Much hyped products that you have found meh..

[Ihopeyourcakeisshit]

I'm trying to invest in myself a bit more, if I described my skin-care routine, the virus amongst you would likely have conniptions.
I can't quite get my head around the idea of spending huge amounts of money but might if necessary?
What should I save my money on and what's worth paying out for?
I've been bought Night repair serum by EL but I'm wondering what all the fuss is about?

I used to do this and bought loads of stuff in a bid to have some sort of routine which I never really stuck with

Signed up to skin&me which is prescription tretenoin and it’s fab, you sent them pics of your face and what you want to achieve, then £20 a month for something personalised to you which increases in strength month by month. So now, I just use a mild cleanser, use that and factor 50 in the morning. Has been really great results wise too

Touche Éclat, Beauty Flash Balm, Kerastase Elixir Ultime, No7 Protect and Perfect, and any skincare product from Aldi.

I agree with pp about skin+me I've been using it a year now. My skin is amazing and I only use a moisturiser with spf in the morning and occasionally some moisturiser at night. Before I was using about 5 products at night!

I’m another one for skin +me it’s made such a difference to my skin but I have to admit I just sign up for the free trials under different email addresses as I don’t have the cash for the subscription but it has done wonders for me

EA 8 hour cream.
Touché eclat used to be good, it just disappears now.

@Ihopeyourcakeisshit if you want to pm me I can give you a referral code for first month free

That should read gurus amongst you in my opening post, not virus

Very kind @Beaspot I shall do that!

@SylviasMotherSaid

I’m another one for skin +me it’s made such a difference to my skin but I have to admit I just sign up for the free trials under different email addresses as I don’t have the cash for the subscription but it has done wonders for me

Don't they notice your photos are of the same face?!

I find that some of these "cult" products are good for particular concerns, but not everyone has them. For example, Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream is amazing for very dry chapped lips, areas of very dry skin. But I only ever get this very, very occasionally after a cold or in the winter. Consequently, it wouldn't be worth me buying a whole tube.

Armani foundation is one that everyone raves about but it just doesn't sit nicely on my face.

Soap and Glory is often recommended on here - absolutely hate it! Smells too strong and irritates my skin.

Touché eclat, Alpha H liquid gold, Lancôme mascara, anything from Lush.

I didn't like Charlotte Tilburys pillow talk lipstick. It was supposed to look good on everybody and although it didn't clash with my complexion, it didn't do anything for me either.

I don’t like pillow talk on me either. Leans quite brown

Paulas choice BHA 2% gets a lot of hype but does absolutely nothing for me.

It's hard because everyone's skin is different so what will be great for one person won't work at all for someone else.

Also, a lot of companies will say your skin needs 6 weeks to adjust so you need to use their product for 6 weeks. Not sure if that's true or just marketing but it's worth bearing in mind.

Pixi Glow stuff is proper meh. Stila liquid liner - raved about and I can’t quite believe how bad it is. Not sure if I got a duff one or not, but it’s terrible. Opalex - need to use half the (miniscule) bottle in one go and even then it’s no better than supermarket own brand conditioner.

I now have a preference for 'natural' stuff as my skin is perhaps more sensitive than I have given it credit for. Up Circle and Evolve are my two favourites...Aveda products have also been quite good.

Another one for Skin&Me.

Really great, when they changed my script and I had awful awful break outs they sent me a replacement tube of my original script immediately, for free.

Skin is finally improving month on month. In 30 years I've never been as settled, and such a simple routine and concept (the daily dose system)

@bedheadedzombie

I didn't like Charlotte Tilburys pillow talk lipstick. It was supposed to look good on everybody and although it didn't clash with my complexion, it didn't do anything for me either.

Oh yes I agree - makes me look like a corpse

I liked 8 hour cream (not enough to buy it regularly!) And I do like touché eclat. Really want to try Trinnys Miracle Blur - but reviews on her website aren't 5 star! Anyone used it and not been fussed?

I have bouts of insomnia where I only manage to sleep 2-3 hours a night and back in the day before I had kids and a massive mortgage I used to swear by Guerlain’s Issima Midnight Secret. I stopped buying it as I couldn’t justify the expense (£70+) but thanks to this post I’ve googled it and something similar is available for about £24, it’s dropped the Issima and it’s half the size and yes it’s still much more than my normal Olay, but I think I might just treat myself!

There's no one size fits all obviously but the things that seem to work for most people is Retinol, Vitamin C and a decent moisturiser/SPF that suits your skin.

Other things can be added in and out like acids and masks but the Retinol etc is what is doing the heavy lifting. It does take a while to see results. I use Dermatica.

I also have Botox a couple of times a year, facials when I can afford them and lip filler as and when.

All of this means I've cut down massively on skincare I don't need. I think it's also a good idea to buy skincare that works for your skin's needs at different ages. ANL seems to work better on more mature skin, younger skin often already has the glow and smoothness it gives, so it might seem like it's not 'working' if you're not the target demographic.

Things I've found to be useless:
-virtually everything from Charlotte Tilbury apart from Hollywood Flawless Filter and the cream eyeshadows

• Ruby Woo. Christ it's drying!

-Most lip balms apart from Blistex relief cream -Clinique dramatically different moisturiser -Chanel Nail varnish -La Mer anything. Ditto Eve Lom. -Kerastase hair products. Also Tigi -NARS mascara -NARS Orgasm in any form -Bum bum cream -8 hour cream. Bleurgh!!

And when I say ANL , I do of course mean ANR.

Oh now I find 8 hour cream very good.

Actually these days I am pretty much held together by 8 hour cream and Flexitol.