Anti Haul #3 | Shit I'm Not Gonna Buy
It's that time of the month again where I get shit talk products I'm not gonna buy. If you haven't been keeping up with my anti-hauls (how dare you), feel free to check out my first and second posts in the series. And of course, it isn't an anti-haul post without giving credit to Queen Kimberly Clark for coming up with the idea!
At first, I thought this post was going to be extra, extra salty because of my current no buy, but it's surprisingly going really well! There have been a few sales that have tempted me, as well as the new Glossier sunscreen but so far I've held strong and resisted. I had tried to do a no-buy back in January but ultimately failed (although I did succeed in limiting it to a low buy.) Then again we're barely halfway through the month, hopefully the second half of the month goes as smoothly!
Either way, my currently successful no buy has put me in the perfect mindset for an anti-haul. Here's all the shit I don't need and am not going to buy it!
I already explained I'm not a fan of Kylie's brand in my first anti-haul so I won't repeat myself... too much. Putting my dislike of the whole K-Klan aside, I still wouldn't want to spend money on Kylie's products because of repeated tales of poor customer service. For instance, the blogger Plastic Loafer got damaged Kylielighters (or whatever) and the customer service was basically like sorry not sorry.
As for all the colors themselves... they all look way too similar to be included in one set. Also as a POC, I already know at least 2 of them are going to be way light for my skin tone.
As for all the colors themselves... they all look way too similar to be included in one set. Also as a POC, I already know at least 2 of them are going to be way light for my skin tone.
I can totally acknowledge that my last reason for side-eying the collab is heavily influenced by the fact that I dislike the K-Klan but you can't deny it takes another level of self-obsession to name 4 lipsticks after yourself.
2. Becca x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette
It's not a proper anti-haul until I bring up a celebrity/ influencer collaboration :D Unlike the collaborations I've talked about in my previous posts, I actually like both Becca and Chrissy Teigen. And from what I've read, most people find the formula and pigmentation on the powders favorable!
My first reason for not purchasing the palette is the layout. It looks pretty... but it kills me that there's so much unused space. Call me a traditionalist but I prefer my palettes to include efficiently lined up rectangles. Also, I thought it was a weird choice to make the blush and bronzers smaller than the highlighters. I think it's safe to say most people apply more bronzer and blush than highlighter.
My second reason is I think the outside looks cheap 🙈 My personal aesthetic is clean and minimal, and the cover is anything but.
My last reason is I don't need it. I admit I was really tempted to purchase the palette when it went on pre-sale on the Sephora app, and was even more tempted to exclude it from this anti-haul in case I decide to purchase it in the future. But the reality of the situation is I do not need it. I already have a Becca blush palette and a full sized Opal highlighter.
When I took a closer look at the palette I realized I probably would only use the blush shade and maybe the lighter highlighter shade. The bronzer is a pretty color in the pan, but I don't like the look of shiny bronzers and Becca describes the finish as "radiant." And the darker highlighter looks more like a blush topper than a highlighter to me, and I seldom use those. It also reminds me of Wet N' Wild's 'Crown of My Canopy' which I already own. Also if I'm being honest with myself, I usually forget to use my all-in-one palettes when I'm doing my everyday makeup.
My first reason for not purchasing the palette is the layout. It looks pretty... but it kills me that there's so much unused space. Call me a traditionalist but I prefer my palettes to include efficiently lined up rectangles. Also, I thought it was a weird choice to make the blush and bronzers smaller than the highlighters. I think it's safe to say most people apply more bronzer and blush than highlighter.
My second reason is I think the outside looks cheap 🙈 My personal aesthetic is clean and minimal, and the cover is anything but.
My last reason is I don't need it. I admit I was really tempted to purchase the palette when it went on pre-sale on the Sephora app, and was even more tempted to exclude it from this anti-haul in case I decide to purchase it in the future. But the reality of the situation is I do not need it. I already have a Becca blush palette and a full sized Opal highlighter.
When I took a closer look at the palette I realized I probably would only use the blush shade and maybe the lighter highlighter shade. The bronzer is a pretty color in the pan, but I don't like the look of shiny bronzers and Becca describes the finish as "radiant." And the darker highlighter looks more like a blush topper than a highlighter to me, and I seldom use those. It also reminds me of Wet N' Wild's 'Crown of My Canopy' which I already own. Also if I'm being honest with myself, I usually forget to use my all-in-one palettes when I'm doing my everyday makeup.
