Beauty hero products that we hate

[mingfudge]

I am sitting here nursing a very red and sore face, following a stint with Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish and Garnier Ultra Lift last night. I have tried everything. Even camomile teabags mixed with porridge, honey and milk, to tone it down a bit. Still sore. Even my trusted Olay stings on contact.

At first I blamed it on the ultra lift but after much thought, I think it was the C&P. So I did a bit of Googling and it transpires that quite a few C&P users have had the 'extreme sunburn' look from it. Funny thing is, mine is a year old and I stopped using it because I didn't think it was that great when I first bought it. I don't remember this kind of reaction but I am sure this is what it is.

Anyway, my googling brought up a great blog post on beauty products that everyone raves about but you can;t get away with them. Funnily enough, many of the products in the comments (and the blog post) are ones I would agree with.

This is the blog post www.beautymouth.com/2012/03/i-know-its-hero-product-but-i-just-cant.html

My hero fail products are:

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish (obviously)
Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream (ended up as nappy rash cream, for which it is surprisingly good)
Three step Clinique system (steps one and two stripped my face of any moisture, then the greasy moisturiser to replace it caused horrible acne spots)
Bio oil
Fake Bake (streaky and oompa loompa at the same time :-O)
Essie nail polish - I've had Rimmel ones last longer.

[whosiwhatsit]

Can't stand anything by Clinique and I hate almost everything by Philosophy. Their moisturiser that everyone seems to rave about, Hope in a Jar, smells like hair dye and burned my face (chemical burn). I can't stand Bare Minerals either because it dries my skin (but love Inika mineral makeup instead). Bio Oil is awful 80s smelling chemically crap.

[KoalaFace]

I have pure hatred for anything Trés Emmé. Makes my hair feel dirty.

Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara was recommended by beauty gurus and magazines and its rubbish.

Also my Chanel Rouge Coco lipsticks are very drying and have to be layered over a ton of lipbalm.

[Allthingspretty]

You can get a fragrance free version of eight hour cream.

[AmazingDisgrace]

Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner -dries out in the pot as soon as you look at it. Clinique's version much better and longer lasting

Clinique DDM is yellow pointless shit

Maybelline mascara the pink one - takes forever to dry and just isn't very good - feels really thin. I prefer L'oreal volume million lashes

Benefit/Smashbox/insert ££ brand serum. Not worth it, youth code from L'oreal or the S&G ones just as good

[TiggerWearsATriteSmile]

Yes Allthings, it's called vaseline

[Bartlebee]

Clinique 3 step - steps 1 & 2 left my skin hideously dry & tight and step 3 was just horrid gloop.

I have read, more than once, that many a sleb will slather their face in 8 hour cream before bed or on long haul flights. Wtf? It's orange, incredibly thick & gunky and the smell is just disgusting.

Anything other than the cheapest nail varnish remover is rubbish, imo.

[ScienceRocks]

Loving this thread!

I hate:
Eight hour cream (smells awful)
Most things by the Sanctuary (ditto smell)
Boots protect and perfect (didn't do anything)
E45 (contains lanolin, which I am allergic to)
Herbal essences (smell awful and make my scalp itchy)
Vichy products (I feel like I have chemical burns)
Simple skincare (so simple I feel like I haven't bothered)
That pink and green maybelline mascara (takes hours to dry)
Anything by bourjois
Clinique dramatically different moisturiser (why no SPF? Why?!)

But I love:
Neutrogena Rainbath (but can only get it in the us)
Rimmel make up (cheap, good colours, great staying power)
Max factor masterpiece mascara (suitable for contact lens wearers)
Macadamia oil for my hair (defrizzes and smells gorgeous)
Sanctuary secret facial oil (puts moisture in when nothing else will)
Origins VitaZing (makes my skin look fantastic)
Coconut oil
Frizz ease serum and secret agent creme
Aussie shampoo and conditioner
Lush jasmine and henna fluff-ease (don't need to wear perfume!)

[CuttedUpPear]

Benefit Stay Don't Stray. Completely useless, had creases on my eyelids within half an hour.

Also Benefit She-Laq. It is also supposed to fix make up in place. And doesn't.

I do use some other Benefit products which are great, not these though.

[gregssausageroll]

What do you recommend cutted? I have a voucher and not sure what to get. Dandelion is winning at the moment.

