Blog Sale

Monday 29 November 2010

Epic fails I regret buying

Don’t you just hate splashing out on products only to be seriously disappointed? What’s even worse is when you’ve heard nothing but great things about the goodies so when you get round to buying them you’re completely convinced they’re gonna work wonders!

Unfortunately this happens to me all the time so I’ve included a few “fails” I’ve picked up over the last month or so. Goes without saying that some people might swear by these so please don’t take this post too personally! I definitely don’t want to offend anyone who already uses any of these; just letting you know that they didn’t work for me :)

So, in no particular order…

Lemon Aid by Benefit

A colour correcting eyelid primer? Er, not so much. It doesn’t correct anything – I’ve used this numerous times when my eyes have been a tad red (haven’t been sleeping the best recently) and regardless of how carefully I apply this all it does it add a horrid cakey layer to the skin. It also commits the cardinal primer sin by creasing. If I’m gonna pay £16.50 for a primer at the very least I expect it to last all day without creasing!!

Natural Radiance blusher by ELF

I adore the ELF range. There are sooo many amazing products for a ridiculously good price that I almost feel guilty badmouthing this one. Not guilty enough to prevent me though :) Firstly the package is crap; really stiff and hard to open. The pan is really teensy so it’s hard to get it on the brush and last of all it looks awful on the skin. I’m ghostly pale thanks to the good old Belfast weather and yet this is so unpigmented (that is so a word :p) that it barely shows up on my skin

Falsies mascara by Maybelline

Heard at least a million great things about this and disagree with pretty much every single one of them. I found this too wet, which left my lashes clumping together (great if you’re after the spider leg look) and it didn’t do anything for the length. By lunch time this was flakey and unpleasant looking. As far as drugstore mascaras go I’ll be sticking with Max Factor

Eyecon by Benefit

Why oh why do I keep buying benefit products!? Honestly I’ve tried dozens over the years and the only one to really impress me is the Her Glossiness lipgloss. Every other product has been “meh” at best. The most recent example of this is the Eyecon brightening eye cream… Basically I’ve found it to be a completely average eye moisturiser that doesn’t fade dark circles or leave my eyes looking brighter as promised. £22.50 down the drain :(

Neutrogena Wave Cleanser

You probably wont be too surprised to hear that this hasn’t made the slightest difference to my skin whatsoever. The only thing this has changed about my routine is how bloody long it takes to wash my face! The pads are so smooth that my skin doesn’t feel properly clean even after using this for at least 3 minutes – I always feel like I need to give it a quick wash with my hands afterwards

Total waste of time and money in my humble opinion :) If you’re looking for an awesome product to use with your cleanser I really recommend the little scrublets that come with the bottles of L’Oreal Perfect Clean Gel Washes. Absolutely adore these and can’t believe I lived so long without them!!

Have you tried any of these? Are you of the same opinion as me or is there anything here that you use in your regular routine?

Hope you have a fantastic week ♥

44 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your epic fails! I haven't tried any of these, but, I have a falsies mascara waiting in the package ready to test. But, didn't sound promising as I don't like overly wet mascaras. Thanks for your reviews hon! :)

Shaylee Anne said...

I completely agree with the Falsies! I hated it and I keep seeing great reviews for it! I usually love Maybelline Mascara but that one was terrible! Great post! :)

Kaitlyn said...

i agree with the lemon aid being crap, but not the falsies! i love the falsies and most of the maybelline mascara line :) anyway, after buying the confessions of a concealaholic palette by benefit, i decided to steer clear of their products, considering the only thing i liked out of that thing was the erase paste.

Noir said...

I've only tried Falsies mascara from your entire list and I agree with your opinion. I usually do like Maybelline mascaras but this one was kind of messy.

Pepper said...

I agree about how crappy ELF $1 blush packaging is. At first, I give up on it after I find 'Glow' is so frosty for me. But when I got 'Flushed', I changed my mind. I can stand the crappy packaging because 'Flushed' is really pretty.

WhatLauraLoves said...

If you're looking for something to get rid of redness around ur eyes n generally make you look more awake in the mornings try the Under Eye Concealer by George at Asda. Its a bit like Touche Eclat by YSL but seriously, it is FANTASTIC. Ive got some swatches on my blog to show how truly amazing it is. Plus its only £3 so wont break then bank if you dont like it.
Link is here: http://thewhatlauralovesblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/goodbye-touche-eclat-hello-george-at.html
Laura xoxo

PeachPixie said...

