I pay for all 99% of my products and therefore, when I find a great product I am overjoyed and the reverse is also true.
This is a short and (not-so-sweet) list of products that I will never buy. In fact, I risk not looking at them because of the potential for eyesores.
They remind me so much of this really ugly man I dated a few years back. I wanted to do the whole, “looks don’t matter thing.” Well, I was quickly disabused of this notion: as soon as I tried the relationship on, I wanted to run away.
I have exactly the same sentiment with these products. The main lessons for me are twofold: first, I am not having a different karmic response to things (animate or inanimate) that viscerally offend me. Secondly, get samples before you test.
Winner and at the 1st spot: Bioderma Mineral sunscreen SPF 30
I am such a big fan of Bioderma sunscreens and micellar waters that it almost broke my heart that the brand’s first attempt at a mineral sunscreen was so shockingly terrible.
Not only is this impossible to blend in and leaves a terrible cast of some description, but also, it takes more than two or three washes to get the sunscreen off.
This sunscreen is the complete opposite of what any consumer would want.
My review is available at this LINK
2nd runner up: Forest Essentials’ silk skin tints
Forest Essentials’ is such a solid Indian skincare brand, that it must have racked-up a sizeable cash balance for its recent foray into colour cosmetics.
The brand started with coloured lip products, kajal and apparently these light “tints.” in four shades (Chandan, Genhu, Gulaab Pankh and Manjistha).
These are proper medium coverage products and that is not even why I dislike them.
My main issue with these tints is the amount of oil they contain. A make-up influencer (name escapes me) uses a foundation test, which I have copied. This photo shows oil leaking out of the product after just 3 hours. That’s how much excess oil is going on your face and/or has to be absorbed by loose powder.
In order of MOST to LEAST oil leakage: Gulaab Pankh, Genhu, Manjista, Chandan and Huda Beauty’s Macchiato
Available for sale at Forest Essentials. Price is INR 2,750 for 40ml
My review is available at this LINK
3rd runner up: IZIL regenerating serum
This serum is an eye-watering US$ 60 and it did nothing for me. If I wanted to apply coloured milk on face and pay a bomb for it, I’d do that.
I am so disappointed with this product, especially because it has a bunch of great ingredients (prickly pear oil, grapeseed oil etc).
My review is available at this LINK