3 Products I Won’t Be Re-Purchasing

Now, you all know that I’m usually all about the positive vibes. Aside from when I have to drive past a cyclist or see shoes made out of denim – ugh- I generally avoid negativity and focus on the good. However, I do think there’s a time and a place for some constructive criticism,  and a beauty blog seems like just that. I’ve recently found myself a little less than impressed with a few products in my makeup bag, and now that they’re used up I had two choices: 1. shake my fist at the sky, throw them in the bin and spit on them (dramatic), or 2. take some snaps, talk through why I was unhappy with you guys and then pop them in the bin sans-spit (sensible and mature).

So without further ado (though I do love an ado), these are the products that I won’t be adding into my basket again any time soon.

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

I know some people will be SHOOK to see this on my list, as it’s without doubt a bestseller. In fact, when I recently took to Twitter to ask for setting spray recommendations, this was one of the most recommended by my fellow makeup junkies. Now I’m not blaming you guys… but you owe me a tenner. I joke, I joke. To be honest, All Nighter isn’t a bad setting spray; it’s just not particularly good, either. Considering the full-sized bottle retails at £23.50, I wanted to be blown away. I wanted my makeup to stick to my face with the same adhesiveness with which One Direction fans cling to the possibility of a reunion.

Instead, I was just given very meh results. My makeup lasted longer than it would without a setting spray, but my nose was still a little shiny by lunchtime and at the end of the working day I definitely needed to touch-up if I wanted to go out again in the evening. This isn’t bad by any means, but it’s also no different to the results I’ve got with much cheaper setting sprays such as Makeup Revolution and NYX.

I’m sure this product will still be an utter gem for a lot of people, but I’d recommend doing what I did and buying the 30ml travel size version to try it first (shout out to the girl who suggested I do the same – I don’t remember your name but I owe you a Lambrini).

NYX Pore Filler Primer

Now for this one, I’m a little shook because I absolutely love NYX. I wanted to love Pore Filler with the same pash I have for NYX’s lip liners, Lip Lingerie range,  Micro Brow Pencil and so many other products, but alas, it was not meant to be. This primer is designed to minimise the appearance of pores and give a silky smooth base for makeup. It’s very similar in consistency to Benefit’s Porefessional, and at around £11, it’s a more affordable dupe.

So what’s my beef? Well mainly I suppose it’s that as someone who doesn’t actually like Porefessional, this product was never really going to be for me. While it does minimise the appearance of some of the noticeable pores around my nose, I’m not a big fan of the texture. It’s quite gritty, and I don’t think it sinks into the skin very well, making it quite hard to actually spread around. It also spurts out of the tube weirdly, so sometimes I’ll end up using more than I need to which then leads me to have a slightly greasy base.

Again, it’s not a horrendous product; I just know of other ones I prefer. If you’re also after a pore-minimising primer then I still, after almost four years since writing my first review of it, recommend Seventeen’s Flawless Poreless Primer. This fills pores but has more of a balmy consistency that just seems to suit my skin type better.

Sorry NYX, I still love you but this £11 tube is not for me.

Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer

Okay, so you’ll see from the usage in the tube that I clearly don’t hate this concealer. And when I tell you that this is the third or fourth time I’ve bought it, then you’ll probably think I actually like it. And you’d be right; I do like it. But I’m still not going to be buying it again. Why? Because I’M SICK OF THIS SHIT AND I DON’T CARE IF IT’S GOOD I HAVE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH THIS BLOODY CONCEALER.

Let me explain. I got off on the wrong foot with this concealer when I first bought it a year or so ago and I got a faulty tube with a broken applicator. Annoying, considering I’d spent £8.99 when my usual cheaper concealers cost around £4. However, I recognised that it was a good product and so I bought it again. And again. Because I legit must get through one of these in around 4 weeks. I know this is a popular product so I’m always baffled that nobody else mentions this problem, but I literally get through these so quickly that it annoys me and puts me off buying it.

I don’t think I use any more than a normal person would, and definitely don’t use more of this than I would another concealer. But still, after a few uses it seems like a third of the bottle has gone. Again, this really boils down to price and alternatives – I like it, but I like other concealers just as much that are both cheaper and seem to last a little longer.

SO there we have it – the 3 products I’ll be dropping in the bin today. I think it’s important to point out that I didn’t hate any of these products – I used them all til the very end, which shows I was happy enough with their performance. Mainly I just don’t think they’re great value for one reason or another, or there are alternatives that I like much better. Whatever my ish though, I won’t be picking these up again and so I hope you’ve found something positive in all this negative Nancy behaviour.

What do you think of these products? Are there any cult products that you just don’t get on with? Let me know in the comments!