Ever gone more expensive only to find out no better than cheaper stuff ?

[Frostine]

I got taken along by an advertisment for Phillip Kingsley shampoo / conditioner which was £72 & £52 . Been using for several weeks now and it's made not an iota of a difference to my hair which used to have £3 / £4 spent on it .
What did you buy thats no better than the cheaper stuff ?

Murad as a brand I find is very emperor's new clothes. Incredibly expensive and does nothing more for my skin than Neutrogena, LRP or other mid range skincare products!

Agree about shampoo and haircare in general. I bought an expensive heat protector/conditioner spray from my hairdresser and I prefer the much cheaper Elnett one I had previously!

Bobbi Brown foundation. Sticky, fake and dragged on my skin. Much preferred Rimmel for under a tenner.

DC had Ralph Lauren chinos andPrimark chinos at the same time. Primark's were way better finished in every way - better hemming, deeper pockets, nicer colour. They looked expensive and the RL ones - tacky logo aside - looked like sweatshop shit. The Primark ones lasted longer too. DS is now an adult and still wears Primark underpants I bought him when he was about 13. 10 years on and he refuses to buy new ones because they have no holes in them and the elastic is still okay.

The main point of a product is that it has to suit your individual needs. The price point is a later consideration, not the first. For example, after trialling a load of products, my routine is expensive balm cleanser, cheap glycolic acid and serums, expensive balm moisturiser.

Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser. I used it for years, loved it. Bought a Boots No7 tinted moisturiser when I realised I'd forgotten to pack it for a weekend away and have never gone back. Honestly I don't know what they put in it but my highly sensitive skin loves it. Have to mix two shades on occasion (not a huge range) but it's no biggie.

Oh, and Superdrug own brand balm cleanser is fab, unscented and gentle but effective. Good BOGOF deals too. There are so many around now that I won't suggest what expensive brands it's a dupe of but you can take a guess.

Any expensive skin care is really bad for my skin - I've tried Clinique, Clarins, Estee Lauder and Benefit, they all feel like paint stripper on my face. Simple and Body Shop are my go-tos.

Things like skin care and make up are all basically made from the same ingredients though. Im pretty sure in most cases you are paying for a name rather then a product.

I mainly use Primark, ELF, Superdrug for my bits and they all seem to work as well the expensive stuff!

@henlake7 that isn't strictly true. The quality and percentage of the ingredients is what makes the difference and expensive brands (sometimes not always) have higher percentages better quality ingredients.

That said, I use a mix of cheap and expensive products. I know what works for me moisturisers wise and as long as it has ceramides, it will do a good job so use cheaper moisturisers and more expensive serums and face washes (I often react to cheaper ingredients in cheap face wash)

Most high end products I’ve ditched now and replaced with:-

Rimmel match perfection concealer - used to use Mac in a pot concealer.
bourjois heathy mix serum foundation. I see not much different between this and a Clinique foundation.
i use Dior blusher but collection 2000 cloud blusher or maybelline cream blush just as good.
Rimmel nude eyeliner for inside eyes.
most mascara is either L’Oréal lash paradise waterproof or maybelline snapscara.

I do prefer high end Mac lipsticks and high end Bare minerals/estee lauder/bobbi brown eyeliner but using up what I’ve got already.

Yes , I'll never be taken in by advertising again !

For me, all.expensive skincare other than prescription tretinoin is useless snake oil.

@Lentilweaver

I agree with you , even the lowest tret prescription burns my face off !

@the Op,

That Kingsley stuff is rubbish and I’m glad I was given a bottle each of shampoo and conditioner when my friend started to stock it in her salon. I’d have been kicking myself if I’d paid for it.

I agree with previous posters regarding looking at ingredients and yes, the best ingredients are not always indicated by a higher price tag.

I tend to go for organic/natural or mineral ingredients with regards to skincare and makeup since I have had reactions to (I think) some of the chemical preservatives in most of more highly commercial products. What I buy isn't hugely expensive though, much much cheaper than high end but it is more expensive than bargain basement.

@Lentilweaver

For me, all.expensive skincare other than prescription tretinoin is useless snake oil.

If you take price out of the equation I don't think Tret is the ultimate in skincare. Post 50 I'm more concerned with skin health, protection, preserving a good skin barrier and preventing dryness and irritation rather than anti ageing in terms of preventing wrinkles.

Mascara. The best mascara is Maybelline costing me £7 - sooooo much better than all the premium brand mascaras I've ever tried (Clinique, Estée Lauder, Lancome, etc etc)

@onetwothreehello Each to own, but Tret isn't just for anti aging. It's also for acne, brightening and general improvement of skin texture.

The only pricer shampoo that's been better is the Body Shop - (very out of fashion I know!) but both the banana and shea shampoo and conditioers have made my overwrought hair soft and silky and no horrible silicone build up.

It is expensive at £16 per bottle each but it's so worth it. For make up - superdrug brands all the way.

Definitely had this with lots of clothes. Not to sound like a total dinosaur but clothes aren't built to last these days. Even expensive brands are flimsy and crap. I've had a dress from Toast fall apart on me recently which really annoyed me as it wasn't cheap. A designer tote bag I had also got really worn out really quickly.

I think the most overrated skin products are botox and tret. I know people love them, but i found them pretty meh and so expensive. I don't really do much skin care anymore and my skin probably looks better if anything. So much of it is marketing. Social media has persuaded me to buy so many things which haven't been anywhere near as life changing as they said side eye to Il Makiage 😒

I get Tret from overseas and it costs me 20 p per tube. So not expensive. Tret is absolutely not like Botox. It is prescribed by dermatologists for one thing.

I’m currently using a very expensive Augustinus Bader moisturiser. I’m not convinced it’s any better than the cheap stuff. It makes me feel like it’s better for my skin though

Botox is prescription only, but even if it wasn't, that wasn't my point. The only thing I said tret and botox had in common was that i think they are overrated. I stand by that 🤷‍♀️

Tret was recently being discussed on The Huberman podcast (Where he reviews evidenced based research)
A top dermatologist was on there stating that tret is amazing for your skin health and anti aging. I was sold and have started using it.

The number of people jumping in to say how amazing tret is even though I don't find it to be so, just proves how massively overrated it it. I don't like Huberman either <runs away>

Bin bags!!
I get the £1 ones from Tesco and there as good as the expensive ones.