It took me a longgg time to use Bath & Body Works body products, because it always took me back to the 8th grade girls’ locker room. Nothing horrific really happened, but it’s not exactly a cherished memory!
— Christine
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This is a great question! I can be very stubborn, so if I decide I don’t want to use something, I will dig in my heels and refuse. This is definitely at odds with my obsession with trying new things, so I will sometimes give in. A lot of times, it’s because the owner or the spokesperson or the advertising annoys me and I decide I don’t want to give them any of my money (cough cough Ivanka Trump and Paris Hilton). Or I read something negative about an ingredient, so then I start avoiding anything with that ingredient in it.
Is the refusal to try any snail skin care products because I don’t like the idea of snail slime on my face a weird reason or a normal reason?
Haha, I think that’s a normal initial reaction to snail slime. But it’s not really that much different than consuming honey, in my opinion. Now, I don’t know that snail slime has really done much of anything for my skin, but the product I use (Mizon’s Snail Recovery Gel Cream) does feel nice going on and is relatively inexpensive, so I’m on my second tube of it!
OMG!!! I wouldnt want to either!! seems like a normal conclusion to me girl lol!! In spain they use bull u know what in facials and hair treatments and its very expensive. But im not drinking the kool aid either
Completely agree on the ‘celebrity’ endorsed or owned products. If I don’t like them, don’t feel they’ve particularly contributed anything other than a face, I won’t buy it.
For the longest timr I avoided eyeliner because I’d honest to god flinch. I made myself keep at it (UD 15th Ammiversay kit was a great motivator) and now wear it daily. As a bonus, I now have less trouble with eyedrops!
I don’t buy Laura Mercier products because the counter girls harassed me once. When I refused a makeover, the associate said, “Well, at LEAST let me fix those eyebrows.” In a very disdainful tone. Yeah, I hold a bit of a grudge.
How AWFUL! D:
I don’t know if it counts as “weird”, but I refuse to buy or use anything from tom ford as a reaction to the extremely offensive and grossly sexist ads the brand recently used to promote their perfumes for men. I wouldnt consider their makeup even if I got it for free.
I’ll give Tom Ford that he’s one of the few brands whose ads will sexualize men to a certain extent, too, but it’s really gotten unbalanced in the couple of years. I miss the old ads that were sensual but had a certain air of elegance; the new ones just feel grossly exploitative and void of any artistic merit.
Love the question, and I can’t wait to read everyone’s response!
For me, I kind of avoided Estee Lauder products until I started reading beauty blogs. My grandma, while I love her very much, always wore and continues to wear this horribly strong EL perfume that I got headaches even thinking about the brand. But now I love their Double Wear foundation (although the old formula more than new, unfortunately) and they’ve came out with some really nice color cosmetics as well.
Showergel giftsets. That is just a big NO for me. I have sensitive skin so I can’t use everything. I also hardly buy those sets because I feel like it’s a ‘lazy’ gift, like I don’t know what to buy, or even worse; like I don’t care enough to look for something nice. I only buy those sets as an extra gift.
I have always loved Bath & body works japanese cherrie blossom gel wash, hand soaps and scrubs, so much they are amazingly effective in the other scents also luckily. I had this frenemie and she used that, all of it, hand soap. shower gel, the lotion and big candle they make. So after her an i are not talkin im still reminded of her cray cray when i smell it!! almost out of it now tho and will find a new one to try. Smell and memories are so closely linked, here i am jus tryin to get fresh and pretty thinkin about a overbearing control freak yaaayyyyyyyiiikkkkessss. RUINED!
The only reason I can think of is awkward packaging. I have 4 or 5 palettes that I don’t use as much as I should simply because the packaging it bulky, big and awkward and, as a result, I store them in an out of the way place and so they’re not near at hand and easy to access and use.
Ugh me too!! I thought I was just being picky!
a high end mascara … i havent tried manyyyyy but i did tried CHANEL , LANCOME , YSL ….
but i am soooooo poor in applying mascara even after watching 24895709246858748 videos 43572985 many times …..
so yeah i avoid buying / using high end mascara for this particular reason … i suck at applying mascara and not proud of the fact but yeah have enough courage to share it here 😀 😀
Too funny. I know the feeling. I can’t do mascara much either. It’s actually easier for me to throw on lashes – but I typically just go without.
I’m not usually very committed to moral issues influencing my purchases (e.g. vegan products, companies that don’t test on animals), but I absolutely can’t stand a brand run by or associated with someone I find reprehensible. Lime Crime, whatever makeup line Jeffree Star is working on (it’s a really weird story/personal reason, but it goes back to MySpace and hypocrisy), Bitchslap Cosmetics, etc. I don’t really think of myself as someone who holds grudges very well, but I can’t fathom giving my money to someone I don’t like, regardless of how interesting their products seem.
