Disappointing Products

Generally if I don't like a product I can make it work for me by using it in another way, but occasionally I buy or receive something that really doesn't live up to my expectations or to its claims. I've been compiling this list for a little while which is why a few of the products have gone to different homes already, but each of the products below just really haven't been my cup of tea. [Apologies again for the slightly below par photos- I'm in between selling my old camera and buying a new one, so I'm still using my phone for a bit]

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water (£4.99)

I was really excited to see this Micellar Water on offer at Superdrug, as I thought it was the highstreet cleansing water everyone was talking about. But as I quickly found out, the one with the good reviews is actually the Loreal version! 

This Garnier version is not for me at all- it does a pretty bad job of removing foundation and concealer, leaving me either tugging at my skin or using about 5 cotton pads and even then I can't remove everything. For eye shadow it's not bad but it's useless for waterproof mascara (I never wear non waterproof) and it's like trying to rub it off using actual water. I've lost countless eyelashes (and my patience) trying to get everything off my face using this, but as it's a huge bottle I just want to finish it, so I've been using it liberally on my face and I'm back to Simple wipes just for eyes. I can't comment on how it performs with normal mascara, but if you use a long wearing foundation and waterproof eye makeup I would stay away.

Dove Refresh+Care Dry Shampoo (£4.59)

This is OK as a volumising product but it's not my first choice for dirty or greasy hair. It's quite wet when first sprayed out of the can and when I rub it in it feels a bit sticky. This dry shampoo doesn't have that very powdery grey look that others do, and it gives my hair some shine without really weighing it down, but the shine of greasy hair is usually what I want to remove when using a dry shampoo! 

I've been using it on clean hair to get a bit of volume without the matte look, but for dirty hair its a thumbs down from me.

Lumie Bodyclock Starter 30 (£59.95) (not pictured as I sold it on, £60 ain't cheap for an alarm clock you don't like!)

I bought this in the winter as I've noticed over the past few years I tend to feel particularly down from about October until the weather starts warming up again. Add to that dark mornings and an inability to get out of the bed at the best of times and you've got trouble on your hands! This clock houses a daylight SAD bulb and has a sunset and sunlight alarm which is designed to wake you up by mimicking natural light and make you a bit more cheery.

I found the clock quite difficult to set, the buttons are very loud and the actual face that shows the time kept me awake it was so bright (thankfully that was dimmable). You can use the light as a 'normal' daylight lamp during the day and it does give off a nice bright glow, but the light slowly fades and then suddenly turns itself off every 30 minutes or so. The biggest problem for me was that it made no difference to the time or mood in which I got out of bed. Sometimes it was pretty annoying to be woken up with a bright light, other times I slept through it completely!

I read a lot of good reviews before buying, but if I was to buy another product this autumn/winter it would be a simple light box as I think that would be easier, more useful and probably cheaper too.

Avon Colortrend Chopsticks Eyeliner in Night Star (£3.50)

Can we take a second to talk about the name of this eyeliner- chopsticks? What have they got to do with my eyes? Anyway, I thought this would be similar to a dark grey kajal eyeliner, but the pigmentation is quite poor and its difficult to get a precise looking line with the chunky tip. I use this if I'm in a mega hurry- I apply it messily then rub it in to give a little bit of definition, but I was hoping for something much darker and less glossy.

Vita Liberata PHenominal 2 Week Tan* (£37.50)

I have to admit I have only used this once as I was so disappointed with the results I didn't want to try again. This tan is designed to last up to two weeks- you apply two coats with a shower in between and watch in amazement as your tan fades evenly over the next 14 days. 

Well, the first coat went fine, the second coat was also fine after showering until I woke up the next day with marks everywhere! I had rings round my ankles where my socks had been, white streaks down my arms and an actual white hand print on my leg where someone had squeezed my knee! I was pretty unimpressed and I scrubbed it off that evening, so it's been sitting in my cupboard ever since. 

If you've tried this and had good results then let me know because I've heard good reviews and I don't know what I could have done wrong!

Barry M Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in No.4 White (£5.49)

I've been looking around for a light colour that will stay in my waterline but that isn't shimmery, and when I came across the affordable Barry M waterproof white eyeliner I thought it would be perfect. I like the design of the bottle- there's a brush in the lid which you upturn and clip in to give a long brush handle, and the pot of liner unscrews from the bottom. 

The product, however, is very dry and appears quite lumpy, almost moussey. That makes it very difficult to get a nice smooth line, and the lumps are very apparent in the waterline unless you apply it very thickly which obviously doesn't look right as its an unnatural bright white. It does seem last to last reasonably well in the eye but that's only when you've spent ages applying, wiping off and reapplying in order to get something that looks kind of ok. This product definitely need to be creamier as even on the back of my hand it looks like I've drawn a line in waxy art pastel.

W7 Style Eyes Brow and Lash Shaping Gel* (£1.99) (not pictured, in bin)

This is a decent sized tube of clear mascara, but unfortunately it's a very wet product and doesn't have much hold. I have quite unruly brows and this made them feel a bit sticky until it dried but didn't do a good job of holding them in place. W7 have some great products that I've written about in the past, but unfortunately this isn't one of them.

Cocoa Brown Day and Night Tan (£7.99)

As I've said in previous posts I love the 1 Hour Tan and I love the dark version even more, but this product didn't live up to my expectations. It's designed as a tan that you can wear on a night out, then wash off in the morning leaving more of a 'day time' colour. 

I found the guide colour (the 'night' colour) really dark, much darker than I would wear outside as I'd be worried about accidental runs or smears, and I didn't think it was a very natural shade on me. On washing off, I thought I'd be left with a colour similar to the 1 Hour Tan, but the shade was so light in comparison to the guide colour that it looked like it hadn't done anything at all. 

The formula is very nice- silky, moisturising and non streaky, and I'm sure it works well for people who like wash off tan, but I was expecting to get a darker end colour after spending the time on a full body application.

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream* (full size £20)

This might be great for people with ageing undereyes or wrinkles, but for me it makes the skin around my eyes feel uncomfortably tight. Whether I use it during the day or at night, I'm not keen on the taught feeling it gives and I feel like I want to plump and soften my eye area, not try to shrink it.

Revlon Nearly Naked Pressed Powder in Fair (£7.99)

Finally, this setting/face powder from Revlon- after swatching the three available shades in my local Boots I settled on Fair which, after double checking swatches online, I believe is the lightest shade. As I wear fake tan I'm not super pale, but I've found this powder so dark that after using it all over one day, I came home and was horrified to see how orange my face looked! The Fair shade is darker than my other setting powders in the pan so I don't know if it's that along with an oxidisation problem, but I'm really not sure how they can call this the lightest shade.

I bought this after seeing Mikhila from Miss Budget Beauty talk about it, and she also frequently mentions that she's quite pale, so maybe they have reformulated or mine just has the wrong label? If you also have this powder please let me know as it's such a nice formula but mine is orange!

What disappointing products have you tried recently?