Beauty Products that are a Waste of Money

Have you ever bought hyped up products only to be disappointed? It is definitely a part of being a skincare junkie. Do beauty products that are a waste of money get their way into your collection, and then you tell yourself next time you’ll know better?

Through trial and error, these are the products that were hyped up and ended up underperforming. This is just from the top of my head the ones I was personally most disappointed with. The expectations were high. The performance was low.

Disclaimer: this list is based on my own experiences and one product might work for you but not for me. This doesn’t mean that the product is bad, just my experience with it that was underwhelming. If some of these are your HG then please do continue using and loving them.

Beauty products in my stash that are a waste of money:

Sunday Riley UFO

Of all the beauty products that were a waste of money, this was by far the most disappointing product I have ever bought. It was years ago but the thought of it still hurts.

Having suffered from acne for years, this product was so promising. I was looking at it day in and day out. Reading all the reviews of how this has helped people even with hormonal acne. And then magic happened, and Cult Beauty had a 20% off Sunday Riley and I went in and ordered the big size of this oil.

I was brimming with hope and happines at the thought that this might be it, the cure for my acne. It worked for so many others!

The unpacking was a whole experience, as the oil comes in this little jewellery cushioned, hard cardboard box. The oil is splendid emerald green. As a broke student, this was luxury.

Let me tell you, first of all, the smell of this is overwhelming. The herbal mix and the overpowering smell of tea tree were repugnant. Nonetheless, I was not discouraged. But I had to admit it a few months later: this was doing absolutely nothing for me. Not one thing, nothing looked better on my face. And I have used up 2/3 of the bottle.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Sleeping Mask

This was a very hyped up product when it only came out. I was mesmerised. The jelly texture, the gentle exfoliating properties, the promise of hydration, and again, the promise to help with acne.

I was counting the days it would come to Europe, and the moment it came to Cult Beauty you bet I ordered it.

But it was never meant to be. I found the smell of watermelon candy to be a bit off-putting. The texture looked like a lot of fun, light and bouncy. But it pilled. Like crazy. You could not rub this into your skin, you just had to gently spread it and leave it alone.

Then the performance disappointed. I found this to not be hydrating at all for my oily skin. It did exfoliate, but imagine that at that time I wasn’t exfoliating regularly and didn’t understand the importance of it. Obviously, anything exfoliating would have given me a little glow. But that was it. I used it up as a wash-off mask and never looked back.

Products that were not a huge waste of money but were disappointing:

Klairs Soft Airy UV Essence

Granted, this product is not a huge expense, and thank you for that. The previous two were expensive enough at the time.

This sunscreen is very hyped up. It is light and “airy” and many love it for that. As an oily skin type, I saw this as a perfect product that could work with my skin.

It didn’t.

I must be the only person to find this sunscreen HEAVY. Despite its name, I found it to be sitting on my skin, suffocating it. I used it in all seasons, with the same outcome. As somebody who doesn’t like wasting product, I used it up, all 80ml of it, which is a lot compared to other sunscreens.

Paula’s Choice antioxidant pore purifier

This product is also a cult favourite and you can see why. It has salicylic acid and white tea, niacinamide, vitamin c and azelaic acid. The ingredients sound so promising. The product defends the skin from environmental aggressors, even out the tone and texture, as well as improve the look of large pores.

I was expecting for this to at least help with my pores since I use vitamin C, niacinamide and azelaic acid in other serums. But I have noticed nothing. No improvement in my skin from this product alone.

It’s not a huge disappointment compared to the UFO oil, but definitely not something I would spend my money on again.

The Ordinary

I’ll get dragged for this.

This brand has redefined skincare and made it accessible to everyone. Their products have potent ingredients and have saved many faces. Including mine.

I have also started my long journey of skincare with The Ordinary among other things. Their products have transformed my skin and my understanding of skincare. I became more educated.

But there is a but here. Their newer formulations have left me baffled. Whereas I loved the Niacinamide serum a few years ago, when I repurchased it I noticed a lot of pilling. Even if I used one single drop. And this also goes for the Hyaluronic Acid serum and the Copper Peptides one. Granted I didn’t waste a lot of money but the serums ended up in the trash. After 3 misses, I simply turned to one of their competitors, The Inkey List. And I think you have heard me rave about that one.

You can imagine how cautious I am today when it comes to hyped up products. I take my sweet time with buying anything that can be a potential disappointment. For example the Purito Centella Green Level Unscented sunscreen. Despite being affordable it took me about a year to finally order it.

The same goes to the Summer Fridays Jet Lag. I had very low expectations for this product and bought it for the aesthetics, but it does perform as it says. Which surprised me.

I am curious, what products disapointed you? Come leave a comment on this post on Instagram.

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