QVC beauty items - a little experiment

[Capirossi]

I was umming and arring over the Philip Kingsley TSV for a long time, eventually put one on cheque hold while I tried to make a decision! I have used Elasticizer and his yellow shampoo/green conditioner for a long time, and have been relatively happy and thought these were the only things to make my hair bouncy. I tried the Maximiser for a long while, and it always gave me stiff, dry hair, so this was putting me off the TSV.

This got me to thinking, do I really need PK shampoo/conditioner?? So yesterday I used a (ahem) high street purchased shampoo that I found in hubbys shower, along with my Elasticiser . My hair was bouncing!! Even more than when I use the PK combination. Inspired, I also purchased some volumizing mousse and a mousse/wax thing for layers whilst I was at work yesterday (the dangers of training in Superdrug, spend half my working day checking out the products!!) and also tried that today with just the generic shampoo/condtioner, no Elasticizer. Hair is wild!!! So, in summary, I think I can conclude that it's the Elasticizer that's kept me happy for so long, and not necassarily the s/c :nod: Had so many comments today, so I'm thinking hmm, what else can I try and wean myself off?!! :wonder:

Next experiment is the make-up. I currently alternate between Smashbox Halo and Bobbi Brown moisture rich foundation. Both make me shine like a shiny shining thing, but can't seem to find anything to stop that. I checked the make-up box out earlier and there is a Boots foundation that I bought in an emergency not so long ago, which I seem to recall being quite matt.....so I am going to try it over the next few days and see what happens!

This is not a money issue. With no children and two decent incomes, I am only too happy to spend my hard-earned on 'prestige/luxurious' brands, but I just want to try and break the Q habit I seem to have got back into again lately :blush:

I am unure about the skincare though, not sure if I'm brave enough I did catch myself eyeing up a bottle of Anne French cleansing milk today though, reminiscing over the days when skincare was simply getting your make-up off!!

So, over to you, anyone joining me in weaning themselves off QVC beauty?!!

 

[Loveinamist]

So, over to you, anyone joining me in weaning themselves off QVC beauty?!!

No, because Q have discontinued all my fav. treats. :angry: Fab thread though C.

 

[BusyMum]

I was umming and arring over the Philip Kingsley TSV for a long time, eventually put one on cheque hold while I tried to make a decision! I have used Elasticizer and his yellow shampoo/green conditioner for a long time, and have been relatively happy and thought these were the only things to make my hair bouncy. I tried the Maximiser for a long while, and it always gave me stiff, dry hair, so this was putting me off the TSV.

This got me to thinking, do I really need PK shampoo/conditioner?? So yesterday I used a (ahem) high street purchased shampoo that I found in hubbys shower, along with my Elasticiser . My hair was bouncing!! Even more than when I use the PK combination. Inspired, I also purchased some volumizing mousse and a mousse/wax thing for layers whilst I was at work yesterday (the dangers of training in Superdrug, spend half my working day checking out the products!!) and also tried that today with just the generic shampoo/condtioner, no Elasticizer. Hair is wild!!! So, in summary, I think I can conclude that it's the Elasticizer that's kept me happy for so long, and not necassarily the s/c :nod: Had so many comments today, so I'm thinking hmm, what else can I try and wean myself off?!! :wonder:

Next experiment is the make-up. I currently alternate between Smashbox Halo and Bobbi Brown moisture rich foundation. Both make me shine like a shiny shining thing, but can't seem to find anything to stop that. I checked the make-up box out earlier and there is a Boots foundation that I bought in an emergency not so long ago, which I seem to recall being quite matt.....so I am going to try it over the next few days and see what happens!

This is not a money issue. With no children and two decent incomes, I am only too happy to spend my hard-earned on 'prestige/luxurious' brands, but I just want to try and break the Q habit I seem to have got back into again lately :blush:

I am unure about the skincare though, not sure if I'm brave enough I did catch myself eyeing up a bottle of Anne French cleansing milk today though, reminiscing over the days when skincare was simply getting your make-up off!!

So, over to you, anyone joining me in weaning themselves off QVC beauty?!!

Good luck to you Capirossi! On another thread today I was saying that these days I'm more often to be found using the cheapie skincare stuff and the supermarket shampoos, and I definitely haven't noticed that I'm fraying round the edges yet! I think so many of us have been sucked into the QVC spiel and when I was working and earning my own money I spent most of it with QVC buying all the presteeeejus products...I'd be rich now if I'd saved it all instead! The one indulgence I have at the mo is the A'kin intensive moisturiser which I use at night on face & hands, but at least that doesn't cost a fortune, so you stick to it girl..:clapping:

 

[fredab]

I stopped using expensive hair products ages ago. Used to use Aveda which was good. Once the TSVs stopped I didn't really buy it anymore. Tried Ojon - overrated. Never tried PK, I think as I now use good old Pantene/frizz ease serum I don't need to plus I buy treatments from my hairdresser. If my Gat/Decleor cleansers run out I just buy L'Oreal and still use good old clinique clarifying lotion occasionally. May even try that apple serum stuff from Superdrug that everyone is raving about. If I like it its bye bye force collagen hello apple serum!!

