Shop ‘Til You Drop: 45 Times What They Wanted Was Not What They Got
What you see may not always be what you get. The trend online, “What I Wanted Vs. What I Got” has shoppers worldwide sharing their frustration. The ease of shopping online is very attractive for many, but without reading customer reviews and researching the website, people are often highly disappointed with what shows up on their doorstep. Unfortunately, no matter how much we want something, sometimes life gets in the way, and we end up not getting it – or at least, not in the way we want it! From awful dresses made out of the cheapest materials to horrible tattoo fails stuck for life, here are 45 images of the TikTok challenge “What I Wanted Vs. What I Got”.
A Size Too Small
Regardless of whether you want to or not, we all know about the Kardashians. This family took the world by storm many years ago, and ever since then, their fame and fortune have multiplied tenfold! It’s no wonder so many women want to look like them!
Of course, the first step for that is to dress like them! Unfortunately, very few people can afford to wear the same clothes they do, and as such, many end up buying cheap knock-offs online. If only that piece of fabric could stretch as much as the real thing!
DIY Haircut
No matter the choices you have made in your life so far or how desperate you are for a new haircut, never, ever do it yourself! Especially if you don’t have any prior experience with hair styling! We’re warning you now – you will regret it!
Just like this lady here regretted it, we’re assuming! If you see a haircut you like online, make sure to take a couple of pictures and bring them to your hairstylist. Yes, hair can grow back, but until it does, you’ll have to walk around looking like a lawnmower went over your head!
Baggy Dress
If you don’t have any other choice, buying clothes online may be the only way to get the perfect outfit you need for that special occasion. It’s essential to pay attention to a few things before pressing the “buy” button, though!
Do you trust the website you’re buying your clothes from? Do a little quick research anyway to check other people’s experiences with it! Also, pay attention to the size of the pieces you’re choosing, especially to their exact measurements; otherwise, you’ll end up like the woman above!
Some Choices Were Made Here
Making cakes that taste good and look nice is an art form getting more and more recognition nowadays. Some cakes can be over $100 just for a young child’s birthday! Everybody wants a customized treat for their special occasions, from weddings to birthdays and any other meaningful day out there!
Unfortunately, some bakers aren’t very good at the whole decorating thing but don’t seem to be aware of their limitations! They just go for it and take some creative freedoms that weren’t expected of them! We can only hope the cake above at least tastes good!
Of Lions And Cats
If you’re at all familiar with internet culture, you know about the continuous debate over which is the best pet to have. Some people prefer dogs, others cats, and all just love to argue about their different points of view!
If you’re a cat person, though, you’d probably love the socks advertised in the first picture! Who wouldn’t want socks that match their furry friend’s little toe beans? Just make sure you buy from a reputable website; otherwise, you’ll end up being disappointed.
What Even Happened Here?
If you don’t mind having something permanently drawn on your skin, then tattoos are an excellent way for you to pay homage to someone or something you care about! Just make sure you choose the right artist for your design.
That’s right! This poor woman loves reading and decided to immortalize her love for books on her skin. Unfortunately for her, it seems the tattoo artist gave up on everything halfway through the process, and she ended up with this mess on her arm!
Online Shopping Gone Wrong
There is a reason you should never count on clothes you buy online if you have a big event coming up! You wouldn’t trust a tailor to make you an outfit on short notice, right? Then why would you trust a random website to deliver something ready to wear for a quarter of the price?
That’s definitely what happened here! This lady thought she could save a pretty penny on her dress by buying it online, but it didn’t go exactly as planned! Now she’s stuck with her ugly dress and can’t get a refund! We just hope she didn’t buy that for something truly special!
Bad hair day
Having flawless hair is as simple as washing it and letting it air dry for some people. For some irony of the universe, most of these people are men! Now, if you’re an unlucky woman like the rest of us, you spend a pretty penny to keep your hair looking nice every day!
