I have a ton of barely-used, abandoned lipsticks that I hang on to for way too long, thinking maybe I’ll come back around to liking some slightly wrong hue I’d previously forsaken. This almost never happens, but it did the other day, when I pulled this Bite Beauty lip color—the shade is called Mulberry—from the reject pile. It’s a rich color that goes on pinker than it looks like it would, and is kind of ideal for summer, as the matte formulation stays put on lips for—literal—hours. Only problem is that Bite Beauty has recently gone out of business—you can clean up on favorite products at Sephora, where they’re all marked way down—and the Mulberry shade is sold out both there and on the company’s website (where there are also big markdowns). I finally found one tube, on Ebay, but with shipping from Canada it’s $60, and I can’t quite abide that. But all of this has made me curious: what’s your favorite beauty product that disappeared, and to what lengths did you go to accrue more of it?
MAC Retro Spec eye shadow. The perfect everyday color for my completion: Light gold/tan with a hint of green and a slight shimmer. Sniffle….
Chanel “ Coco pink” lipstick. When you do an on li e search, it seems there are thousands of people wishing for it! Wondering why they wouldn’t bring it back?
Check for it once in a while – my favorite Mac shadow was discontinued for many years and is back again!
All the original DevaCurl products. The new formulas are ok, some are even pretty good–– but none are FANTASTIC like the old formulas. Makes me grumpy just to think about it
My gateway drug was Bliss’ vanilla bergamot body butter. I paid a LOT of money for a couple of tubes on eBay. Ditto for Vitabath amber body wash. Then I fell for Kiehl’s coriander hand cream. I was able to score a few at the Rack, but they’re long gone now. I must have a niche market sense of smell.
Funny, for me it was a Bite lip pencil. The perfect pinkish-brown, neutral but colorful, wait is it magenta, lip pencil.
I bought an eye shadow palette for blue eyes from QVC, of all places. When they ran out of it, I snagged one from eBay. When those ran out, I had 3Custom Color replicate two of the shades.
How did the custom shades work out? Ive thought about doing that, but I’ve always hesitated.
CC Cream/Foundation by Lancome which was marked as a best-seller on their website: discontinued!!! I’m still not over it.
Lancome discontinued Tresor bath gel, body powder, lotion, everything except the perfume (it’s surely next). Feels like getting jilted by a lover, the bastards. I guess I wasn’t enough for them.
A local boutique in Seattle carried the most incredible smelling perfume I’ve ever smelled in my life. It was the perfect rich hippie scent and contained Oud and sandalwood (?), I think. We have no shortage of hippie scents here, but this was extremely elevated, even better than Tom Ford. I sprayed some on from their tester bottle and literally could not stop smelling myself. I even went three days without showering so I wouldn’t lose the scent. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and went back to buy it only to find out it had been discontinued and they were sold out. After that, I tried a number of Oud scented perfumes, including Ford’s, but nothing comes close.
Jo Malone has some oud that might make you happy… i’ve got one (of course i can’t remember the name) that’s got oud and citrus notes. it’s good. like, sexy hippie good.
Oud & Bergamot is what I wear. It’s like putting your face in the neck of a crisp button-down worn by a 40-something Harrison Ford. Mmm.
This sounds divine. Do you make it yourself?
No, it’s actually Jo Malone. Every time I try something new, I just go back to this.
Hi Liz,
Fellow Seattleite here who is dying to know which boutique?
Oh god, I don’t even know the name, but it was a nice shop with mostly dresses, I think right across the street from the Sunset Tavern. The dresses were all around $200.
Hey Liz, do you happen to recall the perfume’s name; And was the boutique “September” by any chance?
I simply adore Oud scents and now you got me intrigued!
That’s so sad. And maddening.
I loved Linda Rodin’s lipstick line.
Yes! Me too. They were expensive but so good.
Byredo fragrance in Green….so fresh and summery! It was my signature and now I’m searching for something similar and having no luck.
A Chanel eyeliner from their 2016 or 2017 resort line, limited edition to start with, that was perfect for summer: it was a gorgeous and unusual turquoise/blue/green mix, and I have spent oodles of money and wasted many brain cells trying to find something even close. Everything else is just too blue or too boring. I never felt like a bad version of Mrs Roper when I wore the Chanel one which otherwise happens (I wear a lot of caftans), and it brought out these great golden flecks in my hazel eyes. I bought an eyeliner the other day thinking maybe it was close, took it on vacation, and nope, terrible.
