De-Influencing You - Things you don't need to buy

Social media is filled with people trying to sell you something, and when we're not looking at our phones, we're getting bombarded with advertisements on podcasts and websites. In reaction to the never-ending over-consumption images we're surrounded by, some influencers have started "de-influencing" videos to explain why some goods you don't need to, or shouldn't, purchase. Below is my short attempt at this trend - 5 things you don't need to buy.

(1) Silicone Makeup Brush Cleaner Mat

I've purchase two versions of this: the standard silicone mat you'll see in social media advertisements that fits in your sink and a smaller one for travel. Both have the exact same issue - they're impossible clean.

It can be satisfying to watch videos of people cleaning their brushes with these mats, but look closely and you'll notice they're always brand new. The silicone texture that is great for agitating the dirt off the brush, is the same texture that makeup sticks to like glue. I know these silicone items look harmless because they're so cheap, but such single-use items add up in trash. It's better for the environment to just using your hands for agitation with a good soap.

You can clean your makeup brushes with any soap you already use, be it dish soap or bar soap. I like to use the broken ends of bar soap, which kills multiple birds with one stone: I use up soap leftovers, don't have to figure out how to clean and store a silicone item I would only use once a month, and I'm not adding microplastics to the environment.

(2) Hot Chocolate Spoons and Bombs

These items look so cute in videos and as gifts but they're horrible for making good hot chocolate. Hot chocolate spoons take forever to melt and quite a bit of work to get an even chocolate drink. Hot chocolate bombs make a better drink because it's a thinner distribution of chocolate, but they're still difficult to get an even chocolate drink. There's a reason we have instant mixes!

If you do really want these items, I suggest getting the bombs that have an instant coca mix inside so the drink tastes better. That's how they were initially invented but many cheap versions are sold hollow except for a few marshmallows that end up melting. Either way, stay clear of those spoons!

(3) Vacuum Suction Plate Cover

Just doesn't work. Examples online include Amazon 1 and Amazon 2. I know it sucks to use cling-wrap since it feels like one-use plastic, but at least it works. There are new cling-wrap films being made out of seaweed and other non-plastic material which could be an environmental friendly substitute.

(4) Tiny Portable Vacuum

They don't have enough suction to compete with a larger handheld vacuum and have short shelf-lives. Examples online include Amazon 1 and Amazon 2.

(5) Cleaning Scrubber Gadgets

I've fallen for quite a few of these scrubbing items that swear it'll make cleaning easier like a scrubber cleaner, magnetic scrubber, and battery-powered scrubber. The scrubber element is usually one-time use and they have less power than able-bodied human-power with a sponge. If you have the mobility to use a sponge, you don't need one of these gadgets.

My takeaways on the ineffective items I spent money on that I shouldn't have, are the goods are:

• impossible to re-use

• not better than thing it's trying to replace

What's an item you bought from seeing an influencer use it that you regretted?