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!

Lush Snow Fairy perfume. Prefer the body mist, dont see must difference.

Lush Sympathy for the skin. Probably one of my top Lush body creams, great for sensitive skin, and the scent is a light vanilla. Reminds me of icecream!

Elf Halo glow. For the bin, looking back it just made me look sweaty, not a nice glow.

Augustinus B Vitamin C. It was nice enough, but would never buy it. I liked that it had no scent, most vit c's ive used always have a scent. Was a nice change.

Umberto Giannini scalp scrub. I prefer a scalp scrub that lathers. The bead's are really hard to wash out, and i find the odd one when drying my hair.

Ive spent a fortune on BF deals, im still awaiting all my parcels. I get suckered in to easy!!

Used up a sheet mask in the hotel I stayed in last night. Stock image because I threw the packaging.

Dear Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Mask - this was nice, I only had the one mask in my my stash although I think I may have a small tube of the cream in the same line. Left my skin feeling very soft and it did seem to take redness away. Would potentially RP this one.

I’ve lost track as been recycling. I’m probably about 72/80 used.

I have just finished a Cult51 serum and night cream. I liked the serum, didn’t rate the night cream and used it on my neck, it didn’t feel very moisturising. Short version- no better than cheaper brands like CeraVe or Cephatil, not as good as Sunday Riley.

@DidILeaveTheGasOn I totally relate! Great addiction description!

Some more empties:

Anua Heartleaf toner - 250ml. My new favourite toner (though I think I say that about at least half of the ones I try!). Feels lovely to apply and heartleaf seems to do a really good job on redness. This bottle lasted for months of using it every morning.

Bioeffect EGF serum - 15ml. From a Cult Beauty edit earlier this year. I can see why so many people love this, it must be amazing for dry skin, but it was a bit much for my normal/combi skin. Glad to have tried it though.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Niacinamide Glow Drops - 40ml. This is the non-tinted version. Like most GR products, it feels lovely on the skin and the packaging is pretty (though the pump gave out towards the end and it was annoying getting the rest out).

The Inkey List Omega Water Cream - 50ml. I like a lightweight moisturiser, but this was a bit lightweight even for me. I don’t seem to get on with Inkey List products generally, haven’t found one I really like yet.

Fragrance minis/samples - Ouai St Barts body mist, Sana Jardin Sandalwood Temple and Miller Harris Legato. The Sana Jardin was my favourite.

Tree Hut Pineapple shower gel - 532ml. My favourite Tree Hut scent.

Lush Yummy Custard body wash - 50g. I love these Lush solid body washes in the pot. They feel really creamy and are brilliant for travel as no risk of liquid spilling.

Lush Chelsea Morning body lotion - 100g. The lotion was a bit thick and heavy but it smelled amazing (similar scent to the Super Milk hair primer).

I tried my Super Facialist Rosehip oil today! It was AMAZING! Skin felt incredible after I massaged it on my face and neck. The popped my Nivea moisturiser on top! Can’t wait to use it again tomorrow morning as I’ve reverted to my night routine creams tonight :) I have an order coming in from Look Fantastic tomorrow so will post my goodies then :)

Here is my latest report:

• Empty: The Cheeky Panda bamboo cleansing facial wipes - I have got very lazy of late. These are fine. Just not the best way to cleanse.
• Chuck: Studio London Colour Icon eyeshadow pigment - I think I got this free. Quite liked it. THEN I tried again this week... MOTHER FALOONEES!!! My eyes stung like nobodies business so this is now a chuck.

No7 Good intent collagen mask. I used it overnight, but i do prefer the Biodance one i used a couple of weeks ago. Would use again though.

Boots hyaluronic sheet mask. Love them, got lots in backup⭐️

Garnier SPF Fluid. Used for years now, cheap and cheerful. Never any issues.

Lush Yog Nog body mist. Only wear this at xmas time. Really long lasting, and makes me feel all cosy when i wear it!☃️Have one more in stash.

@Caggie09 looks like it's a sheet mask kinda day for you ❤️

I've finished a Percy & Reed No oil Oil, I really like this product on days I don't blow dry my hair. Got some other products to get through but would re purchase this.

Few empties to report
111 skin cyro depuffing eye mask- these irritated my eyes after about 10 minutes and I had to take them off, not a rp for me.
Batiste sensitive scalp gentle dry shampoo- I liked this one, doesn't make my head itchy. It's a bit more expensive than the normal ones but I have already rp.
Voduz cleanse it illuminating shampoo- this smelt amazing, unfortunately it made my fine hair greasy.
Piz Buin moisturising face cream spf 50- I love piz buin suncreams, I love the smell. I thought this would be a lighter version of the suncream for the face, but it was exactly the same texture as the suncream and almost the same price for a much smaller tube.
Beauty pro eye therapy eye mask- I think I got these in the birchbox ac last year. These where ok, think I have a few more in my stash.
Molton Brown Coastal cypress and sea fennel bath and shower gel- this was dh's but as he has to be careful what he uses on his skin he gave it to me. It was nice, lathered nicely. I wasn't too fussed on the scent though as it was quite masculine.

85/100 I don't think I will use 15 products in December to meet my target.

Edging my way to target.

Paulas choice exfoliating peel. It was very effective, odd fragrance. Not a rp as do much to use up.