Have you checked out Victoria Beckham Beauty? I’ve only just come across her eyeliners and she has a new one in “Olive” which looks like it would be lovely on hazel eyes.
I have another one: DiorBlush in the shade Passion Fruit. It was such a nice natural-looking peachy-pink (with 2 colors that could be worn alone or combined) and it never crumbled or broke so I’d get every last speck from each compact.
Clinique Double Truffle lipstick was my go to neutral for ages, and I couldn’t find a suitable replacement after wasting money of a lot of other products. Finally ended up finding a service on-line that matched the color (I sent them the dregs of my last tube). Think I paid $75 for two tubes, and didn’t like the texture of the match product as much as the original. But the color was good!
OH NO – I did a “make-your-own-lipstick” event at the Bite store in SoHo right before COVID and it’s BY FAR my best shade ever. Are there any other brands that do this?
Apparently the make your own lipstick is the only part of Bite that will still be in business, so you are good.
Not sure if this is what you have in mind, but Three Custom Color will match any shade you have. It’s not super cheap, I think it’s like $28 or something, but they can create a brand new tube of lipstick even from the smallest sample. I had them match a sheer lip gloss from a tin I bought in 2002, and it was spot on.
There’s also a place called LipLab that does this.
Bobbi Brown Beach body oil was THE BEST. It’s a no-go now (rather, I will not pay $100+ for a bottle). The other thing was an Urban Decay line of Naked concealers that came only in peach, pink and green. The peach was a 100% perfect match for my skin, and now I cannot find a substitute, not even when I mix concealers. Annoying!
Have you looked at NARS, Jennifer? They’ve got some peachy shades, Bobbi Brown, too.
My absolute favorite moisturizing lip stain was by Lipstick Queen. It was sheer and the very perfect berry color. Sadly, it’s nowhere to be found and their Instagram hasn’t been updated since 2020. I was able to find other colors at TJ Maxx with Frog Prince turning out to be a somewhat satisfying replacement. I tried something similar by Fresh but I’m allergic to an ingredient in it which resulted in my lips looking like they had been injected. Visually, not bad looking, but I also ended up with mouth sores and kept painfully biting my lips by accident! If anyone can suggest an alternative I’d be grateful.
I like the Clinique Chubby Stick Lip Balms.
https://www.sephora.com/product/chubby-stick-moisturizing-lip-colour-balm-P279113?skuId=1307917
Thanks!!!
I was going to say Lipstick Queen too! i found some in iherb a while a go and also in TJ Maxx when I was in NYC a couple of years ago…
@Tahe Z, I remember reading about Poppy King, the founder of Lipstick Queen, in Sassy back in the ’90s—I think the line was called Poppy—and being enamored with it. Such good brands.
I was just at Sephora, bemoaning the loss of a Sephora-brand moisturizer that had a high spf, was mattifying, and cost practically nothing. Boo hoo.
TheBalm’s BalmShelter tinted moisturizer. I like it better than Nars and it (was) half the price! Tons of requests for them to bring it back, but so far nada.
Jo Malone Vetiver never came back, just pure Vetiver is hard to find. The only other one is by Guerlain, but her Vetiver was special. And Lancome used to make a collagen serum/ moisturizer; that thing was gold plumped my face up, gone for good, replaced by Genefique. I recently discovered Algenist Genius liquid collagen, it’s very good.
Artec Kiwi styling wax, which was the only thing that worked in my short hair. I’ve been grieving the loss of this product for more than 10 years. Nothing else comes close.
RMS discontinued my everyday Lip Shine color that I’d used for at least 7 years and I’ve still not found a suitable replacement. I’m also mourning the recent loss of my makeup holy grail, Lorac Front of the Line Pro eyeliner, which was replaced by a pale imitation of the original. I have a small stockpile built up from past sales, but found out about the discontinuation too late to fortify it. Alas.
