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 decided to stop buying cosmetics and toiletries at the beginning of the year, and I've stuck to it so far. I have an enormous haul of make up and skincare and I got very emotional and cross with myself at how much money I had wasted and allowed others to spend on me. So I decided to get on and start using it all systematically.

I found that i had 7 foundations on the go for god's sake. And I was coveting a new one (Chanel Aqualumiere). Ridiculous. I also had masses and masses of body lotions and hand creams (expensive brands like L'Occitane, Molton Brown, Clinique etc), so I am slowly using them all up. I have at least three years' worth. I have bags of eyeshadows.

I have just finished a lipstick and I am not going to replace it, as I normally would. I am just going to start using the next one. Same with my face moisturiser and serums. I am just going to my stack and slowly going through them.

WellTidy and Costa taking stock of where you are can be really painful - well done! And finishing up something is quite something - we all know how long it can take.

WellTidy if it helps at all, the foundation I am about to bin is a Chanel one! It makes me look jaundiced Don't bother with them if you happen to be cool-toned or pale - they have absolutely nothing for you. If you are still into it, ask for a sizeable sample before committing! I'm using it to cover my dark circles, but it's not even great for that. Just a tiny daily reminder of what a fool I have been...

SpecificOcean well done resisting!

I also had loads of un-used / barely used make-up and skincare products. I asked the girls at the DCs nursery and they were very glad to take them off my hands. I know they get paid a pittance and take good care of my DC so happy vibes all round :)

I bought into the idea of having three cleansers as in a balm/milk/cream, two toners -one acid, one hydrating and a selection of serums, hydraluron stuff and various night creams and day creams that a certain beauty blogger recommends as a general starting point. My skin hated most of it as did my bank balance and I felt a right sheep. Now I've thrown it all out and have two cleansers - micellar and a cream, a facial oil, a night balm and liquid gold.

I much prefer this pared down regime and so does my skin. Also, that stuff was going out of date as soon as it was opened and having a dozen premium skincare things on the go is madness.

Last night I took great delight in throwing away empty tubes of moisturiser and body lotion that I have been using up for weeks.
Only another dozen or so of each to go

Frugal thank you for your praise! Its a boost to keep going. I have worked out what colour foundation I am on a universal chart (1C1) and I have binned the foundations which are basically too cool toned for me. I am pale but with a pink tone. And I still have seven left for god's sake. I do include tinted moisturiser and BB cream in that though. Not that I am making excuses, I know I am shocking. But at least I am not buying any more.

I have also put my unused and pristine Molton Brown sample size bottles of body wash and body moisturisers to one side, as I know that they are the perfect size for using to fill crackers at Christmas. I aways assemble my own crackers and now I have the contents.

I bought a shower gel from Rituals this morning as a birthday gift for my BIL. The assisteant very kindly went to give me some samples for myself and I declined them. I already have far too many. Now, am I good, or what?!

Can I ask a (probably) ridiculous question? How much (ish) does a make up consultation cost? You know, the ones where they tell you which foundation, eyeshadow colours, blushers & lipsticks suit you best? I'm thinking it must balance out the costs of wasted products I might buy in error (and hate when I actually try them on).

And is there any hard sell at the end? I can't afford top, top brand products but if I have an idea of colour & shade I will be able to buy pocket friendly ones.

I'm in Manchester.

I have NO idea why that posted so many times .

I was wondering this as well, iklboo. I have spent a fortune across all of the brands all all prices (from Chantecaille where I paid 60 for a foundation, which is very nice, but still, down to MUA) and its all been trial and error. I would love for someone independent to look at my skin tone and type and recommend me products across all brands rather than trying to sell me their own products on which they have targets, earn commission etc. I am London based.

Oh God the Caroline Hirons Routine of Mass Consumption. Been there. :(

Also realised that I too have a Nars blusher that looks ridiculous on me. Its so pigmented that no matter what brush I use its impossible to avoid clown-face. Dare I chuck it? I got it 25% off but STILL!

Chuck it, it doesn't bring you joy.

Ikiboo, you can ask the question, just not three times IME you will get a consultation for free from no 7 etc as long as you buy a product at the end.

I have come to the conclusion that my routine needs to be much simpler. I don't do well with serums, makes no difference at all to my skin. I use a face wash, SPF moisturiser, eye cream, then make-up. At night a night cream after using roser-water lotion, and an eye cream. Never found a BB or CC cream that wasn't re-inventing the wheel.

