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!

@Ilikeyoursleeves - I think there is a website you can check but I can’t remember what it is. If there is no expiry date on it it is probably ok but I wouldn’t store it for a long time. I’d use it straight away.

I don’t think there are any rules with not encouraging more purchases…. I quite like seeing empties and purchases… it’s good to hear feedback and what’s out there.

could any one recommend a toner please abc how they incorporate it into their beauty regime? Thank you in advance ❤️

I’ve posted for years and not aware of any rules.

It seems people are fine with people posting about bargains but not posting links maybe.

@AnonAnonmystery I’m using a glow recipe at the moment which is nice, I’ve also liked the laneige. Guess it depends what you need - those are hydrating toners.

@BlueLimes thank you and never used one before. I will look up your suggestions and need a hydrating one for sure x

I’m not an expert and only started using a toner last year. I cleanse, tone, serum, face cream, eye cream.

Those brands are often on offer in cult beauty, There are always 15-20% codes as well BDAY15 seems to always work for 15%.
SpaceNK also stock and there’s a current GWP.

Hope that’s not against the spirit of the thread.

There’s always been quite a lot of enabling on this thread, for me at least. I see people’s reviews of their empties and get Googling. Goes with the territory of being a beauty addict!

I love this thread though so just have to try and exercise a bit of self-restraint (she says loftily, having already broken her January no buy twice in 12 days).

@AnonAnonmystery There are loads of Korean hydrating toners. The milky ones tend to be a bit more hydrating but most of them are pretty good.

I really don’t understand toner! I hadn’t used it in years since I was a teenager probably but I’m currently using a fancy Sisley one that was in the Liberty AC. I really can’t tell any difference to my skin though and I feel I’m just swiping it across my face with a cotton wool
pad and waiting for it to run out! It works well to take the last of my eye make up off though so that’s a bonus! How do others find it??

I use toner after cleansing (double cleansing in the evening), for hydration rather than extra cleansing. I don’t use cotton pads with toner, just tip some into my hands and then pat onto my face.

I don’t like thick, heavy creams and using hydrating toner and serum means I can use a lighter moisturiser without my skin feeling dry.

I’m enjoying the toner! I also tip it into my hands and use it like that. I’m all for anything that claims to give me an extra layer of hydration - I need all the moisturising I can get!

I use and acid toner as an exfoliant a few times a week and a hydrating toner as an extra layer of hydration morning and evening.

Bath & Body Works “Guilty As Fig” 7ml spray done and dusted. Loved this one. Not sweet, but comfy and had better lasting power than the Phlur one. Of course it’s discontinued…. Sigh…

More travel empties - mostly hair stuff and body lotion. Newbies arrived in post but mostly sample sizes. I need to do a count but I know I have 4 cleansers and 3 face creams which will take a while to use up.

My question is how come I can whip through a whole tub of something like the EL serum in A MONTH, but it’s taken me over 2 weeks to get through a tiny 12ml tube of Mary & May BlackBerry face cream?! Both used twice a day.

Baffling! Anyway, I’ve nearly finished the tube, on to the next pot of whatever loveliness awaits in the drawer!

I wonder this sometimes. In one of my earlier empties posts I discussed the AoS eye cream which took forever to finish whereas one of my longstanding favourites the EL ANR eye gel I rattled through.

I came to the conclusion it's about the consistency of the product and how much that allows for over use. The 15ml of EL eye cream is a gel texture in jar - sinks in easily plus using a finger to scoop means I use more. The AoS is a thicker cream in a pump so one pump dispensed a controlled small dot that was more than adequate.

Annoying when you want pan those products quickly but also worth factoring in to the value of a product if budgeting or wanting something to last a good while.

Another two for me:

1. Espa tri-active lift and firm intensive serum - this had a nice smell and went on easily, quite thin and watery, so didn't pill, but I'm not sure it did much other than feel nice!
2. Sana Jardin Sandalwood Temple - I know SJ isn't that popular on here, but I thought this was a very pleasant scent and not overpowering, so office friendly. Not a love, but a strong like. I wouldn't buy a full bottle, but I'd be happy if it were in a kit, edit or advent.

5/100 so far..

@TragicMuse how much of the EL did you pump out each day? I’ve been using that since the day we got it in the Liberty AC and I have loads left?? I use it morning and evening, I pump out about a 3mm blob (I don’t press the mechanism down fully). I opened it up the other day to see how much was left and there’s loads!

