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I have bought a lot of beauty products over the years. Some have become products I will repurchase over and over again, and others have made me wonder why I ignored my better judgment and believed the hype.

And now that I’m in my 40s, I’m a lot pickier.

I want makeup that works with my skin instead of settling into every line, mascara and eyeliner that actually stay where I put them, and hair products that can handle my thick, dry, naturally curly hair without requiring six additional products to make them work.

I also don’t mind spending money on beauty products when they’re worth it. But expensive does not automatically mean better—and unfortunately, I have learned that lesson more than once.

So these are the beauty products I regret buying in my 40s, why they didn’t work for me, and what I actually use or would spend my money on instead.

And just to be clear: if you love one of these products, I’m not telling you that you’re wrong. Beauty products are incredibly personal. These are simply the products that did not work for me.

IT Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow Lightweight Foundation + Glow Serum SPF 40

This one sounded like it was made for me.

I had read so many reviews saying the IT Cosmetics CC+ Nude Glow gave beautiful coverage with just a hint of glow.

Coverage AND glow?

Say less.

I bought it at Ulta and was so excited to try it.

Within about a day, my face broke out. Badly.

At first, I didn’t blame the foundation. I thought maybe it was that time of the month or something else was going on with my skin, so I kept using it.

And I gave this stuff a fair chance. I continued using it for another couple of weeks, and my face literally never got better.

Eventually, I stopped using it—and moved on.

What I’d buy instead

My personal replacement was Typology, which I bought on basically a wing and a prayer because buying foundation online without being able to try it first makes me nervous.

Fortunately, it ended up being one of my best beauty purchases ever. I love it.

But I also understand that sometimes you want to walk into Ulta, actually look at your options and find something you can try in person.

If that’s you, I’d go with the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30.

That’s probably the closest replacement I’d recommend for the IT Cosmetics CC cream. You still get nice coverage and SPF in a lightweight product, although you aren’t going to get quite the same glowy finish.

If you want something more foundation-like, I also really like Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

Oh, Better Than Sex.

I have some feelings about this one.

I originally tried Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara because I needed a replacement for a NARS mascara I had used for years. The NARS formula had changed and started flaking on me, so I went looking for something that would give me the dramatic lashes I love.

And Better Than Sex absolutely delivered on the drama.

My lashes looked great.

The problem was that by about 2 p.m., I also looked like a raccoon.

The mascara transferred and flaked so badly on me, but because I have oily skin—especially oily eyelids—I basically convinced myself this was just the price I had to pay for dramatic lashes.

And do you know how long I accepted this?

OVER A YEAR.

That’s right, folks.

For more than a year, I apparently decided that dramatic lashes and afternoon raccoon eyes were a package deal.

They are not.

What I’d buy instead

I received MACStack Elevated Mascara in a gift box and tried it almost on a whim.

LOVE.

It gives me the dramatic lashes I want without clumping or flaking all over my face.

More importantly, it stays put all day.

Apparently I did not, in fact, have to spend my afternoons checking the mirror to see whether my mascara had migrated underneath my eyes.

Who knew?

NARS Light Reflecting Luminizing Blush

I need to preface this one by saying that I like NARS.

I also love their cream blush in Orgasm, so I went into the NARS Light Reflecting Luminizing Blush expecting another win.

Nope.

For me, this was like putting a patchy disco ball on my face.

The shade Inferno was especially bad on me. There was so much luminizing powder and not nearly enough actual color payoff.

And in my 40s, that is just not the look I’m going for.

I absolutely still like a little glow. I’m not trying to make my face completely matte just because I’m in my 40s. But there is a difference between a flattering luminosity and having sparkly patches sitting on your cheeks.

This missed the mark for me.

What I’d buy instead

If you specifically want a blush with some glow to it, I would choose a Dior Glow blush instead.

If your priority is something more blendable and blurring, I prefer the MAC Skinfinish Colorstruck Blush.

Both give me more of what I actually want from a blush without making me feel like I dusted craft glitter across my cheeks.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder

I bought the Anastasia dip brow powder after a friend recommended it, and initially I loved the idea.

In reality?

I spent the next year trying to figure out how to make my eyebrows look the same two days in a row.

I have brows that need to be filled in. I’m not someone who has naturally thick brows and just needs to fill a tiny sparse area here or there.

So tapping powder into my brows and essentially drawing them on every morning became way more work than I wanted it to be.

Some days they looked fine.

Other days the powder looked too harsh and my brows looked obviously stenciled on.

I used it for about a year and never really got the hang of it.

If you already have thicker brows and just need a little filler, I can see how a brow powder could work really well.

For what I need, though, there are much easier options.

What I’d buy instead

I bought the Benefit Cosmetics Mighty Fine Brow Pen, and I LOVE IT.

It’s easy to use and, perhaps even more importantly, hard to screw up.

If the idea of using a brow pen or marker intimidates you, I have also used Benefit’s Goof Proof Brow Pencil and Precisely, My Brow Pencil.

Both are easy to use, and sometimes I’ll even combine one of the pencils with my brow pen when I want a more complete, dramatic brow.

They last, they’re easy to work with, and I no longer have to wonder which version of my eyebrows is going to show up that morning.

MAC Colour Excess Gel Pencil

Putting a MAC product on this list physically pains me a little.

If you’ve read Pretty Current for any amount of time, you probably already know that I use a LOT of MAC products.

But I cannot defend this one.

I tried the MAC Colour Excess Gel Pencil because I thought the whole point was that it would stay put.