3. Milk Makeup Matcha Toner
I've got to give props to Milk for really rolling with the whole stick thing. Some people brought up concerns that the stick will be unsanitary, but I don't really hold any similar reservations. We wipe cleansing sticks, cleansing wipes, cotton pads, foundation sticks, etc. across our faces and I assume that they've been formulated with the proper preservatives and what not to keep shit sanitary.
The reason this stick is going on my anti-haul list is a combination of my poor experience with the other stick product I've used from them plus the fact that the ingredient list looks a bit lackluster to me. I may post a mini review of their water cooling stick at some point, but for now I'll just say that I don't notice many benefits from applying this. If I apply it all over my face it leaves an unpleasant film so it's been designated as my morning under eye treatment. It soothes the area a little bit... and that's about it.
Ingredient wise the matcha toner is quite similar to the water cooling stick.
Here are the ingredients of the water cooling stick:
Water, Butylene Glycol, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Sodium Stearate, Pentylene Glycol, Isosteareth-2, Glycerin, Sea Water, Manganese Gluconate, Nylon-12, Caffeine, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphesin, Blue 1.
And here are the ingredients of the matcha toner, I've highlighted the ingredients that are also in the water cooling stick, and bolded the ones that are in the same exact position (following the assumption that the ingredients are listed from highest concentration to lowest concentration):
Water, butylene glycol, Bis-PEG-18 methyl ether dimethyl silane, sodium stearate, pentylene glycol, glycerin, oleth-2, stearic acid, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) leaf extract, rice ferment filtrate (sake), saccharmomyces/xylinum/black tea ferment, opuntia ficus-indica stem extract, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, camellia sinensis leaf extract, lens esculenta (lentil) seed extract, ethylhexylglycerin, hexylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, phenoxyethanol, yellow 10/CI 47005, blue 1/CI 42090.
As you can see the "base" for both products is similar if not identical. It makes me think that like the water cooling stick, there's a good chance that the matcha toner will also create that gross film on my face. The matcha toner does include some additional nice ingredients like the black tea ferment, sake, rosemary extract, prickly pear extract, and chamomile extract-- all ingredients that excite my K-beauty obsessed self... but not enough for me to risk the slick.
Funnily enough, there's no actual matcha or green tea on the ingredient list. There is the black tea ferment, and then the green color is brought from the addition of synthetic pigments. I don't have any issues with pigments in skincare, but it was a poor choice to include it in a product marketed towards sensitive skin types (according to the Sephora product description.)
The reason this stick is going on my anti-haul list is a combination of my poor experience with the other stick product I've used from them plus the fact that the ingredient list looks a bit lackluster to me. I may post a mini review of their water cooling stick at some point, but for now I'll just say that I don't notice many benefits from applying this. If I apply it all over my face it leaves an unpleasant film so it's been designated as my morning under eye treatment. It soothes the area a little bit... and that's about it.
Ingredient wise the matcha toner is quite similar to the water cooling stick.
Here are the ingredients of the water cooling stick:
Water, Butylene Glycol, Bis-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane, Sodium Stearate, Pentylene Glycol, Isosteareth-2, Glycerin, Sea Water, Manganese Gluconate, Nylon-12, Caffeine, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphesin, Blue 1.
And here are the ingredients of the matcha toner, I've highlighted the ingredients that are also in the water cooling stick, and bolded the ones that are in the same exact position (following the assumption that the ingredients are listed from highest concentration to lowest concentration):
Water, butylene glycol, Bis-PEG-18 methyl ether dimethyl silane, sodium stearate, pentylene glycol, glycerin, oleth-2, stearic acid, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) leaf extract, rice ferment filtrate (sake), saccharmomyces/xylinum/black tea ferment, opuntia ficus-indica stem extract, Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, camellia sinensis leaf extract, lens esculenta (lentil) seed extract, ethylhexylglycerin, hexylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, phenoxyethanol, yellow 10/CI 47005, blue 1/CI 42090.
As you can see the "base" for both products is similar if not identical. It makes me think that like the water cooling stick, there's a good chance that the matcha toner will also create that gross film on my face. The matcha toner does include some additional nice ingredients like the black tea ferment, sake, rosemary extract, prickly pear extract, and chamomile extract-- all ingredients that excite my K-beauty obsessed self... but not enough for me to risk the slick.