This seems like a good post to ask the following question. With Revlon’s recent bankruptcy announcement, should I begin a stockpile of favorite Revlon lipsticks to store in the refrigerator? Or, is Revlon ultimately safe as houses, with no need for backups of Cherries in the Snow, Raisin Rage, and Certainly Red? Speaking of actually discontinued stuff, Max Factor auburn mascara, Rimmel taupe eyeliner, the original formulation of Badedas bubble bath (I now use the shower gel, but the quantity to price ratio isn’t as good as the old bubble bath), assorted Lipstick Queen products from when Her Majesty Poppy King was still seated on her throne, Revlon Matte Balm in Sultry (every dupe for this shade does not work for me), Yu-Be lip balm with SPF, and Camay soap (own 20 backup bars, though).
I would think that having a couple backups couldn’t hurt, bk or no bk. You just never know. … … … This is a fun post – I have sure missed out on a lot of neat stuff.
D.Morgendorffer, I was recently at a CVS here on Long Island and the Revlon “stuff” was rapidly disappearing and seemingly NOT being restocked. Could just be supply chain problems or something more dark and stormy. I did pick up a Cherries in the Snow (just in case)––I don’t wear it, but my mother did all through my childhood––I have one of her handbags from the 50’s on display in my living room and plan to put the lipstick in the bag. No one will know it’s there, but it seems a small worthwhile tribute. I’ll put a note explaining why I put that particular lipstick in the bag so when I die my daughter will find the lipstick in the bag and the memory of my mother wearing Cherries in the Snow will come to life again for a tiny perfect moment.
CW, that’s a lovely idea! I think for my mom, it’ll be her eyebrow powder in a compact – it’s all about the brows in my family!
Appreciate the feedback, y’all. Didn’t want to go into paranoid hoarder mode, but didn’t want to kick myself either. Such a lovely tribute, CW, by the way.
How lovely. For my mother it would be Cover Girl lipstick and powder. She always used her lipsticks as rouge as well.
My mom has been living in fear of something like this happening. She has been doomsday stockpiling her shade of Lancôme lipstick since the 90s. They take up a whole shelf in the refrigerator.
You forgot Wine with Everything!
Revlon lash tint. The only mascara-like product that ever stood up to my oily lids. Estee Lauder has a black lash tint that is *almost* as good, but it gets flaky. I still purchased 5 tubes, just in case
That is a hot tip in case my favorite “They’re Real” Benefit lash tint discontinues. I buy extra everytime because I am paranoid.
Prescriptives Camouflage Cream. I stockpiled and tracked down every last tube when Lauder closed the division. Haven’t been able to find a replacement product that I love as much. Also the original Ponds Cold Cream for make-up removal. I had a serious eye rash incident when the formula changed and the company failed to call it out in the packaging.
There was a brand called Sue Devitt in the early to mid aughts that I LOVED that exists no longer, alas. I’ve found a few of the products on Ebay here and there, but they’re long expired and just weren’t the same. I am super excited to hear about 3 Custom Color, though. I have an eyeshadow in a Tarte palette that I love (perfect rosey-bronzey-gold) that they don’t sell except in the palette, so I’m going to try to get them to replicate it.
Caudalie had a tinted moisturizer that was my holy grail. Easy to apply, glowy and natural look, and high spf. The one that replaced it in their line doesn’t measure up.
Maybe even more disappointing are the many, many products I have loved that still exist in a diminished form because of degraded formulas.
I loved Ann Taylor Possibilities perfume. The eBay price is $350! Gulp….
Tom Ford Violet Blonde perfume.
A few years ago, J.Crew started to carry some makeup and toiletry products. It maybe lasted a summer (I think they were test driving a lot of initiatives during a change in leadership post-Jenna/Mickey Drexler). I came across a fabulous red lipstick from a company called Red Earth and the color is called Begonia. I bought two tubes and I am down to my last one. Needless to say, I wear it a lot and hope I can find a second tube.
I also miss Fendi’s Palazzo fragrance. I love it and can’t find a replacement so I use sparingly.
I think Red Earth is still around! If it’s the one I’m thinking of, it’s kind of like an Australian version of the Body Shop – they carry lotions, bath gels, etc., in addition to makeup. I bet you could find that online.
A Bite Beauty red chubby lip pencil/stick that was the perfect color, texture and size to apply on nights out without a lot of fuss. After 2 years of COVID masks and no lipsticks I woke up like Sleeping Beauty and went to buy a new one only to discover Bite was going out of biz! NOOOOO
I had the most perfect rust red-brown nail polish from Avon called ‘Tuscan Russet’ which has been discontinued and I have not found a satisfactory replacement that looks as good against my olive skin. Always too brown or too orangey.
