Awesome post title, I know. I tried to think of a witty one to use but came up blank – quick thinking is not my forte, sadly. Tomorrow I’m sure I’ll have a great idea 
I have had a lot of beauty-related ideas swirling through my head this week (as always, I guess), which you’ll hear about soon enough. One that came to me tonight while I was doing a mani was regarding products that seem to be only designed as a money-grab, without any real purpose at all. Or things that don’t really work and are therefore a total waste of money. You know what I mean. Here are some items in my beauty cabinet that fit this profile:
1) Cuticle Removers
I know many people swear by Sally Hansen’s Instant Cuticle Remover, which I own, but honestly I just don’t see the big deal. I put it on, leave for a bit, then remove with a cuticle stick followed by a brisk scrub with a nail brush. Granted, my cuticles are in too bad of shape, but I really just feel like this is a gimmicky product to make you feel like you’re treating yourself; I barely notice a difference at all. I also bought Quo by Orly’s Cuti-Prep a while back assuming it would be similar to Orly’s Cutique, which I heard helps remove nail stains – lies! This ‘removes’ my cuticles as well (or as poorly as) Sally Hansen’s remover, and doesn’t change the stains on my nails in the least. With these two products, I just wasted $20 that would have been better spent on another couple tins of Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream, which is truly how I keep my cuticles in shape.
2) Shave Creams/Gels
Sure, they’re supposed to protect the skin from nicks and cuts from your razor blade, but why can’t we just use our body wash? I’ve had the same shave gel in my shower for probably well over two years, because I can’t be bothered to go the extra step – I just shave once I’ve lathered my body wash over my legs and voila! Silky smooth, with no battle scars to speak of. And I feel like the razor is the more important item here – invest in a good one with multiple blades, and you’re shave will go quicker with less chance of cuts because you won’t have to go over any areas repeatedly. I absolutely ADORE Gilette’s Venus Embrace refillables, they last ages without getting dull and work like a charm.
3) Face Mists
I have a Clinique Moisture Surge Face Spray that sits in my cupboard most of the year collecting dust. In the Summertime I’ll put it in the fridge and mist it on when the temperature rises, just for a treat – but honestly, I don’t need extra hydration in the Summer when my face is an oil slick 9 times outta 10! I know that the argument for them is that if you’ve got drier skin, or your skin is dehydrated, you can spray these on during the day and they won’t affect your makeup but will give you a moisture boost. Uh, OK, but how is it gonna penetrate through all your layers of makeup? Also, they’re touted to help set your makeup, but I’m really not sure how essentially spraying water on your face does that. And if it DOES work, why are we paying for water!? I realize that the dewy look is often coveted, so I get that, but it still seems like a waste of money to me! And I think the claims of all the ‘minerals from fresh spring water’ is a load of hooey.
4) Acne Spot Treatments
I’m heading into scary territory here with this one, I know, and I’ll acknowledge straight-away that I do not suffer from acne in any way aside from the very occasional pimple, and due to that fact I likely don’t know anything about what I’m talking about here. But I will say that any time I have had a pimple, sometimes a big one, when I apply an acne treatment to it, it still hangs around for days – and when I forgo using anything on it, it disappears in about the same time, all on it’s own. So, the conclusion I’m drawing here is that zits are going to heal on their own in many case (but of course not all), and that buying a separate treatment for them is kinda pointless, at least for the occasional breakout. For those of us who have a closer relationship with acne, disregard my opinions here because I am sure you know infinitely more than I do. I’m merely stating that in my case – I’m never spending money on an acne treatment again. I’ve been living off the Bioderma sample for ages now, and haven’t even touched the Kate Somerville product since I bought it.
5) Under-Eye Illuminators
I don’t own an under-eye illuminator, and for someone with very dark circles, this might seem like a no-no…but seriously – all the talk about light-reflecting particles which deflect from the darkness…bah! More likely, I find that when I’ve tried these sorts of products, you either see these shimmering particles gleaming out at you from under my eyes and calling attention to the fact that I’m trying to hide my circles from you, OR they’re too sheer to cover much of anything, which does NOT make this gal happy. I’ve read a suggestion to use the illuminators over your concealer, but c’mon – if it’s a two-step process to make a product effective, count me out.
These are just a few products I’ve come across lately, in which I’ve realized I have no use for in my beauty stash. In trying to keep the number of products I own reasonable, and ensuring that I’m only purchasing items that I love, I’ve made a pact with myself that I will not give in to their siren calls again. It’s all about lessons learned, my friends! I know that some of the things I noted will cause some serious discussion, which I wholeheartedly welcome – my mind may or may not be changed, but I love to learn as much as I can about all things beauty!
Do you agree or disagree with any of the items I mentioned? What beauty products do you feel are pointless? What products do you feel are essential?
#1 by Loodie on February 15, 2012 - 10:56 pm
LOL, I actually love this post title!!
Cuticle removers are intended to remove the true cuticle (dead skin on the nail plate) and not the eponychium (live skin). They do accomplish this task, but most people expect the eponychium to also disappear … this will never happen.
