Expensive products that aren't worth it and alternatives

[susiefen]

Inspired by the previous "beauty products you hate" thread, I thought it might be starting one for products that you've spent a lot on but been disappointed. I'll start with the Estee Lauder serum everyone raves about but I don't find it's done anything for me and also Creme de la Mer - absolutely lovely and smells utterly divine, but I'm not sure it's done more for my skin over the last 6 months than Olay ever did...

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Hello, this thread is a little old and the links are out of date. Take a look at this handy page for a round-up of Mumsnetters' favourite beauty dupes.

[DolomitesDonkey]

Yes, it gave me massive cysts too! So that was money well spent...

[Turquoiseblue]

Agree - 8 hour cream - it s Lansinoh in different packaging. Smells vile.
Smash box primer - silicon-y didn't help my face / make up any
Revlon - wake me up - actually one of the best foundations I ve ever tried - this is from a Laura mercier / Chanel/ double wear - whore

Love the other tips thanks

[meditrina]

Touche éclat is basically just concealed mixed with a bit of toner to change the feel/coverage on application. It's actually a totally unnecessary product.

[McGilly]

If you look at the beautiful Bourjois pots of blusher and eye shadow, you will see they are essentially the same as Chanel.

[McGilly]

I am using Aldi skincare now and getting better results than Creme de la Mer or Perricone. I do think the perricone was good but it is 45 times more expensive than my pot of Aldi Q10!

[BustyDeLaGhetto]

This thread has come along just when I need it! I am looking to buy some Bioderma too - the cleansing water I hope - but no idea where its going to be sold come April. I've been doing OCM using castor oil and almond since reading about it and now I have to take pills for my breakouts. New cleanser ideas very welcome!

[cocolepew]

My friend,swears that a Katie Price perfume (Stunning?) is a double for Coco Mademoiselle.

[paintyourbox]

Olive oil as a cleanser?! Really?! I have to try it- my C&P is running out, used to love it but its really drying my skin out lately and I don't like how Liz has sold out to Avon.

Garnier Intensive 7 Days Body Moisturiser for Extra Dry Skin is by far the best body moisturiser I have ever used. It's often on offer in Boots for £2. Beats expensive body butters any day.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Nail Colours are great! £3.29 each. I've bought OPI, Chanel, Leighton Denny and many other but I Rimmel tops them for range of colours and longevity.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Cheap tweezers are nowhere near as good as Tweezerman.

The Superdrug Vitamin E moisturiser and oil are good and cost pennies. Since I started using the oil at night, my skin has been noticeably smoother and with far fewer of the tiny white spots I used to get from Liz Earle for example.

I really rate Aveeno for wash off cleanser and for body lotion.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

And Revlon nail varnish = excellent.

[santamarianovella]

i switched from lancome mascara and eye makeup remover to loreal and didnt see any difference at all,and i started using bourjois foundation instead of laura mercier and im very happy with it. bustyi highly recommend cetaphil cleansers,they are inexpensive and one bottle lasts for ages.

[LaTrucha]

I find Clinique skin products extremely harsh, including the moisturisers.

As somene with dry and sensitive skin, this is the best of the million body lotions I have tried, from Origins to Aveeno and everywhere else I've thought of.

A note to exczema sufferers - when I have a breakut and am using my prescribed cream with a moisturiser to calm my skin down, Sudocrem is by far and away the best, better than the prescribed moisturiser.

[huddlingtheradiator]

Wow I'm glad I've read about Touche Eclat, as I was considering wasting money on it. I'll stick with my £3 cream concealers :D

I quite liked Double Wear Light but as I'm sooo pale No 7 colour match foundation works better for me, a bit cheaper as well I think.

[LetsFaceTheMusicAndDance]

I think we should start getting arsey and take back products that don't do what they say on the tin.

I'm intending to take back the £18+ OPI nail envy I bought if it doesn't work. I'll be using 2/3 of it and if I don't see results, I'm having a refund.

How about notching it up? "Ok I've just spend £** on this product that says it'll make my skin appear visibly younger. I've used it on 1 side of my face - now tell me which side looks younger or give me my money back. Go on, you've got a 50-50 chance of just guessing it right". To be fair, when I did this with a ROC product, I did get my money back - but that's what they were promising at the time.

I really do think we ought to get tougher with this. I'm fed up with paying money for crap stuff that trades on dreams an insecurities.