Essie has a few shades in that arena; you might give them a try.
There was a perfect Bobby Brown lipstick…I looked everywhere. Gone.
A perfume from L’Occitane called mimosa that I loved. I found a few small bottles on line in Australia and bought them all. I’d ask at their stores anytime I happened to be in a different city, to see if maybe they had some old stock. Nope.
MAC lipstick in Naked Paris, it was a color in one of their seasonal palettes years ago, I scraped out the last bit into a plastic container and used every little smear until it was gone.
Mabelline Master Precise Skinny eyeliner in grey. Easy to apply, smudge, and go. Black is too dark, brown is too muddy, the grey was perfect. Alas.
Milk Gel Eyeliners, I especially liked a coppery one that looked like it would be glittery, but was just the right amount of shine when applied.
And the last thing is actually my husband’s – he loved the Jonathan Dirt hair pomade. I used to buy him a year’s worth at a time and missed that it was discontinued until I went to buy the next year’s supply and it was too late. It was the perfect, malleable hold and had a light vanilla scent that made him smell like cookies! I miss my husband smelling like cookies.
Maybe investigate Reuzel pomades. They don’t smell exactly like cookies to me but at least the blue tin has a pleasant vanilla-mint scent.
I was buying some Chanel nail polish for my niece many summers ago and let myself get talked into a limited edition lip blush (414) that is the only cheek color that has ever worked on me. Whenever I wear it, the compliments roll in about how generally great I look. Of course it’s discontinued and my pathetic attempts to find a dupe have failed. It’s reserved for weddings and funerals at this point.
Lip Quencher lipstick in cinnamon snowhaze.
MAC lipsticks: two shades. My favourite red was discontinued about 5 years ago: will have to check my stash at home to see what it was called. And then this year, Odyssey, which was my PERFECT every day shade and I have been wearing for the last 20(?) years. I have 4 tubes in my stash but I will go through them quickly..
Bonne Bell Skin Musk Oil. Not the spray that I find in every drug store. The actual oil. HEAVEN. CHEAP. LOVE.
The lip labs make your own lipstick part of Bite will still be around (per instagram post) so you can get more, just save a smidge out of the tubes to match. or they may have the mix on file.
NARS The Multiple in St. Bart’s. Not sure if it could create the same magic on my 49 year old face as it did on my 20-something year old face, but gosh I loved it so much. Also a Bobbi Brown Brightening Powder. It came in a square, silver compact and had shades of pink, purple, and rose. It made my skin look airbrushed.
Agraria Bitter Orange body lotion and soap! waaaaaa! Years ago, while on a business trip to Las Vegas, the Wynn Las Vegas used Agraria products in the rooms. I tried it, fell in love, stopped wearing perfume and layered my scent every day with the Bitter Orange soap and the body lotion. Fast forward to a little before COVID, and Agraria stopped selling the product. I bought what I could find, and I contacted Agraria. Agraria told me they were simply redesigning the packaging and would be selling the body products again. (They still sell bitter orange house scents.) That was almost 3 years ago. I contact Agraria (in San Francisco) every few months and they say the same thing. “We’re waiting for our redisnged packaging.” It just doesn’t make sense. Bitter Orange was their number one seller FOREVER. I suspect the company was sold, and someone somewhere retained the rights to make the body products. If anyone knows where I can find a zesty (not sweet) orange soap and body lotion, pleeeeeeze let me know! I’ll love you forever!
I always take it as a challenge when one of my fellow GOACA’ers needs a new recommendation. (I was raised in a highly competitive family – what can I say?). Try this: https://www.olivela.com/products/moltonbrown-orangebergamothandwash300ml-20838?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5cGTq_bx-AIVuf3jBx0JNwSYEAQYASABEgK1XPD_BwE
Thank you! I ordered the lotion!