Like you mentioned, your cuticles are not too gnarly so your results are not as dramatic. Less work on your end, yea!
#2 by Latoya on February 16, 2012 - 10:21 pm
Yes! Leave it to our resident nail expert to set me straight
Thanks for clearing that up Anna, that makes sense to me. I’ll likely continue to use what I have, but still not sure if I’d buy more once it’s gone. I’ll know better though if my cuticles get outta control though! 
#3 by Eugenia on February 15, 2012 - 11:24 pm
I have to agree with Anna about the post title: to the point & it made me smile! Cuticles, in my experience, always look better when you fully moisturize them & then *gently* push them back; I find that doing so immediately after showering, when my skin is still pliable, makes the job so much easier + after a few times, it becomes easy-peasy to maintain (no excessive pushing needed!). As to shaving with a specific item like the shave gel, I’m with you on this too; using my body wash is WAY more effective on me, and I don’t have to content with a thick foam all over the place. I personally love the Gilette ProGlide (the battery powered one) – with a fresh blade = silk. I have no clue about the face mister – the only time I’ve ever needed to spray my face was when I was young & stupid and tanned in my back yard (bad, bad Eugenia). As to the acne, while I don’t suffer from this condition, my daughter has a mild case, and let me state that a pimple’s life cycle is approximately 5 days; leave the zit alone & it will disappear on it’s own – squeeze, and it’ll scar. However, for those who do have eruptions, the creams you spoke of are more for what happens after ie: the scarring to the skin. No kidding it did nothing for you. Under eye illuminators – sounds like an oxymoron, and since I’ve never had to contend with dark circles, I wouldn’t really know – but while I get the premise of light reflecting off to distract the eye, I’d rather have a product that camouflages the dark circles in the first place. But that’s just me! Thanks for the insight & letting me blab away….!!
#4 by Latoya on February 16, 2012 - 10:23 pm
Oooh, I haven’t checked out a battery-powered shave tool – must investigate, thanks Eugenia! And what you said about a pimple is exactly what I meant – I feel like if they’re left on their own, they heal just fine. But of course, I’m no derm
You blab away any time you like my dear, I love to hear what you have to say – it’s always very sound advice!!
#5 by Barb on February 16, 2012 - 11:23 am
on the shave gel thingy…. try LaVanilla’s shower gel… it doubles as a shave cream… so there you’d have it… 2 in 1… and bonus it smells sooooooooooo yummy! my honey is always happy when there’s 1 less product on the edge of an already product cluttered tub ;o)
#6 by Latoya on February 16, 2012 - 10:24 pm
I have tried their shave gel, and you’re right – soo yummy Barb! I’d like to get one in the Vanilla Grapefruit scent, I have the rollerball and it’s to die!!
#7 by Liz on February 16, 2012 - 4:15 pm
I think there are a lot of useless products out there, but what works for some doesn’t work for others, as usual. Look at all these things you never have to buy again and save room and money on!! I’ll probably never buy setting sprays again unless a miracle formulation comes out. I also never buy lip scrubs and won’t be purchasing shaving creams anymore either. Personally, I think the Sally cuticle remover is amazing but I don’t like messing with my cuticles so it sits on my shelf unloved for the most part.
#8 by Latoya on February 16, 2012 - 10:26 pm
Yea, I’m sure partially my resistance to it is sheer laziness too, Liz. Agreed that there are some things that work for some and not others – that’s why I was trying to step lightly because I know what I say could cause serious response from proponents of said products! It’s all in what you’re willing to do/spend and what your own priorities are I guess. But I will say that YAY to knowing what I don’t care for now, and never wasting my money again!
#9 by Larie on February 16, 2012 - 4:54 pm
I agree with the “under-eye illuminator” bit…I don’t want sparkly under-eyes, no? Concealer and maybe a “brightener” type color (usually a corrector) work, but I’ve never found one that I like so I usually just put on eye cream and blend my foundation into it. Not perfect, but whatever. My dark circles are never going to go away, I’ve accepted it.
I find I have a different experience with spot treatments, though. I only have the occasional pimple, too, but it goes away a lot faster with the spot treatment than without. I think Liz mentioned this once, but how much do you usually use? You really need to use a *lot* of it – rub it generously into the skin – for it to work. The “spot treatment” type bit might make it sound like you just dab some on and it’s sposed to work, and I thought that at first, but it needs to be applied copiously, I think. With that said, I find that drugstore options work just as well as some of the higher end things, so it’s really a matter of ingredients.
#10 by Latoya on February 16, 2012 - 10:29 pm
I’ve sort of come to the acceptance place regarding my dark circles too…and every single undereye gimmick that comes my way gets a serious side-eye from me nowadays.
I never really thought about how an acne product is applied, but I’m definitely going to try this out the next time I have a breakout. Far be it for me to make broad statements about things without fully knowing what the heck I’m talking about! It makes sense to me to really work the product in the skin, can’t wait to try it! (well…I can…since I don’t WANNA have a break out – but you get me, right?
). Thanks for the info, Larie!