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?

I cleaned out my toiletry cupboard, scary amounts of bits and pieces especially serums and body lotiond

I also have a scary number of 'use up now as there is no other place for it' in my bathroom right now. Going to use up a handful of minis because they go fast.

Finished a bottle of Burberry Woman EDP today. I've had it forever, and because there were just a few ml left wanted to use it up to reduce clutter although I no longer love it. It is a slightly cloying peach, comforting in cold weather.

Thank you dogday

Three for me today - a full size elemis apricot toner, travel size liz Earle botanical body cream and vial of superskin concentrate - all fine but don't think I'll re-purchase the apricot toner as it seems to set off my burning mouth syndrome

I have collected vast amounts of toiletries through subscribing the things like Glossybox and buying Latest in Beauty boxes. Every so often I go through them and send stuff to Give and Make Up.

muminhants do you have a link for the Give & Make Up address? That is such a great idea I'd like to do the same, but the info I've found looks like it might be out of date (people saying parcels have been returned to them).

Travel set used up this weekend. Hooray for impromptu holidays!!! Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and moisturiser. Yay!

I've also used up a trifecta - a travel size shampoo, toothpaste and a mini LRP Effaclar foaming face wash (too harsh for my face). One full-size Effaclar left

I've been off on my holidays and have got through quite a few things (although admittedly had to purchase a few things too - SPF, aftersun etc.) So here goes!:

Eucerin Day Cream SPF15 - Nothing amazing, like all SPFs left my face very shiny. Won't repurchase although it wasn't bad per se (it didn't give me spots/sting etc.) - just a bit 'meh'.

Biotherm SPF15 Gel - Body suncream - really liked this and would repurchase. Nice citrus smell, absorbed very quickly, no white/blue tinge left on my skin. I got through the bottle pretty quickly but then I was applying/reapplying everyday for a fortnight so not that surprising I suppose.

Emma Hardie cleanser - really love this, especially useful in the summer for taking off SPF as well as makeup. That said, I do find micellar waters/face washes much simpler and try and avoid using balm cleansers except when I've had suncream on or lots of makeup.

Dr Organic Aloe Vera with Witch Hazel - Good, cooling aloe vera from a reliable, decently priced brand (bought from Holland and Barretts I think?) Would repurchase although I only use it on sunburn and on the whole try and avoid getting sunburnt wherever possible!

The Body Shop Grape Seed Hair Oil - Really nice hair oil, smells good, moisturising and glossy. It has taken me (literally) 8 years to get through this bottle so it is extremely good value for money (a little goes an extremely long way!)

Eucerin Body Moisturiser - Nice, moisturising, sinks in quickly, would repurchase. Eucerin is a great skincare brand and I like the majority of their products.

Eucerin Body Wash - Really good body wash, leaves your skin moisturised and clean and not dried out. Will repurchase in the future and have already repurchased.

Omorovicza Illuminating Moisturiser - 'Meh' product that is extremely expensive. Would certainly not repurchase. Nice, clinical/herbally smell, but otherwise nothing to distinguish it from a cheap, basic moisturiser. On the whole I've been pretty unimpressed by Omorovicza - from what I can tell it has nice packaging/smells nice but otherwise is just bog standard products.

Hawaiian Tropic SPF 15 Moisturiser - Won't repurchase as it has very visible glitter in it. Undecided on the scent - can't decide if it's cheap/artificial (coconut, 'holiday' smell) or really nice and evocative.

Hawaiian Tropic SPF 15 Oil - Really liked the oil/gel texture, otherwise probably wouldn't repurchase as it wasn't anything very special.

L'Oreal Mythic Oil shampoo and conditioner - really not a fan. For a third of the price I can get shampoo and conditioner that is much better. Left my hair feeling a bit weighed down, certainly didn't add anything, felt I had to wash my hair more frequently because it never felt properly clean. Wouldn't repurchase and certainly wouldn't recommend.

I'm moving house next week and so am in the final push of using things up so I'm not unnecessarily hauling loads of nearly empty bottles and tubs with me!

PS sorry for the essay!!

Totally agree about Omorovicza jj. I was so excited to get my hands on a sample of the much hyped Thermal Cleansing Balm but was totally underwhelmed. In fact, I really disliked it. Has put me off trying anything else of theirs. I have similar feelings about Oskia. The cleansing gel is nice, and I will repurchase it, but the exfoliating balm and radiance mask are pretty meh to me.

Oh, and I used up a sample of Suki Color Tinted Active Moisturiser yesterday. Mixed it with my moisturising primer. Nothing to write home about. I've finished a few showers gels/bubble baths/shampoos/conditioners but I never list those as I don't have a stash to use up, exactly, I buy as I need, usually on offer with a few in reserve, but I don't feel guilty about them like I do make up and skin care!

A couple of empties here. I finished a neutrogena hand cream (can't remember which one but it was really greasy so I used it as a foot cream). Also I chucked the last bit of the Body Shop Drops of Youth Serum as it seemed to be getting a bit gloopy and smelled funny.

I also used the last of a Neutrogena oil free eye make up remover which I bought in the US. I really like this and am glad I have another bottle.

katiegg -that's nothing -dd (12yo) has 85 lip balms!

Great post, Katie

dogday what did you think of the Drops of Youth serum? I've been looking at it for a while, but the reviews seem pretty mixed.

Ahh, 12 year old girls and lipbalm. I used to collect too, although I don't think I made it to 85! I'm impressed.

Lip balms! No idea how many i have, they are dotted all over the house, car, work desk, one in every handbag....I think they breed!

Great post Katie I'm sure if I could do it I'd feel the same but just can't break the buying and 'stocking up' cycle I have.
How did you deal with that side of things, if it is something you were aware off too?

Thanks so much Katie.

Cleansers are my weakness too! Great idea about negative reviews, I spend a fair amount of time reading reviews so that will hopefully help. Will take some pictures too.
Thank you

Nabootique I thought it was nice to start with but it's a bit gloopy. It was OK but I prefer my bottle of Good Genes by Sunday Riley (which at £85 a bottle is a good thing! Bought with a voucher I should add).

I am too scared to count how many lip balms I have. I know that I have at least three at work

My ambition is to finish a tin of vaseline. I know a friend has done this although I think she is the only person in the world to have done so.

I should hope Good Genes would be better for that price, dogday! It's on my Cult Beauty Wish List. Sigh.

I finished up a trial size Elemental Herbology detox mask last night. It's really nice, but I think it's basically a clay mask so won't be repurchasing given the price. I am loving their work though.

Paperblank rub the Vaseline into your nails and cuticles. Tis very good for them

Just used up two foot cream minis (Eucerins ones - really nice!) by putting them on my dry calves... I never get through foot creams but from now on I'm going to use them on my legs instead and I think I'll speed my way through them!

I love the idea about taking pictures of current stash and then looking at them at the checkout as a dissuasion technique!

I finished another mini shampoo and a big bottle of Listerine. Listerine counts because we somehow have accumulated three bottles of it and they are so bulky. Getting rid of the extras means roomy cupboards and more space for DC's bath toys.

I should photograph my stash too. Every cleared drawer is extremely rewarding. I have now organized everything and know exactly how many I items I have - depressingly many but at least I am finishing something.

I now have a 'use it up' box in the kitchen too. I look at what I have there and quite often come up with meals that incorporate some of those ingredients.