I went for 1 and a bit pumps! I tried 1 and it wasn’t enough, but 2 was too much! So I went in the middle, Goldilocks-fashion!

At the time I thought ‘nice big-ish pot, it’ll last ages’ and I’m still surprised it didn’t! I even interspersed a few evenings with a night retinol so I wasn’t hammering it.

Thirsty skin, I suppose…

Do you put serum / moisturiser on your neck too? I keep forgetting to do that so I’m prob using less

Definitely use your serums and moisturisers on your neck and also on the chest area. One to use things up if you aren’t getting through them. More importantly the skin on your neck and chest area ages just as much as the skin in your face. If not more as it’s thinner and more delicate. So it deserves just as much care and attention and also SPF.

I use whatever serum is left on my hands followed by a neck cream…

A couple of items used up:

1. Sephora AHA Sugar Body Scrub - I love this. Not rebuying just yet as I have several body scrubs (at least four, possibly more...) but this was absolutely brilliant so will be first on the list when I do need another.

2. Jo Loves Black Cashmeran & Tonka body lotion - this is a small size that I got in the Jo Loves advent calendar. I really like it but not sure I'd rebuy. It's very similar to Jo Malone Myrrh & Tonka, which I think I slightly prefer. I'm still using the matching shower gel but I'm using that with a plain body lotion. One of my big weaknesses is insisting on having matching shower gel and body lotion (that go with my perfume) but I use them up at different rates so this inevitably means that I never really get through the stash. I need to do things differently this year so have some plain shower gel and body lotion so that I have no excuse to keep buying matching items.

First empties 2026
1 Curlsmith hair moisture mask
Ok but expensive and have other stuff that i prefer.

1. Another curlsmith con no pic. Used up but wonr repurchase. Was ok but expensive.
2. Medik 8 moisture cream. Used up so must have like it. Got as part of an edit. I did get bored near the end.
3. clarins lip oil. Part of Xmas 24 advent. Too pink for me but i have continued to use when staying in. It's been open 12 months so going. O pic
4. bath salts. Ok. Will rp.
5. Benefit eye brow product. Ok but have loads from edits and advents. No pic
6. body spray. Used as room spray. No pic

8 mini dior and chantecaille cleansers. I used up and were beautiful to use but did leve my skin dry so wouldn't rp. No photo. 9 tatcha luminous dewy mist. Ok. Wont rp . Not amazing 10 neom mini body cleaner. Ok wont ro 11 Innersens Clarity conditioner. Used up a mini shampoo as well. shaOk but wont up. 12. Benefit good clean up cleanser. My daughters that I bought. I used the odd time. Wont repurchase. 13. Grow Gorgeous intense serum. My hair loved this at first and its a repurchase but now seems to have gotten used to ur so wont buy again. Think I may have one in stash. 14. Sam Mcknight deeper love. Ok but bit heavy for my hair. Don't up. 15. Body shop alpine scrub. Ok bought loads oin sale xmas 24.

Im gifting a few used items as well. So not technically finished but finished for me and leaving the house. 🤣
I wont add them on but I feel good saying more stuff is leaving. 🤣

15/100

Few more bits this week!

1. Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream. Love this. I love the way my skin looks and feels. Perfect. Lasts ages, so it's worth the splurge.

1. Versed Hydrating Serum. Nice serum. Absorbs quickly, not sticky. I would buy it again, but I think it's another discontinued item. I have plenty of this type of serum in my stash.

1. Elizabeth Arden Hyaluronic Acid Capsules sample. I did not like these. They felt very siliconey; I could feel them sitting on my skin. By the end of the day, my face felt really greasy. Also, I find the capsules a gimmick and a faff.

1. Estee Lauder Beautiful Magnolia L'EAU. Not my kind of scent. From an AC years ago.

Great to see everyone making such good progress, I’ve got some catching up to do!

I’m From Rice Whip Facial Cleanser - really like this, foams a little but non-drying. Have a back up all ready to go!

REN Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA tonic - Really nice exfoliating toner, obviously cannot buy another but pretty sure I’ve got another little bottle or two in my minis stash.

I’ve also identified some products that aren’t suited to my hair or skin and am going to make an effort to give those away. Slowly but surely reducing the pile…