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Thursday 11 November 2010

Epic fails that I regret buying

I don’t wanna be a big old Negative Nelly or anything but I figure you may as well hear about the products I can’t stand as well as the ones I love!

I know when it comes to beauty products you definitely can’t please everyone... there are some items that I absolutely swear by and couldn’t live without (I could of course, but well, I’d really rather not) yet my friends and sisters can’t stand them!

A prime example would be Liz Earles Superskin Concentrate. My sister got a bottle of this and loathed it so she gave it to me – this recycling system we have going on is most handy! - and I adore it. She thought it was greasy and didn’t soak into her skin whereas I though it was velvety, non-greasy and easily absorbed. Same product, totally different results :)

The following items might work brilliantly for you and I don’t want to offend anyone who already uses them! I find beauty products similar to a great book, when I recommend something to someone I always really really want them to like it as much as I do, but by the same token I know there’s no way that’s gonna happen every single time! So, in no particular order....

Maybelline Dream Matte Mouse

As you can probably tell from my previous post I’m a HUGE fan of the Maybelline range and some of their foundations totally kick ass! This one however...well, I just can’t get on board with it. Believe it or not this is my 4th pot. I’ve bought it randomly over the years since it’s release cos I keep thinking maybe I just wasn’t applying it right, or had the wrong shade etc etc. But nope, each time I’ve got it it’s been as rubbish as the last.

The worst thing is probably that it’s incredibly drying. The second worst thing is the coverage cos it’s so light and yet still manages to be uneven. Ick!

Chanel No5

I decided to treat myself to this when I got a particularly good bonus at work. I considered it a “grown up” perfume and nearly cried as I handed over £70 for a 100ml bottle. It was only after a couple of wears that I realised why I could smell old woman no matter where I went. It was me. Well my preposterously expensive perfume!

Clinique Anti-blemish Solutions foundation

There’s so many things I dislike about this it’s hard to know where to start. The texture is far too drying and for someone with a lot of spots that means dry cakey foundation clinging to said spots in a hideous manner. Not good! Oh and it caused me to break out more than usual.

Simple products

As a teenager all I used was simple stuff. There wasn’t nearly as many things available then but I always used their cleanser, toner and soap. A few months back I was particularly skint and had run out of my usual cleanser and toner so I figured I’d buy the Simple range instead cos it costs about a 10th of the price for 3 times as much product. Seemed too good to be true, and guess what? Yup, you got it!

As you can see I’m not basing this on just one item but I found everything I used to be a bit “meh” and the only thing I’d consider repurchasing is the face mask.

L'Oreal True Match foundation


If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know this is a recent repurchase because I really didn’t like this foundation when I first tried it. Unfortunately I can safely say that second time around it managed to impress me even less

The finish is just so horrible! It’s cakey, clogs in my pores and looks dry. All in all I think it’s just a crap foundation and I will be avoiding it in future. Shame really cos the True Match powder is superb!

Feel free to comment about any products that you feel are totally overrated or just didn’t work for you! I love hearing about other people disasterous purchases :)

52 comments:

Hannah said...

Simple yuuuuuuuuuuuk! Agree 100% x

Noir said...

I can't stand Chanel No5 neither. I just don't get the appeal. You said it right - it smells like an old lady.

Aimee. said...

:o i like them products all apart from the channel number 5... i can see why people dont like the dream matte mouse (ppl say it dries their skin out)what shades r them 3 foundations and how much used... i need some new foundations... and if i can try these it would be good... and give u some money towards something else... !! thanks xxx please reply on my blog or something =) xxx thankssss

Elisa ♥ said...

I also have the loreal true match~~ *sighh.. I regret that I bought it the other day~~ bought the wrong color as well T_T boehoe

Stina said...

Hey :)

I must do one of these posts too, I have a list so long..

Chanel No 5 I agree with you on- Hello Grandma ;) That £70 could have been spent on a much more amazing perfume sadly.. You could still sell it on ebay and make a good few quid.