Such a tantalizing question that is irresistable to answer and I am so glad you asked: ANASTASIA OF BEVERY HILLS LASH GENIUS. It was game changing because it was the only mascara that really held the curl and lifted my stick straight lashes. Then I just used a little tinted primer on top (I know – backwards, but it worked like magic) and all my mascara woes were gone. Until I realized too late it was being discontinued and didn’t have enough time to buy upany remaining inventory. I have spent far too much time and money chasing every potential dupe that I have found at Sephora, Ulta, Amazon and from deep dives into makeup bloggers and vloggers. I have found things that work, but nothing as well as Lash Genius.
Estee Lauder’s Fruition. It smelled divine and was really effective.
Clinique lipstick “Tenderheart” – it was a great shade that looked good with any complexion.
Same, I loved that colour!
Don’t they still make Tenderheart? It’s for sale on their (Canadian) website.
Apparently I’ve been living under a rock, because I didn’t know Bite is going out of business. My shade of that lippie is Sugar Buns. Just ordered three tubes from their website. Thanks, Kim!
Clinique City Block SPF 40. High SPF, subtle tint, just thick enough, didn’t irritate my skin. I’ve never been able to find a comparable replacement. I sure miss that guy.
This. Ditto.
There is a shade of Laura Mercier Caviar sticks eyeshadow called “ Sandglow” that is the perfect light greeny- gold for my hazel eyes. When it got discontinued I bought as many as I could find on eBay only to realize they dry out. So I’m using them as fast as I can and hoping someday they bring it back! I feel like if I love something, it is the kiss of death.
now i want to try sandglow on my hazel eyes!
So very random, but Gap made a perfume called Earth in the late 90’s. They discontinued it after 4 years or so and I bought as much of it as I could. I’ve never found anything I like as much!!
I’m pretty sure my favorite scent ever was from that same collection-“Delicate Sagemoss”.
I am the same but with their scent Grass. The green one back in late 90s. I have never found anything that compares
Yes, I remember that Grass scent from the Gap!
A few years ago, I saw another one of their 90s scents in the little metal atomizers (Dream?), but no Grass. I so wish they would bring that one back. It was my favorite, too. Mrs. Meyer’s has a grass hand soap this season, but it’s not the same.
A. Rebecca – please, where did you see the Dream scent?? That was my dream scent (har har) back in the 90s, when I was too young/poor to actually afford it. I’d douse myself in it every time I’d hang out at the mall with my girlfriends. Of course, when I grew older and had the $, it had been discontinued!
I also loved Grass and have recently found a perfume that has the same genes – Le Weekend by Summer Hours. You can get a sample box of their 4 scents for $40 with generously sized testers. I like all 4 but love Le Weekend and ordered a small bottle.
https://www.summer-hours.com/shop-1-YVyn5/scents
Not familiar with your lost love, but Demeter does single scents. Their most popular is Dirt, I think, but they also do a Grass, if you wanted to try 🙂
I liked Pacifica’s Malibu Lemon Blossom scent quite a bit, and I didn’t know it was discontinued until too late. Phooey! It wasn’t particularly complex I suppose.
I adored Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist lipstick in Copper Pink. A great easy everyday lipstick. My go to morning cleanser Cetaphil has now been reformulated as to be unrecognizable. Luckily I have 2 big bottles of the old stuff. And don’t get me started on what Estee Lauder has done to their fragrance collection. Eliminated, altered, basically ruined all of the classic old school scents I love. Grrrrr….
As someone with mild rosacea and love for Youth Dew, I have a clue to your pain. On the Cetaphil side of things, have you tried Aquanil? My regular cleansers at this point are Albolene and Avene Tolerance Extreme Cleanser Lotion, but I keep a bottle of Aquanil on standby. Aquanil seems very 90s era Cetaphil when I use it and has a very short ingredient list. Even if it doesn’t replace your one true love of old Cetaphil, it’s good to know about options.
Thanks! I’ll try your recommendations.
Ojon restorative hair treatment ( the original formula )
Ban de Soleil orange gelee – for the St Tropez tan (lol) purely nostalgic for the fragrance
Flora Danica by Royal Copenhagen
Feerie by Van Cleef and Arpels ( I have a few bottles stockpiled- the body crème I have purchased online a couple of times with mixed results, one successful and one was yellowed and dried up – the eBay seller accepted a return
Bobbi Brown tinted lip balm in Brown and Hazelnut, they came back limited edition one year and I bought a ton but now they’re gone, from there I moved to Buxom lipstick in Brooklyn, it was the perfect mauvey neutral, until that bit the dust too!
