No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries July 2015

indiepanda

Good evening everyone.

It's been a long long while since I posted on this thread (a number of years) and I wish I could say I had success to report... Unfortunately after a little while where I had made some genuine inroads into my stash I got stressed out at work and allowed myself to go a bit mad again.

In between going for a lot of weekends away and often buying new travel sizes because I wasn't sure the old ones would last, getting into beauty boxes, and falling for L'Occitane who do a lot of tempting gift / discounted sets with purchases, it's all gone a bit mad again.

I am really cross with myself for the waste. My boyfriend is one of the most frugal people I know and has managed to save up to buy a flat with no mortgage whereas I, even though I am a few years older, have a massive one. Now admittedly my house is worth more than his flat... but I won't own it in full till I'm in my 60s unless I start overpaying.... and one of the (many) things that's getting in my way is my cosmetics / toiletries addiction. The silliest thing is I don't even use that much of it - bit like a miser counting their gold and not spending it! In the winter I get chapped hands and lips because I forget to use enough hand-cream / lipbalm, I often fall asleep on the sofa in the evening and then go to bed without putting any night cream on or footcream (which is a necessity with my hooves), and I rarely wear make up either even though I know I look better when I do.

Last year I binned a ton of make up that was seriously old and bought a smaller supply of fresh stuff. Still probably got more than I need... Anyway, the plan is to buy new no new make up till I next need a new mascara (I won't need anything else before) - and given I bought one Friday, that shouldn't be this year.

I've spent a few hours this weekend looking through my sizable toiletries stash and re-organizing it so I at least know where everything is and the rough scale of the problem. I've concluded about all I might need to buy over the summer is mouthwash, cotton wool and razor blades (exciting eh!). I think I'd better just add those to a supermarket delivery to save me from ending up in a shop where they might sell more exciting things that I'd add to my stash.

There's a couple of other items I might need come autumn, but there are some things where I think it could be literally years and years before I need to open my purse - shower gel, body and hand lotion being the primary culprits.

I've cancelled my two beauty box subscriptions (which also haven't helped on the stash front) and been through my facebook likes and unliked a bunch of pages for my favourite beauty product companies so their promotions don't show up in my news feed anymore. I might need to think about cancelling my Grazia subscription and stopping buying other fashion magazines - too much temptation when I read about the latest products.

PP for the remainder of this month is to UU (all full size unless otherwise stated):-

- This works perfect heels rescue balm
- Crabtree and Evelyn Summer Hill hand therapy
- Faith in Nature Coconut shower gel
- Body Shop Coconut Shimmer body butter
- Antipodes Avocado Night Cream
- Aurelia Cell repair night oil
- Clarins Eye Contour balm
- Antipodes Ananda Gentle toner
- Ren V-Cense day cream
- Lancome Bi-Facial eye make up remover
- Dove Go Fresh pomegranate deodorant (mini)

Intention when each of these is finished is to check stash for any other part used products, including minis (of which there will be one for the majority of items) and move onto those, saving near full / unopened items till the part used ones are gone. And when I travel I shall just have to take two part full mini bottles of shower gel / body lotion / conditioner etc. rather than one full one.

When I finally need to go shopping, my plan is to replace with the kinds of brands you could buy on LoveLula - no chemical nasties etc. I don't know if they really are that much better for me - but frankly there's so much choice with products these days, if I start cutting down the brands I use, that makes the choice a little easier. I do love the smell of the aromatherapy oils a lot of the brands use too - makes using them a pleasure.

Good luck everyone with your endeavors this month!

mcculloch29

Hello again Indiepanda!
Re the foot thing, I was the same and suffered dreadfully with rough hard skin until the penny dropped.
Put the foot cream on under tights or socks first thing in the morning. It keeps your sheets cleaner for one thing and only takes seconds. My foot cream lives in a box next to the bed, alongside where I leave my shoes/slippers/sandals.

indiepanda

mcculloch29 wrote: »

Hello again Indiepanda!
Re the foot thing, I was the same and suffered dreadfully with rough hard skin until the penny dropped.
Put the foot cream on under tights or socks first thing in the morning. It keeps your sheets cleaner for one thing and only takes seconds. My foot cream lives in a box next to the bed, alongside where I leave my shoes/slippers/sandals.

