September 12, 2012

Musings of the Day: It’s Ok To Shop for Makeup at Forever 21

Some title eh? But I really like digging through the Forever 21 Love & Beauty Makeup Collection when checking out. They always have those buckets that surround you as you edge towards the register in what seems like the never ending line from hell (why is F21 always so damn busy?).

I think they intentionally put all that stuff around to either 1. make super spontaneous sales or 2. to keep you entertained while you’re waiting with twenty people in front of you.

Palettes, glosses, oh my! All utter rubbish of course but sometimes, well only sometimes it’s ok to shop for makeup at Forever 21.

No shame in my game.

I recently picked up a Forever 21 Love & Beauty Shimmer & Tinted Lip Gloss ($2.80) in Amber. This Made in China monstrosity is actually a really nice gloss. It’s thin with an incredibly short wear time but it lends a nice hint of shimmering tint to my lips and this shade, Amber, is a nice pick for Fall.

It’s not going to change my lipgloss life but I got a cheap thrill outta it.

Be honest with me, do you own any Forever 21 Makeup?

How about makeup from other stores like H&M or New York & Co?

Seems like ever store has their own little makeup line lately…!

Anything that particularly stands out for you as a good deal?

Any must haves?

Do share!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Caitlin

    Yeah, why IS f21 always so busy? I own a couple F21 palettes, bought on a conference trip when I realized I had zero eyeshadow with me for some reason, and they were something like $3 each. They actually aren’t as bad as you would expect. A step up from ELF’s normal line, for instance. However, I wouldn’t recommend them or anything, LOL, but they will do in a pinch!

    • the Muse

      i don’t get it, I spend 25-30 or longer in life on f21 EVERY single time I go in. WTF!? and they have registers open, it’s just busy as hell…! lol agreed or for a cheap thrill ;-D I think they make some cute stuff.

  • Camille

    I bought a lipstick from Forever 21 not that long ago on a whim checking out online and it was gross. It smelled realllly waxy and had horrible color payoff and wore off in like, two minutes but left this gross gold glitter on my lips. Yuck! I gave up on their makeup after that, but if this gloss is good maybe I’ll give it a try.

    • the Muse

      camille I haven’t tried the lipsticks tbh! the gloss has a vanilla like flavor, I didn’t like it much but it disappears quickly enough ;-D it is rather cheapie makeup so doesn’t surprise me it had a weird smell, bad wear, etc..;-D but sometimes you come across a gem or two…I liked the gloss, NOT amazing but decent for three bucks ;D

  • Vic27

    I’m not really a fan of their makeup, I have 2 blushes from Love and Beauty but they have no pigmentation at all, but I do have quite a few nail polish from them! lol

    • the Muse

      I have one, a coral-ish one, that was pretty pigmented, not too bad and I like the cutesy packaging hehe!

  • Ally

    Is it bad that I really like F21’s makeup? Hahahah oops. I have four blushes (two powder, two cream), three glitter eyeliners, and a tiny eyeshadow palette, and they’re all pretty nice. Not the highest of quality, of course, and the cream blushes fade pretty fast, but they were definitely worth the money. Oh, and I looove their $1 false lashes. I have so many stocked up!

    • the Muse

      lol no not at all! I love VS makeup hehe ;-D I never tried the falsies, maybe I should at a dollar each not bad!

  • bean

    i dk why singapore’s F21’s lipglosses are in a diff packaging! and they look really bad, with all the oils forming up and looking all dried. sounds terrible isnt it!!

  • Cindy

    Honestly, I probably would never get makeup from F21. My local store, their bins near the register are always a hot mess. I just don’t find it very hygienic! I’m a weirdo though haha. I have bought and worn their fake eyelashes. I haven’t seen those in a while though, they were fun and cheap as heck!

  • Anna

    H&M has reeeally nice nailpolish in interesting colours and with long wear – everytime I visit the store I have to have one! But it’s good that there cheap then 😉 I’m also a fan of their blushes – they have a blush “sugar rose” that is flattering and natural for my very pale-pink undertoned skin, and it also have decent pigmentation and wear, so that I can recommend!

    • the Muse

      I’m glad you are saying this as my sis always asks me about h&m np whenever we are in there together and I always sit there with an “i dunno” shrug lol! ;-D

  • Debster

    I love that store but I’m mostly there for the shoes and skirts. Most of the time I’m there I never check the makeup because I go at off-peak times.

