Beauty Products I Regretted Buying

Beauty Products I Regretted Buying

When I look at my beauty stash, I see gems that I’m so glad I stumbled upon in my shopping escapades. Amongst these gems are some items that I proudly call my Holy Grail skincare and makeup. On the other hand, in my search for the next big thing in cosmetics, I’ve also come across some duds that didn’t meet my expectations. I’d love to say that I’ve only regretted a few beauty purchases here and there, but over the years, I’ve ended up regretting a lot of the purchases I’ve made.

There are also a lot of beauty products that were sent to me for review that weren’t up to par but for today, I’d like to share with you the ones that I’d purchased over the years that I’ve regretted buying. Mind you, these aren’t bad products (well, most of them anyway). They simply didn’t work for me as well as I expected.

Alrighty, let’s get started!

Bare Minerals BareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation – I’ve never tried silicone-free foundations so I thought I’d give this one a go. I don’t know if it’s my application process that was wrong but I didn’t like how this looked on my skin. It was patchy and didn’t blend very well. Trying out silicone-free foundations has taught me one thing: damn, my skin sure loves ’em silicones.

Rimmel BB Cream Radiance (not pictured) – I bought this over a week ago, tried it a few times, didn’t like it at all. It looks streaky on my skin and doesn’t blend very well. Coverage is also poor but I expected that as the packaging already said so. Still, it didn’t look good on my skin nor did it make my skin look good.

IT Cosmetics CC Cream – I’m a bit on the fence about this one because this actually looked good on my skin. I had no issues with the CC cream per se. It’s the scent that I can’t stand. It sort of smells like sick to me whenever I apply it, I don’t know why. Most people who have tried it didn’t smell anything bad. There’s either something wrong with the one I bought or there’s something wrong with my nose.

Josie Maran Coconut Watercolour Cheek Gelee – I was so excited to finally try this out but oh what a disappointment it was. Even though I’ve wiped most if not all of the foundation off my finger prior to applying this, the jelly still managed to absorb what tiny amount of foundation I had on my finger, making it look dirty and unappealing to use. As a blush, it’s too sheer for my liking and as it looked so icky, I didn’t dare apply it on my lips.

Beauty Products I Regretted Buying

Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Cherub – Another blush that I was so looking forward to trying out that turned out to be a disappointment. While the shade looked good when I researched swatches online, in real life, it looked like very watered down strawberry milk. I could barely get it to show on my skin. The consistency was also far too thin for my liking.

Benefit Big Easy Better Than BB Cream – Liked that it was a cream-to-powder BB cream, don’t like the low amount of coverage it gives.

Esprique by Kose Cool BB Spray UV – Let’s face it; I bought this for the cool and curiosity factor. I’ve never tried a spray foundation let alone a spray BB cream so I had to give this a go. It turned out to be pretty darn messy even when I sprayed it on a makeup sponge for application. It smells like I’ve sprayed alcohol on my face; the scent is that strong. Coverage is also too light for my liking.

Revlon Ultra HD lipsticks – This looked great in pictures and even when I swatched the colours in store, they were absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same for how they felt on the lips. Made my lips feel and look parched. Sigh.

Indeed Labs Pepta-Bright Serum (not pictured) – It was very unfortunate that there were no testers available in store when I checked this out because if I had only tested the product out, I would never even have bought it. I couldn’t even stand having this on my skin because it smelled absolutely awful. I’m not the only one who thinks so; Google reviews of this and you’ll notice that a lot of reviewers have mentioned how terrible this serum smells.

Clarisonic Cleansing Brush – I had high hopes for this after hearing my Mum and auntie rave about this constantly. My skin couldn’t take daily use of this and given that I could only use this once a week made this a very expensive and glorified scrub.

Glam Glow Youthmud Mask – There were so many positive reviews of this product on the blogosphere and YouTube-land that I had to get one to try. This was very hard and gritty on my skin, and even though I was very gentle with the application, it scratched my skin. Plus it’s very expensive for such a tiny jar of clay, which in actual fact, only costs very little to produce.

Beauty Products I Regretted Buying

Kate Somerville DermalQuench Liquid Lift – Another hyped-up product on YouTube-land that I got sucked into. This actually feels very good on the skin in summer when it’s stinking hot in the muggy evenings but even so, other than leaving the skin wet, it didn’t really do anything for my skin. There are better hyaluronic acid serums out there that don’t cost close to this.

Cosmetic Skin Solutions Hydra B5 Masque – I really like CSS’ Hydra B5 gel. It’s such a beautiful and affordable hyaluronic acid serum. I thought the mask would be even better. Unfortunately, this sits on my skin doing nothing. I used this a few times and it still didn’t impress me at all. I might give it another go but really, I wouldn’t have missed anything if I hadn’t bought this at all.

