No Buying Toiletries in March Challenge

ruby_eskimo

Hi everyone, 1 UU to report: Avon Smoothie Shower Gel in Mango. To be honest I hate these and I had 3 of them to use. Now onto the body shop pink grapefruit!

Have 3 IN's to report though:
-Avene Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser
-Avene Cleanance Anti-Shine toner
-Avene Hydrance Legere moisturiser

Basically taken advantage of the Boots 3for2 on skincare to stock up on some staples!

minerva_windsong

sarah*a wrote: »

I must admit I struggle to see who these mags are aimed at. Glamour, for example, has Fearne Cotton on the cover - who I thought was supposedly a 'Teen Icon' (at least that what she was aiming for with her make-up range), it has the sort of 'surveys' I associate with late teens/early twenties (does your boyfriend want commitment etc) and some fashion features that are precisely the look my 16yo DD wears ... Yet .... it has a '10 EVERYDAY skincare essentials list' where it has a £445 Night cream and an £80 eye cream as a 'can't live without' essential and a fashion feature in Paris with a £10K dress :eek: it just seems all over the place.

and .... being very serious and MSE here .... it's not suprising so many people are in debt way over their heads if these are the sort of prices they are being told it is 'essential' for them to spend to have healthy skin etc :mad:

The expensive clothes/beauty products is another thing that annoys me about these magazines. Who's got £445 to spend on a night cream?! I admit that I'm prepared to spend quite a bit on decent skincare, but - and this is the crucial part - only if it works for me, not because some beauty editor tells me I should buy it.

I yearn for the day when someone is going to come up with a magazine that has proper insightful articles about world events and interviews with proper role models for young women (not necessarily celebrities), but with the clothes and beauty products at prices that a normal person might be able to afford - basically the articles from Marie Claire and 'old' Glamour, albeit with fewer celebs, crossed with the fashion pages of More.

mcculloch29

Made an interesting discovery earlier - a men's BS washbag with untouched contents, hidden at the back of the wardrobe in my office.

It was a present to DS a few years ago, said contents are now OUT and will be in use. I think at the time he was given it, he felt moisturisers, scrubs etc weren't 'him' but they are now!
The best thing is, I've been reading about all the seaweed BS products on here and thinking how much I'd like to try them and that's what the men's products are - seaweed based.

As they were unopened, they should be ok.

In defence of Boots: My Advantage card lost its chip with old age -I have had it since they started chipped cards.
I just rang the Advantage card helpline, couldn't hear what the automated voice was saying at all, but got a really helpful real person to talk to.
Apparently I have a nice wee sum on the card, so I shall enjoy planning what to get as my next non cash spend once the card arrives. Except that I don't actually need anything yet...

charlie792

mcculloch29 wrote: »

In defence of Boots: My Advantage card lost its chip with old age -I have had it since they started chipped cards.
I just rang the Advantage card helpline, couldn't hear what the automated voice was saying at all, but got a really helpful real person to talk to.
Apparently I have a nice wee sum on the card, so I shall enjoy planning what to get as my next non cash spend once the card arrives. Except that I don't actually need anything yet...

Totally different for me, I had a problem with the machine not allowing me to collect my points that I was owed so I contacted them about it just to make sure they were meant to be added on...I didn't get a reply for a few days and I tried a machine in another store and it worked fine then, I get home to find they tell me its my card thats faulty and they've sent me a new one, cue them then cancelling my old card and all my points getting wiped off and now they won't recredit them to my new card - which I don't need because it seems like the machine was at fault and not my card :mad:

minerva_windsong wrote: »

The expensive clothes/beauty products is another thing that annoys me about these magazines. Who's got £445 to spend on a night cream?! I admit that I'm prepared to spend quite a bit on decent skincare, but - and this is the crucial part - only if it works for me, not because some beauty editor tells me I should buy it.

I yearn for the day when someone is going to come up with a magazine that has proper insightful articles about world events and interviews with proper role models for young women (not necessarily celebrities), but with the clothes and beauty products at prices that a normal person might be able to afford - basically the articles from Marie Claire and 'old' Glamour, albeit with fewer celebs, crossed with the fashion pages of More.

I think it should be written by MSE users ourselves :T
Heck we know whats affordable and what's not, the best bargains around etc

Anyone want to start writing

Jacks_xxx

:wave:If this thread was a garden fence that we chatted over, it would have to be the length of Hadrian's blimmin Wall! :dance:We are a chatty bunch eh?

Day 14 of the month,

Day 73 of the year and still only one in. :dance:

I've finally finished the Mir Cleanser that I replaced a couple of weeks ago. That last 3/4 of an inch lasted aaaaages!

UU Mir Cleansing Gel WIBA? Yes and I already have! It is a bog standard basic cleanser in many ways. You rub it in and wipe it off - jand ob done - but you use the teeniest tiniest bit you can imagine. It lasts for ages, removes the residue of my oil based cleanser that I use to remove make up and doesn't irritate. I like simple, efficient skincare, and this is it!