I actually don’t use NARS blushers because of the vulgar names.
Whereas I like to think of them referring to 1970s presidential machinations (deep throat) 😉
I have the same reaction – I’m also avoiding their most recent Guy Bourdin holiday line because I just don’t see how packages decorated with pictures of dead women can possibly be considered a tasteful, holiday gift.
I completely agree. Same thing with the Marilyn Minter/MAC colab from a while back.
I will never, never ever use Tom Ford products. his ad campaigns alone are enough to induce fairly intense disgust. I can’t bring myself to use cosmetics designed and marketed by someone who uses models made to look like blow-up dolls. I just don’t want to support such degrading behavior!
When my husband and I were dating, a NYC lip gloss rolled out from under a couch cushion one day when he was cleaning his apartment. It was NOT mine. There was no cheating going on; who knows how long it had been since he had cleaned under his couch cushion — the man used ONE SPONGE to clean his entire bathroom. Bachelors!! But seeing it there kinda made me wonder who that woman could have been. Since then, I absolutely refuse to purchase or wear anything from NYC.
I refuse to try Victoria’s Secret beauty products. Back in high school, their body splash used to be VERY popular and of course, anyone who wore it often wore too much. The memory makes me gag even now.
agreed….and they smell too sweet and sugary
Oh gosh, yes. EVERYONE at my high school used to wear Love Spell. I really do think it’d be a nice scent if it weren’t SO overused. It’s like Christine with the BBW scents- I do not want to be transported back to high school every time I spray something on myself!
I refuse to purchase anything from Lime Crime for their shady behavior. After reading into all the scandals surrounding them I found them to be highly dishonest and overpriced. Not fond of their packaging nor interested in their products.
Another brand is Benefit. I honestly don’t even know why. In some ways I find them a bit gimmicky in the way they market their products. I am also very OCD with my makeup and I like things to match and look in order. Their packaging is all over the place and weird. None of their products really interest me…
I should maybe give these 2 brands a try but I am just so stubborn 😀
I feel the same about Benefit. The packaging just turns me off, and I can’t explain why.
I feel the same way about Too Faced. Also I used to use Urban Decay, and I want to try the new formulae etc., but the packaging is so cringe and dated to me now.
Too Faced has poor customer service also
Yes! MAC RiRi. I cannot stand Rianna and I know I am missing out on some cool stuff but I just can’t do it.
AGREED! I would NEVER buy a product with her name/signature on it. Ugh!
I refuse to use fake eyelashes. Ok, for a theatrical or dramatic look on a special occasion they’re quite right. However, I find most fake eyelashes tacky… and “too fake”?. I know makeup is all about creating an illusion, but somehow fake eyelashes just cross the line of what I deem acceptable, much like bra pads. Just to clarify, I don’t have big breasts or pretty eyelashes (my eyelashes are actually rather crappy! Straight, impossible to hold a curl, short, sparse, unevenly distributed…). Yet, I refuse to use fake eyelashes! Is that weird?
I think they’re too much work and too expensive. Plus they feel super weird on the eyes.
If you have normal or full lashes, you are probably not missing a thing – so “no,” it’s not weird. I used to feel that way too. But I was eyelash impaired about two year (one half was singed by a candle that got to close to my face). I had to dance in a stage show, where they had always wanted me to wear lashes in the first place. It was very odd at first. But I came to appreciate them for those times I needed my face to look balanced (dating or dance) and now – it’s like second nature. Three years ago, I never would have guessed I could actually like them.
I was turned off bronzer and self-tanner for the longest time for fear of going a little too heavy and looking orange like a myriad of other people I would see sporting this most unlikely skin colour. It’s not a look I covet. I’m still sworn off self-tanner, but have used wash off type body bronzers with a bit of gentle colour and now added powdered bronzer into my beauty routine..but very subtly.
Your answer reminds me of Victoria’s Secret scents, specifically Love Spell. Every girl in high school used that spray in the locker room to the point that the smell is sickening to me. After that, I just cannot shop at VS anymore, even though I haven’t been in high school in several years.
The reason I don’t wear nail polish probably counts- about ten years ago, when I was in my early teens I was kneading some pastry and an entire, nail shaped piece of polish flaked off right into it. It just looked so gross, and I felt like I had to make another whole batch of pastry. I have hardly used nail polish since. My two year old son recently added to my resolve not to use it by spilling most of a bottle (the only one in my room, kept for sentimental purposes) on my favourite bedsheets, necessitating a whole hour of trying to acetone it out (without success too)…
As much as I like the look of a REALLY popular brand’s uniquely colored lipsticks… I just can’t bring myself to try any of them due to the owner’s infamous past with horrible customer service, questionable ingredients, possible repackaging, and blantant immaturity.