Bobbi Brown Everything Mascara. It just worked for me and now I can’t find it anymore.
Lauren perfume by Ralph Lauren.
This was my favorite as a teen! All my friends would gift it to each other for Sweet 16s.
Kiehl’s Grapefruit Oil fragrance – I wish I had stockpiled it! Any other similar scents smell like cleaning fluid to me…
Also: their Rain and China Rain oils. I used to get stopped on the street by people wanting to know what I was wearing.
Only one that I can think of, but it was a Holy Grail item for me: Bobbi Brown’s EXTRA SPF 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm. It was like 3 products in one…skincare, sunscreen and foundation. Very bummed about that one. But with the way new products are CONSTANTLY marketed to us in the beauty realm, I can’t think of why anyone would miss the disappearance of an item all that much. “No one is irreplaceable.” (And no thing!)
Original formula Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie. Original formula Chanel Coco. And Dior Poison. And Andalou Naturals BB Cream.
Reformulations make me so mad; madder than discontinuations.
Fresh Pomegranate Anise EDP. I bought 2 unopened bottles off eBay but they didn’t match up to what’s left in my original bottle.
Armani sheer blush #5. This feels like an emotional injury
OMG been obsessing over Bain De Soleil sun gelee (any of their products really) being discontinued. And I’m not alone in that either!! People are paying $300 on Ebay for it!! I mean it isn’t really ideal as a real sunblock but I’d still use it just as a body lotion or something.
NYX cosmetics had an amazing BB cream. They discontinued to focus on new foundations. I found one tube at a cvs a few months ago and was so excited.
Decades ago—literally in the 80s—I was given a bottle of perfume by Jean Pierre Dovat (who I now now was sculptor who had a side gig as a perfumer) called Eau d’Hiver. I’ve never found a perfume I like more.
These fragrances:
Estee Lauder “JHL”
Gave away a full bottle to a “friend” after my divorce just to get rid of the memory. What mistake! I’m still waiting to meet someone who knows and wears it.
Avon Christian Lacroix “Absinthe” annnd “Rouge” I’m hoarding ends of the bottles for very special occasions
Avon “Earth” my twin fragrance…
Anytime origins spring fever, perfume, body butter, whatever. I’d love to find any of it!!
Spring Fever was my scent. So many compliments. Ugh.
I’m a couple days late to this, but I definitely have old faves I still pine for. Benefit Coralista blush—both it and Georgia were discontinued. They revived Georgia, but not Coralista. It is the perfect warm pink and looks amazing on my skin. Marc Jacobs Grass Eau de Toilette. I cried when I realized it was no more. LipFusion XL lip plumper—it actually worked, and without burning. It smelled and tasted divine. I bought 3 unopened tubes on eBay , so I still have some. L’Oréal lip gloss in Goddess. They have since released a totally different gloss and called one of the colors Goddess, but nope. 😭
I will never ever get over losing Mac X mascara. I have tried every other Mac formation, consulted Mac counters in several cities, tried countless other brands, spent a fortune, and a few are good, they are okay, but nothing is like Mac X. Nothing. I did buy some on eBay when it first happened, but eventually gave up and searched for a replacement. Dior Show and Hourglass come the closest, and I appreciate all the different brands you have showcased here, all of which COME CLOSE but don’t cut it hahaha. #notoverit
Chanel Lipstick in the shade Paris. It was the perfect pinky-red (for reference it was the shade Sandra Bullock wore when she won her Oscar for The Blind Side).
The old Tarte push-pop cheek stain blushes were my holy grail. They reformulated a couple of times, then shrunk in size by like 2/3 (though the price remained the same) but I didn’t care. I LOVED them. Because they lasted forever, I didn’t realize Tarte had discontinued them until years after they were gone. And I’ve tried to replace them with everything form Milk Makeup to Westman Atelier. Nothing was as good. Then a couple of weeks ago I saw that Tarte had brought them back as a “limited edition.” https://tartecosmetics.com/shop/limited-edition-cheek-stain-2457.html They’re at Sephora and Ulta websites, too. I am overjoyed!
I remember those! I loved the original berry color one.
Onomie Bright Concealing Elixir. Did they go out of business? I managed to snag two more tubes in the color I wear and am forever on the hunt for a replacement. Sigh.
