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Is there a product you swore you wouldn't buy but ended up purchasing?


Is there a product you swore you wouldn’t buy but ended up purchasing? Share!

In general, I know I’ve said/thought to myself that I would never shell out big bucks for body care, but I definitely have. My shower time is a bit more of a “relaxing moment” for me these days, so if it was what I really, really wanted, I would. I said I would never again do an at-home wax after horrendous first-time experience, but I have and I’m so glad I did (much better the second go ’round).

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xamyx Avatar

I really do my best to shun all brands related to Estee Lauder, due to their marketing practices, but every once in a while, I end up caving in…

xamyx Avatar

The whole idea of LE, “exclusive” products. MAC, for example, fell victim to this once EL took over, as well as Bobbi Brown. I just don’t care for a brand treating me like my purchases don’t matter to them, and I try to support brands like Urban Decay & NARS, who make enough product to go around, and I don’t have to stalk websites, use credit cards, pay exorbitant prices on eBay, etc… I should be given at least a week to make it down to a store/counter, and test a product out before having to buy blindly, especially when so many LE collections end up subpar.

Divya Avatar

I totally agree with you. This marketing strategy also encourages the hoarder in everyone! People would quickly grab and buy things thinking it is limited edition without paying much attention to quality or whether they really need another product of the same kind! This is basically just making a hype about everything so that their sales go up!

CKG Avatar

I never thought to link the two. Hmm.
I got my first taste of that last year with the second RiRi campaign. I just went on the site out of curiosity and was amazed that I couldn’t even access the page because the traffic was so huge. As I understood there were supposed to be limited quantities sold per person yet one seller had, for example, 38 lipsticks on eBay at $60. each. I would have hated to be caught up in that!

Helen Avatar

LOL! I have a personal MAC ban too and I keep going on Nordstrom to check to see if “Stereo Rose” MSF is still available. So I feel you sister!

Mallory Avatar

Oh I swatched Be A Lady and couldn’t help myself -_- it beautifully snuck it’s way into my collection. Though I think it is permanent so they aren’t teasing you with this one!

Jaclyn Avatar

I told myself I wouldn’t get Naked 3 because I thought the lighter colors would favor light skin better. But I finally caved in and I’ve created some nice looks that compliment my tan skin well!

J Avatar

Most recently, Mac’s Snapdragon lipstick. I told myself I needed to cool it with all of their LE products, but that one was just so pretty to me!

Jaymee Avatar

I told myself I would not buy the Naked Basics palette because when it first came out, I really had no desire. It was so boring and I really didn’t think I would touch it. Then I impulsively bought it and used it way more than I thought i would!

Jane Avatar

Naked Basics (now that I have it I LOVE it,) and anything from Lime Crime, because of all the drama that happened a few years ago. I feel like they turned it around, though, so I bought the Palette d’Antionette (wonderful!) and the 5th Element liquid liner (orange, not a great product, discontinued.)

Christine Avatar

It’s more like a category of products for me. I said I would never get super expensive high end perfumes because I was content with my body sprays, but then I got some Gucci and Victor&Rolf for Christmas and all hell broke loose. I love my perfumes so much now but those price points always make me question whether smelly water is worth it…

Aimee Avatar

Naked 3! I would see people proudly display their Naked 1, 2 and 3 palettes and just think OMG that’s over $150 dollars worth of eyeshadow! Eventually though I just didn’t think there was anything else similar on the market so I took the hit…and I’m super happy with it. 🙂

Eesha Avatar

Oh yeah, I always thought Chanel JC blush in Accent wouldn’t show up on me and had decided in my mind that I would never purchase, but, as soon as I saw it myself I fell in love with it. And how can I forget to mention that I have ridiculous number of different foundations. I always decide to never try/ buy until I finish and toss out at least one foundation bottle, but when in store I end up buying a new one! However, I am still holding myself up from buying Guerlain’s Tenue de Perfection foundation!

StrangeOne Avatar

All expensive brands to be honest. I used to think everything has a dupe so why shell out money for something that drugstores can give you. I would prefer to get 30 different things for the same amount than just 1. Then I went and bought from giorgio armani… and the dam broke. But I’m still cheap and the product has to be extra awesome to get my money.