[AuntieMaggie]

I've been using neutrogena (?) pink grapefruit face wash and oil free moisturiser for the past couple of weeks cos it was on offer in boots and I liked the smell and my skin is great.

[coffeeinbed]

No, you're right LetsFace it.
Like foundation - you need to try on your face for a day or two at least, you need a sample and it's like asking for a kidney and a right arm.
Lisa Eldridge has a video on that.
She says ask and bring a pot on your own but do try it on.
Companies have to respect we're paying.
You can't paint me orange and expect me to pay and be happy about it!

[futterbingers]

I have tried every foundation under the sun, and the one I keep coming back to is EL Double Wear Light, as I have greasy skin and DW lasts all day. However I am determined to find a cheap alternative (recession skincare!) and I have found that Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation is gorgeous, good coverage and gives a nice glow thats not shiny.

Also tried Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour foundation, same shade (soft beige) and its good too but I will be buying the Wake me up one again, for the "glow" and, tbh, for the cheery bottle!

[ExRatty]

I'll vouch for colour stay rather than double wear

[ExRatty]

I used to use Eve Lom. It murdered my skin and so I bought more and more and more of it in all it's guises.
I had a very serious SpaceNK habit.
Eventually after seeing a dermatologist ( adult acne/ with dandruff face ) I now use Olay facial cleansing cloths ( dry ) sensitive and rinse with warm water.
It costs about a penny and therefore feels wrong
My skin is great though

[ExRatty]

Touché Éclat is a highlighter.
Lots of people have an allergic reaction to it. There are different shades though so the pink problem is fixed.
Avon do a brightening concealer that is better imo

[FrugalFashionista]

I do not like high end skincare. What I have tried (get a lot of h/e samples) is overperfumed and greasy (talking to you, Chanel Sublimage £££ cream). Dior eye cream was like PVA glue and made my makeup pill. Dior cosmetics contain an evil ingredient (perfume? stabilizer?) that allergized me in a month - red itchy skin and red eyes, très jolie hein? I have a bunch of Guerlain Orchidée Imperiale samples but probably won't try it - it sounds like a nightmare for someone who has hormonal acne. I think they simply give consumers false promises.

Love the idea of mass returns.

I like parapharmacie products. They have short ingredients lists, no perfume, and many of them actually work. Am not using the high end stuff any more because I get much better results with La Roche Posay and Eucerin.

And regarding makeup, almost every hyped high-end product has an affordable dupe. The differences are in packaging, perfuming, shade range and, oh I forgot, price! I love my Chanel lipsticks but technically Max Factor is just as good. Nars blusher is a tiny bit better than the no-name dime store blusher but it's a difference you struggle to notice (and the dime store brand has better pale shades). Inglot and Artdeco are budget alternatives to MAC and have their own fanbases.

[AuntieMaggie]

I love this thread.

I use DW light for my oily skin too. Have been using No7 beautifully matte during the winter but doubt it will stand up in the summer so am looking for an alternative... do you think if I take pots I can take my own samples of colourstay and rimmel wake me up?

[BassDownLow]

Swaps I've made recently:

Eve Lom cleanser. I didnt use it every day anyway, but now just use almond oil and a hot cloth every few days when I want that squeaky clean, soft feeling.

Clinique facial scrub. Love it, but couldnt justify 25 quid, so now just use good old fashioned aapri face scrub and its just as good.

Posh moisturisers. Swapped Clinique moisture surge for Boots rip-off version of Simple spf15 moisturiser for about 2 quid. Skin has never been better.

Chanel mascara. Loreal telescopic is better and a quarter of the price.

Chanel vitalumiere foundation. Swapped to Boots lift and luminate foundation last year. Very very similar, even smells the same - but fraction of the price.

High end stuff I still use but would interested in alternatives to:

Clinique self tan
Nars illuminator
Nars bronzer

[NotTreadingGrapes]

That's interesting about Lift and Luminate, it's what I have at the moment....I've never used the Vitalumiere though obviously heard talk of it on MN for years!

Another thing I buy cheap- Argan/Rosehip oils etc. Buy them from Amazon (certified organic blah blah) but for a fraction of the posho ones you find in stores.

[coffeeinbed]

Bass my Nars Laguna Bronzer broke and I have using Bourjois Bronzer, the one that looks like a chocolate bar, the lighter version.
Similar colour, not sparkly which is important.
It's a but scented, but not too badly.