Confessions · Skincare
I used Magic Cream as a primer for a month. My makeup hated me.
“It is rich. It is rich the way a buttercream frosting is rich, which is to say, beautiful for ten minutes and then disastrous under powder.”
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Confessions.
GLOW regret column
Beauty editor regrets, told honestly. The viral product that didn’t deliver. The cult buy that fell apart. The expensive lesson others can avoid.
About the column
We bought it. We tried it. We regretted it.
Confessions is GLOW’s regret column, first-person essays from beauty editors and contributors about the products that didn’t deliver.
Viral picks that fell flat. Expensive devices that gathered dust. Cult lipsticks that the brand quietly reformulated. Each essay is written by a named editor, paid for at retail, and held to the same GLOW Standard as our reviews. We don’t accept paid placement. We don’t soften an essay because a brand asked. The point of the column is the regret, honest, specific, useful.
New essays land monthly. If you have a regret worth telling, submit to [email protected], we read every pitch.
The essays
Four regrets, on the record.
Named editors. Retail-paid product. No paid placement. The expensive lessons others can avoid.
Confessions · Devices
I bought a $459 facial device. It now lives in a drawer.
“The UFO 2 promised a sixty-second facial. What it delivered was a sixty-second routine I never did twice.”
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Confessions · Skincare
I bought $40 tattoo cream because of an Instagram ad. It's fine.
“Fine is the worst review a product can earn. Fine means the marketing was sharper than the formulation.”
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Confessions · Hair
I bought Olaplex No.0 expecting magic. It is not the product I needed.
“No.0 is a primer for the rest of the system. I bought it as if it were the system. That is on me, and a little bit on the box.”
Read the essay →
Why this column exists
Regret, as a service.
Most beauty media exists to sell you the next product. Confessions exists to warn you off the one you’re about to buy. Same editorial standard, opposite intent.
The verdict
Some beauty regrets are worth $200. The rest, you should hear from someone who already spent it.
Hannah Pham, Managing Editor · Updated June 2026
FAQ
The six questions about Confessions.
- What is the Confessions column?
- A first-person regret column. Beauty editors and contributors writing about the products that didn’t deliver, viral picks, expensive devices, cult lipsticks that disappointed.
- Who writes the essays?
- Named Glow editors and contributors. Each essay carries a byline. No anonymous content, no AI-generated essays.
- Do brands pay for inclusion?
- No. We don’t accept payment for any Confessions essay. We don’t accept payment to remove one either. The point is the regret being honest.
- Can I submit a regret?
- Yes. Pitch [email protected] with the product, the regret, and why it’s useful for other readers. We read every submission.
- What if I disagree with an essay?
- Send a rebuttal. We’ll publish strong-disagreement letters where the brand or another reader has a contrary, named, on-the-record position.
- Why publish negative essays at all?
- Because the rest of beauty media largely doesn’t. Editorial honesty is the trust we’re building with readers, including when the honest thing to say is “I regret this purchase.”
Pitch the column
Have a regret worth telling?
Pitch us. We read every submission. Include the product, what you paid, the specific way it disappointed, and what you would tell a friend who was about to buy it.
Submit a confession →