Can’t stop buying & hoarding beauty treats? You’re in good company here!

[Experiment627]

Welcome to our little corner of beauty bliss! If you can’t resist trying the latest beauty launches or your shelves are bursting with favourites, you’ve found your tribe. This is the place to chat, share reviews, swap tips, and celebrate all things beauty — from budget gems to luxury treats.
This thread has been around for ages, and many of us have even tamed our beauty-buying habits thanks to the wisdom and support shared here. We post our empties and chucks, helping each other make smarter, more satisfying choices next time we shop.
All beauty product addicts welcome!

First batch of 26! I did order some bits from the Lush sale this week, and just placed a £200 Tatcha order for the goody bag😬 The Tatcha goodies are getting put away until my birthday in April, so not in the stash just yet😂 Anyhow;

Mix of perfume samples. (Counting seperate from my 100 target)
Diptyque L'eau Des Hesperides. Citrusy with an overpowering mint to follow.
Diptyque Eau Plurielle. I liked this, a light rose scent. A quick google says its discon! So had it a while.
Prada Paradox. I loved the Prada Candy range, but i think i prefer this now. Already have a bottle⭐️

1. Snow Fairy body scrub. Nice scrub, bored of the scent. I need to pop to Lush to recycle all my tubs/bottles as my bag is nearly full.

1. Clean Reserve Warm Cotton perfume. Exactly how it sounds. I really liked this. It wasnt an overbearing i just drowned myself in Febreeze kinda smell.

1. Nail polish remover. Does the job. Want to keep on top of doing my nails this year.

1. Beauty of Joseon Ginseng water. Not a bad product, just didnt wow me. I wouldnt RP.

I am struggling with my no/low buy. I don't need anything, my spreadsheet tells me that, but I just want some goodies (to instantly forget about once I've ordered them). Is anyone else feeling like this?

I did buy a perfume and a No 7 serum from Boots Online today (in my defence, both had very substantial discounts) - so I can relate!

Yep!! I'm feeling exactly the same! 😕 I think I just need presents 🩷 not like we've just had christmas or anything 🙄

Yes it's relentlessly dull sometimes. I don't think it helps that it's January. I did just purchase with Tatcha for the £100 lucky bag which was on my pre allowed list as I've waited a year for it.

I also have the pre ordered in Dec Beautylish box coming mid month so I'm reminding myself of that. I bought some nice hand soap in TK Maxx yesterday for the bathrooms (I did need soap).

Normally I would have bought a lot more than this. I've been passing on the edits, discounted BACs and further sales. I'm trying to find comfort in adding to my savings and getting use out of my products. I've got a few more empties I will post at some point which means I've been able to open a few more new products from my stash. I'm trying a new serum tonight - an Emma Lewisham one from a Liberty edit last year. Never tried this brand before.

I am actually enjoying shopping my stash and taking time out from always being on the hunt. The hunt and the acquisition is clearly what gives me a dopamine hit but I do also take a lot of pleasure in nice skincare and me time so I have to keep remembering it's not all about shiny new things.

The dopamine hit thing really resonates @OvaHere! But having sorted my stash I am going to make the most of it. I too am enjoying the actual skincare, that’s what I need to hold on to.

Also I want to take us on holiday this year and I genuinely have got loads in my stash! So every time I think ‘oooh, new shiny thing’ I am going to channel that instead.

AND my Liberty BD will come soon. And then it’s my birthday in February. So I have plenty to look forward to!

@TragicMuse I also want to travel more this year. I was really restricted last year due to various personal reasons. Tbh some of what was going on is no doubt linked to my over buying.

I'd forgotten about the Liberty box - another nice thing to make it through very dull, cold Jan.

I also broke my January no buy today. We had a scheduled power cut all day so had to go out and I found myself in the vicinity of a branch of Lush.