Hello .

That's a good point. I have been known to go to bed with socks on to save the sheets, but I can't bear to do that in the summer, nor when the boyfriend is around.

I was looking at reviews for those footner exfoliating socks, but I don't think I could bear to do till the winter when I'll be able to hide my feet inside boots while they shed, stick to footcream and my micro-pedi instead for the summer.

A couple of summers ago I let them get so bad they cracked when I was hiking and I was near tears by the end of the hike. They aren't quite that bad at the moment - been taking a bit better care of them as have been running (well slow jogging) in prep for my first 10k race next weekend and that really would be agony with cracked feet.

Gemzie121

Deleted_User - following on from what others have said, there's no need to be embarrassed, we're all on here for the same reason, to reduce our epic stashes I have a ridiculous stash, 3 of those big plastic stacking tubs, 2 plastic drawers on wheels, a bedroom drawer, several large make up bags and lying in many other places around the house. cant see my dressing table for perfume bottles. :eek: I do like that this thread is making me think about what I already have as I'm guilty of forgetting what I have and ending up with duplicates, also if I really love something I'm so scared of it being discontinued I just have to buy "back ups" . That happened with my favourite next perfume (although on that note I must declare an IN as I got my fave discontinued perfume on eBay last week... Next forever love. Words cannot say how happy that made me. Although I'll be scared to use it as they are few and far between and it's just the most gorgeous scent.) also happened with my favourite superdrug hand cream. So I guess am on the naughty step for the perfume, but when something is your absolute holy grail and it was discontinued its not so bad, right? :eek:

Got a uu to declare too... sanctuary foot butter - WBA this is great stuff, nice consistency (can't stand watery foot lotions) and does a good job.

Indie panda - I am the same as you, hoard but don't use it enough. This thread is making me think more about what I've got and making use of it before it goes off I am the same in that I forget to apply night cream/ eye serum before bed and forget to use hand cream and foot cream a lot. I'm trying hard now to use stuff instead of letting it sit there. Before bed I'm trying to get s routine going... When I do my teeth I put on night cream and eye serum and lip balm, oh and I exfoliate my lips with the lush scrub before I do my teeth. Try to remember to put foot cream on when getting pjs on, so it can sink in overnight. And as I always read before bed I put hand cream on before I switch my night light off. (Hand cream + magazine = inky hands :eek: ). I still quite often get lazy and forget to put stuff on though. I think it's a case of getting into a routine until it becomes second nature to use those products. I have a massive hand cream in a pump bottle so I put it in the bathroom in the hope that my family & I will use it after washing hands. Fingers crossed if things are in sight / to hand I will start using them more

Polkadotsandrainbows

Hello ladies, can I please join?:A
I've got a massive stash of skincare going on, it might actually last me 2 years:( I'm a hoarder, when something i like goes on sale i stock up. It all started with me stocking up for rainy days when i was at uni, i didn't have much money and with what i had i used to wait for the big sales and stock up for a year. So it became a habir and also because i wasn't able to polish off the stock i kept accumulating even more stuff:( i did a massive declutter, tossed anything that's past its prime or anything that i didn't like. I gave unused stuff to friends and family. And thank goodness my makeup stash is not a stash anymore :j but skincare is a whole another story In my next post I'll try to tally up my skincare products and list them all, fingers crossed:beer:

pirateyqueen

A few UU's and a few IN's, so I'm not really in a better place than I was before! I only ever seem to use up the products that I have no more stashed.

UU – Hada Labi Gokujyun super hyaluronic acid lotion – WBA, was very hydrating, but I'm going to wait and see if I see a difference in my skin when I don't use this.

UU – La Roche Posay anti-shine sunscreen – WNBA, ugh! I hated this. I think I've bought it before and forgot that the product balls up on me and leaves me looking weird.