Funnily enough, there's no actual matcha or green tea on the ingredient list. There is the black tea ferment, and then the green color is brought from the addition of synthetic pigments. I don't have any issues with pigments in skincare, but it was a poor choice to include it in a product marketed towards sensitive skin types (according to the Sephora product description.)
4. Urban Decay Naked Skin Shapeshifter
This product is an interesting concept... but doesn't seem very practical unless you are a makeup artist. Unless you're able to magically shift from one race to another, I'm not sure how any one person could use all those colors on their face (although I'm sure there's going to be some orange YouTuber who will make me bite those words.)
I also find it a stretch to market this as a color corrector palette-- neither the lighter or darker palette include any traditional color correcting colors. The medium-dark one does include a reddish brown shade, but I think I'm being a bit generous at calling it a color corrector.
On the bright side, it's nice that they separated the powders away from the cream product. I also like how they included a double sided mirror so you don't have to constantly flip back and forth if you choose to use it. But despite all that, I'm anti-haulin' it because I don't need it.
This product is an interesting concept... but doesn't seem very practical unless you are a makeup artist. Unless you're able to magically shift from one race to another, I'm not sure how any one person could use all those colors on their face (although I'm sure there's going to be some orange YouTuber who will make me bite those words.)
I also find it a stretch to market this as a color corrector palette-- neither the lighter or darker palette include any traditional color correcting colors. The medium-dark one does include a reddish brown shade, but I think I'm being a bit generous at calling it a color corrector.
On the bright side, it's nice that they separated the powders away from the cream product. I also like how they included a double sided mirror so you don't have to constantly flip back and forth if you choose to use it. But despite all that, I'm anti-haulin' it because I don't need it.
5. Morphe Setting Spray
Morphe is one of those brands you either really like or really dislike. I fall into the second category. I'm automatically suspicious of all their products because so many of the larger beauty gurus pimp their products with no disclosure whatsoever. And like Kylie Cosmetics, I've also heard multiple reports of poor customer service.
I think many of their products are overpriced because you can get similar quality products from brands like BH cosmetics and Coastal Scents for a fraction of the price. Instead of buying a palette of 50 shades of the brown for $30, I could pick up individual Coastal Scents pans in a variety of colors for less money. While I haven't tried any Morphe eyeshadows, I do have a small collection of Coastal Scents ones and find them pretty nice for the price. The mattes are a bit sheer but they're workable-- and if you wait for their $1 sales they truly are a steal. But alas, this is not a Coastal Scents review, it's a Morphe anti-haul.
Back to Morphe, the only people I've seen positively review this mist are those who are guilty of constantly pimping them while simultaneously shoving their discount codes down your throat (discount codes are fine, but get annoying when they're mentioned 238 times every video.) All the other reviews of this complain that the mist is not very fine, which is a dealbreaker for me.
And not that it matters much, but I find the bottle so ugly. The font combo makes me cringe.
I think many of their products are overpriced because you can get similar quality products from brands like BH cosmetics and Coastal Scents for a fraction of the price. Instead of buying a palette of 50 shades of the brown for $30, I could pick up individual Coastal Scents pans in a variety of colors for less money. While I haven't tried any Morphe eyeshadows, I do have a small collection of Coastal Scents ones and find them pretty nice for the price. The mattes are a bit sheer but they're workable-- and if you wait for their $1 sales they truly are a steal. But alas, this is not a Coastal Scents review, it's a Morphe anti-haul.
Back to Morphe, the only people I've seen positively review this mist are those who are guilty of constantly pimping them while simultaneously shoving their discount codes down your throat (discount codes are fine, but get annoying when they're mentioned 238 times every video.) All the other reviews of this complain that the mist is not very fine, which is a dealbreaker for me.
And not that it matters much, but I find the bottle so ugly. The font combo makes me cringe.
6. La Mer the Lip Balm
$60 for a lip balm made out of vaseline (literally, the first ingredient is petrolatum... not that they share that on their site 😒) + miracle broth™? Okay, let me go run over to my money tree.
$60 for a lip balm made out of vaseline (literally, the first ingredient is petrolatum... not that they share that on their site 😒) + miracle broth™? Okay, let me go run over to my money tree.
7. Dr. Roebuck's Pure Ultra-Moisturizer
I personally do not think that mineral oil is some evil ingredient that needs to be avoided at all costs for everyone. And there are plenty of respectable sources that say just that. The beauty brains did a whole series on the myths surrounding mineral oil.