I use Simple wipes and find them ok Oh and a green tea moisturiser, which I don't at all find amazing, but I can't find a face moisturiser I like, so in the interim this will do..

And Loreal foundations are always yuck on me and same with the dream mousse- should be called Nightmare Mousse! So drying, cakey, non-covering etc..
Bleugh!

:) xx

Melly said...

Agreed with True Match and Matte Mousse.. haven't tried the rest and never will :D

Unknown said...

Love reading this type of post! I have not tried any of these products. The dream mousse I really wanted to try, but there is not a good color match for me...so, I never tried it. Thanks for sharing!

femputer said...

I couldn't stand that Dream Matte Mousse either. Blech.

The Editor said...

MY first ever foundation to buy and try was the Maybelline Dream Mousse. I was at the end of highschool and knew absolutely NOTHING about foundations: that I had to match them to my skin type etc. It was just launched in my home country and I couldn't help to buy it. SO I spent the money I was given on my birthday on this foundation and on the Dream Blush. The blush is one of my favourites (even now), but the foundation... HORRIBLEEE!!! I used it five times, them tried to use it to cover my blemishes, but no good at all. Threw it away when it expired. BLeurgh.

kylie said...

lots of my friends practically live off dream matte mousse, but i don't see what the hype is all about! i swatched it on my hand and it looked dry on my hand so who knows what it would look like on my face!

a product that didn't work for me was the maybelline dream satin liquid foundaton. however, the maybelline dream matte powder was really good!

Bibi said...

Thanks for the info... I don't use any of these products :( So I can't really tell you my opinion.
Except for the Chanel n°5 ^.^ My aunt has this perfume, and she showed it with utmost pride to my grandma and me, telling us she got it from my uncle and how much she liked it... I was sitting there, thinking: wow that's an expensive present, but I kept quiet. And then she sprayed it on and yes, exactly as you said: old woman's perfume... How classy the name Chanel n°5 might sound, nothing beats my good old no brand perfume ^.^ xP

liquoredonlacquer said...

thanks for this post! =]

I was close to buying the matte mousse, glad now that I didn't!

xox

Miss War Paint (Nic) said...

Amazing post, love it!

I agree with you on dream matte mousse. I've bought it quite a few times for some crazy reason. I like the idea of it....being able to potentially getting away with no powder....carrying it in your handbag but it just sucks!

The L'oreal one however I really like! It's not as good as satin liquid but it works great for me. Maybe one i'd use when i had no breakouts.

BTW for your perfume you should TOTALLY sell it on ebay! honestly perfumes get decent bits...epecially chanel and it's almost full!! people by empty chanel bottles for some odd reason!


xxxx

Miss War Paint (Nic) said...

Please ignore my grammar and spelling in that comment. I'm not as thick as my writing suggests haha! x

Kaitlyn said...

at first i liked to dream matte mousse.. until i started looking at my face more closely after applying it, haha. it is definitely drying and has really spotty coverage! i have such a love hate relationship with foundation though, i can love a brand one day and hate it the next. i blame it on my crappy skin!

EVE-O-LUTION said...

even ive had a BAD experience with the Chanel perfume and maybelline trumatch... horrendous :(

Terri said...

Great post!
You might not get on withe mousse foundation because of your skin type. Mousse foundations are usually better for combination skins, therefore might be streaky when applied to oily skin. This is because it has a mineral oil base.
I hope that helps you understand why you don't like it.
Terri, xoxo

Dee said...

I'm a perfume junkie from way back, and I'm a bit fond of a few of the "old lady" perfumes too, but I HATE #5. It's just so sickly.

FunnyFaceBeauty said...

Great post. I love these kinds of posts. You should try the Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse foundation. Similar, but way better than the one you don't like.

Emily♥ 에밀리 ♥エミリー said...

I have the Dream Matte Mopusse foundation but I don't really like it. I actually like the concealer a bit better, but only for makeup pics. I don't wear it out. Neither is really the right color for my skintone, and I find it as you do; cakey, streaky, uneven, and it sits in my pores. But every foundation does that, lol.