I guess that’s not really THAT weird. 😛
I refuse to buy anything by Too Faced. I used to really love the branding and palettes and actually wanted to give their products a try. But then I watched a few videos on Sephora in which Jerrod Blandino, one of the founders, appeared and… well, I couldn’t stand him! This is something I’ve never done, judging a product or brand based on someone’s personality. I realise I’m not being objective, because I should be basing my decision on the merits of the products themselves and also appreciate the brand based on Blandino’s creativity and own merits as a businessperson. But I truly dislike his attitude and what he says about women, at least from those videos. He seems way “Too Faked”. As a consumer, I don’t want my money to go to his pocket. Is this is weird of me?
Blue eyeshadow!! I honesty think it makes my eyes look smaller
I still can’t shop at Bath and Body Works – the scents in their products are just nauseating to me, while the others trigger my allergies to an obnoxious extent. Just entering the store is a nightmare for my sinuses.
I tend to be put off by ad campaigns that I find misogynist or hypersexualized, such as NARS Guy Budoir collection or Tom Ford’s recent perfume ads. I don’t mind a little sensuality related to the products I’m using, but I’m not overly fond of the increasing sexualization and objectification found in advertising as of late.
Not that I out and out won’t buy their stuff, but I am a bit iffy about The Balm because of the shadow names in their Shady Lady palettes. I want to chalk it up to being a prude, but for some reason the same kind of thing doesn’t bother me with NARS and while it might rub me the wrong way with Urban Decay, I haven’t been as iffy about buying their stuff as The Balm.
My wierd product is green nail polish.
My wierd reason? Green nail polish makes me feel sick to my stomach :S. I have no idea why – the shade doesn’t matter, the brand doesn’t matter. It just makes me feel sick to look at green nail polish on myself.
There are a couple of exceptions, but it’s very rare. I have only 1 green in my collection.
Christine, I know what you are talking about! I don’t like the Bath & Body Works White Tea & Ginger scent (which I believe is discontinued now) because it reminds me of high school haha. Other products – I do refuse to use fake tan. I personally love being fair, but I don’t think that counts as a *weird* reason.
For the longest time I refused to wear mascara because I was so scared of putting the brush near my eye. I remember one time, when I was younger, my cousins were trying to give me a makeover and as soon as one of them opened the mascara I was like, “Get that thing away from me!” I can use it now, though.
Also, I used to have a really annoying coworker who loved Dior, and for a while I couldn’t buy anything from the brand because I would end up thinking of her.
Funny you mentioned Bath and Body Works, because Japanese Cherry Blossom used to be my favorite scent years ago. I had the spray, eau de toilette, cream, lotion, liquid hand soap, shampoo and conditioner… I mean I layered that sucker on. But then my mother started “borrowing” my products and to be honest, it just suited her better. I refused to continue using it because I don’t want to smell like my mother! Not there’s anything wrong with that at all, but I think every woman in the family should own her own distinctive scent. But then I discovered FlowerBomb and that was true love right there. Now I’m the FlowerBomb girl of the family, and everyone knows better! We’ve been together four years strong and counting, haha!
I really loved that scent, too, when I was much younger, but now I can’t handle it. I don’t know why.
Scents, fragrance, smell in general is so crazy how connected it is to memory and all that. Really cool stuff!
Too Faced “Lash Injection.” That is the STINKIEST mascara I’ve ever put my nose close too.
There’s nothing I outright eliminate but I am VERY susceptible to names. For example, I have a secret desire to be a rock star. If any color or product is named with some kind of rock-related or edgy name, I am very drawn to it (using the obvious and inarguable logic that “it will make me like a rock star”). I even almost bought UD nail polishes I didn’t even like because I wanted bottles with skulls on them.
So on the flipside, I need more convincing with colors that have less appealing names. My favorite UD nude lipliner is called “wallflower.” I cringe every time I put it on, even though it’s a great pencil that I use a lot. But I try to be open about those things and am getting better.
I’m also a bit biased towards more expensive brands, although if something in the drugstore is really well reviewed (like maybelline color tattoo) I’ll branch out for things I don’t use very often.
I also try to pay attention to ingredients. That slips a lot though if I really want something.
Err yes I bought some eyelash dye and it still looming at me say “Why have you not touched me yet!” My reasoning is to try to use up my maracas first but i keep trying out new ones. >__<
I don’t use liquid liner because I don’t have the patience to let it dry (hooded eyes, it transfers!).
Celebrity branded perfumes, Paris Hilton, J Lo, Justin Bieber,
Rihanna, Beyonce,etc. I think all of their perfumes smell
awful, cheap, plastic like, cloying, and boring.