At the same time, it is an ingredient that most if not all green/ natural brands avoid using. Many of them even brag about avoiding it!
Because Dr. Roebuck's is a green brand, I assumed they would be rolling with this status quo. Their marketing strategy includes touting the fallacy that somehow a lesser amount of ingredients = a better product (a fallacy that I'm also guilty of falling for time to time.) They're also one of the brands that claim that they don't use any "toxins."
So imagine my shock when I looked at the ingredient list on this moisturizer while at Sephora and saw it had paraffinum liquidum aka mineral oil as the third ingredient!
Now comes the tricky part-- Dr. Roebuck's says this is a product perfect for sensitive skin. It doesn't include any fragrances or petrochemicals or colorants, etc. But if you're sensitive to mineral oil, like me, then this product is a no go. And that's why I hate the phrase "sensitive skin" because it's so fucking vague. Everyone has different sensitivities and marketing a product towards sensitive skin doesn't really mean anything because it's hard to define exactly what sensitive skin is. But I can't really blame Dr. Roebuck's for that because the beauty industry as a whole is guilty of that.
In addition, I was under the impression that mineral oil is a petrochemical 🤔-- something the brand claims they avoid. By definition, a petrochemical is any substance that's a product of refining and processing natural oil and petroleum. And paraffinum liquidum is a highly processed mineral oil, which from my understanding is a byproduct of the distillation of petrolatum. Color me confused 🤔 Perhaps someone who is smarter than I can clear things up!
But tld;r this is on my anti-haul because it contains mineral oil (an ingredient I'm sensitive to) which was shocking as Dr. Roebuck's is a green brand.
At the same time, it is an ingredient that most if not all green/ natural brands avoid using. Many of them even brag about avoiding it!
Because Dr. Roebuck's is a green brand, I assumed they would be rolling with this status quo. Their marketing strategy includes touting the fallacy that somehow a lesser amount of ingredients = a better product (a fallacy that I'm also guilty of falling for time to time.) They're also one of the brands that claim that they don't use any "toxins."
So imagine my shock when I looked at the ingredient list on this moisturizer while at Sephora and saw it had paraffinum liquidum aka mineral oil as the third ingredient!
Now comes the tricky part-- Dr. Roebuck's says this is a product perfect for sensitive skin. It doesn't include any fragrances or petrochemicals or colorants, etc. But if you're sensitive to mineral oil, like me, then this product is a no go. And that's why I hate the phrase "sensitive skin" because it's so fucking vague. Everyone has different sensitivities and marketing a product towards sensitive skin doesn't really mean anything because it's hard to define exactly what sensitive skin is. But I can't really blame Dr. Roebuck's for that because the beauty industry as a whole is guilty of that.
In addition, I was under the impression that mineral oil is a petrochemical 🤔-- something the brand claims they avoid. By definition, a petrochemical is any substance that's a product of refining and processing natural oil and petroleum. And paraffinum liquidum is a highly processed mineral oil, which from my understanding is a byproduct of the distillation of petrolatum. Color me confused 🤔 Perhaps someone who is smarter than I can clear things up!
But tld;r this is on my anti-haul because it contains mineral oil (an ingredient I'm sensitive to) which was shocking as Dr. Roebuck's is a green brand.
8. Charlotte Tilbury Goddess Skin Clay Mask
While I really want to try the Charlotte Tilbury dry mask, as a whole her lineup of skincare products do not interest me. At first glance, there's nothing about them besides for the packaging that warrants a high price tag for me.
After peeking at the ingredient list of this mask, it looks like you're basically paying $55 for what's mostly a concoction of sweet almond oil and kaolin clay, dissolved in water. Both are promising ingredients but I don't think they justify my spending over $50 for them.
I admit I do like the idea of a clay mask that's moisturized with some oil to prevent from being too drying. I think the next time I use my Innisfree super volcanic pore clay mask I'll mix in a few drops of the Ordinary rosehip oil. Bam, $55 saved!
While I really want to try the Charlotte Tilbury dry mask, as a whole her lineup of skincare products do not interest me. At first glance, there's nothing about them besides for the packaging that warrants a high price tag for me.
After peeking at the ingredient list of this mask, it looks like you're basically paying $55 for what's mostly a concoction of sweet almond oil and kaolin clay, dissolved in water. Both are promising ingredients but I don't think they justify my spending over $50 for them.