Unfortunately, if you want to color your hair, you need to double the care to ensure your hair will not end up dry and damaged! Not only does her hair looks hideous, but the whole black and purple effect from the first picture was also completely lost on the second!
Can You Bee-Lieve This One?
Some people want to get tattoos just because they like the artistic look. On the other hand, others get tattoos that have some emotional meaning. Either way, we’re pretty sure the person below is not happy with what she got!
Not only does the second tattoo look nothing like the first one, but it also appears the artist wasn’t careful and ended up hurting their client with how deep the needle went! We can only hope this lady can recover from such a terrible job on her skin!
Birthday Party Dress
Ever since we were children, birthdays were a day where we could relax and have fun with our friends and family. Things haven’t changed much now that we’re older, except now people expect us to dress better and throw fancier parties!
That’s the case here, as apparently, this woman wanted a super fancy dress for her sister’s birthday! Unfortunately for her, what arrived in the mail didn’t look at all like what she ordered! We wonder what she ended up wearing for the party!
Kiddy Nail Art
Super manicured nails are popular right now, especially the long and sharp claws! They look amazing on any woman and, if your nail artist knows what they’re doing, you’re 100% getting out of the salon looking like you have Kim Kardashian’s hands!
Unfortunately, not every nail artist knows what they’re doing, or people simply don’t want to spend the money hiring a good professional and end up with nails that look just like the picture above! How does someone fail such a simple design?
Not So Fluffy, After All
If you’ve been anywhere near a fashion magazine these past few decades, then you know there’s a huge controversy when it comes to fur jackets! On the one hand, jackets made with real fur are super warm and look good; on the other many people prefer to opt for the fake versions for obvious reasons.
This woman here won’t have to worry about that, though, because what she got definitely wasn’t made with natural fur! Honestly? It looks way better than the one in the first picture, albeit a little short on the arms! No paint shower for this lady!
Wind Not Included
Of all the terrible clothes we have seen so far, this one is quite possibly the most beautiful of the bunch! Sure, it still isn’t exactly like the one the person wanted, but we feel that it can look just as good with a few adjustments – and some wind!
Just look at those dresses! The first one looks like something out of a fairytale, like an outfit a princess would wear! The second one is shorter and definitely not made with the same materials, but compared to everything we’ve seen so far, that’s actually a great find!
50 Shades Of Pink
When you are part of a culture with a particular way of dressing, it may be hard to find different alternatives for your style. Most of the time people rely on the internet for elegant clothing, but that’s not always a good idea!
For example, the outfit above, despite being similar to what was advertised, is still different enough to make the customer unhappy. Yes, the colors are similar, but the fit is all wrong! It was made for someone much taller, but we bet that wasn’t specified on the website!
Flame Fail
What’s up with all these nail artists messing up so bad on such an easy design like flames? That’s not the first time we have seen this happening, so we have to wonder just what kind of professional these people are hiring!
When it comes to cosmetic procedures, it’s never a good idea to go for the cheapest option available, even if it’s something as simple as having your nails done! It never ends well! At least the person here should have enough money left to fix this mess!
DIY Shirt
If you think about it, it’s not hard to find decent clothes online. The problem, most of the time, is that you can’t trust the website they’ve been advertised on! It would be best if you did your research correctly before taking out your credit card.
Otherwise, you’ll end up disappointed, just like the woman above! She did get the shirt she wanted, but not in the cut she wanted! Instead of a cropped top, she got a full t-shirt she has to cut herself! Bummer.
Unrealistic Mannequin
It’s crucial to pay attention not only to the measurements of the clothes you’re buying online but also to the body shape of the models wearing them! Depending on what you’re getting, unrealistic mannequins are the norm, and that’s a clear indication you shouldn’t buy there!
If you shop at these stores, you will end up disappointed in your outfit, just like the woman above! The dress she got in the mail is too large for her frame and has to be fitted to her body before wearing it in public, which costs a lot of money!
