A new column

The products we wish we hadn't bought.

A weekly column where Glow editors name the beauty product they returned, regretted, or wouldn't buy again — and exactly what it cost. No hedging, no sponsored softening. Loss aversion is the most honest part of the beauty conversation. We're starting it.

This month's confessions.

6 published · April 2026

Confessions · Skincare

Why we publish these.

Most beauty publications never tell you what they regret buying. Brand relationships make the truth uncomfortable. Affiliate revenue rewards positive reviews. The audience is left without the most useful information of all — what didn't work, for whom, and why.

Confessions is our answer. One editor per week, one product they actually returned, one specific dollar amount, one alternative they would have bought instead. Read it as a public service. Because most beauty advice is not.

The products we wish we hadn't bought.

This month's confessions.

The $107 moisturiser I returned after eight days

I used Magic Cream as a primer for a month. My makeup hated me.

I bought a $459 facial device. It now lives in a drawer.

I bought $89 tattoo cream because of an Instagram ad. It's fine.

I bought 2 Dudes because TikTok told me to. Then Woolies started stocking it.

I drank collagen for ninety days. My nails were already strong.

I bought Olaplex No.0 expecting magic. It is not the product I needed.

St Tropez Express was meant to save my afternoon. It cost me three days.

Why we publish these.