Leticia said...

Noxema acne treatment pads. I broke out so bad!

Anonymous said...

Chanel no. 5 is like all I wear, actually. :-D

Marie a la Mode said...

Thanks for posting. Now I know what NOT to buy! I tried Josie Maran's Argan oil on my face and broke out in a rash but I think that was just random.

Hope said...

Thank you for posting this! I always like to hear what works for other women, and I always appreciate an honest review. You remind me of myself, trying something, hating it, then trying it again, hoping and crossing my fingers and toes that it will be better! I've only ran into a few that actually are, but it's nice to know I'm not alone! :)

I'll definitely think twice before I pick up any of these products!

Oh, and thank you so much for the sweet comment on my blog. You made my day! :) :)

Kenziefaith said...

"..Realized why I could smell old woman no matter where I went" Ha! I've totally done that. It's all trial & error I suppose! Great post, thanks for sharing :)

KF x

makeup,hauls, and anything under the sun! said...

aaaaww....I'm sorry to hear that dear. thank you for being honest with your blog post :)

Bibi said...

Thanks for the comment! The Benzac left my skin drier at first, but then I only started using it on my most oily zones, and there it worked perfectly. I'm going to keep using it 'till I see my dermatologist again, see what he'll say. During my first visit he also suggested birth control pills, but I refused since I didn't think it was necessary... Didn't want to have to take birth control only for my skin :S

Leanne OCD said...

The only thing I love from the Simple range is the eye make up remover - which I love. Other than that, I can empathise with you on everything else! x

Dreamy Princess said...

Wow.. What a waste on Chanel N.5. I don't really like it either xp

Thanks for sharing. Such a nice post!((:

Cheers,
Dreamy Princess
~I wonder what it's like to live in Paris~

Anonymous said...

Absolutely agree!! I can't stand Chanel no. 5... that smell gets to my head!!!

Also, thank you for the super-lovely comment!! You're so sweet!

xxx
Vikki

http://stylometre.blogspot.com

Andrea said...

I've posted the same article today. What a coincidence! :)

xx

Frances said...

Thanks for sharing! I think ppl should do this kind of post as much as favorites post... darn helpful =P man I always kind of wanted to try the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse... glad I didn't XD and I've used True Match for Halloween and I totally agree with you... dry and cakey and powdery... ick!!!!!!!!!

Stacey said...

Great post! I used to use Simple products too but now don't think they're a patch on Neutrogena, have you tried the 2 in 1 daily wash, it really cleared up my skin. Also a product by Witch, it was a little stick that you rub on your spots before bed that used to clear me up too, it dried them out. The money we spend huh! x

http://thehqofbeauty.blogspot.com

GlossQueen said...

I can't stand Chanel No 5 and Simple products either!

Risa said...

I couldn't agree more with you about the maybelline foundation and the loreal foundation. Maybelline is too drying and flakey and Loreal is just horrible on my face. Though they have a great range of colors, which is good but it's just too cakey no matter how i apply it. Great post!

xx

Christina Marie said...

I have to say, at first i loved the True Match foundation but after a few weeks of using my skin has become awful! I've stopped wearing foundation all together now! It made me skin breakout (which has never happened before), oily and it looked so cakey!

Green Tea and Cupcakes said...

I love your honesty and for someone like me who is just about to buy new foundation you have really helped.

daisychain said...

Great post, it's nice to see honesty :) the maybelline mousse foundation is hopeless on me, my skin is far too dry for it to blend.

나니 said...

I really like Simple products, cause I don't have trouble skin (like acne prone or anything), so I don't need any sort of 'treatment'. I just need something to tone and something to moisturize. I'm using the Simple toner and the day cream with UV filters, and I like it a lot so far :'3 Or even better.. my skin likes it. I do have this prescription cream that I need to use under it tho, because I get these crazy-weird tiny rashes.. but overall I like it.

Jewelrybead said...

Love this post- I will keep these items in the back of my mind of what not to buy in case I am ever tempted!