 

[diane60]

I have fine hair and was amazed by Ojon. Was tempted by PK TSV but have heard mixed reviews. Also I am trying to wean myself off QVC!!!!
Anyone interested in setting up a support group? We would have to define our reasons for buying, before a purchase can go ahead

 

[SuziQ]

Anyone interested in setting up a support group? We would have to define our reasons for buying, before a purchase can go ahead

Isn't this already running, with the FARTing group?

I have stopped buying LE following the c&p debacle and sell out to Avon, but am going to use my copious stash as it's such a waste of money, otherwise. Over on moneysavingexpert.com they have a monthly support thread that I go onto, which is all about not buying toiletries until you have used up all your stash. Everyone has their own rules, but for me, every time I use something from my stash, I put money into a savings jar, not necessarily the full price but £4 or £5. It is great watching it accumulate! There is also a thread over their where people share the bargain toiletry discoveries they have made, which makes for very interesting reading.

 

[barbedwire]

Great thread!

I have more or less weaned myself off QVC skincare - or what I should say is, the bit oi loike I source elsewhere cheaper. So my A'kin comes from mypure or whichever website is running a cheap offer. I only buy my moisturiser once every 8 months and shampoos/conditioners every 6 as they last so blithering long!

Make up wise I was almost exclusively a Laura Geller user - now I only use spackle and ethereal Rose powder from her range and get those from e-bay cheaper. I switched to Elemental Beauty mineral make up because it was cheaper, I got a good personal service from them and I liked the consistency of their foundations.

A good friend of mine is being a bridesmaid for her friend next month - and met up with the lady who is doing the hair and make up. This woman used to work at the BBC - she swore by Boots own brand mascaras and lipsticks - Mac eyeliners etc and said the only thing she would pay out for was a really decent foundation from Clinique or another high end brand.

I am also trawling mags for freebies - of late I've had Jemma Kidd lipglosses and Chiate Nail Lacquers for the price of a women's monthly periodical :wink:

Woah that was a waffle...:grin:

 

[miss molly]

I was an Ojon Hydrating Girl however after finding out i am being made redundant in December i am cutting my costs. I now use L'oreal Elvive smooth silk anti frizz shampoo/conditioner. 400ml bottles bought for a few ££ each and last's me ages is a great money saver and suits my hair just as well.

 

[Seahorse]

Boots No7 mascara is the best ever

 

[LE lover]

What a great thread. I am trying to wean myself off due to financial reasons and the fact I have a huge stockpile to work through.But I will admit I've just bought the LE try me.
I said on another thread that I have really been sucked in during the years to trying virtually every cream and beauty product going. Hence the huge stockpile.
I never realised until I started watching QVC that the high street was some sort of evil vortex, where they will rip you off, charge you £5 for a cuppa and be responsible for damaging all your limbs while you are struggling to carry your items home.

Now when I pulled myself together and returned to the high street I found two things. First one, that virtually all the beauty brands were available in the dept stores at a cheaper price and secondly brands that I had been talked into discarding because they were not prestigious and luxurious enough were still there and a quarter of the price and often on offer.

It got me thinking about the hype. I use and always will use Rimmel and Maybelline Mascara. So if one of their representatives came on screen talked for 5 mins about the brush size and shape, the rich luxurious colour demonstrated on a model, threw in a few comments about a fashion show this mascara had been used on would we all be jumping to the phones? My conclusion was yes, because when demonstrated on already beautiful girls and applied by a professional make up artist most brands should look bloomin good.

So where does that leave me. Feeling a bit stupid for falling for all this twoddle but also grateful for introducing me to brands like LE and BE that I now purchase elsewhere unless it's a TSV or amazing offer.
I also wonder if I do actually love my Ojon as much as I think I do, or if I want to love it because I have spent so much on a shampoo and conditioner that stink that i convince myself how good it is.

I am definitely trying to wean myself off but I do enjoy the beauty shows for two reasons. One for tips that the make up artists give and two for a bloomin good laugh as when i'm really bored i can count how many times the words luxurious, prestigious, youthful bloom and world renound are thrown in to suck us in.

 

[loujareth]

I love my elemis but have recently gone onto different cleansers as my daughters keep pinching mine and I am so happy I did. 15 years ago I discovered Yves Rocher, that was the start of the slippery slope when it comes to skincare as then it led me to QVC and Decleor/liz earle/elemis. Now I've gone back to Yves Rocher when theres some very good special offers and I even got a £45 worth gift set special offer recently with some intense eye cream and night moisturiser which I'm having great success with. The cleanser I got is lovely too and for the price of 1 elemis cleanser, I can order a nice little package of goods from Yves Rocher. I've been eyeing the Aldi products and intend to try them one day soon. I'm sure my dd's will help me get through my purchases quickly and I'm still using the tri enzyme.