For me, it did the opposite.

By midday, I felt like it was melting off my eyelids and migrating underneath my eyes.

And when I was wearing it with Better Than Sex mascara?

What a combination.

Raccoon eyes courtesy of both mascara and eyeliner.

Beautiful.

What I’d buy instead

I went right back to MAC’s classic Kohl eyeliner, and I haven’t had the same problem.

It stays where I put it without bleeding underneath my eyes.

Sometimes the OG really is better.

Hair Products I Regret Buying

Makeup isn’t the only place I’ve wasted money.

I have thick, dry, naturally curly/wavy hair, so I am constantly looking for products that will make my curls look better, add moisture, tame frizz or make my hair look amazing when I blow it out.

That also means I have been influenced into buying some expensive hair products that absolutely did not deserve the hype.

Oribe Hair Alchemy Heatless Styling Set

Oribe has such a reputation for being a luxurious, high-end hair brand that I expected a lot from it.

And to be fair, there is an Oribe product I love. More on that in a minute.

But the Hair Alchemy Heatless Styling Set did basically nothing for me.

I liked the idea of it. I would love to be able to get great-looking hair with less heat.

But on my naturally curly/wavy hair, I didn’t feel like it gave my hair enough structure to make it worthwhile.

I actually think this might work much better for someone who doesn’t already have curly or wavy hair.

For me?

Not worth the money.

Oribe Eternal Curls Hair Mask

I also tried the Oribe Eternal Curls Hair Mask.

Was it horrible?

No.

Was it worth the price?

Also no.

It was fine. That’s about the best thing I can say about it.

And when I’m paying premium hair-mask prices and leaving something on my hair for 20 minutes, I want considerably more than fine.

What I’d buy instead

I’ve gotten better results from a Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Hair Mask that makes my hair feel softer without requiring me to sit around for 20 minutes waiting for a mask to work and thinking it’s just ‘fine’.

And that’s really my issue with some luxury hair products.

I’m willing to pay more if the result is noticeably better. I’m not willing to pay more simply because the bottle looks expensive sitting in my shower.

Amika Curl Cream and Gel

This was another purchase heavily influenced by rave reviews.

I tried both the Amika curl cream and gel, and I really wanted to love them.

I used them together. I tried them separately. I used them for quite a while.

My curls just never popped the way I hoped they would.

Instead, my hair often felt weighed down. The gel could feel clumpy, and I didn’t feel like the cream did enough to justify keeping it in my routine.

Then, while I was on vacation in Boston during the summer, I needed something—anything—to help tame my curls in the humidity.

So I grabbed Curl Talk Not Your Mother’s Curl Mousse.

Not because I had researched it.

Not because TikTok told me to.

Not because I had read 400 reviews.

I needed something for my hair in Boston humidity and basically said, Sure, let’s try this.

And wouldn’t you know it?

The cheap drugstore mousse worked.

What I’d buy instead

Not Your Mother’s Curl Mousse.

It gives my curls definition without leaving them crunchy, and my hair doesn’t feel weighed down.

This is exactly why I don’t automatically assume the expensive product is going to outperform the drugstore option anymore.

Sometimes the random thing you grab on vacation ends up being better than the products you researched and deliberately spent more money on.

Color Wow High-Gloss Serum

I actually liked this product at first.

Because my hair is thick, dry and curly, I really like the feel of an oil or smoothing product in my hair—even for everyday wear.

I bought the Color Wow high-gloss serum to use when I flat ironed my hair. I wanted shine and something that would complement the other products I was using during a blowout.

And it definitely gave me shine.

The problem was that I was already using several other blow-dry products.

Eventually, this just felt like one product too many.

Instead of my hair looking glossy and polished, I started feeling like it looked greasy.

That’s when I realized I didn’t really need another shine serum. What I actually wanted was a good hair oil that I could use more ways and with more control.

What I’d buy instead

And here’s where Oribe gets some redemption.

I actually love the Oribe hair oil.

I received it as a Christmas gift one year, and it’s genuinely a product I would recommend.

Would I personally be excited to spend around $60 on it every time I ran out?

Ehhhh.

If you have the money to spare and want the splurge, absolutely. It’s a beautiful hair oil.

But for a better value, I really like Moroccanoil Treatment. It smells amazing, a bottle lasts forever, and while it isn’t exactly cheap either, I feel like I get much more for my money.

I also have an even more affordable hair oil I’ve used for years, and it works really well mixed with a blow-dry cream.

So yes, sometimes the expensive version really is great.

I just don’t always think you need to pay for it.

What I’ve Learned About Buying Beauty Products in My 40s

The biggest thing I’ve learned isn’t that expensive beauty products are bad or that drugstore products are always better.

Neither is true.

I’ve bought expensive products I absolutely love, and I’ve bought inexpensive products that were a complete waste of money.

What has changed in my 40s is that I’m much less interested in convincing myself that a product works simply because everyone else seems to love it.

If my foundation is breaking me out, I’m done.

If my mascara is underneath my eyes by 2 p.m., I don’t care how amazing my lashes looked at 8 a.m.

If a $60 hair treatment doesn’t do anything noticeably better than the product already sitting in my bathroom, I don’t need it.

And apparently, if I find a random drugstore curl mousse during a humid Boston vacation and it makes my curls look great, I am perfectly happy admitting that it beat the expensive stuff.

That’s the beauty of getting older: I still love trying new products.

I’m just a lot less willing to put up with crap.