For those of you asking why do women do this, you can read Naomi Woolf's The Beauty Myth. Basically says that if you reduce the available wealth and time available to women in this way you will distract them from the injustices and inequalities that women still face.

Meanwhile I'm working on using stuff up

I find Bobbi brown ladies infuriating. I went to buy a lippy (the one I binned last week) and the SA put it on for me but....she also outlined my lips and used a tad of gloss on top of the lipstick. I loved it. Bought it. Wore it the next day and thereafter for a few weeks and then realised why it looked different on me. It really washed me out as it was a nudish pink and without all the guff she put on additionally, it made me look like the undead. I went back with it and (different SA) tried to talk me into buying a lip liner and using thatall over my lips with the nudish pink lippy on top. So, would have spent another £20 to "supplement" the crap lipstick. I just walked away in the end, and binned the Nosferatu look lippy.

Annarose I've worn Nars Deep Throat today and I look like a matryoshka doll.

Here's my how-to:

1. Apply with an angled brush as lightly as humanly possible
2. Wipe with a Kleenex
3. Wipe some more with a Kleenex
4. Apply loose powder and white highlighter
5. Stay indoors for the rest of the day

I've tried with fingers too but it looks like this.
Can you ladies help me out?

The Clinique SA wipes a Kleenex over the actual blusher then picks the blush up from the Kleenex on a big fluffy blush to apply. Worth trying?

It sounds like it's grabbing the moisturiser or foundation. Maybe powder the cheeks first?

No, because I hate waste and beauty stuff has a shelf life.

Stop browsing QVC and use what you have in the cupboard. Less is more...

Sorry SpongeBob! I think I had server issues & it posted a zillion times . I do like No 7 products and they're not too pricey. I'll check the Boots in Manchester & see what they say. Thank you.

Must borrow my DD1s copy of The Beauty Myth
What has 'cured' me is cleaning out my MIL and, more recently, an elderley neighbour's stash. MIL wasn't too bad -not so much lots, but some very old and gone 'nasty' things. But neighbour had some unopened perfumes(some with receipts bought duty free 30 years ago-all gone 'off' ) seven powder compact refills-all slightly used- loads of eyeshadows etc etc And sail varnish, gone sticky . Had a clear out . I wear a lot less make up than I used to (increasing age ) and without getting stuck in a time warp have found out by trial an error over the years what works for me . But I lapse occasionally . The new YSL Touche Eclat foundation for example....
I'm a sucker for the little free miniatures (though I do use them on holiday ). And will fall for advertising on a new product . But since last autumn have decided to use up everything !Am doing OK but bought some new Boots serum recently( £5 off voucher and the old Olay one was nearly done) and they threw in the eye cream. I rarely remember to use the damm thing.
Body lotions/body butter seem to be a 'go to' gift . DH bought me a lovely Molton Brown one for Christmas (the hint via DD was for shower gel-which I then had to buy-but never mind ) And I love Body Shop Moringa but have the lotion and the butter and never use . Must try using up cheapies on my feet ...
I do though find it's worth having a smallback up 'supply' of a product you love . My Bourjeois cream blusher suits me perfectly (have worn it for years) but shock, horror, they stopped doing it except in USA. The relief when they re- introduced it under a diferent colour name/number. I have hidden a new one away .Ditto Max Factor Masterpiece mascara. I live in fear of them discontinuing it.
A friend moved hiuse recently and gave away load of Clarins stuff she'd had as freebies . Its a good ploy !

iklboo
I had a consultation once at Space UK They do stock different makes but all a bit high end/pricy. Their consultant persuaded me to buy a Laura Mercier foundation .About £42(graven on my brain what the f**k was I thinking ) and this was about 5 years ago Coverage is great but it's too dark (I knew it was but let her talk me into it) I have very fair skin ,which I actually quite like, and she was 'warming me up '(!)I can wear it if faintly tanned but I rarely wer full foundation when its hot/I am tanned... Just tinted moisturiser So be warned ...

Thank you - I'll be wary.

A foundation with a good colour match should not look dark, it should be invisible because it should be as near as possible to your own skin colour. .If you are testing the colour yourself try it on your jawline, not your hand. It should just disapear so that it improves your natural skin, not adding colour as such. I too have been sold the too dark base, but kept it for the summer in case my sking goes slightly tanned.

Re giving stuff to refuges I am assuming you can only pass on unopened stuff. Partly used stuff seems unhygienic?