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Original poster

Ashamed of my beauty product hoard!

990 replies

IPokeBadgers · 01/03/2015 15:04

I have spent some time this morning trying to sort and tidy my beauty and toiletries cupboard and I am actually feeling veryShock andBlush at the sheer volume of stuff that I have, much of it lovely and expensive and unopened!

I reckon it could take me a couple of years to get through it all!

Buying make up as well as lovely bath and shower stuff seems to have become my go to/default pick me up when I want to impulse buy...... but seeing the hoard has brought me down.

anyone else like this and are there any threads that would encourage me to stop buying stuff and use all the lovely products that I have?

please tell me I am not the only person like this?

OP posts:
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21
Annarose2014 · 26/04/2015 16:52

Well I learnt from my research that concentrating on 1/2 shades at a time is the way forward. And its true cos you hit pan quicker and its motivating, whereas if you were using all equally it'd be months and you'd abandon it all in disgust!

Am also using the shimmery white shade as a cheek highlighter.

I doubt I'll ever hit pan on the black though!

ememem84 · 26/04/2015 18:42

I'm very late to this one. But have been trying to use up stuff too! this month i have used up all my sample/travel sized face products which i was keeping for some reason.

i probably have enough make up to last a full year. including about a million nude shimmery eyeshadows....

recently had a consultation by clarins lady, who encouraged me to buy more stuff (bad...sobad...)

but am using up and repurposing before i start on the clarins (nivea in big blue pot on feet for example...)

hoping to use up another body butter tomorrow!

mowglik · 26/04/2015 23:16

annarose i used to do this with my urban decay eye primer as it was famous for seemingly finishing too quickly when actually there was a ton of product left in the tube around the sides..dont wear much eyeshadow these days so no need to do things like that anymore but it takes me back lol

trying to use up samples of masks etc at the moment, but have somehow acquired a couple of new foundations and bb and cc creams :/ i blame my upcoming holiday

mowglik · 26/04/2015 23:19

oo also i wore my only red lipstick mac lady bug to a wedding today and reapplied too, feeling pretty good about that as i hardly ever wear lipstick but have around 10 tubes of the stuff! Hmm

Nabootique · 27/04/2015 08:30

I only use one thing up over the weekend, a sample of Sunday Riley's Bionic Anti-ageing cream. It was a lovely moisturiser, but I think it's aimed at an older market. I'm not particularly wrinkled yet and I think I'd see more of a benefit if I was. Definitely not worth £175 for full size to me, but did give a nice hydrated glow.

mowglik · 27/04/2015 08:42

naboo how are you getting all these brilliant samples? Not that I need any more products to finish but I love to experiment and try out new things without spending ££ (who doesn't!)

Nabootique · 27/04/2015 08:51

Cult Beauty let you choose 2 if you spend over £40, Being Content threw in a couple and I use their lovely sample service (£3 and you get 4 samples of whatever you want to try from their website. They make up their own in little pots if they don't have official samples of it) and also Naturisimo let you purchase sample sizes (up to 5) with any purchase. The Naturisimo ones vary a lot in price and size, depending on the brand, so check the small print.

jjwhite · 27/04/2015 12:17

I'm really impressed at all of you using up eyeshadow! I've got a (reasonably) large makeup stash but other than mascaras/foundations luckily most things can sit around for years and still not go bad... So it feels a bit less urgent to get through everything than my skincare stash (which is enormous and will honestly take me a decade to use up!) I bought a whole load of eyeshadows (Naked 2 palette inc.) a year or so ago when I went through an eyeshadow phase... Now I rarely wear eyeshadow and have about a five year supply of eyeshadows to get through! Going to take your advice about using up just one or two shades everyday....

Now that I've used up all the samples/trial sized skincare products things are much slower going... Certain things such as eye creams and lip balms seem to last forever even when I'm slathering them on twice a day.

I now haven't bought any new skincare/beauty products in nearly two months which for me is a great success!! It feels so rewarding using up things I already have and it makes me realise how relatively short-lived the fun of buying new products is versus the satisfaction of saving a bit of money and using up what I already have...

jjwhite · 27/04/2015 12:21

P.S. What are your thoughts everyone on using concealer on your body? I've got more concealers than could possibly fit on my face and I'm wanting to repurpose them... With summer soon to arrive I'm wondering if using some of the more heavy duty ones (i.e. won't wash/rub off ones like Vichy Dermablend) on the stretch marks on my thighs might be a good use? Do you think that would look a bit weird using concealer on the body though or if it's done subtly do you think it's a good idea? I guess I'd only use it when at the beach/wearing revealing clothing as otherwise it's just a colossal waste of time but I'm wondering if there's a way to do it that would be subtle and would also masque my stretch marks...?

FrugalFashionista · 27/04/2015 14:19

JJ I bruise super easily and have sometimes tried to cover a bruise on my legs with concealer. But my concealers tend to be pinker than my legs so the net result is that the bluish bruises become a weird orangey pink and that makes the bruises look even more obvious. Hope your concealers are a better color match! Btw I bought the Nars concealer and it is ace!