I have a LOT more beauty products that I’ve regretted purchasing but I’ll leave it here for now because if I don’t, this is going to go on to be a freaking thesis. We always talk about how good many beauty products are but sometimes, we encounter the not-so-good ones too and we end up wasting our money. You never know what works for others that end up not working for you (and vice versa).

If only our pocket doesn’t have to suffer as well, eh?

What about you? What are some of the beauty products that you’ve regretted purchasing? Surely there’s at least one or ten!

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32 comments… add one
  1. LeGeeque

    OK, here’s something to try for the CSS mask. Slap on a THICK layer after cleansing and toning. And when I mean thick, I mean like literally slather it on like you would ice a cake (yum). Leave it on for 10-15mins – go do your dishes or something. Either dampen your palms with some toner and rub the remainder in or, slap on a sheet mask over it. I found this double masking really helps in winter. Sometimes I also use this in lieu of the CSS Hydra B5 serum especially in the mornings if I need the booster. If none of these work, I’d be happy to steal this from you hee hee. I mean, what are friends for if not for decluttering our beauty cabinet right? 😀
    LeGeeque recently posted..Lone female in a boys’ playgroundMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hahah it’s yours. It’s just not working for me. I’ll pass it to you the next time we meet. 🙂

  2. Shuang

    I have to go through my stash but MAC solar riche bronzer comes into my mind straight away. I hate how the top portion of the bronzer always seems to dry up even with regular use. I tried using it everyday and I found that I have to scrape off the top layer every 4-5 uses to pick up any product. At first I thought it was my brush but it does well with my other bronzers. Tried using other brush but nothing changed. Not sure everyone experiencing the same problem, I prob got a dud.
    Ah clarisonic.. my skin couldn’t take the sensitive brush head either until i change the brush head to cashmere one. My hubby still uses the sensitive brush head daily, does wonder to his acne skin

    1. Tine

      I had to Google the MAC Solar Riche Bronzer as I don’t use a lot of MAC products. Shucks, that sucks. From what you described, it sounds like a baked powder product but the photos don’t tell me that it’s one. You could have gotten a dud, a really dry one.

      Oh yeah, I heard of the new cashmere head for the Clarisonic. I might buy that one to try with my brush because really, it’s been sitting there in my beauty cabinet for ages.

  3. Karen

    Oh I thought I was the only one who hated the smell of the It cosmetics cc cream. I hated eating so much $$ but ugh!

    1. Tine

      Me too! Very very few people said they disliked the smell of the IT Cosmetics CC cream. They didn’t experience what I did, which made me think there was either something wrong with the product I bought or something wrong with my nose. Sigh.

  4. Allison

    I’m not familiar with a number of the “failures”, but two of my favorites are on your list, lol. As I mentioned when you reviewed it, I think the IT Cosmetics CC Cream was a bad batch because there’s almost no smell, and I’ve owned 3 tubes in two different shades. And Revlon Ultra HD Lipsticks are my favorite discovery this spring! I have Tulip and a red one, and I love ’em both. My lips are desert dry, and I have no problem with them. Go figure!
    Allison recently posted..Giveaway: StriVectin Repair & Protect Moisturizer SPF 30My Profile

    1. Tine

      Hahaha that’s what I love about beauty products. What I dislike can be what a lot of people like and what I like can be what people dislike! 😛

  5. Mel

    I was cheering when I saw the name of this blog post! One of my favourite beauty blog/video topics! I was sad the glam glow wasn’t “worth the hype” since I’ve also seen it talked up all over everywhere.
    Mel recently posted..Why I Needed A Blogging BreakMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hahaha glad you liked it!

      I bought the Glam Glow when I was at Sephora in Rome. It was such a hyped up product that I actually splashed over 40 euros on it. Not worth the money AT ALL.

  6. xin

    re clarisonic: ditto on the glorified scrub, but mine went uphill again after switching to the cashmere brushead! so i am back to using it!
    xin recently posted..Fjallraven Kanken Backpack – Why backpack is the new cool ‘ handbag’My Profile

    1. Tine

      Hmm you’re the second person today to mention the cashmere head for the Clarisonic. I’m very curious now!

  7. Asha

    Sigh! Had I but read this post before picking up the Revlon HD lipstick might’ve saved myself a few pennies! Am I the only who hates the micro glitter it has that gets all over everything?!! Why the hell does a lipstick need GLITTER dammit?!!

    Also have to admit that while I’m not a fan of the smell of the Pepta bright the damn thing does work…

    1. Tine

      Oooh the Pepta Bright works for you? That’s great! What sort of results are you seeing? I couldn’t even have it long enough for an hour; I really couldn’t take the scent. 🙁

      PS: Glitter in lipsticks? What are we, 12?

      1. Asha

        Oh it works well enough, takes a bit to work but consistently using it during the winter months and I saw major improvements in ny hyperpigmentation and my acne scars almost disappeared.

