Feel the temptation to indulge in beauty treats? Is your collection overflowing with treasures? Come unite with fellow beauty enthusiasts in this lovely group!

[Experiment627]

Are you a beauty product addict? We are your PEOPLE!!!!

A wonderful description of what sounds like a terrible product @Fraaahnces

I broke my no-buy again and this time I am unashamed. (Also, I used a credit - so that’s basically free, right?) Last year I was sad because I finished a bottle of (very cheap) perfume by a brand called Monotheme called Agrumi (citrus) di Sicilia. I then found an Orange Blossom one. Loved them both. Couldn’t find them again. Yesterday I stumbled upon another, called Libro Degli Agrumi Limone (Lime Leaves) and it’s even nicer! It’s a Lime blossom/linden blossom mix that is creamy, not sharp and I can see this being the perfect summer spritz. I shall buy another next time I see it. (It’s about £5 in your money!)

@Fraaahnces you may have found them discounted! Lucky you 😉
I did find their full citrus collection in a perfume shop in Spain, Primor. They cost between 15€ and 25€ depending if you buy a set with body lotion and shower gel.

They are fantastic. Monotheme fragrances are from an Italian brand and their offering is vast. In the UK is quite easy to find them in Marks and Spencer, although availability varies depending on the shop.

My favourite one is the Camelia perfume.

@Thereislightattheendofthetunnel I haven’t encountered the Camellia but will keep my eye out. I spritzed Yuzu, but it wasn’t great. (Very vitamin c tablet, iykwim). They used to have a Mediterranean Coast one which was very much like Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino, and I wish I had purchased that, but alas, I dawdled…. All gone!

I have a few more empties:

57) Evidens de Beaute SPF50 - this is a good sunscreen but I wouldn't dream of paying £95 for it. However I have clocked that it's in this years Harrods calendar...

58) AA light relax shower oil - ok but I prefer the deep relax version

59) Agera Salicyclic face wash - I like this. I find that it helps with premenstrual breakouts. Have others to use up though so won't rp

Total 159/200

I've just had a massive chuck out session of dried up and/or opened and way out of date products. I'm not counting them towards my total but it's a good job done. Some of the nail polish was 20 years old!

Before I got seduced into buying advent calendars, I had good skin and often people commented on it. Since trying to use up all these mostly unwanted products, my skin has definitely got significantly worse. I’m sticking to my tried and tested favourites from now on. Apart from anything else all the chemicals, preservatives etc are not good for health.

Lancaster sublime tan body milk spf15 - took me ages to use this up as I generally wear higher spf. It was fine, wouldn't buy.

Ren gentle cleansing gel - very runny, definitely not a gel consistency. Did the job but not a favourite for me.

AB the rich cream - I know this is a bit marmite on here, but I love it so I'm always happy when one of these pops up in an advent. Would never pay the silly price for it though!

Sanctuary Spa lily & rose body wash - quite nice but not any better than cheaper body washes imo. Probably won't buy.

Davines OI shampoo - quite liked using this, but not enough to make me buy it, as there are cheaper shampoos I prefer.

Votary brightening hyaluronic serum - really liked this and think my skin looked good while using this. Very tempted to buy, I do have a lot of serums to use up though.

Oribe dry texturizing spray - the can said this was a good alternative to dry shampoo, but I found it was more of a styling product. I wouldn't buy this, but it probably didn't help that I tried to use it as dry shampoo several times, and too much of this wasn't good on my fine hair. Overall I didn't get on with this well.

Dermatica adaplene - improved my skin lots so sticking with this. Already bought again.

Rituals of Sakura moisturiser refill - I absolutely love this body moisturiser, the scent is gorgeous. I like that they do the refill pots (although my jar is a yellow mehr one and my brain doesn't like that it contains a different scent!). Will rebuy at some point.

@Wherediditgoto - I think it is very easy to overdo the skincare thing. I am known for my skin and I do nurture it. Like you, I have decided to stop experimenting. I have a small “library” of things I love that suit it’s needs that change depending on the seasons where I live. Super-dry during our few weeks of pseudo “winter”, and hot and humid for the rest of the year. I invest in sunscreens that I love (Australia - makes sense) that also double as day cream and primer (saving money elsewhere - Girl Math) and tretinoin. Given that a tube of tretinoin lasts me between 6m and a year, it’s hardly a stretch. Choosing not to be seduced by all the new shiny things will undoubtedly save me more. (To undoubtedly spend on perfume or hats)

Some empties:

Farmacy Green Clean cleansing balm - 50ml. My favourite cleansing balm (though I’m now using the Heimish All Clean and that’s very similar and quite a bit cheaper 🙂).

Mario Badescu Vitamin C cream - 28g. This was fine as a moisturiser but I wasn’t keen on the scent, sort of peachy but with a weird medicinal note.

