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!

@Minnie123456 I’m glad you’re being proactive about your hair loss. I went through this about five years ago. Because my mum’s side is populated by women with very visible scalps post-meno, I requested specialist diagnosis rather than wait and see. I’m so pleased. Between receiving a prompt diagnosis of two forms of alopecia and being medicated for it, starting HRT and changing how I care for my hair, It’s SOOOO much better. I would say it’s longer and stronger than before I had my (now adult) kids

Masks and Minis Month sounds great @DidILeaveTheGasOn

I have so many sheet masks - a combination of not really liking them as they feel wasteful and claustrophobic. Plus I think they may actually breed as there are always more that I thought.

And if I use up lots of minis does that mean I can buy another advent? So far I only have one (Harrods so v much a treat) and would love to find a Jadvent in the Black Friday offers...

You've made an excellent case for it @CinderellaParker, I almost feel like we can all get an extra one 🤔😅

I'm not a fan of sheet masks either. They are in the same category as clingfilm for me. Sheet masks are slightly worse because they cling to themselves with liquid that drips on you as you try to arrange it into a face shape, and then it just sits there all wet and cold for the first few minutes.

I just looked for a gif of Bella in Twilight being like, 'any... cold, wet thing, I don't really <shudders>' why doesn't this exist already?

They are vile. Terrible invention. But I suppose they feel like more of a 'thing' maybe to brands and so they can charge more. I mean, evidently people will pay £80 for a pack of four masks but they might/would baulk at £80 for a pot of something that would only give four uses?

I’m also up for using up sheet masks! I have loads of them accumulated from various edits and I just never remember to wear them. I bought a box of sheet masks a few months ago. No idea why I did that! (I accidentally ordered two.. so one will be gifted..), it’s the vt daily soothing ones and I’ve only used two masks so far in the x30 box.

Empties to report:

Keratase genesis shampoo mini - I got this free as a Sephora reward. Was great for gym bag. I’ve kept the bottle and have just refilled with my normal shampoo as I don’t have any back up mini shampoos to replace with. It was nice enough, smelt good.

Ouai st Bart’s body wash travel sized - also free from Sephora. Love this and always happy to get it in an edit. I may one day rp it full size. Smells like holidays. Replaced in gym bag with a mini noble isle shower gel (which I’m on the fence about is it’s very watery and just spills out!)

Malin+Goetz advanced renewal moisturiser 5ml travel - was ok. Nothing amazing.

Beauty of Joseon spf - a staple. Currently have a Numbuzin no9 spf on the go and a couple others waiting in the wings before I cycle back to BOJ.

Tsubaki premium volume & repair shampoo - love this. Smells soooo good. Annoyingly finished before the conditioner did. I’ve repurchased a refill pack to replace it with.

Ive got lots of body moisturisers/oils open at the moment which I need to work through so need to make concious effort to use those.

Oh I only use water and a muslin cloth in the morning!

I double cleanse at night though…

I love a sheet mask (well not wearing the really soggy ones that drip down your face), but I love how a lot of them make my skin look. I use them on mornings when I have the time. Currently have 38 in my stash! I subscribe to sonagi, had to change to every 3 months as I wasn’t using them as frequently.

I love a sheet mask too, they seem so luxurious. My skin loves them, especially the MZ one. If you have time ( and few of us do), it can make me feel really zen. 😊

Since buggering up my skin barrier with too many products, I just use warm water and a flannel in the morning and my skin is SO much better. Was using Dermalogica daily exfoliating stuff every day and haven't noticed any worse results without it, do use their calming tonic lotion afterwards and then serum and moisturiser. Do a thorough cleanse at night still.
Wouldn't have been brave enought to admit this though if others hadn't!

Warm water and muslin cloth in the morning for me too.

@Minnie123456 i struggle with psoriasis on my scalp so whilst I’ll use the odd hair mask and other shampoos my basic shampoo and conditioner is MooGoo which doesn’t irritate my scalp. Not sure if it would work for you but I do feel clean after.
I don’t report those empties as it feels like a basic like toothpaste and I get the giant refill bags so rare to have an empty.