  • Kim

    I like VS makeup (esp. some of the newer stuff) but I ignore most store brand cosmetics. F21 is just way too crazy busy for me to even want to shop there on a normal basis.

    • the Muse

      lol same with yours eh? it’s like they are having a sale EVERY single day lol ALWAYS so dam busy WTH?!

  • Tiffany Martin

    We don’t have a single forever21, H&M, or NY&Co in my entire state lol. If we did, I’d probably own a few guilty pleasures… >_>

    • the Muse

      where do you live? wow…! hehe ;-D well you have VS right? plenty of guilty pleasures there, that beauty rush line is so damn tempting!

      • Tiffany Martin

        I live in Vermont, beautiful, green, awesome, but we kinda try to keep out the big corps. We have a total of 4 walmarts in the whole state, lol.

        I do like forever21 and H&M (saw these places when I traveled) and we DO have victoria’s secret here! I think we have 2 stores actually. Only lingerie and a little bit of beauty stuff but that’s all I care about anyway.

        • the Muse

          hey tiffany, sorry delayed reply! I think you told me that and I forgot, apologies! I would LOVE to live there ;-D must be damn nice around the Fall/Winter 😀 hey you still got online shopping ;-D that always works eh?

          • Tiffany Martin

            Online shopping works great, but I always check reviews too if I can, it helps me figure out what to get. I read so many beauty blogs!

            Even if we had more stores I’d likely still get 99% of everything online because of my disability. It’s hard to get around. I’m glad I’m such a clever shopper.

          • the Muse

            I didn’t know you were disabled Tiffany, online shopping is a god sent for everyone I think disabled or not 🙂 It’s just such an easy way to get stuff without taking time out of a busy day to go shopping plus we don’t have to deal with pain in the but sales reps ;D

          • the Muse

            AMEN for that! I really dislike going into stores. SAs are so aggressive, sales aren’t as good, etc…!

  • Cassie

    The blushes from Forever21 actually aren’t that bad either!! Like this gloss, the wear time isn’t anything spectacular but it is a cheap thrill to get you through to checkout (or get your shopping basket to $50 when you’re only a few bucks away for free shipping lol). I also love H&M’s lotions and lip balms… they all smell delicious and perform pretty well!

  • theRothstanator

    I’ll have to look for that one next time I am in there. I do ave quite a few of their nail polishes! Some of them run on the goopier side, but they also have come up with some really fabulous and unique colors that are worth the extra work (especially for $3).

  • Lisa

    The NYC makeup line has some good products in it, actually. It isn’t ALL stellar but there are things in the line that work well. Poke around MUA, youtube or google “NYC makeup reviews” and you’ll come up with a lot of results.

  • Melissa

    I have the falsies. I use them as disposable ones which is nice.. They are ok for a buck or two! I also own some goofy t-shirts from f21 I’m pretty much too old for any of their other stuff. I’ll pass on the gloss but the post made me laugh. I love anything h&m for clothing and accessories and their nail polish is great but haven’t tried the other makeup. I always spend my moolah on clothes at h&m but maybe I’ll try the make up next time.

  • Laura

    I’m wearing F21 eyeshadow today actually! I think it’s pretty decent for what it cost, something like $4 for a 4-pan palette.

  • Alanna

    I work at Aerie and I really like the lipgloss and nail polish lol. 🙂 a couple years ago when we had eyeshadow palettes they were actually really nice!

  • SJG

    OMG Muse, too funny you wrote this post. I had a date stand me up and so to soothe my wounded ego (har har) I went shopping at Forever 21, even though I am WAY past their target age range. I got socks AND a bottle of lotion AND two pink eyeshadows. They are more glowy than actual color, but you can always use highlighter – and they would work as blush also. The dictionary definition of “cheap thrills.”

    • the Muse

      teehee ;-D no shame in f21 makeup shopping, clothes shopping, or accessory hehe they have some awesome stuff ;-D I love me a cheap thrill lately ;-D and screw that date, buy eyeshadow!

  • jazmin

    I heard that the single eyeshadows are really good i think they were 1.80 each i saw swatches and they look nice….(shrug) maybe give it a try??

  • Alanna

    This is an older topic but I found some lovely little rose scented makeup wipes at f21 today! They smell lovely, work a treat, arent drying…. I’m in love, especially at $2.80 for a 30 pack. :]

  • jcbg

    I’ve never shopped at F21, so I haven’t tried their makeup, but I have bought Flirt! cosmetics at Kohl’s… which I do like! Not the cheapest stuff, though.