Beauty addicts thread: share empties, chucks and mindful buying tips

[Experiment627]

Welcome back (or welcome in!) to our little corner of beauty bliss, where shelves are full, wish lists are longer than ever, and there’s always something new to try.
This thread has been around for ages (since at least 2015), 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!

@Caggie09 @OvaHere thank you for both of your reviews re ab lash serum, I've not yet started on mine so I'll sell it on now. I'm not very good at being consistent with the champo one so if I do put the effort in, I want it to actually work 🤷🏻‍♀️

As you know I'm a big Bader fan but this truly was a rubbish product. I haven't tried the Champo one yet. The Beauty Pie XL one worked well and I'm using the UK Lash one now which I think is also doing something. I also abandoned The Ordinary one recently as I didn't see any difference with that.

@Henowner and @LightandBreezy Re perfumes. Couldn’t agree more about them being seasonal. I have soooo many that I have simply become bored with, and am totally over all new fragrances being vanilla or caramel-heavy. I don’t want to smell like a cupcake or burnt sugar. I also don’t want to smell like stonefruit that has been left in the fruit bowl and a locked in a hot house for a week or two. (That is how a lot of fragrances smell on me - even ones I love when worn by others or in the bottle.) My DD1 (genius child) has suggested that I buy a waterless diffuser to use the okay ones up as a room scent. She has been doing this for a while and says it’s fabulous. I have ordered one from Temu.

@LightandBreezy how fab that you could shop your stash for your work trip.

I have another empty to report:

• Feather & Down sweet dreams pillow spray: love how this smells - have used on me as well as on bed linen! Not sure where this came from but I doubt I will RP as I usually have a bottle of essential lavender oil on the go.

Another one ploughing through ready for advent season!! Finished a fair few things this last week

medik8 daily refresh toner- don’t feel this did much so won’t rp

skin rocks gel cleanser, loved this but other cleansers to get through so won’t rp yet but def would.

tatcha overnight indigo repair- have had this a few times and loved, makes my skin feel so soft, will def rp.

tacha the dewy cream, liked but didn’t like the smell so prob won’t rp

mz skin soothe and smooth eye cream, love this, makes such a difference to my eyes, think it’s my hg. This was my 2nd and will def be a rp once I’ve used the others in my stash.

Empties/chucks

(not pictured) - sample dabber soft iris M&S perfume. I have soooo many perfume testers and I don’t like this much so gonna bin without finishing it! Apparently it’s in the realm of Chanel Coco M’elle so I won’t bother with that either 😀

Aloe Vera lotion - v nice but was from a gift set bought on a Spanish holiday so probably won’t RP

Aussie 3 min miracle - easy conditioner, I have a few others to use but will RP at some point

57/100

chucked an olaplex conditioner and a ren conditioner found behind a cupboard I moved, ancient, fairly empty and needed to be binned.

Emma Lewisham - skin reset face serum - another product where I thought why am I pushing through using this, it didn’t seem to do much.

Grown Alchemist - hand cream - I’m with pretty much everyone else on this, runny, doesn’t smell great. Again, pushed through.

Few more empties:

Aesop Conditioner 500ml - a RP I will probably repurchase again in the future. A really nice conditioner, I find it very moisturising and I like the smell, but it’s not a must have/ stand out product for me and I’d only buy it when discounted.

Medik8 Crystal Retinal 3 - My first foray into retinal. I was using it every night within a couple of weeks. I really like it and have already purchased Crystal Retinal 6 but am switching to something else from my stash for a change first.

MZ Skin Bio Placenta & Stem Cell Serum 50ml - I really like this, the scent, texture, the way it makes my skin feel. Luckily I bought several in the FTF Easter Mystery Bundle otherwise it’s lovely but I definitely couldn’t justify (nor do I think it’s worth) £340.

Sana Jardin Air of Aquarius EDP 5ml - I liked this and would have probably bought another 5ml if it had not leaked. I think the brands gone under now and not sure I liked it enough for full size anyway.

SpaceNK Caribbean Shores Body Wash 100ml - a RP, I really like the SpaceNK body washes and will continue to pick these up if I see them on eBay or Vinted.

I wish I’d started numbering at the beginning of the year so I knew where I was, but c’est la vie!

