The amount of cash and energy I have wasted on shit products!

[PharrellsEagleTattoo]

Anyone want to commiserate with me? I’ve been thinking about how many products really did end up being worth the money and/or hype, and the percentage is maybe 2%.

I’ve spent so much money on stuff that has been recommended by people who are supposedly in the know (cough Caroline Hirons cough) and skincare websites and have ended up binning most of it. Stuff from the Ordinary, stuff from Space NK, expensive makeup, argh!

I tried the OCM and ended up with giant horn like zits on my head. Other products have given me clogged pores. Some products have irritated my skin. Others have done zilch.

I now stick to the bare minimum products that I know don’t irritate or make things worse/ may make things slightly better.

But I’m so sick of being suckered in by latest crazes or the latest skincare or whatever and it ends up being a load of crap.

Two words.

The Ordinary.

...and it so very is....

I've learned also over the years to scan S&B threads, and any "wonder product" named in a thread by a new poster immediately ticks my "product placement by the company" box. You often find the OP is followed by 20 other new posters saying how said product has changed their life.

Often they are "niche-y" products that don't pay for lots of advertising. They just have a dedicated team who cleverly post on forums like this to do it for them. Was speaking to an ex-local journalist friend of mine who now makes a nice living out of writing fake reviews for online websites and product placing on forums. Not S&B stuff, more holidays and gadgets, but you get the drift.

It's a sure sign that these things come in waves- last summer S&B was chocka with threads with Saltwater sandals in the title. Not so much this year. Etc etc.

Pixi glow tonic- yeah, I've got a bottle. No, it's no better than Nip & Fab glycolic pads or any other acid toner. But CH (who at least is open about her affiliations) made it explode a couple of years back.

I don't like Caroline Hirons at all. I used to follow her before, but things like having ten different cleansers on the go at once and declaring that every single one was the best thing ever just showed me what a fraudster she was. Realistically you can't judge a product until you've used it for a while. Chopping and changing every five minutes doesn't allow you to do that.

I was a member of Sali Hughes site at one stage and the fawning that went on over CH was absolutely ridiculous. Referring to her as 'La Hirons' and 'The great Lady C', from grown adults. I just found it pathetic.

I know what you mean. I really actively avoid anything recommended by the bloggers/influencers now. Or anything that turns up here that is in the thread title.

Gave the Ordinary a really wide swerve as I had bad experiences with NIOD (long story).

Reviews used to be helpful, but it’s really easy to see how some brands just give away lots of free samples in exchange for reviews (and it feels a bit rude to give a bad review to a freebie).

I met someone years ago who had a PR firm that specialized in paying students to write reviews on places like TripAdvisor. The idea was to tilt people’s scores if they’d had some bad reviews, drown out the negative voices kind of thing. It must get done for everything.

There has been such an explosion in skincare in the last 5-10 years, especially niche brands. Some of that has been positive, and I love chatting about skincare, make-up but I’m starting to realise how much it has become a hobby or interest for me as well as a self-care thing.

Never mind the subtle pressure that is exerted to make you think you’re failing if there are any signs of wrinkles. I also just realised how much more I spend on skincare now than I did even 3 or 4 years ago.

I’m starting to feel a bit exploited and I don’t like that. There was an article in the Guardian the other day that was quite thought provoking...
<a class="break-all" href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/jun/21/is-there-dark-side-to-growing-obsession-with-skincarewww.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/jun/21/is-there-dark-side-to-growing-obsession-with-skincare" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Is there a dark side to the growing obsession with skincare

I now use almost exclusively Superdrug’s own brand stuff and it seems as good as the pricey stuff I used to use! Though to be fair that tip came from a Sali Hughes piece so I can’t accuse her of only flogging expensive stuff.

I tried double cleansing on the word of Caroline Hirons - did not work for me at all, though I have kept up using a flannel which was also her recommendation. Though it was also my granny’s habit so I can’t credit CH with any special insight.

Yeah I also use a flannel but I agree totally on CH’s ‘use eleven million products’ bollocks. The skin is an organ and needs to be treated carefully.

The older I’ve got the more I recognise the skincare industry as a load of crap that preys on women’s insecurities. And I do not want to fall for it.

@lapsedhumanist I’m going to read that link today.

Funny, I’m a v cynical person but it didn’t dawn on me that recommendations on forums might come from PRs. But I’m sure you’re right. Urgh!

Bottom lash mascara as recommended by Sali Hughes in the Guardian.

What a waste.

Oh shit. I've just bought retinol from The Ordinary. From reviews on here

I'm just going to have to embrace my 41 year old face and look at Nicole Kidman and feel even older...

See, for me The Ordinary is the only skincare stuff I have ever used where I have actually thought 'yeah, I can see a difference here'. But only really The Buffet, the glycolic acid and the moisturiser, other stuff I have tried has been a bit crap.

I agree that the less you put on your skin the better mostly.