Xo
Jolene
jewelrybeadsbeauty.blogspot.com

Marisa said...

ugh I don't like the dream matte mousse too, it looks so bad on me!!!
Oh my experience with l'oreal true match was quiet funny.. I bought the c2 because I have more cool tones on my skin and I'm pale as a ghost... when I applied it my face look dead orange. Really ORANGE, a bright orange!!! I was thinking to myself "Does anyone have naturally orange skin??? Does anyone this pale has this skin tone?????" I was so mad ahahha I took a picture, and my face looked coral!!! Never again I'll touch that foundation :P

Of The Saints said...

Hello,
Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving such a lovely comment! :)

Just been having a quick read through some of your posts, you certainly know your stuff when it comes to make up.
I'm definately gonna follow :)

T.Rose
www.silhouette-skies.blogspot.com

o said...

the only product I tried from thsi lot was the mousse and I quite liked it!
Thanks for sharing

Andee Layne said...

good to know about the dream mousse foundation... i had heard great things and was also disappointed when i saw it in the store!

MyFashionAddictions said...

LOL :D I love this post! I'm always reading about good reviews so it's refreshing to know which ones SUckkkkkk..

Pamela said...

Thanks for this post! It's always good to hear from someone else's first hand experience with a failed product. Do you like Maybelline's mousse blush? I'm a HUGE fan of that.

Call Me Ishmael

Audrey♥ said...

interesting post!!! I always love these type of post because it stops me from making mistakes and buying a bad product.
Matte mousse annoys me. Everyone loves it - and apparently it was voted Best British foundation. I really don't like the matte look though, I like dewy!
xx

♥Bunny♥ said...

Very rare to see a post where someone post about thigs they no like. But I have to agree with the Chanel No5... It's too adult but I totally laughed at smelling old women... hahaha! <3
greeat post!

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing this! Now I know what to avoid haha. And I completely agree with Chanel No.5; everyone says its a cult classic, etc., but it is definitely more suited to those who are of more mature age.

Stevista said...

I don't like this maybelline foundation either :/ It would make my dry spots really dry and it would accentuate them :/

As for the l'oreal true match foundation.. I like the finish, but the lasting power on my oily skin is disappointing, even with a primer :(

xxx

All Made Up said...

Thank you so much for all the brilliant comments – I enjoyed reading them even more than I enjoyed venting about my rubbish purchases!

Know what’s totally awesome?! I expected loads of people to totally disagree with me and say they adore all these prodcuts yet most people seem to think they’re as bad as I do!! It makes me wonder how the Dream Matte Mousse has amassed such a massive following if so few people like it. I can’t help thinking it only sells so many pots cos girls like me buy it over and over hoping for better results :)

Aimee I currently have the Dream Matte mousse in Porcelain (pictured) Ivory and Cameo. I reckon this is definitely one of those love it or hate it foundations. Such a shame cos in theory the mousse texture really appeals to me!

Cheeky Beauty I reckon the Simple wipes are the only decent product in the entire range... And they aren’t anything to write home about. Lol – Nightmare Mousse, I really like that!

Nic how odd is it that we’ve bought the same crappy foundation more than once hoping that it’ll work better next time? When I think about it it just doesnt make sense :/ You know I never even considered selling the perfume on eBay but thats a bloody good idea, esp with Christmas just around the corner :)

Stacey I’ve heard fantastic things about the Neutrogena 2 in 1 wash and mask combo but havent got round to trying it yet! Did you use it as your every day face wash or just as the mask? Gonna get it from Boots on Thursday cos I was planning on doing a little shopping and it’s 3 for 2 at the min. Woohoo!

Pamela I’ve only tried one of the Maybelline Dream Mousse blushes and wasnt keen but to be honest I think that’s more to do with me choosing the wrong shade (I got Peach Satin which is just so damn light it hardly shows on my cheeks) So I’m thinking of picking up another one to give it a try. Any favourites that you’d recommend?

DeliasBeautyBlog said...

I Love the Clinique Foundation!!