Disappointing Products

Hi, so today's post is going to be a bit negative I'm afraid! But I do think it's great to share what products have disappointed you so we can see the other side of the story and maybe even decide to save our money. I'm most disappointed with things that get a lot of hype and great reviews but end up not working well for me, but it just goes to show, opinions on cosmetics (especially skincare) are always going to be varied because of how personal they are. I still use some of these sometimes because I don't like to think I've wasted my money!

Firstly a product that isn't too bad but still a bit of a let down is the Good Things Blemish Control Gel Mask. I still use this directly on spots every now and then because it can be quite good at reducing the size and redness of them, but as a mask it's awful. It's an unusual face mask because it's thin and runny. It smells quite medicinal which isn't very pleasant, and it stings my face and makes my eyes water. I don't think the stinging was as bad when I first got it, but now if I was to apply this all over my face I would instantly have to wash it off again because it actually hurts! It's one thing feeling a product 'tingle' but clearly this is way too strong so it might be too much salicylic acid which is causing the stinging. If you have even slightly sensitive skin I wouldn't go near it.

I wasn't a fan of the Max Factor Wild Mega Volume Mascara. I usually love Max Factor mascaras but this one is a bit of a let down compared to the usual standard.

It wasn't the worst mascara I've ever used or anything dramatic like that, but it was quite clumpy and wet and therefore hard to work with. It takes a lot longer than it should to get the desired effect with this. The brush is slightly oddly shaped, which didn't really work as it picked up too much product from the tube. The packaging is eye-catching but a bit tacky compared with the usual look of Max Factor mascaras.

Last year I tried out La Roche Posay's Effaclar Duo after seeing a lot of rave reviews (Ruth at A Model Recommends loves this!) but unfortunately it didn't work for me at all. It claims to correct the appearance of blemishes but if anything it made me break out even more, so I suppose something about it irritates my skin. I persisted with it for a while because I really wanted to like it, and I still do try it again every now and then in case it works, so I've actually used up a lot of my tube. Luckily I got my money back with a satisfaction guarantee, which was very nice of La Roche Posay - I have no idea if they're still doing that offer but it would be great if they did!

Next is a lip product, and you'd think you can't generally go wrong with lip products as a swatch on your hand in the shop would show you how pigmented it is, and you can also smell the tester to make sure it doesn't smell bad before you buy it - however I must have forgotten to do that when I bought Rimmel's Apocalips, as this product smells so awful!

It smells horribly plasticky and I'm usually not too bothered about smells in lip products but when I wear this I just can't ignore it. I bought this back when there was a lot of hype around the Rimmel Apocalips because of its interesting 'lip lacquer' formula and gorgeous shades, however I seem to have accidentally chosen a bit of a boring shade - Celestial.

Maybe it looked prettier under the lights in the shop and it's not a terrible shade at all but I do think I have nicer pinks in my collection. That said if you can get over the smell the red shade does look stunning, I only didn't buy it because I already had a red and knew I wouldn't get much wear out of another one!

This one isn't that much of a disappointment, but I still haven't been a big fan of the Boots Essentials Fragrance Free Eye Makeup Remover Pads. They do remove eye makeup quite well and they're very handy when I have a lot to remove, but I can't stand how greasy they are to use. I need to use a cotton pad after using these to get rid of the oily residue around my eyes. They also cloud up my vision a bit for a while which is annoying. At £1.50 for 40 pads though I can't really complain - they still do what the job and are very affordable.

Months ago I bought Charles Worthington's Volume and Bounce Texturising Spray expecting great things as it gets raved about a lot and is considered a dupe for Oribe's Texturising Spray which is £38 (!!!) for 300ml, while CH's option is £6.99 for 150ml. I have quite fine hair which often goes flat even when I use volumising products, but I just can't get on with this.

I follow the instructions but barely see any volumising effect; it seems to just make my hair feel sticky and greasy and therefore weighed down, despite my attempts to rub it in. I wish it actually worked as I don't particularly want to fork out for the Oribe one! I'll keep trying and see if I can get it to work (I wonder if I'm spraying a little too much) but for now I'm loving Bumble and Bumble's Thickening Hair Spray which, combined with blow drying my hair upside down, can give me beautiful volume and thickness. I got a 50ml travel size of it free with a magazine and will definitely be purchasing the full size one when it runs out!

Do you have any thoughts on these products? I'm sorry if this post has been a bit moany/negative or if I bashed any of your favourite products, but I would be interested to hear if you swear by any of these!

Have any products disappointed you recently? I'd love to know what products to save my money on and avoid!

Thanks for reading!

Sabrina xx