I admit I do like the idea of a clay mask that's moisturized with some oil to prevent from being too drying. I think the next time I use my Innisfree super volcanic pore clay mask I'll mix in a few drops of the Ordinary rosehip oil. Bam, $55 saved!
9. Caroline Hirons x Cult Beauty Box
When I first got into skincare, Caroline Hirons blog was a guiding light. But as time went on I stopped reading because that's how life goes. Basically, the fact that she collaborated with Cult Beauty for this box doesn't make me want to buy it any more or any less.
Product wise the only thing I really want to try is the Indie Lee Co-Q10 toner and maybe the double cleanse from her Pixi collaboration. While it's true that the box is a great value, it's also a large investment. Unless you were planning on purchasing 4 or 5 of the products on their own, I don't think your personal value will line up with the actual value of the box. Instead, I would recommend spending that money on fewer products that you will actually use, thus providing you with a higher personal value.
10. Dr. Sturm Sun Drops SPF 50
After becoming a full-fledged skincare addict, I've bought many stupidly expensive things I have scoffed at in the past. My threshold for what I consider too expensive has steadily increased. There's expensive, and then there's I'm going to rent the Met for a party expensive. Dr. Sturm is one of those brands that falls into the latter category. Their products were mentioned on Into the Gloss a few times so naturally I had to do a little exploring of the brand.
Believe it or not these sun drops, which retail for a whopping $145, are one of the cheaper products of the brand! And my oh my, how gimmicky are they. It's sunscreen which you can dilute in your moisturizer or foundation... you know, like half of the other sunscreens out there. The kicker of it all is that when you dilute it, you also dilute the sun protection it provides-- a fact they explicitly state on their website (and I guess I can give them some credit for doing so.)
Like La Mer, the Dr. Sturm products are too fancy to list their full ingredient lists on their site/ retailers sites. Usually, this means I run over to my friend Google and she spills all the tea... but even she's dry today. There's no full ingredient list shared on any of the sites on the first three pages of my "dr. barbara sturm sundrops ingredients" search.
Shittalking ends here
Of course, these are just my opinions, if you want to buy/ have bought any of these products-- more power to you, girl (or guy)! For instance, in Kimberly Clark's last anti-haul she mentioned the Drunk Elephant c-firma serum and for a minute I was personally affronted! I love that stuff! Then I checked my inner drama queen self and chastised her (my inner drama queen, not KC) for not remembering that everyone has different tastes and preferences. (...although I do think KC was a bit short-sighted with her dismissal of the serum and didn't acknowledge any of the reasons why it is so pricey and popular but that's just me 🙃.)
What shit are you not going to buy? Perhaps I've already bought it 🙊😂
10. Dr. Sturm Sun Drops SPF 50
After becoming a full-fledged skincare addict, I've bought many stupidly expensive things I have scoffed at in the past. My threshold for what I consider too expensive has steadily increased. There's expensive, and then there's I'm going to rent the Met for a party expensive. Dr. Sturm is one of those brands that falls into the latter category. Their products were mentioned on Into the Gloss a few times so naturally I had to do a little exploring of the brand.
Believe it or not these sun drops, which retail for a whopping $145, are one of the cheaper products of the brand! And my oh my, how gimmicky are they. It's sunscreen which you can dilute in your moisturizer or foundation... you know, like half of the other sunscreens out there. The kicker of it all is that when you dilute it, you also dilute the sun protection it provides-- a fact they explicitly state on their website (and I guess I can give them some credit for doing so.)
Like La Mer, the Dr. Sturm products are too fancy to list their full ingredient lists on their site/ retailers sites. Usually, this means I run over to my friend Google and she spills all the tea... but even she's dry today. There's no full ingredient list shared on any of the sites on the first three pages of my "dr. barbara sturm sundrops ingredients" search.
Shittalking ends here
Of course, these are just my opinions, if you want to buy/ have bought any of these products-- more power to you, girl (or guy)! For instance, in Kimberly Clark's last anti-haul she mentioned the Drunk Elephant c-firma serum and for a minute I was personally affronted! I love that stuff! Then I checked my inner drama queen self and chastised her (my inner drama queen, not KC) for not remembering that everyone has different tastes and preferences. (...although I do think KC was a bit short-sighted with her dismissal of the serum and didn't acknowledge any of the reasons why it is so pricey and popular but that's just me 🙃.)
What shit are you not going to buy? Perhaps I've already bought it 🙊😂
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