking for hard-to-find things. They have a large selection and are totally legit and first-rate. I’ve been buying almost all of my personal care stuff from them for several years and I love it.
(I miss Diet Vanilla Coke, too.)
I truly believe that Sally Hansen kohl eyeliner has magical properties. (I was in fact wearing it just yesterday). Found just a few left at a drugstore several months ago and bought two or three of them in brown and black. Now I wish I had bought all of them. :-(
Also, the L’eau d’Issey moisturizer originally in a quite pretty plastic bottle. Now it’s just blah — takes all the joy out of buying it. Still smells good, though.
I don’t have too many things but I hate the fact Sonia Kashuk’s longwear lipcolor line for Target is long gone, as is her excellent nail polish. Another much-missed polish is YSL’s Bayadere Style #1 and #2, great sheer shimmery colors from several summers ago.
I tend to buy discontinued nailpolish on eBay and have never had a problem.
For those of you in search of discontinued makeup: Word has it (in the beauty blog community) that Three Custom Color Specialists in New York can replicate almost ANYTHING.
http://www.threecustom.com/home.php?cat=253
Plug the brand, product, and shade name into their search engine first to see if they already have the “formula” (based on what previous customers have submitted) – if not, just send a sample to them. I haven’t tried using them yet, but apparently they do have the formula for one of my favorite discontinued MAC blushes…
You’re probably fine with opened nail polish–I can’t believe bacteria can survive in there as it’s basically a paint. But on lippies or mascara or skin products, we’re talking germs galore if it’s used–I don’t even keep mine around for longer than a month or two.
Bonne Bell gel blush. It was just perfect.
Ok. This is important. Just call me Elaine, because I’m currently stockpiling the Today Contraceptive Sponge.
Yes, yes, they brought it back to the US market last year. It was around on the shelves, those of us in mongomus relationships but not able to use any sort of hormonal contraceptive REJOICED. SERIOUSLY REJOICED. Then with almost no mention in the press the manufacturer filed for Chapter 11 last December and the rights to the product were sold to a new company in June. They have not yet started distributing the product. (And that was a nice bit of google-sleuthing to find all that information, if I say so myself) Dangnabit! I have a sponge-worthy boyfriend, finally, and I’m seriously peeved that my favorite contraception is off the market.
I’m also seriously peeved that I had to dig for the information. Easy, reliable, relatively inexpensive, non-prescription contraception goes off the market and there’s barely a blip in the media. Ahem. Something is wrong with that.
Meimei, thank you so much! and they already have my X-treme in their system..hooooray!
I miss “L’eau” by Laura Ashley, the loveliest fragrance I have ever smelled, and the Gemey/Maybelline felt eye-liner in “Galet” (a kind browish grey which was just perfect with my lightslategray eyes).)
“Cover Girl had two products that I loved. One was a tinted moisturizer with SPF.”
Hey, I saw just that product at Ulta Cosmetics the other day! It may be discontinued, but if you have an Ulta near you, perhaps they still have some in stock.
L’Occitane’s “Ambre d’Or” fragrance. It was the perfect amber. Not too sharp, not too sweet, not too powdery, not too heavy. Delicious and sensuous for every season of the year.
And now it’s gone. Sometimes you can find a candle or some lotion, but it’s not the same. L’Artisan Parfumeur’s “Ambre Extreme” is the closest acceptable alternative, but I sure miss my beloved Ambre d’Or.
For me, it’s always favourite perfumes. The older classics are disappearing at an alarming rate.
The original Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche perfume.
The original Zen by Shiseido, the one that used to come in the matte black glass bottle with gold flowers on it.
The original Cabochard by Gres; the original Femme by Rochas.
I loathe being told the fragrance has been “tweaked” or “brought up to date” or “reworked”. It’s kind of a lie! The new versions are really nothing like the old versions, and I don’t like them on me when I put them on, either.
I have never gotten over the loss of urban Decay lipstick in Gash. The forever perfect red.
I experiment enough these days that I can’t say I really have a “favorite” of anything, other than Clinique’s Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector in Light. If THAT ever gets discontinued, I will buy every tube that exists on Earth.
But back in the day, when I was first playing around with drugstore cosmetics and hadn’t yet caught on to the fact that cosmetics companies like to introduce lovely shades for a month or two and then discontinue them, I fell in LOVE with L’oreal’s Golden Garnet lipstick. This was in 1991 or 1992, maybe? I can STILL remember how awful it felt when I realized there was just no more lipstick to be dug out of the tube…
Channel Discontinued their gardenia perfume, and it could make me cry. I never thought I would find a perfume that I’d stop all my evil obsessive scent buying for, or even ATTEMPT TO BUY as a financially strapped lady, but I would try, if only it where available!