Shit products - don't waste your money

[Rainatnight]

A couple of times recently, I've been so flabbergastingly disappointed with a product, I've wanted to tell other people, to save them from the same pain. So I thought it might be useful for us to have a thread, where we could all share this stuff.

I'll start...

Charles Worthington Everyday Gentle Weightless Conditioner, which should be renamed Useless Conditioner. I had high hopes. It promises to stop fine hair from getting bogged down with heavy conditioner. The trouble is that it also doesn't condition or do basic detangling. My DP (who has a hearing problem) could hear my hair breaking when I was brushing it after using the conditioner. That bad.

@londonista - I'll happily take it all off your hands... see message above... honestly, your useless is my dream!!

Benefit porefessional foundation, dreadful. Sat on top of my skin in a weird blotchy fashion. Hated it.

DeltaG
Thanks for warning about Egyptian Magic as I was sorely tempted to buy it.

Guns thanks for the warning. May try nars powermatte now.

I forgot to add L'Anza Keratin Healing Oil shampoo and masque. Ridiculously expensive and did not even moisturise my hair. I didn't like their Healing Moisture range either and had an allergic reaction to their Healing Strength shampoo. Their silver shampoo is lovely and the only thing I would rebuy.

Colgate sensitive pro-relief extra strength toothpaste gummed up the plug hole in the sink, I had an awful job clearing it, it set like chewing gum.

The L'Oréal Retouch Magic root spay is awful , ends up everywhere. , The spay drifts I've managed to dye me forehead but my roots are still grey The remainder ended up on my brand new top😡

But I couldn't live without my BIG HAIR it's changed my life, I use it to dry and style my thick hair from towel dry. It works wonders, as someone who struggles coordinating whilst blow drying it's been a godsend. Though I agree with a previous poster who mentioned the older models brush being better, but persevere it just takes a bit of getting used to the newer model.

Anything Charles Worthington. Don't know why I keep trying. Leaves my hair tangled and brittle.

Lancome Grandiose liquid eyeliner. Feels dried out even when new thus impossible to get a solid line. Also doesn't stay on well.

Hmm. Maybe I should take it all back about the babyliss big hair. I used it tonight when I fell Alsace with hair in a towel, and woke to it about 90% dry and sticky-uppy and partitioned the hair into tiny sections so it took a longboard time.

I actually like the look and feel of it. And for some reason it wasn't too dry. Which makes me wonder if it's user error? So the jury's still out on that one now, which is a shift from my first position of thinking it's useless.

Yes to elasticizer. Cost a lot and does nowt

Also agree with Liz Earle it's a hyped product imo

Aussie is shit and doesn't even touch the sides (3 minutemly arse)

I also think clarins need to check themselves out a bit too

Conversely I used that weleda skin food on
My dry sun burnt face yesterday / best £6 ever ! Natural products are the way forward

I thought Elastisizer was cr*p too.
Aussie 3 minute miracle performed no miracle on my hair!
I thought the Weleda Skin Food was really thick- I used it as a hand cream at night and wouldn't repurchase- I also hated the packaging. The wording came off on my hands

So my giant jar of Ponds Cold Cream arrived from Amazon a few days ago and I've been using it to cleanse and removing with a hot cloth.

Skin like velvet and cheap as chips!

I agree about Kondo-ing your beauty products, I used to be massive on buying shit and was surrounded by god knows how much MAC and did endless trials of expensive products that did fuck all for me and messed up my skin.

I'm now down to the following: cetaphil cleanser, just powder and blush during the day and Vichy normaderm at night after cleansing. Oh and duac for acne. And just shampoo and hairspray on my hair. So lovely to not be wasting £££ on useless shit and on that note, here are my useless products:

• Mac lipsticks, so drying that I had to wipe off after five mins to apply lip balm.
• Emma hardie cleansing balm, smelt lovely but did absolutely fuck all. In fact, everything Caroline Hirons ever recommended has been shit, including
• hydraluron. Did absolutely nothing for £30.
• batiste, makes my head itch.
• body shop rainforest shampoos, made my hair like straw.
• everything I've ever bought from chanel.
• avene, gave me the worst acne I've ever had.
• all perfumes give me a raging headache.
• boots curl Creme made my hair into a greasy wet mess.
• all mineral foundations make my face itch.
• all nail polishes of all brands seem to chip off after one day! Only glitter ones stay put and then ruin your nails....

Can't recommend pairing back enough. Most products are total crap. It's so liberating to not use much!!!

Chocolate, I can't knock Hirons - following some of her advice has totally changed my skin for the better.

I fell for the Hydraluron hype as well. The serum dried out my skin and the moisturise jelly did nothing.

Their Fillume moisturiser gave me the worst allergic reaction of my life

Leighton Denny self tan

In the tube , it looks like liquid cow dung
Smooth it on, ooh , looks like I've rolled in cow dung

After a shower, I looked dirty and not in a good way

So much I can't remember, but the Swell haircarecrange was awful. Made my fine but in good condition hair like straw and stripped the colour. I couldn't get a comb through it. Awful.

Lots of awful Benefit products, but I do like Hervana.

Bobbi Brown Instant Full Cover Concealer (the new one) - impossible to blend; gives you reverse panda eyes; wears off within a few hours. Massive waste of £23. In desperation I bought Collection 2000 concealer which is amazing for £4. This is coming from someone who doesn't buy makeup unless there's a beauty counter involved too.

The White Company perfumes. Smell wonderful but scent disappears before you've even left the house.

Clinique Clarifying Lotion. Might as well use lighter fuel on your face. Staff on the Clinique counter used it to shine up the glass and chrome shop fittings. Brought them up like new.

Kerastase shampoo. Left my hair like straw.
No 7 protect & perfect serum made no difference.

Benefit They're Real eyeliner. Crumbles, doesn't glide, not smooth or comfortable to use. Back to kohl pencil for me.

Bare Minerals foundation- meant to be good for rosacea, I was still red, but with an oompa loompa tinge.

A Kiehl's Conditioner. Left my hair with all the charm of a brillo pad. But at least it was the spur for me going no silicones, which has helped my hair hugely.

Theothrgirl
Some many years back Watchdog had a segment on Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion taking the paint off bath panels
Hopefully the formulation was changed

Oh god Kerastase. I coveted it for years but when I finally bought some it was like wtf. The overpowering eighties smell is enough to make you gag. Sooooo dated. And inconvenient packaging. Ghastly.