UU – Eucerin Replenishing face cream 5% urea - WMBA, worked well enough but I have ordered a different cream off of Amazon to try next, so will declare that when it arrives (hopefully today as we missed a delivery yesterday so hopefully it will be attempted again today when the OH is in)

IN – OST C20 Serum – HG

IN – La Roche Posay Ultra-light sunscreen – already much nicer than the other one!

dolly84

rogueylawyer wrote: »

I don't think I've had any UU recently, but I am slowly getting more organised. I've been in quite the funk (and not in a cute dancing disco sense) for a long time now. I think I've finally hit the resent button and am beginning to get myself more organised.

I have been seriously considering a purchase of a really useful set of drawers to bring everything together at a glance. Or maybe I'll move my mum's old tall boy unit in from the garage to do it. Either way, I end up repurchasing because I have no idea what's even in my stash. I know I have a dozen shower gels in the garage storage but has that stopped me from buying another two shower gels this month? Nope!

Completely off topic, has anyone else used Lenor unstoppables yet? Bought a double pack on the trip to costco yesterday and I am *obssessed*!. My house smells like I have a dozen yankee candles burning all at once.

I've had the Unstoppables, I could smell the washing drying on my line from the street but I didn't find the scent lasted on dry laundry.

KT2802 - the Unstoppables are little beads you put in the washing machine before your laundry then add all usual detergent and softener, they are just a scent booster.

asajj wrote: »

Painted my nails this evening with Bourjous SoLaque Beige Glamour - this is not a beige colour though! I like Bourjous finish but sadly chips very quickly.
I have two of the same colour in my stash - I don't think I bought them twice but you never know. They were probably part of a gift or something.

I agree, it's such a shame it chips so quickly when you've spent time doing your nails.

dolly84

indiepanda - welcome back. I think your post will strike a chord with many of us. You've spent the money now so put that behind you, you do however owe it to yourself to get your moneys worth from your products so get using them. The things on your PP list are lovely so it shouldn't be a hardship to get them used.

KT2802 - the only way to use up your eyeshadow and lipstick is to get it on your face. Start of subtle for work and gradually build up the colour to a look you are happy with.

Welcome Polka - you have lots of lovely things to work through there, that hairdye is going to last a while though :rotfl:.

I have some uu's

Aromatherapy Associates Relax Body Wash 200ml - this was lovely if a little drying, not a problem for me as I don't have dry skin and moisturise after every shower. WNBA at full price but I got this in a set with 3 of their 10ml bath oils for £7.50 and would buy at that price.

Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel 15ml - two more of these in the stash, WNBA after they have gone.

Elemis SOS Emergency Cream 50ml - WNBA due to the price.

James Read Sleep Mask Tan 25ml - WNBA, I don't self tan my face and this is too expensive to use on the body.

fixx

dolly84 wrote: »

Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel 15ml - two more of these in the stash, WNBA after they have gone.

How do you find this? I’ve got a couple as well to use up. I’ve no problems with it, I just don’t think it actually does anything?! I’ll keep using it just in case, and while it’s there though…

Polkadotsandrainbows, welcome! You’ve got some really lovely stuff there in your stash – so make sure you enjoy using them up. Maybe treat yourself to a nice relaxing pampering evening to celebrate starting the challenge

Indiepanda, I really like your plan – I need to go through FB and edit my ‘likes’ to avoid temptation too.

VALM

seasideDreamer wrote: »

Just UU a Lush melting snowman, didn't have any bubbles- not sure if its meant to but i made my skin nice and soft. I do prefer bubbles mind:)

I love these. No, they don't bubble up but have gorgeous pachouli oil in them.

asajj wrote: »

Painted my nails this evening with Bourjous SoLaque Beige Glamour - this is not a beige colour though! I like Bourjous finish but sadly chips very quickly.
I have two of the same colour in my stash - I don't think I bought them twice but you never know. They were probably part of a gift or something.

I think I have this colour and agree with you that it's more of a pink shade than beige.