What highly rated beauty product just doesn't work for you.

[notacooldad]

Mine is the Philip Kingsley elasticizer.
All my friends love it but every time.i try it my hear is left like a grease slick. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong as I follow every direction. I rinse my hair more than normal when using it.

What doesn't work for you?

YSL TE- I wore it and got told I looked knackered! Does nothing for dark circles. EA eight hour cream- can’t understand the hype and smells like antiseptic insect bite cream. Christian Dior Dior show mascara- did nothing for my lashes. Benefit make up is overrated. Maybelline mascara just flakes after a while.

I do however love: Mac matte lipsticks - honey love is my favourite day shade, Lancôme doll eyes mascara is the best one I’ve tried and I’ve tried a LOT, Clinique 24 hour wear concealer gives great coverage for dark circles, and Mac matte bronzer. La Mer foundation for the win, gives a natural light coverage.

Oh I love Elemis pro collagen, goes to show how we’re all different!
I find all mascaras other than Lancôme are awful, I always go back to Lancôme.
I hate anything I’ve bought from Hourglass, despite the hype

Charlotte Tilbury mascara - I am on a tight budget, but invested in this based on a MN thread. Absolute waste of £25. I add it lightly, yet it clumps and smudges. The branding on the box was surprisingly ugly, with cheap print quality.

Coconut oil - any type.
Done nothing for my curly hair but make it drier.

IT cosmetics CC cream. Got coloured matched in Boots. I looked embalmed by the end of it.

Their new skincare/foundation however is perfect for me.

I love Philip Kingsley elasticiser but I apply it really meanly - maybe that's the key? I put the PK scalp mask on damp hair and then put elasticiser on the mid-lengths and ends. It makes my hair sleeker and gives a bit of body.

My biggest recent disappointment is Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara, which I bought at vast expense after reading endless rave reviews. It is messy to apply and forms clumps - yuk.

I have never had an anti-ageing product that made the slightest bit of difference. I think it's a given that all a face cream/serum will do is make your skin softer and temporarily plump it up a little.

Any Charlotte Tilbury lipstick, they all have such brown undertones and really don't suit my skin at all. Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream....I'm allergic to it.

Phillips Lumea. Rather expensive mistake to make!

I love my Phillips Lumea, what is it you don’t like, I might be able to help you I’ve had mine 2 years.
Trinny magic blur cream, absolutely s@it£.

@Letsrunabath it just doesn't work! I had laser treatment in a salon pre COVID. That worked during the 9 months of treatment, then the grid grew back almost immediately. Not sure why I thought the Lumea would work, but I'd heard so many good reviews I gave it a go.

Made zero difference to my hair growth. Tried it on my face, armpits, back of legs and feet!

Hair not grid!

The Ordinary products.

I bought loads and gave them a trial for a few months and all were a pile of crap.

Better than sex also shit for me, as is PK elasticiser. Olaplex no3 on the other hand has been superb.

The Ordinary has been pretty ordinary so far - the retinoid with squalane brought me out in weird hard spots on my cheekbones and the hyaluronic acid is (sadly) balls on my skin with or without makeup so I look like I’m flaking off by mid afternoon - cf my lovely and ridic expensive skinceuticals version

• anything Elemis, just seems to do nothing

Ouia (sp?) wave spray for hair, it has the most overwhelming reek of sandalwood I couldn’t use it more than once

Unlike a PP I have found that rosehip oil outperforms almost every expensive piece of skincare i throw at my face. I suspect once it stops working the only next step will be medical grade stuff.

The Ordinary
Cerave
Elemis
Olaplex
Estee Lauder
Nuxe lip balm
Tan Luxe self tan
Hourglass powders
Clinique

Clinique facial tonic. My skin felt as thought i had used bleach (neat).

Estée Lauder Doublewear brought me out in itchy acne.
Chanel mascara flaked, smudged and refused to dry properly.
Chanel No.5 makes me smell like an unneutered tom cat has peed on me.
Mac Ruby Woo lipstick (the red that’s supposed to suit everybody) made me look like Jack Nicholson as The Joker.

Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes - got suckered twice, but just couldn’t get any decent colour to stay on my eyelids. Tried various primers without success. Gave them to my sister and she had the same issue.

The Ordinary Caffeine Solution - like another poster, finished the bottle but no impact.. still need tear trough fillers to disguise my dark circles

IT Cosmetics Illuminating Cream - no coverage but left me with a very unbecoming organise hue

Phillips Lumea - had it 18mths, and still little change. It cost so much that I’m still using it desperately every week.

Pretty much anything Benefit. Who the hell can the candy pink shade of posie tint actually suit? Hoola makes me look dirty. Their mascaras manage to both flake and smear under the eyes (and I already have enough black shadows)

Flash Balm - the sales assistant took my money in a flash but it does nothing.

8 hour cream - slightly nicer smelling Vaseline

Chanel nail Polish (actually a gift) Flakes immediately

All of you chucking the YSL, send it my way - I love the stuff! It works for me.

Same with the EA 8hr cream.

Treseame shampoo, horrible for my hair. Same with anything loreal.

Perfume, I absolutely hate Channel no5.

I stopped buying anything Jo Malone when it wasn't Jo Malone anymore. She sold the company and her name to Estee Lauder in 1999. She quit Estee Lauder in 2006 and they stopped her from operating for 5 years and from using her own name 'Jo Malone'. in 2011 she started her own company - Jo Loves. That is the 'real' Jo Malone if you like her perfumes. Not 'Jo Malone'.

Agree with TO, haven't found any of the products useful.

Clarins BF balm made me an oil slick

UD all nighter made no difference

That pink and green mascara everyone raves about...smudges everywhere

Agree re Pillow Talk. Also MAC matte lipsticks are really drying.

Agree with a PP re. Nuxe lip balm. I mean wtf was that!? It was like rubbing cement/broken fudge onto my lips, not moisturising in the slightest.

Also hated Eve Lom cleansing balm, too much faff, made me break out.

In a way glad to see Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair has been mentioned a few times, as was wondering if it’s just me. But it just doesn’t do anything for me, doesn’t leave my skin feeling moisturized, let alone any sort of luxurious feel. Waste of money - keep searching for the perfect serum.

If you're wiling to spend I highly recommend Zelens Vit D or C. Definitely give me the glow and foundation is minimal now. A nice oil also good at this time of the year. Ren is my favourite after trying a lot.

Another vote for Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lipstick. Was so excited to get it but it looks awful on me. I think Matte lipsticks in general just don’t work for me.

Nuxe Lip Balm is awful. Apart from the texture it made my lips even drier. I do like the Nuxe skin repair balm (in the little tin) for my lips though. It has a much nicer texture and actually works.

Agree about Eliz Arden eight hour cream. I don't get it either.

The PK elasticiser sample seemed like the answer to a prayer so I bought an expensive tub, then it didn't work at all. This is often the case with hair products I find.