Murad Hydro-Dynamic Ulitmate Moisture - 50ml. This is the second one of these I’ve been through. It’s a really lovely moisturiser, leaves my skin feeling really soft and looked after. The RRP is stupid but it often seems to pop up in beauty boxes/gift sets, so will probably pick it up again at some point that way.

Le Petit Marseillais shower gel in mandarin and lime - 250ml. I really like the shower gels from this brand, they feel gentle, smell lovely and are good value. This scent was great for summer.

Korres Body Smoothing Milk in Mediterranean Vanilla Blossom - 200ml. Not a body milk at all, definitely more of a thick body cream texture. It was really nice though, sunk in really quickly.

Aveeno Daily Moisturising hand cream - 75ml. Good every day hand cream.

Lots of things:

Olaplex no7 oil - really liked it, very lightweight. Great for styling.

Lancome eye pencil - too dry to use on eyes.

Lancome hypnose mascara - nice, but not sure what the hype is about.

Maybilline sky high mascara primer - don’t think it added much to my eyelashes.

Drunk elephant b- goldi drops - still not sure what is the point of this.

Paula’s choice eye cream - didn’t like this at all. Sticky and thick.

Natura Siberia eye patches - quite good actually! Might buy again.

Ted Baker body lotion - synthetic raspberry scent. What’s not to like.

Lancome Génifique serum and Renergie cream - used both together and WOW it worked. Skin was perfect, no spots, no patches.

Glow Recipe moisturiser- works great with makeup. Might buy it again for this reason.

Balance me eye cream, spray and vitamin c - not sure how fresh these are so used them as masks. A bit meh. Eye cream however seemed quite brightening.

Grow Gorgeous hair oil - more like water. I think it actually worked. Hair seems a lot heavier.

Elemis rose marine face cream - good but nothing special.

Arkive shampoo - quite nice. Again, nothing too special.

Time Bomb conditioner - did nothing.

Proxera nickel tested shower cream - emm.. didn’t seem as moisturising as I hoped for.

What a haul @ITookYourJoob - well done!

I have an empty:

• Glaziplex super bind treatment: was in Superdrug Presents goody bag - got about 5 uses out of it. Works so much better if left on damp hair for 20-30 minutes before rinsing off (so a tad longer than stipulated 4 minutes...). Not as good as Redken acidic bonding treatment or Loreal Elvive bond repair pre-shampoo (which I used both as after shampoo). However, definitely confirmed that having this sort of treatment in my routine for once a week/once every 10 days is key to keeping my hair "nice".

Thanks @Experiment627 ! I’ve come to the conclusion that I have unproportional amounts of face serums and body sprays. I don’t use body sprays so that will be a real challenge😅 Ps. I am using up the brow tint you recommended in one of your videos and for a real effect I have to leave it on for about 15mins (about 3x the recommended length). I hope my brows don’t fall out😅 Do you keep it on longer as well or is 5 mins enough?

63/100

Fresh rose face mask- this smells gorgeous, it's gentle and very relaxing. I'd buy this.

Ameliorate body lotion - it's effective and my skin definitely looks better for it but I wish it smelled nicer. It's not horrid or anything just quite dairy.

REN evercalm cleansing gel - I like this product, gentle and effective, my skin doesn't feel tight or dry.

Molton brown heavenly gingerly shower gel - love this scent, not buying anything right now but would be happy to see it turn up

Not shown - aveda shower gel mini - out of date and lost its scent

@ITookYourJoob yes I typically leave on longer (vair naughty). Also I often use brow tint for my head hair greys - just when there is a little regrowth that is driving crazy... Are you using the Schwarzkopf or Colorsport one? I am going to try the Loreal one next.

I have tried the Cantu Guava pre-cleanse treatment about 3 times, me no likey. It is a scrub... which I actually find hard to get down to the scalp. Plus I do not like the smell: guava, ginger, tumeric, apple cider vinegar and tea tree with the tea tree overpowering. I shall pass on to my SIL.

Two empties:

• Bioderma hydrabio self-rehydrating replumping concentrate: just felt like a whack of hyaluronic acid. Only 4ml and 3 uses so hard to know what it did. Little bit tacky too so not a fan.
• Revolution Feed your face Jake Jamie watermelon mask: this is billed as Instagramable... 🙄 whatevs. It slighty warms when on, the fake watermelon seeds are right buggers and really not enough bang for the buck.

Just popping in to say that the Wonder Water Hair Thingumy either causes build up or I’ve used it too often. My hair is now flat and heavy. Less enamoured than I was. It looks slightly dirty, too. Bum.

@Fraaahnces what a bummer! Could you alternate with something different?

@Experiment627 I have been! I only wash my hair twice a week.

Empties!

Aveeno body wash. Staple. I like it.

Sanex zero deodorant. Did the job but towards the end of the day I could smell my armpits. Would not rp.

Dermo sensitive shampoo Deliplus. I loved it as it smelt quite sililar to Timotei’s almond shampoo. Lathers up well and the fragrance is lovely. Also cheap from Mercadona.