Remember that Horizon documentary a few years ago where they said that basically if a product was going to make a really significant difference to your skin it would have to be given 'medicine' status, so skincare products are largely a con (apart from that No 7 serum bizarrely which they said did work).

I have to say that I do like the Ordinary, but I’m very careful to only use what’s suitable for me. It’s easy to get carried away and pile on the products.

lego
Don’t worry, that isn’t a bad product. Also, it is a very good price compared to other similar products on the market. ;)
Lots of TO is silly in my experience ~ l can’t believe anyone needs all those different lotions and potions!

Lego Nicole Kidman looks ridiculous

I’m past 40, IMO bloggers and advertisers are just out to get you to part with cash. I wash with soap and water then use aloe Vera gel at night I use E45 cream. Drink plenty try to eat well and stay out of the sun and a good nights sleep work wonders cost is minimal

Another cynic here who never thought the recommendations were 'placed'. I have been trying all sorts of stuff recently, recommended widely on here, and have had more spots than I had when I was a teenager! Back to my usual Suprdrug and No 7 stuff for me.

Totally agreemwatchh dr dray on you tube if you want to save money
The amount of middle age women with acne is so linked to using crap cleansers that don’t remove make up not spf and leave a film behind.
I switched to the pink grapefruit salicylic acid wash for 4 quid and skin has been perfect. Likewise fragrance free suncream.

What's with having now to use primer and serums as well as moisturisers.
Money making racket by cosmetic companies.

This is why I don't buy any products at all beyond cleaner, moisturiser and SPF, and instead pay a private dermatologist to keep my skin looking good naturally. It works out about £50 a month at most, much less now that I'm pregnant as I can't use many of the medications. Obviously that's still a lot, but it's what I'm happy to pay for good clear skin and to not have to faff around trying new products and possibly making things worse. Plus I'm sure there are many CH devotees/Mrs Gloss members who splash out A LOT more per month, after seeing bloggers using all these expensive products (for free).

Oh god, serums, toners, acids, night treatments, primers, aaaaarghhhh! None of these things are going to turn me into a model so fuck buying them. And the amount of products that have broken me out in zits is endless... so not worth it.

Feel your pain, OP. I was a beauty junkie all through my 20s and 30s, but at 40 I've come to realise it is all a load of shit bar botox and fillers, perhaps. eat well, drink water, get fresh air and exercise, wear sunscreen. No potion is going to improve on that.

I've found a few simple and non-expensive products that work OK for me - nothing miracle working, mind, just basic cleanser, moisturiser, sunscreen. No fancy lotions.

I do spend a shit load on perfume, though

3DSpex - me too. I'm currently Ebaying most of my perfume as its got completely out of hand

TBH a lot of the best products I've found were recommended on here. I agree there is lots of Emperor's new clothes products out there heralded as the holy grail by bloggers paid a lot of money by companies.

Most of my best products have been the cheapest ones! (I am sticking with my DW foundation though despite all the dupes!)

I like some of The Ordinary stuff: serum foundation, hyaluronic acid, lactic acid. Would repurchase Not impressed with Matrixyl but three out of four is pretty good. I think the good old MakeupAlley forum is pretty reliable for reviews, obviously it can’t be free of placement though, nowhere is.

Oh gosh, me too. Especially clothes - sometimes I just look at the contents of my wardrobe and think... "That would have been much better spent on a nice holiday somewhere." I have become better at building my idea of a style and capsule-esque wardrobe and only buying things that fit in to it, so I do have these boards (and Marie Kondo!) to thank for that.

I'm also always offloading shampoos etc. on to my poor husband, as I read a review about shampoo "perfect for greasy hair", try the shampoo and realise what the review meant was perfect for creating greasy hair, and then have a full bottle of shampoo. I always try and use up products if I can, even if I hate them - so rubbish face creams become hand creams, etc. I am tight, I suppose! But the money I've spent over the years must easily be in the hundreds so I don't want to totally throw it away. I've got some nice Aldi face creams and scrubs based on recommendations here which has done me and my wallet a favour, so that's good.

Have been suspicious of The Ordinary since I joined here, as I've never ever heard anyone mention it in real life! So I've never tried it. That said, I've been accused of being a Charlotte Tilbury sales person on this forum before and I am in no way shape or form any sort of sales person/blogger/affiliate/whatever, so I know that accusations can be false and sometimes I suppose posts might look odd even when perfectly innocent. I think my one or two posts mentioning products I like is very different to the multi-page threads, however.

Totally agree on the private derm . I see Dr Sam bunting ( if you don’t know her search on YouTube )

She has changed my face ! I actually love a few of the ordinary products - the retinols and Niacinamide (which is either people’s holy grail or they hate it).

She also has a fb group called Dr Sams Skincare Club which is super useful and very educational .

That’s a good point about clothes, in the same way I end up buying something and then realise it makes me look odd/ shapeless etc. I get anxious about making any skin or clothes purchases these days for that exact reason. I try to stick to what I know works and don’t deviate!

@catsandkids78 how much is she per session?