Some more empties here - Fugazzi Purple, 8ml - I was really surprised I liked this given I'm not a fan of Parma violets, but it dried down nicely with a lovely green grassy note. Jo Malone Amber, Lime and Bergamot 10ml - not a fan of this, ended up using it as air freshener in the car! It reminded me of men's deodorant. Cowshed salt scrub - I love a physical exfoliator and this had a refreshing herbal/minty smell. Left a greasy residue in the bath but was worth it because it felt so lovely. Sunday Riley Luna night oil - ok but I've used face oils I prefer, am now using a Zelens one that feels more nourishing. Dr Levy Anti - pigmentation drops - this was free in an GWP and not something I'd have purchased as I don't have much pigmentation so not really a concern. Didn't smell great, but didn't irritate my skin or cause any issues. And finally Sisley Velvet mask - didn't do a lot for me, I prefer the black rose mask as it feels more moisturising.

Newbie to report. My friend recommended Super Facialist Cleansing oil ( we got together for a catch up and spent at least an hour talking beauty products). By chance found it in Tk maxx ( Kensington High Street).

An empty - Jessicurl Hair Cleansing Cream.

I really rate Jessicurl for curly/wavy hair. I also love that they have the option of fragrance or un-fragranced for all their products.

Sadly perimenopause means I no longer have curly/wavy hair so I won't be rebuying.

Previously this was my holy grail shampoo 😥

I have just had a quick trip away. I used up some samples - Anika The Cure Shampoo & Conditioner as well as their scalp scrub. Definitely not for me. My hair was instantly crispy, and I’m so upset because it’s been in such good condition. Glad it’s gone.

I have 10 toiletry items to use up before Christmas if I want to have used up the same amount as I've bought this year AND clear the over-spill from last year. This number keeps fluctuating as I am using things up but also have a beauty advent calendar! However, I'm pretty confident I can reach zero by Christmas. Ideally, I'll manage to use up a few extra things too as I have a separate tally for make-up and that's currently on track to have used up the same number of items that I've gained but not cleared last year's over-spill (six items). So it'd be nice if my toiletries tally (which includes scented candles) could cover that.

I seem to be lagging behind everyone but finally have a few empties to report.

Tom Ford - Lost Cherry Love this scent, especially this time of year, and have a backup bottle ready to go.

Skin Rocks - Retinoid 1 This came in a Space NK edit a while back and I finally got round to using it recently Really nice and gentle retinoid, used it 3-4 nights a week with no ill effects and skin lovely and glowy in the mornings. Nice packaging too, a good weight to the bottle and it can be refilled to cut down on waste. Might move up to 2 once I’ve finished a Medik8 retinol.

Inkey List - Exosome Hydra-Glow Complex - This was ok, felt nice on but I didn’t really notice much of an effect on my skin.

Behind with this thread, but have being ploughing through stuff to make space for the advent/Black Friday haul!

63. Bom Dia Bright Cream - nice change from the bum bum scent, but still too strong and overpowering for my taste

64. Elemis Marine cream - opened this when I was having problem skin and looking for something non irritating. Worked really well. Very soothing.

65. Elemis Cleansing Balm - great cleansing balm

66. Soap & Glory Clean on Me - nice enough, but not one I’d bother to rp.

67. Revolution Glycolic Polisher - didn’t like this. Used up as a body scrub

68. KP bump eraser - ok. Smells a bit vinegary. Not a big enough tube to really tell whether it does anything.

69. Dr Barbara Sturm The good C serum - ok but not my favourite vit c.

70. Decree Eye Mask - meh. Messy and expensive way to apply eye serum.

71. Margaret Dabbs Foot Cream - rubbish. Too watery for a foot cream. Prefer the body shop one.

72. Body Shop body lotion to oil - this was really nice and moisturising and left my skin really soft. However, Avocado wouldn’t be my first choice for a fragrance . Would be more inclined to rp if it was a different scent, or even unscented.

Total 72/110

Stylevana order finally arrived after about a billion years 😅 half of these things are direct replacements of things I’ve already used up, or almost done with, and needed replacing. The other half are new to me products but I have gaps in my routine that needed filling, so I don’t feel too bad! (Or so I am telling myself…)@Francesteinhave you used the celimax retinol before?

Oh I’m now on a strict beauty buying ban until July 2026. I won’t buy unless I run out of something (which is highly unlikely!).

@paristotokyo I have been using tretinoin for about 30 years and only use retinol on my eye area. Just trying to get neck and deck to tolerate it too. Have found that I’m more sensitive to retinols than tret (except for the area I mentioned before.) I am using the Numbuzin and really like it. I loved the Dr Ceuracle too, but found it went manky pretty quickly. If you live in a hot area, maybe keep it in the fridge? I have used the Skin1004 toner as well. It makes a good glow, but I get better results from the TirTir Milky Toner. i suspect I need much more moisture now I’m in my Crone Era.

@Francesteinah I see. So I don’t currently have a retinol (or similar) in my routine. My skin is very sensitive so it’s something I’ll need to introduce veryyyy slowly and only in specific areas. I didn’t find the dr ceauracle went manky in our hot/humid climate, but it may have been because I had a smaller size in the mist? So good suggestion about keeping it in the fridge, thank you. The skin1004 is the ampoule and is a staple of mine. I didn’t think it was doing much, but I’ve massively missed in the weeks that I didn’t have it. Excited to try the numbuzin, I need a bit of lifting I think!

I have a sneaking suspicion that we live in the same area @paristotokyo 🥵🥵🥵 Personally I am dying atm and looking at houses MUCH further south.

@Francesteinwill pm you! I’m not in Aus, which I believe is where you’re located? Hope you find something soon. It’s a struggle with the high heat.