Ashamed of my beauty product hoard!

[IPokeBadgers]

I have spent some time this morning trying to sort and tidy my beauty and toiletries cupboard and I am actually feeling very and 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?

No, can't redirect products to another bodily part. One's a Bobbi Brown BB Cream and the others a Bobbi Brown Bronzer. I do this, with Bobbi Brown. Lots of her stuff goes Orange on me or makes me look "flat".

Have just cut open my full-size bottle of Hawaiian Tropic! And have started using mini face creams on my legs. All these will soon be gone!

JJ chin up, you've had an amazing start. Full size products take ages but you will gradually use them up too!

Annarose extreme hitting the pan envy!

And yeah, some expensive mistakes in my cupboard too. A yellow Chanel foundation is super slowly getting used up (I use it as an undereye corrector).

I feel we all deserve some nice things as a reward for diligently using up stuff. I bought a bunch of Korean products last month, now doing a no-buy June to test them properly.

Damn it. It's my birthday soon and Cult Beauty have sent me a special birthday voucher code for 15% off Must. Not. Use.

Thanks Naboo :-) I'm just going to have to persevere and I'm sure I'll have a second wind of finished products some time soon! And hang in there re: the Cultbeauty code... Unless there's something you'd need to get anyway - otherwise it's definitely a false economy (i.e. even with 15% off you're still spending a lot more than the £0 you might have spent otherwise!)

I'm gutted because I've just started using up a new shampoo and conditioner and they're really bad! It's the L'oreal Mythic Oil range - they make my hair greasy within just a day or so whereas usually I could wash my hair every two-three days and it never got greasy... Obviously just a bit too heavy for my hair. Annoying thing is I'm now going to have to use them up - at the risk of having permanently greasy-looking hair for the next month or so! Grrr!

JJ I have an Aveda shampoo that is far too oily for my hair - greasy hair hell - but it is quite nice as a shower gel, just hoping it will not trigger massive bacne.

Empties - a Missha cleanser sample (nice, but too drying) and an Innisfree rice sheet mask (lovely).

One empty. Simple toner. Have been using this for years, possibly a decade. Won't repurchase now I've tried micellar water. The simple is actually quite harsh on my skin I've now realised.

An empty today: a 15 ml travel size of Dr Jart BB cream. My first Asian beauty purchase, a terrific product, decent sunscreen properties on its own, nice coverage and a lovely finish. It oxidizes slightly too dark on my skin so I have been mixing it with Missha #13 or Dr Jart green tube to get a perfect match for my skin. I have a backup tube, starting it right away.

I bypassed a 25% off self-tanners shelf today (St Tropez and everything!) as I have some rather grotty old ones in the cupboard. Feel very very proud of myself!

I'm quite good at not having too much make up to be honest, but with lip sticks I often look and think I have none, but it's because I have one in each handbag (which are my weakness... And shoes...) along with the obligatory pack of tissues, card of paracetamol and spare sani pad (or is this just me?.. Seriously I emptied all the bags the other day and had a bag full of these spare essentials! Found a tenner though!)

A Lumene mini face cream from CVS used up on my legs. Have another one and one or two hotel mini moisturizers. After that I think all my unwanted creams are gone and I can start using stuff that I really like

Also used an Innisfree sheet mask last night, highly enjoyable.

Boltonlass it's not just you!

Another empty: a No 7 Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator for normal/dry skin. Another OK product, no doubt bought as a Boots 3 for 2 or with a fiver off. Don't think there is one in reserve but might find one. I really like the clarins exfoliator but actually think this No 7 one is less harsh on my skin.

I read that a lot of exfoliators are bad because the plastic beads don't degrade and cause problems in the water cycle as they get into the food chain? Reading the ingredients list, it says it contains pumice but also synthetic wax, so I assume that's the exfoliating beads?

I'm not doing very well at using things up. In the last two weeks the only thing that I have thrown out was a shower gel. On the other hand, at least I haven't bought anything new so everything else should get used up sooner or later.

I've used up a pressed powder. I hadn't even panned it when this thread started so thrilled about that.

As you all know I'm concentrating mainly on makeup, and so far I've gone through two mascaras, a foundation stick and a pressed powder. I've only a weeks worth left on a BB cream. I've hit serious pan on four eyeshadows.

I'm astounded how quickly makeup can be used up if you use it everyday. Who knew? I really thought it would be slower than this. Well, we're still talking two months, but still! Imagine what I could clear out in a year!

The greatest thrill is replacing finished things in my "use it up" box. Its really motivating. On to a second pressed powder today!

Annatose, sounds like you are doing really well with the makeup.....at the minute I have focussed on reducing the toiletry/skincare stockpile as the make up seems too big a mountain to climb

so, another empty: a bog standard Olay moisturiser, total effects multi radiance version. Fine budget option for day to day use if you don't have big issues with your skin. Will prob buy again at some point but no time soon.....I even cut open the bottle to get the dregs from the bottom that were defying gravity when I left it turned upside down!

Annarose that is really inspiring! I actually used up a blusher/bronzer last year, not that hard if you just use one product regularly. My problem is that I flit between too many makeup products and that makes progress very slow.