On The Plan I thought that I would need to buy these in the first three months:
Mir Cleansing Gel
Mir Exfoliating Cleansing Gel
Dermalogica Clean Start Bed time for Breakouts
Nude Cleansing Facial Oil or similar
Deep conditioning treatment (pref elasticizer)
Mir Argan Oil


But - two weeks to go and so far I've only had to buy the first one.

I'm not at all reformed though - my Mothers Day, Easter, Anniversary and Birthday lists are all make up and toiletries! :eek::o:p

bargainbetty

Hello all!

Trudij, I haven't been spammed either, so that makes us the special ones. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

One UU for me today - the Molton Brown shampoo finally bit the dust yesterday. Everything else is taking forever, as I am on the travel sizes they give away. The comments about the amount of product that you use and the quantity in the bottle does make you think hard.

I've estimated that I have enough shampoo/conditioner until at least June, body wash till June/July and mosituriser till 2013. So, will power has ensured that I've still not bought anything - been using up my stashes.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week, and a big welcome to the newbies. Damn, I cannot keep up with this thread now!

thevicster

marie2 wrote: »

This thread is making me think a little more about spending in general; so slightly off topic but are any of you from Liverpool and able to recommend a good, reasonably priced hair salon? I currently pay about £50 for a cut and blowdry which I think is a bit excessive...or am I just out of touch with prices?

I'm also planning to book a Clarins facial at my local Boots, it is £15 redeemable angainst products. Now I really don't need any more products:o but this seems the most economical way to enjoy some pampering. Rosemary I think it was you who mentioned having this done, how does the treatment compare to a full facial (the cost of which at JL is:eek:).

Jeez, that is expensive! :eek: I get a colour, cut, wash and blow dry for £36 and I live in Bath. (el expensivo for EVERYTHING!) It is on the outskirts of Bath though, so maybe you could try looking around the edges of Liverpool for a decent looking salon? Might be a bit cheaper? I LOVE my hairdresser, he's fab and I just let him do what he wants and he brings me trashy old lady mags and coffee :rotfl:

sawan82 wrote: »

marie Not sure what the Clarin's ones are like but last time my sister enquired (and booked) at Elemis, they were doing bogof on facials!! So worked out to £22.50 each. She gave me one of the vouchers and it was amazing :j

I'm not encouraging anyone, but I know somebody posted about looking for stila (foundation?) at a good price. I'm not sure how prices compare, but lookfantastic have started their sale

*Whispering* (And Nails Inc. just tweeted about a crackle polish...)

Uh oh! I need to know what this is now!

minerva_windsong wrote: »

I'm 23 and I think I'm too old for glossy mags - or rather they're just not appealing to me any more, even Glamour which used to have fairly decent articles has moved into the trashy celebrity gossip area and I'm not sure I like it. I've given up buying magazines for Lent to save a bit of money (and prove that I can do it, and encourage me to read more books) and so far I don't miss them.



I have to admit I've had a similar experience - swapped my usual hairdresser when I was at uni (Saks) for the one round the corner from my house, and it was terrible. No frills as expected but it was the little things like not brushing the hairs of the back of my neck that really annoyed me. But my best mate has been to Supercuts a few times and says they're pretty good.

Bronnie, I also got that PM. I did reply saying, "Think you've sent this to the wrong person" but now I'll forward it to the site team - anyone know the best way to do this?

Couldn't agree more, I used to love Glamour too

flutterbyuk25

Thanks all - feeling bit better now and I have decided to attempt work tomorrow if I'm up to it.

I did a little tidy round and sorted through my box of the free samples sachets that come with magazines. I keep them as i go away with work 3 times a year, and it's easier to take these than decant stuff, plus I'm doing outdoor pursuits so makes no difference if my hair etc reacts to the product :rotfl:. I threw out some sachets that had been there since at least 2005 :eek:. But I have now put all work ones in the box, and any others like cleansers etc in the bathroom to use up over next fortnight. I also discovered 7 hair mask sachets <insert confused smiley> never buy them so must all be freebies. So will add those to my weekly pamper sesh on a Sunday, along with body scrub

x

Mags30

About the haircuts I think the cheaper places are ok if you just want a very basic trim. In that case there's really no need to pay extra. If you have really short hair of long layers that need styling then it's definitely worth the higher prices, same if you want a restyle. Groupon sometimes have offers from the expensive hairdressers.

@thevicster My Celia Britwell Boots bag arrived this morning, brightened up my Monday morning lots. Thank you :A

@Kaz Glad the drains are all fixed

@rosemary there are loads of online beauty sites, get them back by shopping elsewhere. Seems strange that they won't add on the points when it's easy for them to see what you bought :mad:

I didn't get the spam PM.

thevicster

Does anyone remember Real magazine? (I think it was called that) it had some great articles and affordable fashion/beauty.

I didn't get spammed either. Am kinda jealous :rotfl:

Almost forgot - UU to report - Liz Earle ORange FLower Body Wash - wouldn't buy again - smelt a bot too 'botanical' for me. Now onto a huuuuge S&G Clean Girls.