Neutrogena Wave Cleanser- I totally agree on this, it never worked for me at all. My skin didn't feel CLEAN after using it.

Natural Radiance blusher by ELF- I normally LOVE Elf products! But you're right about this one, it didn't show up on my cheeks at all, very disappointing.


There is nothing worse than being let down by make up.

Great entry!!

Jenni said...

wow i agree with Eyecon! Yet i think Lemonaid is supposed to even out the 'dullness' on the eyelid instead of being a primer ??!?! im' not too sure on this one, but i tried at their counters and the pan is stiff like no other (application super difficult)... your post inspired me to make a post like this too XD

Tracy D said...

Is it wrong that I love these kind of posts so much! I find them very helpful, thanks for your honest reviews.

Mandy said...

thanks for sharing your fails. interesting to read.

Unknown said...

lol i love this post!! i had fun reading this, informative too! i totally felt your anger! hate wasting money on crappy epic fail products!!

SiSi Sparkles said...

thanks for the heads up on these things! I haven't actually tried these myself. One of the epic fails I can think of for me is that Garnier moisturizer, that oil free one, can't even think of the full name right now!

http://www.sisisparkles.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Great post! I agree with you on everrrrything. ThatNeutrogena thing is such a total raught!

Leah said...

Great idea (:
I use the neutrogena wave. I dont find anything wrong with it, except that my skin had been so used to it, it stopped working and pimples started appearing more often.

Remember, request any posts for my blog in an email!
leahs-land.blogspot.com

xo

Leticia said...

I hated The Falsies at first too, but when it dried a bit it worked much better. I think I had it a few weeks before I liked it.

Unknown said...

i love reading this kind of reviews =P

maybelline's mascaras always have a problem - the texture is too wet. really dont wanna try another more >_<

Teagan said...

Benefit is definitely a brand that never enters my head to look at when browsing the beauty department and Im glad!

Unknown said...

I have tried the wave, eyecon and lemon aid! The wave does nothing at all fir me and that's the same for eyecon. I just thought with eyecon I must be doing something wrong as it just dies nothing.

Now I do agree with you on lemon aid it does not work as a primer. But seen as I have it now I use it with my erase paste and find that the two give me a good concealed for my eyes! It is hard to get out and I find I have rub my finger over it to warm it up!

Dee said...

Uh oh, am I responsible for Benefit Lemon Aid? I don't rave about it (I don't like it all that much, really), but I do mention it a lot because I use it for swatches. If it's my fault, sorry!

Bibi said...

I haven't tried any of these, but I'm glad you put up a review about these products... You're from Belfast? ^^

Jo Woods said...

great post,love posts like these. I really like The Falsies mascara :) xxx

GlossQueen said...

Great post! Eye con did nothing for me either, I thought it was a total waste of money.

Enigma said...

I think your right about the dodgy packaging of the ELF blusher, really cheap too. Although different shades are different and some are more pigmented and so show up on super pale skin. :)

Leslie said...

I've only tried the Falsies, and I like it pretty well. Thanks for the heads up on the Benefit products, I'd been thinking of trying some, but this helped me to not pick up a dud.

Andrea said...

great post! I was thinking about getting lemon aid but now is out of my wishlist :)

xx

Unknown said...

Ooo il be staying away from that ELF blusher not tried one before now uve said they arent very pigmented i dont think i'll bother.
I also bought the falsies mascara which i think is a waste of time doesnt do anything much different than my other cheaper mascaras x

Yu said...

I use the L'Oreal scrublets too! The actual facewash is average..

But I totally agree with you about the Maybelline mascara! My friend LOVES it, and I totally gave her mine lol. And I stick to MaxFactor's False Lash Effect :) Love it!

Rebecca said...

Thanks for sharing! I've done the same with benefit products, anyyhing that claims to brighten my eyes, but none of them have worked!

daisychain said...

See, that mascara is the only one that does what I want it to! So funny how people's experiences differ. Agree with the E.L.F. blushes, I broke my first one just trying to open it!

Aimee. said...

Hun. Im not suprised to see that you said 'what do I keep buying benefit products not one has impressed me appart from her glossiness'. I am exactly the same I was going to do a post nearer new year reflecting on how I feel about this yrs make up, gimics and things that they have had out - a bit like a countdown to the crapyest one lol.