Got fed up with all my gel cleansers so I am back on my balm bullshit with a Charlie Tate one from Home Bargains. That's better :)

(promise I will still empty the gel ones... eventually!)

Forgot I have a few more:

Medicube Collagen Night Wrapping Mask 75ml - I did not like the texture of this, or how long it took to dry, and I never used it overnight. I think it did make my skin look a bit better temporarily, but I much prefer the Byoma Bio-Collagen Facial Radiance Mask so will be returning to that.

Medik8 Press & Glow 200ml - a RP, it’s mild enough (for me) that I can use it with actives such as retinal, and it makes my skin feel clean and refreshed. I have a refill in my stash but will no doubt RP again in the future.

This Works In The Zone Body Lotion (Eucalyptus and Petitgrain) 22ml x2 - I must have picked these up at a hotel at some point. Very nice body lotion, absorbed well and I like the smell, but won’t purchase as I have others I prefer.

I have an empty to report:
Argentum Plus silver-msm mollu-skin spray: second bottle used up... still have MC 😭 but have found topical application of SA (through creams/facial washes) seems to work best. This spray though is lovely on irritated skin. Quite spenny so will persevere with SA for now.

60/100

Sarah Chapman Skinesis Overnight Facial - this was a rebuy and I expect I’ll buy again. I’ve got some stash products to try first.

Sana Jardin Air of Aquarius - loved this, beautiful fresh scent that’s ideal for summer.

Calm after the Storm - I like a petrichor scent, they sit well on my skin and give waves of clean fresh scent.

I’m making positive progress, I want to use and enjoy these things rather than storing them.

One chuck - Glow Body Mist in cherry bomb and Jasmine from home bargains. Packaging reminds me of SdJ but the smell lasts about 15 mins! Not worth the shelf space

Empties

• sample sachet (I had two) of sculpted by Aimee cloud cream. Gift at the John Lewis event or in store, I can’t remember! Nice.
• Lancôme Genefique Yeux Ultimate - part of a Lancôme kit IIRC, would RP if I see it with money off, I think it did have a smoothing effect, but have other eye creams to try first

Well done on progress @wheresmyshoe i know what you mean about using not storing!

@wheresmyshoe I’m making positive progress, I want to use and enjoy these things rather than storing them

This is similar mindset change to me, I realise I had a scarcity mindset (which is ridiculous if you saw my cupboard) the cost of some of the products made me hoard, as well as a time issue so I didn’t use anything that looked a bit complicated. I also hated getting to the end of a discontinued product I liked so would stock up.

I now like the idea of trying something new and realise the waste of money is throwing away products that have gone off. I’m enjoying trying different products and have a sense of achievement finishing a product.

I just have to curb my desire for a shiny new beauty box, maybe I should set interim empties targets as triggers for when I can get a new box 🤔

It’s a hard habit of a lifetime to break @SheilaFentimanand @TryingToFindMyStyle no different to the drawers and drawers of ‘for best’ linens of my Grandmother that didn’t the light of day. I agree about scarcity mindset, I have to watch my squirrel like tendencies.

@TryingToFindMyStyle – I’d forgotten all about Virgin Vie! I did have some products, back in the day when one of my pals was a rep. Around 2001, I think.

@Caggie09 – you are doing so well!!

@Experiment627 – I usually get Feather and Down from Boots. They generally have a good selection in my local branch.

Sally Hansen Nail and Cuticle Oil 13.3ml RRP £4.90. This was a good product, but I had to bin the last few drops as it had gone off. Would happily RP, but I have another product to use it in the meantime.

Dr Melaxin ECM Ceramide Neck Serum 10 x 1.5ml ampoules RRP £40. No

Dr Melaxin Necksphalt 50ml RRP £35. So I really bought into the TikTok hype, although I see that Boots are now stocking Dr Melaxin. Sigh. When will I learn? Will not RP and will stick to my trusted brands

Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner 300ml RP £16.80 I love this stuff! Was it @Francestein who recommended it? Love it and will RP, but I do have quite a few toners to get through.

Lancaster Sun Beauty Body Milk SPF30 50ml RRP £9.71. I used to use Lancaster all the time. Not sure why I changed. The smell is amazing and I have a nice colour about me. Quite incredible how much sunscreen I have got through this year. I do have a Soltan one that I bought last month and have started using it over the weekend. Contemplating buy some more sunscreen while its on special and I may as well buy some Lancaster.