Also the fact that most or all of them seem to put their
names in this junk and produce millions in revenue off
the perfume sales. YET they donate nothing to charity.
If you are going to spread this awful bug spray all over
the world at least make it for a good cause. Paris Hilton
is a “huge animal lover” then why doesn’t she donate
the sales of her fragrances to animal rights charities
or to no kill shelters? Something! It’s not like these
people need the money, its extra pocket change.
I would consider buying them for gifts *shudder, because
I know some people actually enjoy the scents* IF these egotistical
celebrities were donating the profits to a good cause.
Anything endorsed by a “celebrity” that I cannot stand. Also, brands that I associated with cheap price and cheap quality (Wet N’ Wild back in the day) that are now getting some love.
I agree! I really don’t like fragrances with a famous name attached. Even if it smells amazing, the celebrity name makes it seem pedestrian and cheap
Will not use: animal hair brushes, anything from MAC-hate them, or anything priced in the “you’re kidding me” range. I love luxury and high end makeup but some brands are just stupid. I’m looking at you Sisley, LaPrairie, etc. Also no Tom Ford for no other reason than his advertising is crass and he seems too full of himself.
I refuse to use anything from Smashbox, because of their history of discrimination against fat customers. I’m not fat myself, but I refuse to support that kind of bigotry.
And Tom Ford, as I see many others do too, for the really disgusting sexism.
– The packaging: if I don’t like it, I will nor buy it. e.g. Benefit
– Exclusivity: I can’t stand if brands create hypes and only limited numbers or retailers.
– Price: When I habe the feeling that the product is overprized e.g. Tom Ford cosmetics
I used to avoid Wet n Wild and NYC because those were the crappy cheap brands I used in high school. I’ve given them a chance, though, and have found some good products- mostly from Wet n Wild.
I do still avoid products by more tween and teen celebrities. I actually really liked the smell of the first Justin Bieber perfume but I just could not bring myself to get it. I couldn’t imagine having someone ask me what it was and telling them it was the Justin Bieber perfume.
I don’t shop at Merle Norman because it reminds me of my grandmother. I also haven’t bought from Mary Kay because it seems old to me.
All of your comments express my sentiments exactly!!…so funny 🙂
I refuse to wear MAC makeup because every time I’ve ever gone near their counter just to browse, I’ve gotten condescending looks and comments from the salespeople because I’m so young, and I look even younger.
I actually have two. I refuse to buy anything from Chantecaille because I was interested in one of their foundations, but even the lightest shade seemed too dark. The SA told me that if I wanted to wear their foundations then I should go tanning. I looked over and she had leathery crocodile skin from so much tanning. No thanks. Even if I wanted to, I don’t tan, it just doesn’t happen.
I also don’t like Light Blue perfume. My mom used to wear it all the time, and while I love my mother, I don’t really want to smell like her.
Depends on what you consider weird. LOL.
I think for me the issue is bad memories. Sometimes, I can mentally divorce myself from an entire product line due to a single bad experience. I did that with Maybelline, Dior and Lancôme for many years. And now – I really like quite a few of their respective product lines. Sometimes it is scent, other times (as with Maybelline), the shadows just didn’t seem to stick or be true to color. The entire dept store makeup sections used to make my eyes water and nose sneeze. Formulas are much better now – either that or the air conditioning is.
Not a weird reason I think but I will not use makeup removers or cleansers that require me to use a cotton ball or swab. Unless its some rare occasion. I don’t use make up wipes either, I have them just in case though
I am too much Of a environmentalist. I don’t like creating trash. I have Lancôme biracial cleanser and it just sits there. I know it’s awesome stuff, I just don’t want to create trash.
Could use it with muslin cloth or washcloth so you can launder it 🙂
I try not to buy anything from a brand that has a small range of foundation/powder shades. For example “Cle de peau”. If you don’t think it’s worth producing darker shades from women of color, then I’m not going to buy anyhing from you: no mascara, no blush, no line, nothing. I doubt they even feel it in their profits, but it makes me feel good.
I totally agree. It really annoys me when companies assume that it’s not worth their time to make products for people of all shades!
Kat Von D products…no matter what the hype, I think she’s tacky and trashy. Meeow! LOL!
Made in China….all the way…just Made in China
No explanations needed
I refuse to buy Sigma brushes. I just hate that they initially copied MAC and I dislike that you tube guru’s that I watch once used all kinds of brushes, but now only use Sigma because of the affiliate program. Bleck.
Monica.
I don’t know if this is considered weird, but I don’t use mascara because I don’t feel like I can properly remove it. When I do remove it, I feel like I’m losing so many lashes that my lids are “going bald”, and when I attempted to remove it gently, I never felt as though I was removing all the product so now, I just don’t use it all.