I’ll start.

I bought an $80 vitamin C serum because the reviews were insane and the packaging was beautiful. It oxidized within 3 weeks. Three weeks. For $80. I stored it in a dark cabinet, did everything right. Still turned brown and started smelling weird.

Also bought a “deep cleansing” foaming wash that made my face feel squeaky clean after every use — which I later learned is bad, not good. That’s stripped barrier, not clean skin.

And don’t get me started on the physical scrub with walnut shells. Why did anyone think that was a good idea for facial skin?

Anyway, curious what products you guys regret buying. Bonus points if they were expensive and disappointing.

Also curious — what’s something you bought expecting nothing from but ended up loving?

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. There are so many things I wish someone had told me before I spent years and way too much money figuring them out.

For me, the biggest one is: your skin barrier matters more than any active ingredient. I was using retinol, acids, vitamin C all at once thinking more = better. My skin was red, stinging, and breaking out. I stripped back to just cleanse + moisturize + SPF for a month and everything improved. Should’ve started there.

What’s the #1 skincare truth you had to learn the hard way?

Some common ones I’ve heard:

Sunscreen every day even indoors

Expensive doesn’t mean effective

Your towel can cause breakouts

More products ≠ better results

Consistency > intensity

Curious what yours is.

This was me for YEARS.

My face would get shiny by midday. I’d use mattifying cleansers, alcohol-based toners, gel moisturizers only. The more I tried to control the oil, the oilier I got.

Turns out I was stripping my moisture barrier and my skin was overproducing oil to compensate. Switched to a gentler routine with hydrating ingredients and suddenly my “oily skin” was… normal?

I did the wash-and-wait test (wash face, wait 30 min, don’t apply anything) and realized my skin actually felt tight in some areas.

Curious if anyone else went through this:

1. What skin type did you think you had and what did you actually have?
2. How long did it take you to figure it out?
3. What was the biggest change you made after realizing?

I’ve been doing skincare properly for about 2 years now, but I definitely went through a phase where I was just applying things in random order.

Vitamin C, then moisturizer, then SPF? No wait, moisturizer first, then vitamin C? I genuinely didn’t know there was a right answer for a while.

The “thin to thick” rule eventually clicked for me, and honestly it made a bigger difference than I expected. Same products, just in the right order, and my skin felt different.

Curious about other people’s journey:

How long did it take you to learn proper product ordering?

Did you ever use something in the wrong order for months without realizing?

What’s the one “order” tip you’d give to someone just starting skincare?

For me it’s: sunscreen is always the last step in the morning. Always. Even if it means rearranging everything else.

I feel like once you learn to read ingredient lists, you can’t un-see it.

I was in the drugstore yesterday and picked up a popular cleanser. First ingredient? Water. Fine. Second? Sodium laureth sulfate. Third? Fragrance. Put it right back.

A year ago I would’ve bought it without thinking because the packaging looked nice and it was on sale.

Here’s what I check now in under 30 seconds:

Scan the first 5 ingredients — is there anything actually useful there?

Look for active ingredients in the middle section

Check if fragrance/parfum is listed high up

Make sure there are preservatives at the bottom (weirdly reassuring)

Honestly it saves me so much money. Half the stuff I would’ve bought before doesn’t make the cut.

Anyone else do this? What’s the worst ingredient list you’ve come across? Also curious if you have any go-to ingredients you look for specifically.

I’ll go first.

https://preview.redd.it/jtrzddi98v0h1.png?width=848&format=png&auto=webp&s=3b84c94ebe0517beeede1a4ce9ada36335c62f91

For years I washed my face with hot water because I thought it opened my pores better. Turns out that’s not even how pores work, and I was just stripping my moisture barrier. Took me forever to figure out why my skin felt tight after cleansing.

Also used to rub my face dry with a towel. Like, aggressively. Thought that’s what everyone did. Switched to patting and it made a noticeable difference in redness.

What about you? What’s something you did for years before realizing it was wrong?

Some common ones I’ve heard:

Using the same towel for a week

Washing for only 10 seconds

Using a harsh foaming cleanser when you actually have dry skin

Skipping moisturizer after washing

Curious what your “wait, I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time?” moment was.

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