Mariella Avatar

Probably Urban Decay’s Vice2 palette. I had convinced myself I didn’t need it (“need” being a questionable term at best when it comes to makeup) but when I saw it in-store, I realized just how much I would love it and use it. And I was right – no regrets there!

Wwendalynne Avatar

I swore I would never buy an Urban Decay Naked’s palette and then I did. The second one. And I never use it which is pretty much what I predicted. It’s too warm and the one shadow I really like out of the bunch (Tease) is not the best performer.

Wwendalynne Avatar

I was very tempted by UD 3, but I’ve managed to dodge that one. I like weird neutrals, colours with a lot of red in them, and the too faced chocolate bar palette is more to my taste, but unfortunately the performance is ‘meh’. My zone seems to be my custom MAC palettes (mostly permanent..very few LE’s), Illamasqua, custom MUFE palette, or NARS. These stay in my rotation because I use them all the time. I can see how you find the UD palettes being perfect for travel. Which one do you like best?

PJ Avatar

Many products….. The latest is LM lip glaces in her new spring shades. I told myself that I didn’t need another lip gloss, but can one really own too many??? I am a sucker for seasonal collections. But have become a lot pickier than I once was!

Heather Avatar

Most of the Urban Decay palettes. In particular, I remember deciding to forgo the Smoked palette but they only had one left in stock when I went to Ulta so I bought it anyway. I don’t use it, so I should have listened to myself.

Sarah Avatar

I went through a phase where I felt like I needed ALL the palettes Urban Decay released! I have probably about 10 palettes and the only one I routinely use is my Naked 1. Such a waste of money!

Lauren Avatar

Quite a few things, honestly:
– Naked 3. But then, I got a $25 off coupon for VIBs right after it launched, so I bought it. I do like it though!
– Hourglass Mineral Veil primer. Most primers break me out. The Hourglass primer is $$$. But, I got a generous sample from an Hourglass rep when I was in Sephora last spring and I now own the 2 oz. size.
– Paula’s Choice skincare. I swore I was happy with Neutrogena and didn’t want to get hooked on mail order skincare. Yep, totally hooked after I caved and tried a few of her products last year.

Arely Avatar

To me it would be the Naked 3! i know crazy right lol but it was bc i already have Naked 1 and Naked 2 and also bought the Naked Basics but i gave in and purchased the Naked 3 😀

Nikki Avatar

Naked 3 is one product that I remember being initially uninspired by. Then, when I saw Melissa Raymond’s review on YouTube, something pushed me over the edge. I snapped it up pretty soon after that, and I’m loving it. My husband is funny because he is such an enabler! When I was going on about how much I did not want to get it, he would chime in with “Oh yeah, it sounds terrible!” Then, when I changed my mind he was saying “Oh, it sounds like something you might dig!” Gotta love it 🙂

fancie Avatar

The Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette. I swore I wasn’t going to get sucked in because I have neutral shadows coming out of my ears and it seemed so gimmicky lol. Somehow it jumped into my basket one Sephora trip and I haven’t stopped using it since. I’m so glad I caved!

Kelsey Avatar

Lime Crime anything, and anything “Limited Edition” unless it’s something I KNOW I don’t have/need. I have a bad habit of saying “Well, I don’t really NEED it, but I can never get it again… so I might need it ONE DAY.”

I also need to stop buying red lipstick.
MAC: Everyday Diva, Night to Remember, Viva Glam Rihanna, Viva Glam Cyndi, Dubonnet
Revlon: Really Red, Provocateur

kurohana Avatar

I told myself i wouldnt buy a $70 eye cream and of course one,two, three glasses of wine too many i went on an expensive little skin care spree and bought the $70 dollar eye cream. Bobbi Brown Extra repair. i like the way it feels but it hasn’t done anything to improve or repair my eye area. Skip it ladies go purchase something else. i do like the Kate Sommerville overnight discoloration corrector though and the Dior rose lip balm is nice, Dior healthy blush is pretty on my medium to tan skin tone, i also liked the Dior addict lip balm stuff too.

smfrances Avatar

I love BB Extra eye cream. I have not found anything more moisturizing. I am probably on my 5th purchase. You are right though, it doesn’t firm, lighten or anything else for me. I use a eye serum that does that but is not moisturizing enough and use the BB over it. And you know, ymmv, so just because something didn’t work for you doesn’t mean it works for no one. Just saying.

