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!!!!

@listsandbudgets - it didn’t suit me either. Just made my skin super dry and extra tight and sensitive. Not all acids are for everyone.

@listsandbudgets I am not a fan either. Glycolic acid doesn’t really suit my skin. The version of Good Genes in the US is lactic acid and many people find that better. I’m not a huge fan of acids really and only tend to use really gentle ones a couple of times a week. If I was to use the glycolic Good Genes I’d use it at most every second day and use lots of hydration afterwards.

@Fraaahnces @Peridot1 Thank you I was beginning to think I had some kind of mutant skin problem!!

Good genes doesn't really do anything for me. I don't react to it, but haven't noticed any real benefit of using it either. I've tried both the lactic and glycolic versions and noticed no difference.

Place marking.

Thanks for the recommendation for L'Oreal glow paradise lipsticks.

@listsandbudgets - and I believe there are different recipes for GG depending on where in the world you live. I remember somewhere (possibly uk prior to Brexit) had to lower LA percentage due to EU laws. Caroline Hirons was very stroppy about it.

Some more empties:

Soap Brows - almost unused. Don’t like the product and not sure how to use it.

Ted Baker body lotion - bit meh, but nothing to dislike.

Elf brow pencil - a bit too thick, otherwise ok.

Elemis peptide serum - it was down to £26 from £70 or so, on Amazon. Quite liked it but very fragrant.

Bare Minerals Maximist mascara - very dry and the brush is huge. Not for me.

Koffee pumpkin chai scrub - doesn’t smell like pumpkin chai. Oh well.

Face Theory clarifying cleanser- recommended by many Reddit users. It was ok, quite stingy. Also glass jar is not very practical.

Philip Kingsley elasticised - there is always one in every beauty box😅

Banderas Icon perfume &body spray - ok, so this one is a dupe for YSL Libre. I have the original perfume and can confirm it does smell like Libre for about 30sec and then it dries down quite differently.

Bourjois fresh cleansing gel - very very VERY good, but almost impossible to get now. Will buy again if I can find it.

Loreal Lash Paradise mascara - good, there are a lot of good mascaras out there lately.

Some more empties!

V05 shampoo - cheap and cheerful, seems to agree with mine and DD’s hair so have repurchased

Mielle rosemary hair oil - I fell for the social media hype but I don’t think this did anything for my hair, it’s probably better if you have textured/tighter curls. Wouldn’t RP

Lush breath of fresh air toner - I really don’t see the purpose of this. It’s nice and refreshing and smells great, and in theory should be great in summer, but in practice I’ve got SPF on so don’t want to be spraying water on my face and accidentally washing it off. Wouldn’t RP

Arm and Hammer toothpaste - weird but good, staple for me.

Sali Hughes vitamin C - really like this, my skin was visibly brighter and the product texture is nice (silicone free). This was an RP and I’ll probably buy again in future.

Vichy mineral 89 cream - bit on the expensive side for an actives-free moisturiser, but really kept my skin hydrated. Would probably RP.

Body Shop grapefruit soap - every time the BS send me a £5 birthday voucher I buy a bar soap. This is nice, zesty and inoffensive.

Empties update:

165) Cultured cleansing balm - didn't like. Horrible sticky stuff.

166) Sisley black rose cream - ok but nothing special. Don't know why it's so expensive. It left a greasy film on my skin, a bit like the Cult 51 creams, which I don't like as I'm prone to clogged pores. Maybe better for someone with very dry skin. Will use in winter next time.

167) Malin and Goetz lip moisturiser - not great. I didn't find it very moisturising. Disappointing as I usually like Malin and Goetz products.

168) Supergoop unseen screen - good sunscreen. Non sticky and no white cast

169) Ameliorate body exfoliator - quite like this as I get KP on my upper arms. Have more in the stash.

Total: 169/200

I have some empties to report:

• Kingfisher fennel toothpaste with fluoride: HG for me and my son
• Avon Far and away eau de parfum: got this free - only 10ml - took on holiday with me but do not like the smell so will give to a friend who might

I have fallen off the no-buy wagon but do have some empties to report.

Soaper Duper sugar scrub. Smells amazing and generally really liked this. It's so old though that I don't think the brand exists any more

GOW vitamin C. Didn't do anything for me. I previously used the Sali Hughes one that @MotherWol mentions below but swapped as I hated the smell but it did seem to be effective.

The Ordinary Buffet serum. I don't know, it didn't seem to have an effect although I can never tell with long term things like serums

Random shower gel.

@MidnightMeltdown I had that cultured cleansing balm in a box at some point. Thankfully only a small tube.. my main recollection if it was it smelt absolutely vile.. verging on urine. Horrid stuff

I'm also off the wagon no buy , just subscribed to Look Fantastic monthly box and also bought the Christmas advent calendar.

