A few weeks ago, Caitlin wrote a post called “The Internet Made Me Buy It – 12 Honest Reviews” and y’all loved it (us too!). I mean, in the year 2025, I think most of us have made a quick purchase of a “viral” internet product or general recommendation. Hey, we are in that world too! Of course, some are awesome and some are, well, disappointing to say the least. So since Caitlin’s post did so great, the rest of the team thought we could throw our viral product reviews – the wins and the losses for the world to see too. Let’s jump right on in.
Emily
Manucurist Starter Kit Gift Set
I hate getting my nails done (I like a pedi but not a mani) and yet have found myself so many times the night before a huge “hand heavy” shoot or event with legit embarrassing nails (I work with my hands and type like 200 words a minute – I have short fingers that work hard!). So I got marketed this at-home gel kit. It looked easy and like I could check a box by myself. Its process is extremely intuitive (only one button to push based on which coat you are working on), but sadly, I can’t recommend it because the gels normally pop off within 2 days. The product isn’t there yet (and it was expensive, so I’m bummed). Joke’s on me!
Medicube Zero Pore Pads 2.0 | Medicube Salmon DNA PDRN Pink One Day Serum
Collagen Jelly Cream
Kelly Oxford absolutely influenced me into buying some beauty essentials that I now LOVE. In her paid newsletter Permanent Retrograde, she gave 5 recommendations for Korean beauty products that she swears by (and now I’m seeing everywhere). Yes, we are talking salmon and shrimp DNA, and sperm (or so they say). I’m pretty sure I don’t know when to use these, like in what order (they are all by Medicube, and I’m nervous that I’m overdoing it), but my skin is so plump and glowy that I’m obsessed. I’m going through these WAY too fast (but y’all, it’s not expensive!!). I just need to do more research on which one to use in what order. I bought the toner pads (after washing), but what really glows/plumps are these capsules (more expensive because you use one a day), and this gel, which feels sooo good. I don’t have a moisturizer from them, so I’m not sure what to put on top (I’m afraid of mixing active ingredients). So any suggestions there are welcome (I’m winging it right now, but I don’t feel good about it). Meanwhile, I’m so excited about the brand and diving into Korean beauty products that I’m putting this tool on my Christmas list from Brian (which he’ll be like WHY THAT IS SO EXPENSIVE but then, out of desperation for needing to actually get me something that I want, he’ll cave and buy it.)
Floura Bars
The founder of Jenny’s Ice Cream has shifted to…Fiber??? Seems like the protein craze has finally chilled a bit in favor of a new panic…fiber (which, like protein, everyone is freaking out that we can’t possibly get enough) so I bought these new bars, Floura. Now, do I like them? Sure! But I’m such a habit coupler that it’s hard to know what is actually working right now. (I’m also on a lot of supplements and herbs to get my heart inflammation markers down). I still eat an okay amount of protein, but I did get convinced that when I don’t have time to source fiber, this bar is a good alternative. Thoughts?
Marlee
Redken All-Soft Shampoo & Conditioner
This was a TikTok recommendation I found when researching the best shampoos/conditioners for fine, dry hair. PASS. Should have tried a sample first, oops:/ Maybe this would be better for straight hair, but it completely fried my wavy/frizzy hair – every time I used it, my hair looked like I got electrocuted and was incredibly dry and brittle, even with a ton of leave-in conditioner. Not worth the price! I prefer Amika for a splurgy shampoo/conditioner, or just good old Native for drugstore!
Citrus Tea Perfume
Dossier Perfume to me always felt like one of those brands that you get Instagram ads for all the time, and it kind of feels like a scam. But after falling in love with a Le Labo sample, only to find out that an entire bottle would run me $240, I did a little research and decided to try Dossier out. Most of their scents are based on existing “designer” perfumes, so if there’s something you like, definitely check if they have a dupe. At only $49, the one I got smells EXACTLY like the Le Labo scent, and I truly get more compliments on it than any other scent I’ve ever used. Now, it may not be the highest quality (a $240 perfume does, in fact, last longer than a $49 one), but it does the job for a fair price. I haven’t tried any of their others, but I’m definitely interested.
Gretchen
Palmer’s Skin Therapy Cleansing Oil
There is a beauty influencer on TikTok that everyone worships. Her name is Nina Pool, and she recommends all kinds of beauty and skincare “dupes” that are notorious for being as good as she claims. She influenced me to buy the Palmer’s Skin Therapy Cleansing Oil (which she alone caused to be sold out for a couple of weeks). Honestly, I LOVE this cleanser and will continue to use it as long as it keeps working this well for me. I plan to restock the second I’m out, which is gonna be soon. It’s great for sebaceous filaments (mostly on your nose and chin), but I really love using it just all over. It feels so soft and luxurious. It also takes all my makeup off in seconds and leaves my skin feeling and looking how I want it to. An internet win!
