Totally random blog post topic today, but let’s roll with it!
Whenever I travel with a group of girls, we inevitably end up chatting away about our favorite beauty products when we’re crammed in a tiny hotel room getting ready for the day ahead. Recommendations are exchanged, new makeup is tested and tips and tricks are shared.
Traveling and getting ready with my girlfriends has lead to the discovery of some of my favorite beauty products such as:
- Big Sexy Hair Power Play (Great for adding volume to my roots)
- Smashbox Photo Finish Primer (Makes my makeup last 10x longer)
- Benefit Posie Tint (Adds a subtle, natural-looking pink to my lips and cheeks)
- L’oreal Sublime Bronze (I use this on my face for a pop of sun-kissed color that isn’t orange)
But then there are the beauty product recommendations people give you that you try and end up hating. The ones you hear tons of people swear by that for whatever just don’t work for you.
Here are some of the beauty products I’ve tried that everyone else seems to love that I just don’t:
Beauty Products Everyone Else Loves That You Don’t
- Cetaphil
I tried so hard to love this stuff! My sister’s dermatologist recommended Cetaphil to her and Leslie raved about the gentle way it cleaned her face. I bought the facial cleanser and lotion, but after using it for two months, I noticed my skin breaking out more and more. Oh heeey pimple overload! Needless to say, I’ve passed my Cetaphil along to Leslie and have gone back to the Clean and Clear Morning Burst cleanser and Clean and Clear Dual Action moisturizer that I’ve loved since high school.
- Maybelline Great Lash Mascara
It seems like nearly every magazine out there raves about this mascara whenever they publish articles that mention their favorite beauty products. I fell for the claims and bought this mascara to try it out a few years ago. Never again! It was horrible on my eyelashes and made them look thin and clumpy at the same time, which I didn’t know was possible. (My favorite mascara is currently Almay Get Up and Grow. It’s fabulous.)
- St. Ives Apricot Scrub
I used this exfoliating scrub on occasion for more than a year and thought it was great until I got a facial and the aesthetician told me that she could see little scratches on my skin. She said that St. Ives Apricot Scrub is quite abrasive and actually scratches sensitive skin. Eek! No more! (Ryan still loves it though and I think they may have changed the formula recently?)
Can you tell I’m picky with mascara? I bought this mascara after I saw Emily Maynard talk it up but it made my eyelashes look so piecey. I love Benefit products, but this mascara just didn’t work on my lashes.
Now it’s your turn…
Question of the Day
- What is one beauty product you’ve tried because everyone raved about it that just didn’t work for you?
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I agree about the Great Lash mascara – I love some of Maybelline’s other mascaras but that one just has never done it for me. It always made my eyelashes looking clumpy and chunky.
Agreed!
totally with you on Cetaphil! I broke out too- I feel like it doesn’t remove anything from my face (sweat, make-up, dirt). I love Origins beauty products- natural/plant based, good combo between being effective but not abrasive, and they don’t break the bank either!
Origins products are my favorite! I’ve never had a face wash remove my makeup the way Origins’ checks and balances does! If you haven’t tried their charcoal face mask I’d highly recommend that too!
I used the Maybelline mascara for a long time, but my all-time favorite is the Maybelline colossal cat eye mascara. It literally doubles the length of my eyelashes!
I can’t use those pre-moistened face wipes to remove makeup, even though everyone swears by them. Something in them makes my face get all red and bumpy!
I feel the same way about the Apricot Scrub. Way too harsh for my skin.
My sister also told me to get cetaphil and I am not sure I am loving it!!
I tried the Benefit They’re Real! mascara and HATED it. It ran all over my face and didn’t do anything for my lashes!
ProActive DOES NOT work for everyone!
I have also tried cetaphil and hated it, it dried my face out. Another product I tried that I really wanted to love because everyone else did is the Nars blush in Orgasm. It just didn’t do anything for me. It was too shimmery formy taste.
Ooh fun topic! I had been using Cetaphil and didn’t really like it (but everyone said I should) and my dermatologist told me to switch to CeraVe cleanser. I LOVE it! I tried “The’re Real” after Emily Maynard said she used it, but I didn’t like it either.
I’ve heard of sooo many people loving the Nar’s Orgasm blush, but I bought it and don’t even use it. I feel like it hardly shows up at all!
I have this problem with basically ever moisturizer. I’m STILL on the hunt for something that doesnt make me feel like a grease ball.
I’m also not in love with those egg shaped lip balms that the world raves about.
Have you tried Clinique’s moisturizing gel? That’s been a good one for the face that won’t leave you greasy. And for body, I love Aveeno’s sensitive lotion! Keep searching!!
Lol I love this random but funny topic! I am with you on the Maybelline Great Lash Mascara too, it just didn’t do it for me. Dermalogica skin care just didn’t work for me either.
I hope you had a nice weekend <3
I was going to say the same as Jan! My skin used to give me issues, and I think I tried EVERYTHING! Dermalogica was highly recommended, but I have to say that it did absolutely nothing and probably made my skin worse.