Fleur de monoi shower gel Deliplus. Adding a tropical vibe to my shower routine. Smelt like summer. Would Rp.

Magic unicorn and hello kitty sheet masks. I can’t comment my dds used them. Kept them
entertained for 2 secs. Would not rp. They were expensive.

Tree mon tea tree anti acne roll on. Smelt vile. Had it for decades. Going to the bin.

Bath bombs in lavender and mango. They are losing their scent. Had them for 8 years. I am using them up and calling it a day.

Bily after depil chamomile tissue to remove wax. Smelt past it’s prime. Into the bin it goes. It used to work though.

Malin and goetz advance renewal moisturiser. Very runny consistency and the smell is out of a horror movie. Smells like ravioli and cheese and no matter how many miracles can perform I would not buy it. Was a GWP. Vile!

This reminds me I need to go through my 'bottom drawer' in the bathroom and clear out some stuff. Not all of it is product to use up, there are some no-longer-in-use gadgets that i could get rid of. The epilator from hell! The wax strips that didn't really work. My contact lens prescription changed, but I still have a box of the old ones...

I have been doing well using up all my bits and bobs, but it sounds like I don't have nearly as many as some of you!

Empties!!!

Polaar - Aux Sources Des Glaciers - Moisturisung Cream - Nice light cream, no strong scent.

Body Shop - Pears and Share Body Butter - The absurd claims anything like this lasts for 96 hours always makes me laugh. But it's again, a nice subtle scent.

Elizabeth Arden - Advanced Light Ceramide Capsules - Got in a beauty box and absolutely love. Too expensive to Rp. But will be ordering something similar reccomended soon!

Lacura - Healthy Glow Glycolic Toner - exactly the same as pixi, for a fraction of the price!

The Ordinary - Glycolic 7% Toner Felt this made a difference, popped it on at night ... would RP!

The White Company - Lime and Basil Moisturiser - I always get a set at Xmas, it's a nice smell, but wouldn't buy for myself. Better product out there.

Dove - Roll on and Spray Deodorant - My fav smell is Dove, and this is the only deoderant that works for me. I use both together. Probably excessive, but it works for me!

Espa - Bergamot and Jasmine Body Wash - Nice Smell, got in a beauty box. I wouldn't go out my way to RP.

65/100

Temple Spa - mini from a gift set, lovely and soothing, I won't buy as I don't like MLM.

Lee Stafford- air dry. This is a good product, I've had it years and finally got round to using it up. Great on my fine hair for texture and volume. I have many other products in this category so no repurchase yet.

I must confess to cracking on my no buy and going for the Liberty directors cut kit and some neom which gets me their GWP. Sigh.

Few more empties
Molton Brown Fiery pink pepper hand cream- this smelt lovely although it didn't moisturise my hands as much as I would have liked.

Eco Denta toothpaste- I don't usually count toothpaste in my total but I am this time as I got this out of the h&b ac last year. This was ok, didn't have a bit of an aftertaste, don't think I will rp.

Lacura Q10 night cream- I have rp this as I quite liked it so thought I would give it another go. It's quite rich but doesn't seem to leave my skin greasy.

Total 33/100

LOL @mdinbc I just chucked some contact lenses that went out of date back in 2014... I moved to where I live now in 2019... so basically I need help as I am such a hoarder!

@Minnie123456 some of the Molton Brown hand creams smell divine but are not actually that good at moisturising. I love the Pink Pepper smell too.

I have an empty:

• Rossmann Facelle meno plus wash: bought this in Spain at a German drugstore. Not the best feminine wash I use... I am still working out if I could just go back to using regular soap/shower gel...

A few more empties, mainly little things:

By Wishtrend Propolis Energy Calming Ampoule - 10ml. Liked this - my skin seems to like propolis and it felt nice and hydrating.

Clinique Moisture Surge 100H hydrator - 15ml. From the name I was expecting this to be quite heavy, but it was a gel cream. It was fine, wouldn’t buy though as there are other things I like better.

Laniege Water Sleeping Mask - 10ml. This is the second mini of this I’ve used. I really like it, makes my skin really soft by the morning. Might get a full size if I ever get through all the other night creams I’ve got.

Summer Fridays lip balm in vanilla - this is a lovely lip balm, but too expensive.

Burts Bees lip balm in tropical pineapple.

Margaret Dabbs repairing hand cream - 75ml. This was a bit oily and took a long time to sink in so could only use at bedtime. Wouldn’t get this again.

Hair by Sam McKnight texture mist - 50ml. I would never think to use something like this if it didn’t appear in a beauty box, but it was actually quite good. Gave my hair a bit more volume without being sticky or taking the shine off.

Maison Margiela Replica Coffee Break EDT - 30ml. I absolutely love the way this smells. The longevity is pretty crap but I’ll probably buy it again anyway because it smells so good.

Soap & Glory Smoothie Star body lotion - 500ml. It’s taken me about a year to get through this. It smells lovely but the lotion itself is too heavy and greasy for me.