Rechargeable Light Bulbs
Now for my loser. I took to the internet a while ago to try and find a way to make this hard-wired sconce work more like a plug-in one. I contemplated just rewiring it to become one, and even found a few conversion kits that I probably should’ve just bought instead of the “internet hack” I went with; these rechargeable light bulbs. They sure sounded pretty great– didn’t need a cord to work, could screw into any lamp, and would pop out easily to recharge because the little plastic LED bulb detaches from the socket, connected by a magnet. Well, I NEVER bother to charge these, so they never turn on when I want them to (the lights do work after they’re charged, I just should’ve known I wouldn’t do the work). But I came home to one of them on the floor the other day. Which was like, whatever, because the light bulb isn’t glass and didn’t shatter. Great. But the adhesive holding the magnet gave out, and therefore so did the bulb. I could probably fix it, but I don’t want to. It was a cool idea, but I never used them but once, and then it broke. So I think I’ll buy the plug-in kit. Or just use a different lamp.
Jess
Pajama Set (Top + Bottom)
Ok, so I did talk about these in a Link Up post recently, but I truly just love them! It was also maybe one of the quicker “add to cart” moments I’ve had in a minute. I was on TikTok, saw an ad of a girl wearing these PJs, and I just knew in my bones they would be wonderful. This time I was right, and the fabric is heaven. Like I said in the post, “I wear the shorts around my waist, and I’d say they are true to size. However, if you want a little more room or to wear them lower, consider sizing up.” And what’s also great is that they are pretty darn affordable at $18 and $19. I’m very tempted to buy the pants for the colder season. Thankfully, SOME things still are!
Allies of Skin Multi Peptides & GF (Growth Factor) Advanced Lifting Serum
And then some things are not affordable…like this serum that I now can’t quit but am a little embarrassed to admit I use due to the price. Here’s the story. I watched a video (that I cannot find!) of a beauty editor at a conference asking two dermatologists if they more or less recommended she get a facelift at 40 due to sagging skin after a decent amount of weight loss. They both immediately said, “Do not do that,” and then one recommended this serum due to the really incredible clinical results. The other derm quickly agreed with that rec. Now, I want to be clear that in no way was I considering a facelift, but as I get closer to 40, naturally, my face is changing, as it should. But I’m not going to deny that there aren’t areas on my face that I wouldn’t mind staying more taught for longer. So I’ve been using it since June, and I am really happy with where my skin is at. Like with any skincare, consistency is key, so I’m keeping my skin happy with this serum for now. And after going through two bottles, to make sure I actually loved it, I signed up for the subscription which at least takes off about $30. So what I will say is that I love it, but definitely do your research, see what makes sense for your skin, but it is a very good chunk of cash.
Light Blue Mesh Shoes
You are looking at what were supposed to be my birthday shoes. I kept seeing them on Instagram and finally decided that I wanted to wear them for my birthday dinner. Well…they showed up ripped. I was pretty sad because I was still able to try them on and loved them. I’m exchanging them and also going down a half size, just in case you like them and are also in between sizes. So this was a win/fail?
Sunglasses
This was a half-fail. I also kept getting ads for these sunglasses and decided, why not?! They weren’t too expensive ($49), and I wanted to try a new shape. You know, live a little! Well, the quality was perfectly good, but every time I tried them on, they looked too narrow for my face. Or like the eyes were too close together? I mean, that’s the gamble of buying sunglasses online, right? So I have nothing against the brand, but I do wish they had a wider bridge 🙂
Mallory
Wrap Gel Kits
I got an ad for these wrap gel kits, and WOW, I love them. Here’s my use case: if I go get a gel manicure, I absolutely hate it when one of my nails chips, so I got a few red colors and I color-match it at the nail salon. I get a regular gel manicure and then when one falls off, I can replace it with a sassy saint – it made my manicure last 3 full weeks!! I also linked that I’m a huge fan of Dazzle Dry – that’s my go-to for an at-home nail solution right now (especially for pedicures), but these are great for manicures because they’re thick like gel and last a solid week or more 🙂
Original Sculptseam® Legging
I got marketed for the “leggings that make your butt look great,” so I obviously bought them. They are in fact some of my favorites to wear because a.) no seam in the front b.) they’re buttery soft and c.) they do in fact make the booty look good as opposed to some of the Alo or Lulu leggings I have (which I still wear all the time too btw – I just notice the seams can sometimes be unflattering in comparison to the paragon ones). Definitely recommend trying them out!
That’s it for us! Got a viral product you’ve bought and loved (or hated)? Let’s chat!
Love you, mean it.