Greta Avatar

Guerlain Rouge G lipsticks…I have Garçonne now and love it! I’m now considering purchasing Garance and Greta.

Blush…I was completely confused by it, but I’m starting to give it a chance. Same with mascara, actually.

Brittany Avatar

I swore to never buy a BB cream because they seemed to be a little silly to me. Do I /really/ need another thing to add to my morning routine? I had enough Sephora points to get a sample of a Ole Henriksen one and now I’m hooked!

CKG Avatar

More nude lipsticks after every one came out too pink or too frosty, and more lip liners to try to make them work. I don’t even use any liners now :-/
But, mostly, I said I wouldn’t buy Tom Ford lipsticks because of the price and then I caved after days of looking at swatches and bought two at once. I was not impressed, however. And now I’m being seduced by Chanel RAs lol

Veronica Avatar

I love the Chanel Rouge Allures. Didn’t think I would, but the smoothness and pigmentation of main line are just to die for. 🙂

CKG Avatar

Smooth is right!
My wallet might prefer I didn’t like them but when I saw Melodieuse I had to get it and it’s been a slippery slope!
Sorry I wasn’t into them when the Knightsbridge collection came out, I would have jumped on that lol
Not sure if I will try any other formulas like the Rouge Cocos yet

Eliz Avatar

Guerlain Meteorites as I didn’t really get the whole finishing powder concept and could not imagine that they would be worth the high price tag. Boy was I wrong! I now use them every day and feel they are the beauty product that makes the most difference.

The MAC Riri Woo lip collection is another I swore I wouldn’t both with, but, after waiting for 3 hours in that ridiculous website “waiting room,” it became a matter of principle to have something to show for it. Sadly, I now have no desire to give MAC any of my business for playing such silly games and wasting people’s time. I will enjoy my Riri Woo products while they last though as they are great reds.

Vee Avatar

I’m weak, so yeah I’ve succumb many times, haha! The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes and Powders, the NARSissist Palette (which I actually ended up liking despite negative reviews), and many, many more. I’m also a sucker for nice packaging. So even if I don’t need any more makeup, I usually end up buying more if the packaging is nice. Some people collect shoes, stamps, comic books…I collect makeup, hahaha!

Trina Avatar

I fell in love with guerlain rouge g lipstick. The smell, packaging, gorgeous colors, they are the perfect lipstick. For $50 I just felt so guilty and swore I wouldn’t, I could find a cheap dupe. But you can’t dupe that kind of quality. After about the 5th visit to sephora I broke down and got 66 gracia. And now I own a total of 3 rouge g’s. Lol never say never. Sorry to add a comment so late

Veronica Avatar

Contouring products. I don’t own any actual dedicated contouring products (most are too warm – I use MAC Quarry), but it’s not something I thought I’d ever do for my face. I still don’t do it often, but I’ve come to appreciate it’s application. Of course, now I’m on the hunt for a good contouring kit because my sister requested that I do the makeup for her wedding party. 🙂

Lana Avatar

BB/CC creams. I ignored the hype until Bourjois released their 123 CC range, now it’s my go-to base routine.

Also, didn’t purchase this but I told myself MAC brushes weren’t worth the money, then a friend of mine gave me the 137. Still not convinced, but I sure enjoy using it!

beka Avatar

i didn’t think i would ever by an ud naked palette, but i did break down this Christmas and get it. i thought it was all just hype, so i always ignored it in the store. i actually really like it, so i’m glad i got it.

i also said i would never buy anything kat von d, but the spellbinding palette made me waver. i bought it, but felt so bad about it, that i returned it, unopened, and got vice 2 instead.

patsyann Avatar

Bronzer….I have too many, keep on buying them and hoping…but I can’t seem to make them work correctly and I usually forget I even have them when I go to do a full makeup.

Mimi Avatar

I swore I would never buy Tom Ford because of the prices, and because some of his ads, like with nude people with a perfume bottle in their crotch, are just plain disrespectful. I don’t find them avant garde or whatever he was trying to be, just in very poor taste. But, I have purchased a few things. Nice quality alright, but most of the makeup is too strongly colored for me. I prefer Guerlain and Chanel.