        1. Tine

          Oh that’s an improvement all right!

  8. Jade

    I don’t usually regret many of my beauty purchases but I loathe the La Roche Posay Sensi White serum, it broke me out and gave me a rash. Terrible stuff!

    1. Tine

      Oh dear, sorry to hear that! You could be allergic to one or more of the ingredients. I’ll have a look when I’m in Priceline and see what it’s like.

  9. Norlin

    Heh… maybe I should write a post on – products I’ve bought and have not even touched or used yet. Great post and yeah I’ve had a few regrets too! One being the Aesop cleansing cream. Bought it – damn expensive too! And… freaking had a reaction! WTH! It’s still sitting in my vanity. Do you want it?
    Norlin recently posted..Birthday Giveaway Week: UriageMy Profile

    1. Tine

      You should! And you should use them. 😛

      PS: Give it to your daughters lah. But thanks though!

  10. Kate

    I don’t think I have any purchases THAT regretful but I’m always happy to strike off a product of my try list even if it under performs for my standard. I will try to finish the product, unless it causes a bad reaction, and move on to use back my usual skincare or try something new 🙂

    1. Tine

      I know what you mean. If possible, I’ll still try to finish the product because if I don’t, it’s a waste. Well, apart from the blushes ‘cos that would take me AGES to finish. 😛

  11. MonicaP

    I didn’t like the It Cosmetics CC cream either .. mostly due to the fact that it made me an oily mess .. ugh, wish I kept the receipt – I would have returned it.

    When I saw the Clarisonic .. I thought .. she doesn’t like it? But ya know .. mine sits in a drawer! It’s not that I don’t like it, but I don’t like to keep stuff on the bath counter so it gets tucked away and I forget it. I think it’s a good skin tool, but not all that necessary. There are so many great skin exfoliators on the market that do just as good a job as the Clarisonic.

    Monica.
    MonicaP recently posted..Laura Geller Highlight Blush Bronze Sculpt PaletteMy Profile

    1. Tine

      My Clarisonic sits in a drawer too. I don’t like keeping it on the bath counter either since I don’t use it on a daily basis (all that moisture in the bathroom will cause mildew on the brush) It works; just that I can’t use it daily or even every other day. This makes it a white elephant in my bathroom. Sigh. 🙁

  12. Anissa

    Haha, snap! I just did the same post 🙂

    It’s such a shame about the Josie Maran Cheek Gelee, it’s been on my wishlist for a while now but I think I’ll give it a miss.

    Did you read what Caroline Hirons had to say about cleansing brushes? Basically she doesn’t like them so you’re in good company.
    Anissa recently posted..Products I regret buyingMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hahaha great minds think alike!

      I saw a mini version of the Josie Maran Cheek Gelee on the Mecca website for only $16. If it’s something you want to try out, I suggest getting the mini version instead. To be honest, it will take you ages to even finish that one let alone the full-sized version.

      LOVE Caroline Hirons. She’s my skincare goddess. 😀

  13. Ling

    I got sucked into the Clariasonic too. But I didn’t see what’s the raving about.
    Maybe I did not give it a good go.
    Were you using the sensitive heads?
    Ling recently posted..Warped Piggies and BentoMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Yes I was. At that time, the cashmere heads weren’t launched yet. A lot of readers commented on how good the cashmere heads are. I’m going to get one and give it a go. Hopefully then the device won’t be a white elephant in my bathroom.

  14. Jackie

    Ah I had high hopes for that Rimmel BB cream since their Wake Me Up foundation is one of my faves. I looked like a shiny disco ball….too old for that! I’ve never had any success with Indeed Labs products or Cosmetic Skin Solutions, but Missha Perfect cover BB cream was the biggest disaster I’ve ever had, and people RAVE about it. Massive painful cystic outbreak that took months to heal. Ugh!

    1. Tine

      Oh yeah I like the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation too! The matte version of the BB cream is all right; I just don’t like the Radiance version. Ohhh I remember the Missha Perfect Cover BB cream! I actually raved about it too! It’s been a long time since I’ve used one, don’t know if I’d still like it as much as I did back then. Oh dear, so sorry it gave you so many issues! 🙁

  15. Kimba Likes

    Love the Bare Minerals one!

    I also love the look of BECCA Radiant Skin on my skin but … it smells like, um, cat wee.

    I’ve taken it back twice and they agreed with me. I just threw it out and I HATE doing that!
    Kimba Likes recently posted..Mascara Tips and TricksMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Omg you know what you mentioned cat wee, I may be wrong about this, but I reckon it maaay be close to what Sunday Riley’s Good Genes smells like. I keep saying that it smells like toilet detergent but now that you’ve mentioned cat wee, I think it’s more cat wee! Thank goodness that serum is super darn fantastic; I ignore the smell as much as I can because it works so well on my skin.
      I gotta smell Becca’s Radiant Skin now. 😛

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