Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Hyped-Up Let-Downs


I'm not sure what it is with hyped-up products and me. We seem to have a perpetually bad relationship, and I can honestly say that it has nothing to do with going against the grain for the sake of it. On the contrary, when I hear how amazing the latest eye cream or lipstick is, I would love to be one of those people who agrees, because it would mean that I, too, had found an exceptional product. But sadly, more often than not, it's just not the case.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo. Now, where do I start? This was one of the most talked about products as 2012 drew to a close, and it certainly didn't end there. Personally, it was never a product that had appealed to me, as I had always been quite lucky with my skin and didn't suffer from much in the way of breakouts (if anyone isn't sure what this is, it's essentially an acne treatment in a liquid/gel-like form). However, all of a sudden that changed a couple of months ago, when I found myself suffering from a horrible scattering of blemishes all over my chin and jawline (niiiiice). Initially, I thought this was skincare-related, and as a result I really scaled back the products I was using, but no matter what I did the blemishes just didn't seem to be getting any smaller. Enter, Effaclar Duo.
Originally, I used this product for around ten days, and in that time my breakout got much, much worse (angrier, redder - you name it) before finally beginning to subside. However, I soon had to call it quits after finding that I had been left with a delightful scattering of tens of tiny under-the-skin bumps. After a couple of weeks of not using Effaclar Duo, it became apparent that the bumps were going nowhere fast, and worse still, my breakout returned with a vengeance, far worse than before. Now, I have seen a lot of people saying that those who don't have success with this product obviously don't persevere with it for as long as they should, so I decided to recommence use, this time using it only as an 'on the spot' treatment as opposed to all over the face. Well, six weeks later, my blemishes had shown no improvement, so I once again showed it the door. Interestingly enough, since I stopped use, my breakout has all-but disappeared (although I do credit my new skincare regime for a large portion of that).
So, that was all the experience I needed with Effaclar Duo, and after writing this blog post I will take great pleasure in throwing it straight in the bin (for the record, I am still stuck with the tiny bumps). I know that this has worked absolute wonders for some people, and I'm really happy that it did, but it's most definitely not the product for me.

Next up are the Rimmel Apocalips. In this case, I don't have any horror stories to share, nor to I harbour a particular dislike for them. In fact, to their credit, Luna, Nova and Stellar are all lovely colours, and the others in the range don't look half bad either.
My issue with the Apocalips is that essentially, they are just glorified lip glosses. No, let me correct myself - they are lip glosses. Yes, they may well be quite highly pigmented, but are they really the first of their kind!? They are quite wet and sticky, and don't dry on the lips, meaning the second you take a sip of your cuppa they are going to come off all over the rim of your mug and you'll have to reapply. They don't last two seconds on my lips, and personally that's just not what I look for in a lip product. As I said, it's not that these are awful, but the way they were raved about you would think they were an absolute miracle product, which they definitely are not. You could say it's partly my fault, as I've never been a lipgloss girl and will always choose a highly-pigmented, long-wearing lipstick when given the option.

Having said all of this, I'm a firm believer in the philosophy that what works for one person may not work for another, and vice versa, which is a point I think this post pretty much proves. The only way you can really know if a product works for you is by giving them a go, and I'm glad that I did - if I hadn't, then I'd still be wondering what all the fuss was about, and whether they would work for me.

Have you tried either of these products, and if so do you think they live up to their reputations?

xx


15 comments:

  1. Great post, I like to see honest reviews! Also I have nominated you for Versatile Blogger award, I would love it if you could have a look and do it yourself, all the information is on my blog :) xx

    http://fabheadtotoe.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Thanks very much, I shall check it out :)xx

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  2. Aww it's a shame DUO didn't work for you as I've found it to be quite good on my skin. I don't have acne or anything like that, just the occasional break out which I want to be able to tackle as soon as it makes an apperance.

    I've not tried the Rimmel products (I feel like the only person who hasn't) I've heard mixed reviews on them though.

    Amy xx
    A Little Boat Sailing

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    1. Yeah, I would love it if it did work, because it would be nice to have a weapon on hand for those occasional hormonal breakouts! Oh well. I think Argan oil definitely helps for me though xx

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  3. I completely agree with you about Rimmels Apocalips - they're just pure messy on me!

    Midnight Violets Beauty Blog

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    1. Glad it's not just me! It's a shame, as the shades are nice, but they are just such a hassle to wear!xx

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  4. I am so, so glad I've never been tempted to get the Apocalips. Not planning to get any either... The new Soap & Glory lipbalm sticks (aka chubby sticks look-a-likes) are quite nice I have to say! Picked up one last week, might get the other two too... ;-). xx

    http://ravesndramblings.blogspot.com

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    1. I actually hadn't heard about them, will have to pop on the Boots site and check them out :)xx

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  5. Totally agree with you on apocalips, they transfer on to everything!I cant stand lipstick on my teeth so the 3 i got are all sitting at the bottom of a drawer now.
    Anna x

    onthedressingtable.blogspot.co.uk

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  6. At first, I quite liked the Apocalips but then after actually wearing it instead of just trying it on to see the colour, I couldn't stand the way it felt on my lips and it seemed to bleed really bad! Definitely not worth the hype. xx

    blisswithbeauty.com

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  7. I've not tried either out Mel - was tempted by the Apocalips I must say but just haven't got round to it - I've worn gloss for years though so it'll be interesting to see how I'd find it! xx

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  8. Now I'm scared I won't like the Apocalips (got one recently, haven't used it yet). From numerous reviews I gathered that they were opaque lip glosses like you said. They don't set and they seem to bleed and transfer easily. I'm strictly a lipstick girl but I wanted to try them because they were so hyped. Before the reviews I had hoped they would be liquid lipsticks that set (like the Guerlain L'Extraits or the Hourglass ones) :/

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    1. Yes! That's exactly what I thought they were, like the Maybelline 24hr Superstay thingies. But nope, literally just a pigmented gloss.
      Let me know your thoughts when you do get round to trying it xx

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  9. I've never tried either and although I was tempted by both, I realised it was just the hype tempting me rather than the fact I actually wanted to try them! xx

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    1. Yeah, sometimes I end up trying stuff just to see what the fuss is about. In fact, I'm such a cynic that I think half the time I do it just to prove to myself what I already know, which is probably that they aren't actually that great! But on the other hand, one day we might stumble across something that really is a gem - Effaclar Duo clearly is for some people, so I guess it was just bad luck in the case of that one!xx

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