I tend not to set myself no buy challenges, the reason being that I always go mad when it ends and over buy which puts me back in the same position as I started in. Instead I'm trying to be more mindful about my purchases. We'll see how that goes!

I finished a Gruum handcream today that I got in an AC in 2024. It was OK but doubt I would buy it again. Also finished a tiny bottle
of shower gel I took home from a hotel stay!

@SheilaFentiman – same!!

@Doglover73 – Sheila and I are on the 50 Bookers and RWYO (Read What You Own) threads. Pop over and join us. Be warned, you get really good recommendations for what to read next! You might also get some ideas on how to get back into reading, if you want to, of course. I find getting started on a book the most difficult thing.

@DidILeaveTheGasOn – not at the moment. I’m feeling quite queasy at the amount of items I was given for Christmas.

I spent last night sorting out my toiletries to take on a two week holiday. All travel sizes with a few exceptions. I will not buy anything, except perhaps a tinted moisturiser. My current one is almost done and has been cut open and decanted into a small pot. I certainly will not repeat last year’s mistake of buying another AC because it was cheap. I think it unlikely that I’ll finish up very much before I go. Maybe a candle?

@AndeanFlamingo I worry a no/low buy goal will cause me to spend like a mad bastard when my willpower falters. I want to set a more longterm and less restrictive goal but I also need to get myself by the scruff of the neck and pull back from mindless online shopping.

One thing I've noticed since i started counting my empties is a good improvement in shopping.

November: Products in - 27, Products out - 23
December: Products in - 10, Products out - 19
January so far: Products in - 6, Products out - 5

I've lost sight of what normal spending would look like.

I did a spreadsheet just after Christmas and am quite frankly appalled. It's like a branch of Boots in my wardrobe. There's stuff I've had to hide because if I got found with the sheer amount of stuff I have I think my DH would be having a stern word about my spending.

I literally bought a whole chest of drawers for my stash! 4 drawers. It’s not stuffed but it’s not empty! A bloody chest of drawers…

🤣🤣

@OvaHere which Emma Lewisham one is it? I've got the Supernatural Vitale Elixir that I'm keen to try, bought that last summer - it will be opened after I've used the Emma Lewisham Skin reset serum, which I've used previously and didn't really love, but that one is 16 months old now and as they are all natural products they probably expire faster so I want to start that soon. Although it initially made me feel stressed, doing my spreadsheet helped me get on top of what not to buy - the only thing I have too much of is serums. I've got a lot of moisturisers too but I love them and use them copiously so I'm not worried about cracking through them. I think it's highly likely I'm going to crumble and get the Tatcha fukaburo offer, as I love the dewy cream and rice wash.

@LightandBreezy it's the Vitale Elixir. Just used it for the first time, seems nice - has quite a thick consistency for a serum and a lovely scent. It's only 30ml so I feel like it won't take long to use up compared to more watery serums.

@Tarragon123 @Doglover73 another book and beauty product lover here.

I’ve a £100 Tatcha basket I’m dithering over. I saved £20 on my commute to work this week - so I’m telling myself it’s practically free….

I did use the code @JoRaRaRa kindky posted (not been dispatched yet though). So I’ve not had a no spend week.

@Tarragon123 & @Doglover73 I think books and beauty would be an awesome YouTube channel! You should collaborate!

To food bank
11 lip balms
3 hair shampoo
7 body lotions/scrubs
8 shower gels
4 SPF cream
4 mini face cleanser
3 face mask
2 moisturiser
3 hairbrushes
2 cosmetic bags

And the rest

40% off was too much of a bargain to say no to 🤣

It would be hilarious, certainly! But I'm too lazy to do videos or even to blog. I spend enough time on here lol.

@TragicMuse that is very impressive. However, I have a question, what is the Gruum After Sun Face Bar? I have the After Sun Face Oil and like it very much....I do not need to buy anymore products. This is simply for research 😎

It’s a solid oils moisturiser bar I think! Came free I think but I don’t like oily things.