[AlwaysReadyForABlether]

I was given some Beauty Flash Balm for Christmas. I don't hate it - I just don't know what I'm meant to do with it.

[Cybbo]

Dry shampoo- great if you like that 'fell asleep in a skip behind the chip shop ' look

Nano blur cream-£20 I'm never getting back

Chanel lipstick and nail varnish- One sticks like shit to a blanket ,the other flakes straight away. You decide

[Cybbo]

Oh and anything claiming to reduce pores, doesn't

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I love the Lush Jasmine and Henna Fluff-Eaze hair mask too Science.

Greggs - I like Benefit Lemon-Aid eye primer, wear it on it's own to calm down redness or use it as a base for shadow. I also like the Dr Feelgood mattifying primer, makes skin look much smoother. Have heard it slagged off a lot on these threads before though. A lot of people recommend the Brow-zing eyebrow colours, but my brows are too sparse and need pencil.

[Finbar]

Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner...NOOOO
Spend a fortune and watch it dry out in 2 weeks.
RUN AWAY
Much better versions available in Superdrug

[McGilly]

Clarins beauty flash balm = pimples
Creme de la Mer = pimples and debt
Lancôme is way too scented.

I am having done success with Aldi and La Roche-Posay right now and like to think I won't pay stupid money again.

[McGilly]

Having some success

[GraduallyGoingInsane]

I'm in the minority, I love 3 step Clinique!

I hate...

E45 cream - brings me out in itchy hives

Bare Minerals - dries my skin out, itchy sore dry patches everywhere. I do like the concealor powder and their eyeliner though.

Anything Maybeline - itchy itchy!

Clarins beauty flash balm - turned me bright red

Mac - I must be the only person who just can't find a colour of foundation/concealor/powder to match my skin colour

Bobbi Brown - see Mac

Juicy tubes - sticky and I feel like I've stolen my DDs makeup

[upjacobscreekwithoutapaddle]

8 hour cream is my must have, only thing that doesn't bring me out in cold sores and stops my lips flaking off. Fragrance free stuff is fab.

Found c&p overrated.

[Chandon]

Clinique is too harsh IMO

Bobbi brown gel liner is FAB....for a week, then it is dried out and useless. Expensive!

Any french stuff, like lancome, smells like old ladies to me.

The Sanctuary, all smell horrible to me, I seem y get it as gifts forever. i donated the lot to the school Christmas Bazaar, where my DC proceeded to buy it for me as a gift . It stinks AND is like a boomerang! Help!

[armagh]

Dr. Lewinns Nail strenghtner has ruined my nails- they are now splitting ! At least Opi Nail Envy did nothing!!!!

[PastaBeeandCheese]

Bio Oil. Went through tonnes of the stuff religiously oiling my bump twice a day.

I might just as well have used cooking oil for all the difference it made. At 37 weeks I got stretch marks just like my mother and sister. It was then I realised it's all genetic and no amount of £16 a pop oil would help :-(

[thepurplepenguin]

Definitely C&P. I couldn't afford to replace mine having used it on and off for about a year. Bought some No 7 cleansing balm and my 'acne' disappeared completely within a week of switching. Hmm...

[TheRealFellatio]

Beauty Flash Balm is alright, but not the miracle thing I was lead to believe it was on here.

Elizabeth Arden 8 hour jobby is little more than stinky, glorified Vaseline.

I bought the Estee Lauder 'Idealist' even skin tone and illuminator. It cost me a bloody fortune and it's crap. It doesn't even out my brown sun blemishes at all, it just gives me a slightly peculiar all-over grey pallor.

However, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bobbi Brown's spf35 BB cream. Like a light foundation-cum-sun screen in one.

[SerafinaMussolini]

O blimey - have just seen post by TomArchersSausage -
WOTCHER, from RS Acre, ex of Diss The Archers!

Hmmm, Thread topic: Elvive shampoo - the red one, meant to give you luvly smooth locks. Result - frizz from hell.

[CareerGirl01]

Ghd irons - and I've got fine hair that only has a slight wave (feel free to advise me on alternatives)
Bobbi Brown- love the eyeshadows but the BB cream and concealers disappoint ( need concealer suggestions as am 36 weeks pg and will need new one soon!)
Laura Mercier tinted moisteriser - doesn't offer much coverage - and my skin is normal.