Charityworker34 · 27/04/2015 14:24

I sometimes use up foundations and BB creams on my body- mixed with body moisturiser and applied on legs, chest and neck. I don't use tanner but this seems to even out tone nicely

Annarose2014 · 27/04/2015 14:36

I've done it but like that found the colour match is very difficult on the body.

Annarose2014 · 27/04/2015 14:38

jj pick an eyeshadow almost the same as your skin to start, if you don't wear eyeshadow. A creamy shade to just even out pink eyelids. It can really make you look awake and you'll wear it everyday!

Annarose2014 · 27/04/2015 14:42

......though I don't recommend the cream in the Naked 2 palette - its easily the worst formula in the palette, with no colour showing up. I've hit pan just cos I REALLY want it out of the way first!

Charityworker34 · 27/04/2015 14:44

Annarose, me too- I make it very sheer with body moisturiser which helps

jjwhite · 27/04/2015 15:01

Thanks everyone! I think I will try out some of the more yellow-toned concealers I have on my stretch marks as I agree that concealers are often pinker toned to match the skin on your face and would look a bit weird on the body... I will also try the suggestion about mixing foundation with a bit of moisturiser for the chest/ legs etc... My only worry is that it might transfer onto clothes, but I'm going to give it a try...

Thanks Annarose for the eyeshadow tip. So true about the lightest shade in Naked 2 - it's so bad!! Terrible compared to the others which are really pigmented and creamy. I'll let you know how I get on!

FrugalFashionista - so pleased you're liking the Nars creamy concealer :-) I really think it's the best, hence why I'm trying to use up all the other concealers I've got lying about (I think I'll be repurchasing Nars ones from here on in!)

Charityworker34 · 27/04/2015 15:04

jjwhite- I tend to keep the foundation/moisturiser mix well away from hemlines and necklines to avoid transfer as much as possible. It's a 'summer dress' thing for sure!

Charityworker34 · 27/04/2015 15:06

And yes- Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is AMAZING, covered chicken pox scars for me!

Annarose2014 · 27/04/2015 15:30

Ugh ditto re the Nars. Why is the best concealer so bloody expensive??

FrugalFashionista · 29/04/2015 10:56

Thanks so much for the Nars concealer recommendation JJ, I have been using it for almost a week now, it's pale enough (I wear the pink pale shade) and covers my purplish undereye area perfectly. Well worth the price! Now I just have to use up the rubbish Bobbi Brown!

Have been trying my stash of eye shadows in the process of deciding which palette to use up first. Today wearing bronze eye shadow. I have green/hazel eyes so almost any color works but had totally forgotten that I even own a bronze palette! I love wearing the darkest shade as a liner, much more precise than pencils but also a softer gentler look! Cannot believe I used black eye pencil for a decade in my twenties Wink

And Annerose I totally agree that an eye shadow that is very close to one's skintone makes everything look just a bit more polished. I've never been to drag queen eye shadow but soft taupes, golds, apricots and flesh pinks just look super flattering! I also enjoy a bit of shimmer, am into metallics a lot.

ememem84 · 02/05/2015 10:42

so far this week I have managed to use up 2 moisturisers. Hooray! and have gone back to wearing just a smudge more make up so I can use up the hoard I have.

currently wearing milton brown lack pepper moisturiser. I like it, but do think it smells a bit blooey (think it is a blokes one..).

next on my hit list is a bB cream which Ive literally never used. so have no idea how this will go. revlon bb.

jjwhite · 02/05/2015 10:46

One empty this week:

Zelens 3t anti-aging moisturiser (trial size): so I've used this on my face, neck and chest every second night for the last couple of weeks. It has a very pleasant, slightly lemon-y scent and a nice texture - thick but not too thick, perhaps a little bit silicone-y (although presumably it doesn't actually contain silicones). It has actually been really hydrating and has got rid of all the dryness I've been suffering from because of retinoid use. That said, I have extremely acne-prone skin and while this didn't cause full-on spots I think its rich formula might have caused a few blocked pores/mini-black heads around my mouth (although that could easily be from something else I'm using/bad diet recently). All in all I thought this was actually really nice, and if money was no object I'd probably repurchase it. Again, as I've said before re: other expensive products, for me a moisturiser that is £95 for 50ml (!!!!!!) it would have to be truly life-changing, so I don't have any plans to buy a full-size atm.

FrugalFashionista I'm so pleased you like the Nars concealer :-) And I agree - given how good it is and how long it lasts it really is worth the price!

Anyone else had any empties this week?

GingerLemonTea · 02/05/2015 10:48

Travel size deodorant, shampoo & conditioner done.

FrugalFashionista · 02/05/2015 14:24

Well done ladies! I'm mostly using full-size products now, so empties are a rare event. Have fallen in love with my peachy/ bronze eye palette, really great for barely there summer eye makeup, so using it atm.

Paperblank · 02/05/2015 16:41

Not only do I not have any empties I have just found a bag full of travel size goodies.

sigh