Hello! I will start posting in this thread as I've acquired a rather stupendous amount over the last few months even before Black Friday and Christmas sales.

I would love to join a Masks and Minis November, whether in this thread or in another thread.

Will sachet samples be allowed? I keep thinking I would use them when I am traveling but the faff of sachet and unknown products means they do not get used.

I have a few containers full and have decided to start with things I already love or am interested in buying. That will either put me off various edits, gift sets, and BACs... or result in me buying more.

A sample is just a small mini AFAIC, I definitely plan to track them!

Yes samples are in!

Im up for mask & minis. I try to do a sheet mask once a week, but sometimes i just cant be bothered, even though it doesnt take much energy up🤣

Some Oct empties.

Random empty of the Manifesto gummies from the CB GWP i bought from the Fairy. Didnt really like the taste of these. I dont really bother with beauty supplements tbh.

198. Viktor&Rolf flowerbomb. Lovely fragrance. Would RP, but want YSL Libre so thats my next fragrance purchase.

199. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle edp refill for the twist & spray. Gorgeous scent. I love twist and spray as it is handy to chuck the bottle in my bag for travel.

200. Reedle shot mask. I liked that it was 2 step. I had a few blemishes and they seemed to disappear when i used this. Have RP.

201. Purity Aqua sheet mask. Basic and abit boring.

202. Mitchum roll-on is my go-to. I always have multiples in my stash. I have no preference as to scent.

203. Laneige cream skin mist refill. I think they do a big bottle now, so no need to buy these minis from Stylevana now. Its a lovely mist.

204. The Inkey List Ectoin Barrier Serum: I hate that the writing flakes off the packaging. I kept finding black flecks on my face from this. I didnt find it mind blowing. It wasnt sticky or runny which was nice. Have another in stash.

205. Neom perfect night sleep bath foam. Im a sucker for a pricey bubblebath. A light foamy bath, but i love the scent more. Have RP.

206. Lush Snuggles shower gel smells as cozy as it sounds. It has a creamy lather with small chunks of cocoa. I loved it and have another in my stash. I love Lush, but you have to wait years for them to bring a product back if it is limited ed😫

207. Drunk Elephant Beste jelly cleanser. Its pretty average tbh, id rather spend my money on KS Goat milk.

208. Laneige cleansing oil. I've been using a lot of cleansing balms lately, so an oil was a nice change. It was OK, not one I'd particularly purchase again, though; I prefer a thicker cleansing oil.

209. Nyx blade & shade. Have anlther in stash, but once its done ill move onto something else. Because its such a small nib, its snaps and runs out quickly.

210. Lush Dream Cream. Now with the cold weather back, and the heating being on ots played havoc with my eczema. This is my go-to, its clears my skin fairly quickly without the use of steriod cream. Always have atleast one big pit in stash.

@Caggie09 V & R Flowerbomb is my favourite ever scent. I cannot be without a bottle, I love trying lots of new and different fragrances but I feel sad without a Flowerbomb too.

I think its my favourite v&r scent. It was actually my OH that gifted me it. He did well i must say!

It was an anniversary gift from my DH too, 20 years ago. 😍

Sorry to hear you're also suffering with hair loss. May I ask what lotion your GP prescribed? And has your GP identified the cause?

This thread is fab. It’s made me determined to try and use up various bits and bobs I have including the leftovers from last years M&S beauty advent calendar. I’m trying to move to more ethical brands, but equally wanting to order this years beauty advent calendar which goes against that!

I have pulled together all my sheet masks and foot masks into a wash bag ready for next month 🙂

I'm in for masks and minis - I need to use stuff up so I make room for more!

I've got nearly 2 Alex drawers worth of sheet masks. 😳I haven't technically bought all of them, when I had my kbeauty site obsession of 2024/5 I got a lot of packs as gwps plus all the ones that come in various edits. I was doing quite well using at least a couple a week at one point but I've dropped off. So 5 per day for me then. 😂

I'm going to go put one on now because just typing that made me feel guilty. 😬