Pretty much every self-tanner as well. Yuck.
I try to avoid celebrity endorsements and bloggers who are advertising something through affiliate links. I prefer to get advice from friends with experience/great results or bloggers who genuinely care for a product and rave about it without receiving the endorsement benefits!
It’s perfume rather than beauty products but I bought Burberry Weekend after hearing SUCH rave reviews and it was kind of old-ladyish and made me sneeze so much whenever I’d put it on. Such a disappointment!
I love this topic! I absolutely hate the Maybelline Great Lash mascara, too. Its totally overrated in my opinion. Another beauty product I do not like is dry shampoo. I’ve tried several different brands and they do absolutely nothing for my hair. I think you have to have a certain hair texture in order for them to work effectively.
For Cetaphil, you HAVE to get the normal to oily skin version. It is totally different from the “Gentle” skin cleanser!!! I LOVE the normal Cetaphil and despise the gentle version — they are so different!
I used to love that Maybelline mascara (which by the way pays BIG advertising $$ to be so “popular”) and now I can’t stand it either!
So you really notice a difference with the primer? I started using one from e.l.f. which is suuuuuper cheap, but I can’t tell if it actually working. Granted, this could be because it’s so dang cheap.
Hi! I just discovered your blog not to long ago and it inspired me to create one of my own. I love all things fitness and healthy eating, and that is what I am basing my blog on.. a healthy lifestyle! I hope you can take a moment of your time to check out my blog and maybe even give me some feedback. Or, maybe have some of your fellow bloggers check it out as well 🙂 Keep in mind, I just started it so there isn’t much to see, but it is a work in progress! Thank you!
We could NOT share beauty products because I adore Cetaphil, St Ives and a They’re Real, ha!! I do agree about the Great Lash though as it makes me eyelashes appear extra wimpy!
Fun post idea! NARS The Multiple, which is this cult-favorite “everything” makeup stick that you can use as a blush or eye shadow or lip gloss, is decent, but it’s not the best product ever, the way so many beauty bloggers talk about it. I also think most liquid eyeliners that people gush about are terrible. The only one I’ve ever found to work well is Eyeko (or I just use a regular pencil liner). So many expensive brands aren’t worth the money, too. For instance, my favorite brand of lipstick is NYX Matte Lipstick, which you can get at Ulta for $5.99!
I ended up HATING the pink Beauty Blender Sponge! I wanted to join the cult and watched countless videos and read all reviews. It did not do magic on my skin and I feel like it absorbed all of my foundation! I am waiting for the Sigma F80 foundation brush to arrive today and I am hoping it will be amazing!
I’m conventional with my makeup I guess– I love great lashes, it’s my staple!
I really hate Max Factor 2000 calories. It feels like I have mud on my eyes.
im so picky with mascara and still haven’t found the ” ONE ” I have tried almost all from Sephora { ugh waste of money } and drug store! I want to create my own, hah!
I’ve read many things saying that Apricot Scrub is actually really bad for your skin.
Someone once recommended the Frederik Fekkai hair shine lotion. I used it once and remembered that my hair is way to fine and prone to oiliness that it doesn’t need help with more products.
I DETEST mary kay time wise products! the first time i tried the cleanser, i got hives all over my face. the consultant who hosted the event won’t admit to this day (8 years later) that it was the cleanser that gave me the rash. she keeps telling me, “they’re hypoallergenic, that could have been it.” EVERYONE i work with sells mary kay and is on the train (make up, cleansers, moisturizers). they get super snarky if i mention any other brand name product that i love. mary kay is not ALL that and a bag of chips. my tried and true facial cleanser is clean & clear continuous control acne cleanser.
All the ones you listed, I don’t like either. The mascara especially, it makes my lashes feel crispy lol. I don’t like that feeling.
I didn’t like any of the NARS highlighters or their orgasm blush like everyone else does.
Totally with you on Maybelline being clumpy and Almay being the BEST MASCARA EVER!
Those foundation “whips” do not work for me!
Cetaphil works better if you use the bar. The liquid soap is terrible. I hate it.
Organix coconut shampoo and conditioner has got to be the most horrible hair product on the planet. They suck you in with promises of coconut smelling hair, but save your money and stay away from it. Trainwreck.,
Also the brand Jennifer Aniston endorses, Living Proof hair care products, didn’t work for me at all. :/
I haven’t found a coconut oil that works for my hair! I wish I could think of the brands I’ve already tried but so far no luck!
Cetaphil has worked great for me! I have sensitive skin and would get rashes so my doctor recommended cetaphil. I also don’t wear much make up so I think it is enough to clear my skin from dirt and make up. I also use Almay mascara, and it is by far my favorite. I also use almay make up remover wipes which have also worked great for me. Three beauty products I recommend are the following: maroccanoil hair spray (doesn’t make hair greasy, smells great, and provides volume for my thin hair), I have also used Big Sexy Hair hair spray and that has worked well for me too. The second product I recommend is Joboba Oil, it is all natural/organic and it helps with breakouts, moisturizes, and can be used as a make up primer. My last recommendation is Johnson’s baby shea butter lotion, yes it is in the baby section of stores, but it works great during the winter months at keeping my face moisturized!