The Creation Of Adam Gone Wrong
If you know anything about art, then you’re probably familiar with the fresco painting “The Creation of Adam”! This beautiful piece was made by Michelangelo on the famous ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and has graced many history books and movies alike!
Being such iconic imagery, it’s no surprise some people want to keep it forever on their bodies as tattoos! Unfortunately, not everyone is as talented as Michelangelo, as we can see here! Always check your tattoo artist’s latest works, people!
The “Incredibly Ugly” Hulk
Everyone knows and loves the character Hulk, you know, the big and angry green superhero of the Marvel Universe! Despite being a huge pile of muscles with a bad temperament, he’s still adorable, so it’s no surprise he’s so popular with kids!
Although, we don’t think he’ll be favored in this household anymore – Not after this big “fail” of a cake! If they were going for the cake on the left, they definitely, catastrophically missed the mark! At least Hulk’s happy on the second cake, right?
Global Warming At Its Finest
We all know about global warming and how it impacts our world negatively, but some things that are affected by it aren’t mentioned on the news! For example, did you know global warming has hit Bikini Bottom pretty heavily? That’s right!
Just take a look at the picture above and see for yourself! Poor Sponge Bob couldn’t stand a chance! Seriously, though, who thought this design would be a good idea for a popsicle? It clearly would melt and create this nightmare of a character!
Deceiving Packaging
We all know it is super rare to find packaging that displays the items inside honestly. We’re pretty sure it’s impossible to find! That’s why the parents who baked the cake below shouldn’t have trusted this Barney baking pan in the first place!
Also, if you don’t know how to make frosting or how to dress up a cake, why give it a try right on your kid’s special day? Of course, it would turn out a mess like that! We hope the kid is not too traumatized with Barney after this whole birthday fiasco!
Another Tattoo Failure
We see so many tattoo fails out there because people don’t really take the time to understand how they work, and some tattoo artists simply don’t care if they’ll look good or not, caring only about their client’s money!
Take this one, for example. Apparently, the first picture is not even a real tattoo, but a temporary one! Instead of the artist giving the client a heads up and trying to find some workaround together, they just went for it! The result we can all see – It’s just not good!
Chocolate-Dipped Disappointment
One of the very few things people can agree on is that everybody loves chocolate! Everybody also loves fruit. With that in mind, someone had the brilliant idea of dipping fruit in chocolate, creating what can only be described as heaven in a bite!
That’s why the second picture here is so sad and even infuriating to some of us! Imagine you have ordered a big, beautiful tray of chocolate-dipped strawberries, and all you got was the few pieces of the second picture! We’d be fuming!
Hairstyling Fail
Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, especially if you are a woman who grew up dreaming about this event and how perfect it would be – from the flowers to the dress to your hair!
Unfortunately, not everyone gets to have the perfect wedding they dreamed so much about for one reason or another! In this case here, everything was great, except the bride’s hair! She wanted a beautifully done braid, but all she got was the tiny thing on the second picture!
Christmas Is Ruined!
We all know Christmas is a time of peace and celebration worldwide! It’s common for families to come together weeks before the holiday itself starts not only to buy gifts but also to decorate the whole house together and share the joy!
The cherry on top of this whole decoration event is, of course, the Christmas tree! Many families prefer natural trees they can buy at tree yards, but others simply can’t afford that, going for cheaper alternatives. At least we hope this one was cheap!
The Modern Hairstyle
Every young generation throughout the decades has had their particularities and little quirky things that make people both love and hate them! Nowadays, for example, it’s super common for younger folks to have pretty tame hairstyles with some twists added to them!
Like the hairstyle above, for example! You can see it from high schools to college dorms and just about anywhere there are young people around! Unfortunately, the hairstylist didn’t quite know what they were doing, and the poor boy ended up with this monstrosity on his head!
Unfinished Dress
Despite what some people may think, most of us have good taste – What we don’t have is the money to go with it! See the person below, for example. She fell in love with the dress on the left, but unfortunately, it was too expensive for her!