As far as Elastizer goes, I really don't rate the stuff, I purchased some years ago and even got another big pot to try last year with Beauty Bible testing and its sits on a shelf only been used twice. I think it only gives as good results as Vo5 hot oil but it's all about types of hair. I once purchased a PKingsley set of shampoo and conditioner for flaky scalp and hated it and gave it away, then years later, purchased it again and didn't realise it was the same one I gave away so ended up giving that one away too. I have since realised that my flaky scalp was caused by products that my scalp reacts with and now use alberto balsam at 3 for £2 which I love for the first wash then I finish with my giant bottle of Elemis shampoo I got off the bay several months ago and it's lasting forever. I still have some Ojon items purchased from ages ago and though I think its brill, I don't use it very often, cause of the hastle [smell!] of it.

 

[Capirossi]

We're all weaning!!!

Some good contributions there ladies - :mysmilie_504:

I went into town this morning and was waiting in Boots for the perfume lady to find me a tester (btw - has anyone smelt the new Halle Berry 'Reveal' yet? It has plumeria (fragipani) in and I lurve that smell!! No tester though) and I wandered over to the skincare ailse. There are so many good products out now, usually on offer, and I'm sure they're not going to turn me into some haggard old witch or burn my face off!!

Isn't this already running, with the FARTing group?

I have stopped buying LE following the c&p debacle and sell out to Avon, but am going to use my copious stash as it's such a waste of money, otherwise. Over on moneysavingexpert.com they have a monthly support thread that I go onto, which is all about not buying toiletries until you have used up all your stash. Everyone has their own rules, but for me, every time I use something from my stash, I put money into a savings jar, not necessarily the full price but £4 or £5. It is great watching it accumulate! There is also a thread over their where people share the bargain toiletry discoveries they have made, which makes for very interesting reading.

Suzi - can you point the way to these threads please? I am a member but can never find forums that I hear about, it's a such a large site. I like the sound of these ones :wink: What section do I find them in? Thanks!

 

[Moth]

I too have spent a fortune on QVC products while I was working. However, being forced to retire due to ill health, I find most of what they sell are too expensive and they've taken away most of the products that I used to like. What's left is a rip off so I look elsewhere and usually find them on eBay or other websites. Yup, even those brands that you can - allegedly - only buy on QVC!

 

[Polly Esther]

The stuff sold on QVC is sold as though if we were to even consider using something from the (gasp!) high street or (horrors!) supermarket, your skin will instantly peel off and your hair will fall out.

Nothing wrong with treating yourself if you can afford it, but the way QVC seems to insinuate that you are a lesser person for daring to use products from the high street (which if they were as utterly useless as QVC make out wouldn't sell at all would they?!) really annoys me. And don't get me started on AY and her price comparisons ("well if you bought a high street shampoo, you'd be paying about £7 per 100ml anyway" -dunno where you shop love?!)

I sometimes treat myself to Philosophy or L'occitane shower gels, but there are some equally nicely scented stuff on the high street. Asda and Boots do some nice Philosophyesque copies that are perfectly fine, smell lovely and get washed down the drain at a lot less money!

Hairwise - I've had Ojon... and it was ok, but nothing stunning. Any I do wonder what people expect? You are washing your hair and using something to detangle and add shine. Nothing is a miracle in a bottle. Been using Elvive (the pink one) for a few weeks now and my hair feels no different to Ojon or Philip Kingsley.

I must admit I DO like Liz Earle products, but sometimes I use a cleanser from Lush called "Ultrabland" which I remove with a muslin cloth and feels very similar.

When I think of how much I've spent on pricey beauty products and how much I could save using the cheaper (and not necessarily inferior) brands, I'll bet I'd have enough to have a holiday. And I know what I'd rather have.....

 

[Moth]

Right, I'm off to go try this apple serum stuff, assuming that all you forumites haven't bought it all up by now. I just hope it won't make me look like Granny Smith

 

[Loveinamist]

15 years ago I discovered Yves Rocher.

I used this range 35 years ago, didn't know they were still going!

Agree about elasticizer, it done absolutely nothing for me, or his shampoo and cond. for course hair. I was sucked into that when I should have known better looking at his hair.

 

[Breeze]

What a brilliant thread, thank you for starting it.

Yes, I need to wean myself off QVC beauty stuff too. Daren't even admit to the amount of L'Occitane I've got stashed away.
I've made a real start this month, resisted every TSV so far.

Rediscovered that there are some quite brilliant products out there on the dreaded high street, not just the prestigious brands either. Max Factor mascaras are brilliant, as are N07 cleansers, they even do a hot cloth one now that's good.
And Boots can often knock spots off QVC as far as offers are concerned.

And I don't know where the presenters shop but my local out of town precinct & some of the little market towns have free parking.

 

[Ciociaria]

Great thread - been thinking about this a lot recently. I posted on another thread to say that I'm trying to wean myself off QVC. I've had a few bad experiences with Q recently and I think someone is trying to tell me something! The only QVC products that I'll stick with are Ojon (which I can buy in JL) and Decleor oils and balms. Unfortunately, no local Decleor stockist but I did find a huge 30 ml night balm in TK Maxx for the price of the smaller size. I'm also working through my stash and trying to abide by the 'only buy when the pot is empty' rule. I've also re-allocated some of the stash to Christmas pressies. I need to stop listening to the sales patter - there are equally good brands out there on the high street and, judging by the state of AY sometimes, the QVC brands can't be that great!