I agree about Maybelline Great Lash Mascara. It was always in magazines so that was the mascara I bought and used faithfully from high school through college. Two years ago I branched out and tried Covergirl’s Lash Blast volume (the orange one) and oh my gosh! With the great lash mascara it looked like I was hardly wearing anything on my eyes but with the Lash blast my eyes looked drastically bigger.
One product that I tried that seemed like a staple product was Nars blush in orgasm. Sure, it looked fine but I actually liked my cheapo Covergirl blush a lot better. I don’t know if the Nars was worth the price.
Julie,
What did you think of that conditioning mask you bought a few months ago that claimed to help hair that never grows past a certain length? I’ve been curious about it ever since you bought it! Your hair has been looking fabulous lately!
Thank you!! I haven’t really noticed much of a difference, honestly, but I’m not using it very consistently either. 🙂
I agree on everything except saint Ives! That one I’m obsessed with. I am a mascara fiend and neither of those do it for me. I used to love Dior runway show mascara which is amazing but expensive, so I started using the falsies black drama which is even better (and cheaper)!
OMG i don’t comment often but TOTALLY related to your post today. My sister’s dermatologist told her to use Cetaphil and she uses it all the time and has rave review.. so do many of my friends. I tried it and HATED IT.. I never broke out so much in my life !! Don’t understand what the problem is 🙂
Love your blog 🙂
ProActive ads are everywhere, so I felt the urge to try it. I tried ProActive when I was in high school, and at the time it felt really harsh on my skin. A few days later, a classmate asked if I went tanning because my face looked burnt. I ended up returning it that day.
Not a fan of Benefit They’re Real either! I think I end up wearing much more of it on my face than on my eyelashes, it does not stay put. I’ve even tried it with an eyelash primer and a make up setting spray and nothing seems to work!
I had the same experience w/ Cetaphil. My dermatologist recommend it. I usually have clear skin and I had so many pimples after using it for a few weeks. Never again!
I loved Cetaphil! I use to breakout bad in high school until I tried this stuff out. The lotion was oily but it cleared me up. I use Aveeno now but cetaphil got me through some hard times ha. Oh and that apricot scrub is the best too! How long has that been out? It’s been a long while.
The only product on this list that I’ve tried is great lash, which I think is fine but nothing to get excited about. I really don’t care for those round eos chap sticks that everyone seems to love. I also recently tried bare minerals makeup and I don’t really understand what all the hype is over those products either. I feel like I can achieve the same results with a mineral powder from the drug store!
Hate the benefit mascara- that brush is a weapon! I have the Nars orgasm stick and I agree- meh! I also tried the Philosophy Hope in a Jar. A. The smell was awful. B. Rash and burning!! Quick return.
Of all moisturizers the St. Ives collagen one in the jar has been good to me for a while…
I totally agree with the Benefit Mascara. I was so excited to try it (and spent 20+$ on it) and then it did nothing.
Everyone raved about the eos lip blam, but i didn’t care for it. Gimme my trusty Carmex any day.
I would have to agree with the Maybelline mascara – tried it and hated it and I found out that I am allergic to something in the EOS lip balms. Nothing like red chapped lips from a lip balm! I do use Image brand skincare and love it! I have very dry skin and living in Denver doesn’t help, but the Image products have been great!
Oh my goodness, I almost feel a sense of relief reading your evaluation of the mascaras haha!
In particular the Great Lash, I don’t get it! I really don’t! It turns my lashes into a clump mess.
I swear by all cetaphil products! I need to get on this primer bandwagon for sure.
Proactiv! It actually burned my skin, it was awful!
I use all Arbonne products now, as I am more conscious of what I’m putting on my skin. Especially since a lot of high end brands use animal by-products in their formulations!
I love my Clean and Clear face wash and moisturizer too! There was this one time where I tried German Baby Lotion. My German friend LOVED it and her skin was absolutely gorgeous and she said all she uses in her skin care routine was warm water and this German Baby Lotion. At first, I was in love and it felt amazing, but a few weeks later, my nose had completely broken out in dry raw skin. I was miserable. I stopped using it and it cleared up. I was really sad about that, but something in that lotion did not sit well with me!
I agree with the St Ives–the formula has definitely changed but for the worse for me! It broke my skin out like crazy when I tried it a couple months ago! Another product I would have to say is Bare Minerals foundation–it broke me out too and made my skin look really awful with it on.
I do use the Maybelline mascara but mostly because the others I use I don’t like as much. I don’t like oddly shaped brushes or bigger brushes. My favorite mascara I ever used was super expensive so it’s not one that I could ever use on a daily basis (and I’m not sure I even know the brand, just that the brush would vibrate – no joke!)