When I first discovered Ilia in a small independent boutique about 10 years ago—I think it was newish then—they made a line of lipsticks that were highly conditioning but also carried a lot of tint. There was one called Shellshock, which looked almost luridly pink in the tube, yet it went on smoothly and created a perfect pink hue. I bought it for a few years, then they changed the changed the formulation and seemingly the color too. They don’t make it anymore. All of their current lipstick colors are much too dark for me.
This isn’t quite beauty, but close—my bra! I finally found a Wacoal bra that’s comfortable and holds in my girls quite well. And they freaking discontinued it!!!
Yes! This is maddening. ThirdLove discontinued my size which sent me into a panic. But I found some NWT on Ebay, so try there, and also on Ebay I discovered a brand that makes the same weird size: Chantelle. So I got a NWT one there for $24 bucks, normally $68. And I might even like it more. (I hate the way the Third Love bra straps look but hey the bra actually fits so I put up with ugly straps).
Try Amazon. I’ve found discontinued bras from several brands there for a lot less than regular retail.
Suggest you check Nordstrom Rack. My favorite Wacoal style is not discontinued but I’ve stopped paying full price for it since it’s not hard to find at the Rack
Several years ago I was in a resort in Cabo San Lucas and needed sunscreen. We bought a tube of ridiculously overpriced Coola that was a waterproof sport formulation and it smelled divine as well as kept me from burning even without repeated application. They’ve since discontinued that formula and I’m so bummed. I’m squeezing the last little bit out of the last tube I bought.
Also, strangely enough, my favorite super-basic, no-frills men’s Gillette razor is no longer made. I have the original one I think I got when I was in high school so I would stop using my dad’s. That’s 40 years ago. I hate how razor makers now try to make them all ergonomic and shit, because to me they’re just awkward and plasticky. I had a spare one that I gave my husband (he loves them too) and he left it in a hotel room a few years ago. I tried to find another one, only to see them available only on eBay for around $60! I guard my existing one jealously.
Oh, I totally agree with you! I hate today’s razors that are supposedly ergonomic and “shaped for a woman.” I call BS! Unfortunately, the old razor I’ve hoarded for years no longer has blades made to fit it. Grrr.
Grounds for divorce, I’d say.
Marc Jacobs Kiss Kiss Bang Bang lipstick
Also one of my faves!
Givenchy Rouge Interdit Shine in Toffee Shine. Literally the most perfect nude ever. Nourishing and lasting but light. Perfect beigy-rosy pink. I still scour the internet for it but never find. Have bought probably 50 lipsticks to try to find one as good but have given up and just look like a washed out hag who’s stopped trying now.
His lip pencils were delightful–great color, great wear, nice feeling, stayed out of lip lines. (sad sigh)
I loved a tinted BB cream with sunscreen by Stila. One of the shades was my perfect match. It didn’t break me out. I searched everywhere for it when it was discontinued. I even bought a few tubes on eBay. I’ve never found a satisfactory replacement.
What a fun thread!! I’m learning so much from the comments. I have an old red lipstick from Wet n Wild of all places that is PERFECT (brick red, not too pink as most are on me) but I can’t find anymore. I’m going to take the above recommendation and try to get it matched at Three Custom Color.
Marc Jacobs discontinued its entire beauty line, along with the world’s most perfect eyeliner (Fineliner Ultra-Skinny Gel Eye Crayon) in the best shades. Tragic.
His mascara was EVERYTHING. #sosad
Love this thread! For me: Cliniques Almost lipstick in black honey was my go to lip product all through University yrs. Then it was discontinued in Europe. And online shopping wasn’t really a thing back then….Still miss it 20 yrs later and I keep looking for replacements. With no success so far I might add.
Christina – I’m not sure how you’d be able to import it to Europe these days, or if it can be shipped from some US stores, but Black Honey is very much still here in the States! I usually stock up from Sephora and/or Ulta. Apparently it was sold out a lot during the height of covid times due to Gen-Z tiktokers losing their marbles over it, too (???).
Wow, really?! Great news, thank you! This means I will be buying in bulk once I start travelling for real again. Loving the gen Z revival – it really is quite wonderful. (Wonder what it looks like on me 20+ yrs, 4 haircolors and pregnancies later…)