Hi all,
Below is a report on my annual once-a-year skincare & beauty haul.
In accordance with my last year’s decision, I gave myself only three weeks in October to do research on the products I was interested in, and to decide which of them I want to add to my wish list for November 📝
Having a comprehensive stash inventory at hand (I use Excel) and saving enough money in advance were two crucial steps that I took to prepare myself for a month-long shopping spree. Another significant source of data was my participation in the Project Pan for three consecutive years (2019 – 2021). Tracking of my product usage has helped me gather data on the average yearly consumption of every single product category in my stash, and it helped me plan my November shopping list.
As a result, in November 2021 I purchased 16 products (13 full-size and 3 minis), and received 8 deluxe samples and 7 foil sachets as GWP 🛒 I also bought 1 item for my tools and accessories stash.
Moving forward, I will stick to my three-week shopping list preparation in October, but will no longer participate in the Project Pan unless my skincare/hair/body/makeup routines change drastically resulting in a significant impact on my yearly product consumption level.
As for November empties, I only had two:
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Dr Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Texture Renewal Serum (1.5 ml; GWP) – a transparent watery gel with an intense ferulic acid scent (i.e. it smells like hot dog water). I didn’t like the uncomfortable tightening sensation after application. The serum contains adenosine which is a central nervous system depressant, and is used in skincare products to reduce the depth of wrinkles. I usually avoid this ingredient in the skincare products, because prolonged use may result in overrelaxation and subsequent sagginess of skin. The RRP of this serum is £74 per 30 ml, and I doubt this product is worth it.
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Dr Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser (1 g; GWP) – I must say I was wary about using this product due to talc being its main ingredient. However, the result blew me away, and I purchased a full-size product last week (it was on sale for 25% off). The cleanser is made of talc powder with a tiny amount of enzymes (subtilisin and lipase, to be precise) which you have to mix with water in the palm of your hand. It can be a bit messy before you figure out the right proportion of water and powder. The powder never fully dissolves either. What I liked about this cleanser though was that I saw the results on the very first day – it removed my dead skin cells better than any acid / scrub I had ever had before, my skin looked polished and became completely unclogged. But and this is a big ‘but’, it severely dehydrated my skin after four days of daily use, so I wouldn’t recommend using it more than two times a week even if your skin is very oily.