Mine came in a cult beauty edit I think. It didn't really smell of anything, so maybe yours had gone bad 😕

What I didn't like was the sticky consistency. You're supposed to rub it into a dry face, but it's like trying to rub glue onto your face!

I was just wondering whether anyone on here uses any skincare on their eyelids?

I'm late 30s and I don't really have any wrinkles yet, except for a very faint line on my forehead, but I've noticed recently that my eyelids are starting to develop folds, which I'm sure didn't previously exist! This is the only part of my face that I don't use any product. I'm now wondering whether I should be!

@MyRabbit79 the Sali Hughes vitamin c definitely smells strong - like cloves or something? - but it’s the most effective one I’ve tried so far. Planning to try the G&G one next but may return to SH in the future. I need to do a restock as I’ve used up a lot of things recently, but the stuff I want to buy is out of stock. Thwarted in my skincare shopping ambitions!

@MidnightMeltdown I tend to use a very thin smear of whatever eye cream I am using and I pat some Cerave Healing Ointment over it on my eyelids. Not sure they will ever look like baby backsides but is that the idea? (Mine get dry and itchy as I’m a haggard old bag and I get allergies.)

Thanks @Fraaahnces

Yes I was thinking that perhaps they could do with a bit more hydration. I'm using a retinol eye cream atm and it says 'do not use on eyelids' but I will start checking the others!

I think most of them say 'apply under eye' but I don't have wrinkles there! I've got some random ointments hanging around like the dr paw paw stuff so maybe I can use something like that.

Perhaps it will also help if I start using one of the many silk eye masks that I've acquired in beauty advent calendars...

I’m not sure the eye masks will make too much difference tbh. They look glam though.

They are supposed to help prevent wrinkles (same idea as a silk pillowcase). I don't know whether there's any actual science behind it though!

I have an empty to report:

• Fleur de Mayo Ms. Gold eau de parfum: quite liked this - was a gift from a dear friend 💜

Some more empties:

Some By Mi Propolis B5 glow barrier calming serum - 10ml. A bit more lightweight than the By Wishtrend version, but still lovely and hydrating. Love propolis, makes my skin all glowy.

Avant Vino-concentrate refining serum - 30ml. Felt very nice to use and my skin looked in good nick while I was using this.

Innisfree Cherry blossom glow jelly cream - 15ml. The first gel moisturiser I’ve tried that has actually been a clear gel. It worked well under sunscreen as a daytime moisturiser - sometimes moisturiser and SPF together are a bit much for my skin but this is really lightweight.

Gallivant Tel Aviv - 30ml. I’m sad to finish this, it smelled lovely and reminded me of villa holiday evenings 🙂. Gallivant is a really good perfume house, all their perfumes are interesting and really good quality. I got the Los Angeles one for my birthday, so I’m restocked.

Larry King Spoilt for Choice hair oil - 30ml. Made my hair straggly so I used it as an overnight mask and washed it out in the morning and that worked well. Smelled lovely too (rosemary).

Burts Bees lip balm in Sweet Mandarin.

Aveeno Fresh Green Blends volumising shampoo and conditioner - 300ml each. I like these, seem to suit my hair well.

Ouai St Barts shower gel - 300ml. This smelled amazing. Very expensive for a body wash though. They now do a body mist in this scent, might get that instead.

Bath & Body Works - 236ml. Love these lotions.

I may or may not posted this picture already.

Nothing worth mentioning to be fair.

I like the garnier apricot for my children, but the one from nivea was awful.

simple wipes were dry but I liked them when they were first opened. I do have a lot of cleansing balms that I will use up first anyway.

2 random samples and 2 minis from hotels that are not great.

toothpastes are ok though.

I have some empties to report:

• Wild Candyfloss reflll: I much prefer Wild to Fussy (I think the base oil does not react with my skin like the Fussy one does). This was a nice smell - not at all like Candyfloss. Looked oxidised but worked just fine.
• Garnier Belle Color conditioner: nice peachy smell but have chucked as can no longer get any product out of the bottle plus the label keeps on peeling off
• Superdrug root cover up: this is like mascara but for grey roots. Am chucking as does not apply at all well.

I love reading about others’ empties! I think some of you had the same AC as me

Anyway mine:

Zelens vit D concentrate: wow I loved this! Where did I get it? No idea but will to, made my skin feel so soft
Aromatherapy bath oil: always happy to have bath stuff; ditto the Verden one
Oskia mask - this was good, felt tingly
EH moisturiser: like that it had spf
Liberty Tudor perfume: in last year's AC oh dear. This smells of NOTHING on me after about 20 seconds. Going to give it away at work (maybe it will smell good on someone else).

Total for year: 91