So, she did what anyone in her situation would do: She looked for a similar but cheaper one online and found it! Unfortunately for her, it was far from what she was expecting! The final product looks unfinished and cheap!
Life-Sized Butterfly Tattoo
A great thing about today’s technology is that it provides cool things such as the internet, for example! That makes the whole process of finding the right artist to make your tattoo easier – Hop on Instagram, and that’s it!
At least, it should be this easy! Of course, if you go for the cheapest option, you probably won’t find much of a portfolio online, but that’s your choice to make! Just don’t get upset if you end up with a life-sized butterfly tattoo instead of a minimalist one!
Radioactive Nails
Nail art is super popular right now! There are so many options – acrylics, gel, natural – and many different styles to choose from! The longer, the better, of course, and usually the flashier, the better too, it depends on the client’s taste!
No one expects to leave the salon with radioactive nails, though! Let’s be honest here, the nails on the first picture are a work of art, but the ones on the second one look like they have been dipped in radioactive waste! No, thank you!
Braids And Braids
If you’re a hairstyling maniac like us, then you probably already know braids are super popular right now! Not only are they empowering for people with curly hair who want to showcase how beautiful their hair is, but they’re also super intricate and an art form in itself!
Sometimes, though, clients don’t do their research or aren’t willing to do specific procedures to get their hair just like they want. Here, the woman in the first picture straightened her hair first to achieve the smooth effect on the scalp, while the second one didn’t!
Gym Wear Gone Wrong
Everybody wants to be fit nowadays, so it’s not a surprise to see people buying gym clothes all the time! If you love going to the gym, you probably have more than one outfit that can get expensive pretty fast!
That’s why online sales are so good! You need to pay attention, though, and buy from reputable websites; otherwise, you’ll end up like this lady here! Her outfit came in the wrong colors, and to make things worse both the tank top and the shorts appear to be sewed together!
What Did They Do To Elmo?
It doesn’t matter how old you are or what country you are from; if you’re a kid from the 70s, 80s, or 90s, you probably have watched at least one episode of Sesame Street in your life! This cute educational show has been around since 1969, after all!
That’s why the melting cake above is so disturbing! Yes, the first one is beautiful and probably delicious, but the second one is terrifying! Something out of a kid’s nightmare! We will never know if it ever looked good before it melted, but all we bet is that it didn’t!
Nightmare Piñata
No matter how old you are, if you have ever watched Lilo & Stitch, you probably cried your eyes out and fell in love with Stitch just like everybody else! That’s why this Disney movie still lives in the minds and hearts of many people out there even after all these years!
Though, some people must hate it! That’s the only reason why someone would make a Stitch piñata, right? To beat it up? Either way, we’re pretty sure Stitch won this round with his appearance in the second photo! Who would want to hit that and end up cursed? Not us, that’s for sure!
Bad Tattoo
If you’re the kind of person who enjoys getting tattoos, you must know just how important it is to find the right artist to work on you! Always check if they know how to do the kind of style you’re looking for. Otherwise, you’ll end up with something you’ll regret for life!
That’s what happened here! This person wanted an old-school-styled tattoo, but unfortunately, her tattoo artist wasn’t up for the task and left her with this hideous piece of art on her body instead! Hopefully, it won’t be too hard to fix or cover it up!
The Blue Hair Fiasco
Nowadays, it’s common to find people with colorful hair, especially if they’re on the younger side of things! Blues, pinks, even greens are super popular, thanks in no small part to social networks such as Instagram and TikTok! Usually, it is pretty gorgeous. However, sometimes…
If you, too, are tired of your old dull hair color, maybe it’s time to change things up a bit! Just make sure you know what you want and the kind of professional you’re hiring so you don’t end up with hair as damaged as this one here!
Glitter Cup Gone Wrong
Glitter is both loved and hated with the same intensity! On the one hand, it makes everything look prettier and happier, like some dust from a fairy godmother! On the other, it’s impossible to get rid of it, and you’ll still find it around months after you’ve used it!
