Shit I Bought From Infomercials!

My friend Annie from Mama Dweeb posted a question to her Facebook page the other night asking if anyone had ever been sucked into buying something based on a commercial…..

Um, yeah. But even more than a plain-old-run-of-the-mill commercial…. it’s the infomercials that get me to open up my wallet!

Bare Minerals

So I first purchased this product a few years ago… and I truly have been using it ever since. I like the coverage, I like the way it doesn’t cake up at the end of the day…. but truth be told- I was hooked when they told me that I could sleep in it! It looks good AND supports my end-of-day-laziness? Yes!

Shark Steam Mop

I have an on-again off-again relationship with my Shark Steam Mop. The original infomercial completely sold me on the idea of cleaning my floors with steam. No more chemicals, and the fact that I could wash and reuse the fabric pad felt very “green”. However, the cord on the first one I owned was too short, and the mop’s water tank was too small so it ran out of steam too quickly. After my mop broke for the 2nd time (although they did replace it twice- for free), I decided to switch to the Eurkea steam mop. And while that bad boy definitely put out lots of steam- the wimpy fabric pads barely picked up anything. I want a fluffy mop pad… I need to see lots of dirt stuck to it after I am done mopping. It makes me feel as if all of my effort is worth it!

So last month I purchased the latest pocket mop version above. And I am in love…. I just hope this relationship lasts.

George Foreman Grill

I actually snickered at this commercial for years…. until the cold Northeastern winters convinced me that I needed a good way to grill indoors. Now I am on my 3rd George Forman grill. Not because they break, but because after a year or two of cooking on it a few times a month- the non-stick coating starts to wear off. That’s when I toss it and buy a new one at the Target after-Thanksgiving sale for like $25!

Topstyler

I think this ranks as the craziest thing I ever purchased after being hooked by an informercial. For the uninitiated- the Topstyler is a hair curling tool- it heats up these clam-shells that you then attach to a curl of hair that you create with your fingers. Now the real reason I bought it- my girls have gorgeous yet straight hair… and there are times when they beg for me to make their hair curly. Based on the highly over-acted infomercial, I felt that this product might actually work. And actually- it does. It just requires a ton of product to keep the curls in place for longer than a few hours. But when I use it- I get crazy curly hair with tons of body…. it is really fun!

Shopping Tip

Now you know that when you fall in love with something from an infomercial… that you should never ever buy it from the website or the toll free number in the screen, right? Always try Target first- they usually have it much cheaper! (Plus you can return it later if it turns out to not be the item of your dreams!)

Um… and don’t ever buy one of those Snuggie things…. okay?

So what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever purchased from an infomercial?