Right now I have chosen a selection of products for my everyday look. I decided to focus on a dusty rose Chanel blusher that is half used already. It looked sad and messy so I gave the palette a cleanse with some micellar water and now it is gleaming black again. I also did a massive brush cleansing session yesterday, sunscreen and eye shadow primer clog some brushes, dishwashing liquid shifted it - a total of ten brushes look like new.

Quite a few full-size products are nearly finished!

A few empties for me this week

Liz Earle skin repair in a full size. I will definitely repurchase this as my skin loves it, in fact I have the next tube lined up, though I have a couple of sample moisturisers that I want to use up first.

A Herbal Essences shampoo - boring but necessary. Now to finish the Pantene that I'm not so keen on.

A clarins shower gel- the blue one. This is lovely but a bit of an extravagance at the moment so I won't be repurchasing, but now finishing up an original source bottle

A small bottle of the l'occitane body lotion - as above really. An gorgeous moisturiser but a little bit of an extravagance.

Hello, joining a bit late (actually I think I joined early on but forgot to come back...!) A few empties for me this week: body shop hemp foot protector which I love but won't be repurchasing till I've finished my soap and glory foot cream which I've just started but don't like as much as the body shop one. I've finished a boots botanics all bright day cream which was ok for the cost. I then swapped it for a sample of benefit facial emulsion! Will be interesting to see how they differ given the price difference. I am actually enjoying working through my stash instead of just continually adding to it and an looking fwd to having tidy clear shelves containing only products that I use, and also to having to go and buy a product cos I need it not just want it!!

Adding two new full-size empties!

The Body Shop Coconut Lip Balm - the product was okay but the jar it came in was all wrong for me, too deep and narrow, and it was impossible to get product out without getting white gunk under my nails. This is my least favorite lip balm and I've had it for years, so finally I decided to use it on my legs and it was gone in three days!!! Will repurpose the container, DD1 has really dry lips and she can keep some Aquaphor Healing Ointment in it (terrific for lips).

Hawaiian Tropic body sunscreen spf 30, big bottle - a friend could not take this home with her (cabin luggage only) so I've used it since April nearly every day. I initially like the strong coconut smell but just grew tired of it, it overpowers everything. This is a fully chemical sunscreen and although it is not greasy, I am not a huge fan. I think it stains my whites and it wears off really quickly, my neck became a bit red a couple of times and I had been out for less than two hours. Won't repurchase, Nivea sunscreens are much better. In fact Nivea spf 15 seems to offer more protection than this one!

We have several half-empty Nivea bottles so will pick one and focus on using it up next.

Feeling great about having much less clutter!

Finished an Aldi serum. It was the Anti-wrinkle one, not the famous hyluronic acid one everyone raves about. Won't repurchase, the fragrance was a bit old lady, whereas I don't remember the other one having much of a scent at all.

I'm going to see how I get on without serums at all. They seem to be a pointless extra tbh.

I have found that with all the aldi skincare I've tried - old lady fragrance is really off putting. Didn't know they did a hyaluronic serum though... I actually really love serums and think they've made a big difference since I started using them. Have several waiting to be used though so must not purchase anymore until they are!!!

Mid product update.

Half way through a Milton brown moisturiser - orange and bergamot. It's ok. But nothing special.

Have about half a bottle of body shop macadamia nut oil straughtening balm for my hair - it's supposed to help when straughtening hair. But it doesn't really - have to put rather a lot on for it to actually work and my thick hair does sort of clump together. So won't be repurchasing. It does help to tame frizz though...

Two new empties to report: Liz Earle cleanse and polish and a loccitane cherry blossom EDT perfume.

Wasn't sure about c&p to start with it and didn't think I would repurchase. Sort of changed my mind and found myself really liking it. I would get it again if it was in a qvc tsv or other multibuy to bring the cost down a bit.

Liked the l'occy perfume but expensive so not likely to repurchase....went a bit daft on l'occy stuff a few years ago so just finishing off the stockpile of it.....sort of moved on...for now! :-)

That reminds me, I've used up a bottle of L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil this week. Bought it in the January sales on the website so not bad value if its lasted till June.

It also came as a bundle with two refills so I'll refill it today and still have one left over. I'm going to be using it till the end of time!

I think its nice but not worth full price. I do like it though, leaves skin soft and works great for shaving your pits.

Another empty: Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Anti-Ageing Hand Cream SPF 25 50ml

Thought this was ok: at end of day, a cheapie handcream, and when it comes to cheapies, I actually think the handcreams from Lidl are better. To be fair though, this absorbs quite well and had an inoffensive smell. Very reminiscent of a suncream but that is probably the SPF 25.

Doubt i will repurchase: got so much handcream to use up it simply isnt funny, and this wasnt anything special to justify a repurchase.

Finally finished up my Boots Botanics Radiant Youth night cream last night. It smelled gorgeous and certainly hasn't made my dry, irritable skin any worse (and in fact would probably have made it better if I'd been a little more religious about using it every night), but I'm quite looking forward to treating myself to something new, because it feels like it's taken me almost a year to get through this pot, and I get bored.