Someone had the brilliant idea of making cups decorated with glitter, and the result is, well, mixed, to say the least! Yes, some look good, but others look cheap and poorly done! Want a nice glitter cup? Just don’t buy a cheap knock-off, and you’re okay!
Self-Explanatory Cake
When we’re kids, we think growing up means having the freedom to do whatever we want. In a way, that is true! Unfortunately, being an adult also means having some significant responsibilities on our shoulders that prevent us from enjoying too much of that freedom!
That’s why we’re not even mad with the cake on the right! Yes, it doesn’t look like the first one, but it definitely represents what “adulting” feels like! A couple more ugly flowers around, and it would have been actually perfect!
Piercing Gone Wrong
If you think about it, people have many different ways to express themselves and show the world what their personality is like. Be it through clothes, hair colors, tattoos; everyone wants something to make them stand out from the crowd!
Piercings are definitely included in this category and, while not as permanent as a tattoo, they still need to be taken very seriously. Finding a good body piercer is essential if you want everything to look good in the end! Someone should have warned the woman above!
Some Sizes Too Big
Some of you may not remember – mainly because you weren’t even born back then – but in the late 90s and early 2000s, jeans skirts were a big part of any girl’s closet, especially if she was into the music of the time!
This fad faded around 2005 or so, but for some reason, it is slowly making a comeback, just like everything else from that period of time! Maybe this skirt being way too big is just the universe showing this poor girl jeans skirts belong in the past and nowhere else!
Garbage Bag Or Cheap Dress?
Some people say it’s vital for a woman to have at least a couple of black outfits in her closet. The most important one of these outfits is a simple black dress. Well, this woman here indeed followed that advice!
Unfortunately for her, she decided to go for a cheap dress she saw online and ended up with the mess above! Still, it could have been worse! Despite not being the same fabric from the first one, her “ugly” dress can still be adjusted for her body type!
Teeth Or Butterflies?
Tattoos have always been popular, and their design can vary as wildly as the people who get them. You can find tattoos of literally anything you search for online, from big and colorful to minimalist black and white ones!
Little butterflies are trendy too and reasonably easy to create. At least, easy for some tattoo artists! Others simply don’t have a single artistic bone in their body and end up doing terrible tattoos for cheap! What are those weird molar teeth?
Plastic Ring Knock-Off
Everybody loves keeping a cute knickknack or two around. Be it a little decoration for your home, a cool PopSocket for your phone, or even some jewelry to complement your look! These things are made of plastic most of the time, but that’s okay because they’re supposed to be cute and not expensive!
Unfortunately, even if they’re not super expensive, it still is easy to fall prey to cheap knock-offs online. How’s that possible? We’re not sure, but that’s what happened here! This cute frog ring was supposed to be hard plastic, but it turned out to be the same consistency as a gummy bear! Yuck!
Not The Best Bangs For Your Buck
Not many people think like this, but hairstyling is an art form! If you don’t know how to cut hair and style it properly, you have no business messing around with people’s heads! We guarantee it’s not as easy as some people think, too!
For example, the girl above wanted bangs like the woman in the first picture. Unfortunately for her, she probably doesn’t know it needs many products and styling to make any hair look good! Hopefully, she’s learned that by now!
Weird-Looking Nails
Long nails aren’t for everyone! Some people think they’re ugly, while others simply can’t wrap their heads around the logistics of having them! The truth is, though, many people do love them and pay good money to have perfectly manicured nails!
Unfortunately for this woman here, we hope she didn’t pay much because the result is similar, but definitely not the same as the first picture! The first nails are pretty and delicate, while the second ones are thick and weird-looking!
Similar, But Not The Same
Some people think that “good enough” is what everybody is looking for when they pay for a service, which is not the truth! If your client asks for something, you better deliver precisely what they want or face the consequences of your lack of communication!
These nails here, for example. They do look similar to one another, but there are many minor differences that, when bundled together, simply ruin the whole thing! Different shape, different polish – These all matter when it comes to nail art!