The photo has the ESPA and yet another bloody Dr Melaxin from earlier in the month.

I have finished two body washes this week. One was a Bosistos Waratah and Mandarine one. Smelled nice but very drying. Glad to get rid. Next was Kracie Naive Matcha body wash foam. Very natural matcha scent. Grassy, soft. I liked it but my husband loathed it. I might buy another flavour of the same product next time. For now I am pottering through travel bits.
I have finished another travel sized TirTir milky skin toner. Love it. Have my eye on something else for when I finally whittle my stash down.(I have a lot to go through.)
I finished an old EA Green Tea flanker - the coconut one. I liked it more than I thought I would, as I am not a fan of coconut. It was a wee bit more sophisticated than the other ones I have tried. Every now and then the coconut would make itself known and for this reason I won’t buy again. Also three Zara travel sized fragrances that are so old their names have worn off. They were fine, samey… nothing interesting.
A bag of camellia and tea rose Epsom salts. Heavy on the tea rose and camellia was non-existent. This to me is the quintessential granny smell. I ended up chucking a bit in with the laundry as a scent booster. DH didn’t notice his very floral work shirts.

@Experiment627 Sorry you’re dealing with MC. I ended up using the strongest benzoyl peroxide ointment on my daughter’s to dry it all up and it went away very quickly. I had to dot it onto millions of those little buggers though. This may not be the best advice if your skin is already irritated, but if you have some in spots where you feel you can risk it, it might be worth trying. (Pretty sure I used a sterile needle (from a syringe) on some of the bigger blisters before applying BP. Also wore disposable gloves) Hers were like little bunches of grapes in her armpits and were painful. (She also gets eczema)

Great mindset work! I too spend time every day trying to break the learned belief that there is nog enough to go around, to stockpile, to squirrel away. But I have got better at understanding that this belief really does not serve me. I am much bettet these days at not stockpiling beauty products at least... still have a way to go in other areas of my life!

Thanks @Francestein for the top tip. I may well try that. I found that after a trip to a thermal spring & the sea in May both myself and my son improved immensely. We are off away again in two weeks so I am hoping that will help again.

A few more empties:
28. Lumene Nordic-C glow renew night cream - nice smell, lovely and light but still rich enough
29. Bamford hand and body wash - citrus - nice and would be happy to have again but wouldn’t buy for myself
30. A mini shower gel from a hotel stay - Noble Isle - pleasant enough
31. Sanctuary Spa supercharged hyaluronic face and neck cream - really like this and the rose scent
32. Elemis pro-collagen cleansing balm blackcherry - love this

I'm finding that I'm using and enjoying far more stuff, like others have said, rather than it sitting waiting. I have no shortage, so when I finish something I really like, chances are I already have a nice replacement waiting in the wings. So I'm trying not to be precious about things.

@Fleecy Yes! I too am trying not to be precious about things :)

I have two empties to report:

• Kingfisher fennel with fluoride toothpaste: HG for me - really do not try any other toothpastes unless gifted. Love the flavour and mouth feel. My son will not use anything else either.
• Ecran Sunnique Firming protecting serum SPF 50: loved this - only downside that if gets in mouth: YUCK! No white caste, firming effect, does not pill under or over stuff. Not sure how readily available this is in Blighty - bought in Spain. Ecran is my fave suncare brand.

Some more empties. I'd like to claim my stash is reducing but it still seems quite robust. 😂

2 x Patchology eye patches - I like these, not the best on the market but affordable enough.

Lacura/Aldi Eye Patches - these are fine for the price but very thin and I prefer eye patches with a bit of thickness. I have at least one more tub though.

Glow Recipe Avocado Cleanser - an old favourite. I had a stash at one point but I think this may have been the last of them. I will RP again but I need to get the current cleanser stash used.

Chantecaille Rose de Mai mist - Nice. Was from a SNK edit. I wouldn't RP as it's not so special to justify the price.

@OvaHere I have that chantecaille spray. Im a bit wary of using it as meno skin and rosacea. I may even have 2.

I have both of those too although the rosacea is reasonably under control right now. I didn't find it irritating at all.