Estefania Avatar

I’d say super expensive lip products, like YSL, but I’m on my way to getting a fifth one now! (way too much for my liking) They’re just so high quality and comfortable and so stinkin’ pretty that I can’t help it!

Jaimee Avatar

I swore I would never buy Tom Ford perfume and beauty products. Now I have a ton and it has opened the door to other ludicrously expensive brands.

doroffee Avatar

Lots.

Nail polish – I was like, I don’t need it, my nails are well-groomed without them, they are too short for anything to look good on them, waste of money… now I am an addict.

Essence Gel Tints – they looked a bit gross to me on the campaign photos and in the stores, I thought they are going to be too liquidy and sheer… but when I saw a rave review, I changed my mind, and I love them… they are liquidy, but not too glossy or weird, but they dry a bit down and live a natural, semi-matte finish.

Drugstore BB creams – they are just overhyped tinted moisturizers… I still have the same opinion, but a brand had one in such gorgeous packaging I could not pass that on… I told myself it would be for experimental reasons :). Still, not a fan.

“Cheap”, noname perfumes – I resorted to them when I had really little money, and some of them are pretty great, shockingly.

Make-up reviewer towelettes – I thought they wertee a waste of money if I had make-up remover. But I got obsessed with them. They are great after long days and for travel.

Hairspray – My hair is really sensitive, so I never curled them with an iron, so I thought hairspray would be a waste of money. But then I realized I can achieve wavy / curly hair with no heat, so yeah.

L Avatar

The Naked 3 palette. I don’t really know if i can think of anything else on the top of my head, but my new years resolution was to not buy makeup this year, so I won’t have any makeup I end up buying and not using, which is a good feeling.

kellly Avatar

Ha ha ha I did it today, actually. I thought Radiant Orchid was just not for me but then I saw the new Sephora stuff and went out and bought – not the blusher or a lipstick, no, not me. I bought the big $75 set b/c it had the nail polish and that glittery sparkly highlighter stuff. AND THEN I bought some eyeshadow to complement it. I’m congratulating myself that I managed to avoid the Radiant Orchid eye pallette and just picked up a Sephora shadow. It’s gonna look so cool with my Radiant Orchid colors!

Emilie Avatar

I never thought I’d buy into the Naked trend and I thought it was totally overrated (“Spend $52 on brown eyeshadow?! Are you kidding?”). But then I got more into beauty and figured out that, no, those are not all browns. That one is a copper, that one’s a taupe, that one is almost burgundy, and so on. I’ve always been one for colorful shadow, so I used to never want a palette that didn’t have at least a few colorful shades (Urban Decay Ammo Palette remains my favorite for that reason), but I love my Naked2 palette and now I hope to add the other two to my collection someday! 🙂

Samantha Avatar

Expensive face cleanser. I have always cut corners in the cleanser and makeup remover department. Those were about the only beauty products left I cut corners on. Then I got a deluxe sample of Dr. Weil for Origins Mega Brightskin illuminating cleanser. I was love by the third use when I noticed it was actually making my skin look healthier. Could a cleanser do this? It can. And I like a dewy complection (perhaps because of my normally dry skin). I got an email from Origins about the amazing sale they were having and convinced myself it was free-less expensive than Neutrogena. I got that for free and spent $96 to get it for free. It is nice, though.

Karen Avatar

I was sure I wouldn’t get the Two Faced Chocolate Bar Palette but I gave in eventually with the help of 25% off sale from Too Faced.

Zainab Avatar

No drugstore foundations (I used them as a teen, and they were crap), but now I own three (and only really regret one.

No loose eyeshadow! Aaand now I’m waiting for a $60 order of Darling Girl petites.

High end brands are a ripoff, I won’t buy them! But I now own a fair number of Guerlain and Hourglass products. Hourglass has become like an obsession actually.

Blush will make me look sunburned! And now I own at least 25.

Vanessa Avatar

Anything Mac, and I really won’t buy from them.

But…. Giorgio Armani got me with the lip stain. I love it. But the price is ungodly.

Mallory Avatar

I told myself I would never get into the Naked palette craze…until Naked 3 came out -_-

I said the same thing about Benefit They’re Real mascara until I received a free sample.

Heather Avatar

I never thought I’d end up buying so many bb/cc creams. They call basically anything a cc/bb cream these days and I’ve bought a few. No more for me!

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