Dont worry if u feel bad for spending that money see my newest post on my money saving tips to do with saving for xmas sale (they are beauty and hair related)

loves aimee

Emma said...

Love these posts! I have the colossal and was thinking about getting the falsies, but maybe I'll avoid it now! xo

Ms. MakeUPretty said...

I didnt use the wave but one of the other ones way to abrasive especially for sensitive skin ,I use yougevity products they are wonderful,go to www.msmakeupretty.blogspot.com for the link. Falsies mascara I do not like, I have long thick eyelashes already but it was too wet, I need more of a seperating mascara

Flamante said...

waiting for ur reply on vitamin c range!

hollie said...

thanks for doing this, will be staying away from those!!
vintagelovefashion.co.uk
xxx

Marie a la Mode said...

I've heard the Falsies mascara wasn't that great. Too bad the benefit products were disappointing. I love their erase paste but I just started using their boi-oing concealer and I'm not impressed at all.

Sara Kalima said...

I have a few benefit shadows and I love those, and i like their blushers as well, but any creamy products for the skin seem to be quite crap dont they?

Stina said...

Haha love it.. The post I mean..
I HATED falsies too, so rubbish!!
Never bothered with the wave as I read it was pants!
Benefit to me is the most under-performing over-expensive brand on the entire market!!!
I mean their prices are higher than Mac in most cases, yet Msc never disappoints me!
Benefit have such cute alluring packaging, but their products really fail to deliver..
So many times have I found this out the bitter way, by spending £24 on a cardboard box blusher (WTF? if you want to charge "that" much, at least give me luxurious packaging?!)

I have made a promise to myself to never look at a Benefit counter again as I an fed up throwing my money down their big greedy pockets!!

Aoife said...

Omg finally! Someone who thinks the Falsies is as crap a mascara as i do! Lol hate it!

Anonymous said...

Oh man, I hated Lemon Aid too! It was way too dry for me and actually looked worse than if I had just used a nude eyeshadow to cover my lids instead. Was a waste for me too, I never use mine. XD

.. said...

this was super useful! thanks for posting this!!!

Marisa said...

ugh I can't stand lemon aid either.. I have so many regrets that I have to use because I don't wanna just throw my money way.. ugh \:

Heather said...

Hm, I love The Falsies and Lemon Aid! It really brightens up my eyes on a day when I don't want to bother with eye makeup. I agree about the Wave, though! I got those right when they first came out, and I was so disappointed.

Stevista said...

I haven't tried any of these :) As for wet mascaras yeah I hate these too! Maybe try The Falsies again after 2-3 weeks? The formula will become drier eventually :)

xxx

All Made Up said...

Thanks for all your awesome comments! I enjoying reading your responses even more than I enjoy ranting about crap cosmetics (which is actually quite a lot)

Laura just gonna have a nosy at your review/swatches now. I’ve been well impressed by Asdas makeup in the past because one of my favourite blushes is from their range and it only cost about 2 quid. You just can’t beat that kinda value :)

Jennifer according to the packaging Lemon Aid is a “color correction eyelid primer” so I had high hopes that it would actually leave my lids all smooth and ready for makeup! Couldn’t agree more with it being too stiff in the pan – applying this stuff was a complete nightmare ♥

Dee I noticed a lot of your swatches are done over Lemon Aid so I guess that’s probably one of the reasons I picked it up! Grrr!! Your pics always look great so I might use this to take swatch photos in future, at least that way it wont be going to waste

Bibi I am indeed. No one ever seems to have even heard of Belfast! Ever been?

Aimee they’re some good tips and I reckon you’ve picked the perfect time of your to post ‘em. I don’t know a single person who isn’t complaining about being a bit skint this year!

Cheeky Beauty loved your rant and completely agree! The main reason I’ve avoided Benefits blushes and bronzers is the horrible cardboard box they come in. Just not pretty or practical and certainly not worth the price ♥

Aoife I’m actually really surprised so many people dislike Falsies! To be honest I’ve heard nothing but good things about it so I was waiting on dozens of comments from people who swear by it!

Stavroula I’m really hoping that’ll be the case cos I hate throwing money away on products I never actually use. I’ve disliked a few mascaras in the past but after a few weeks they’ve dried out a bit and been far better so fingers crossed :)