No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries - April

dolly84

Welcome all newbies and regulars to this very friendly and chatty thread where we give lots of lovely tips on how to use up your stash and lots of support and encouragement if you need them.

Keep up the pampering and keep down the spending: let's make the naughty step an empty and lonely place this month (rather than one so long that it can be seen from space)! Will this be the month when the "usual suspects" rein it in a bit? Let's see..... (but I doubt it!) 

Remember - those products do nothing for you while they are stashed in drawers, boxes, and cupboards! 

We are eternally grateful to Katie Clampet who set up this fab challenge in January 2010. Here's her original challenge post:

"No buying any new toiletries, cosmetics, perfume etc... until I have used up ALL the ones I already have. I got a huge amount of (really nice) stuff for Christmas but I am going to resist the urge to browse Boots, Asda, Superdrug etc, and pop another tub of cream, face scrub, shampoo or conditioner into my basket. I reckon the stuff I have will last me until possibly June. I have decided that the money I save I will put into my special holiday account. Anyone else?"

Lots of us have taken part in the challenge over the past few months (and some of us even years!!) and are making great progress in reducing our stashes and unnecessary/excessive spending.

Regulars can ignore this, but a quick resume is always helpful for newbies:

Why not add the challenge to your signature as a reminder?

How about taking a bit of time to do a stock-take and see if there are any gaps in your stash that you might need to spend on this month? Some of us set a budget for the month for essential purchases or to help with withdrawal symptoms, others like to go cold-turkey!! Other ideas which some people find useful: Listing everything out so you can cross things off as used to increase the sense of achievement, and putting a sum of money in a pot each time you use up an item to save for something you really want, or simply to assist in making future essential purchases "cash neutral".

Remember the challenge is about making the most of your money, enjoying your products, finding which products really suit you best and are worth buying, giving yourself a well-deserved pampering and breaking the habit of buying for the sake of buying. In money-saving tradition, it should also be about making your products l-a-s-t as long as possible (although the temptation of using an unloved shower gel extravagantly to finish it off is sometimes too much to bear!).

Brand new products (or opened perfume) sell well on eBay.

Unsuitable products can be repurposed and used for other jobs (shower gel/shampoo as handwash etc).

Some items can be returned to certain stores for exchange (for essential items or gifts!!) without a receipt.

Unwanted items can be recycled as gifts or for gift hampers (saving the money you'd have spent on gifts).

Unsuitable items can be donated to charity or a local women's refuge as mentioned earlier

Also, why not reward your efforts by banking and recycling your use ups/throw aways with Boots scan2recycle points at participating Boots stores: Recycle at Boots - Get rewarded for recycling - Boots 

Alternatively, simply drop them off at Maybelline Recycling points: www.maybelline.co.uk . Unfortunately, you won't be rewarded for the latter but the earth will thank you :-)

It helps to avoid the places where temptation lurks for you; be it QVC, Boots, Body Shop, email newsletter, the supermarket toiletries aisles, Grabbit board, online toiletries browsing, seductive department store beauty counter offers etc. Remember retailers are making offers and promotions all the time, so there will always be another deal! Honest! 

Good luck all for this month and indeed the coming months, and remember to keep your stash lists updated, keep popping in for inspiration and support and to report your UU's and IN's, especially any sales bargains - we want a nosy! 

Welcome to all newbies - the more the merrier. Please introduce yourselves so we can welcome you properly! Do de-lurk if you are lurking, this is one of the friendliest threads on MSE.

Oh - and anyone thinking "OMG my stash is FAR bigger than all of theirs, I cant possibly join" - believe you me, we have been doing this challenge for well over a year some of us - you wont scare us, and I can almost guarantee that someone somewhere will have had more and survived.... we are very supportive (and protective - so don't be scared!!) oh - and did we mention that are nosy??!!

Useful abbreviations and jargon!

WBA - Will Buy Again

UU - Use Ups

IN - Self explanatory - stuff you've gained into your stash - warning: lines may be given out for unnecessary purchases or you may be sent to the naughty step!

NBI - A non-bought item such as a present, gift with purchase or free sample

WNBA - Will Not Buy Again!

Glitch - when a shop/online store make a pricing mistake so you end up paying less or even get freebies! 

PYN(M/T/W/Th/F/Sa/Su) DELETE AS APPROPRIATE! - Paint Your Nails Monday/Tuesday...... it allows everyone to try and finish those dastardly nail varnishes with group support! You can never be too groomed for this thread. Also see PY(T)N... - for toenails!

Splutterer - the stage where an item is nearing the end of it's life and spluttering - also the most annoying and seemingly never ending stage!

GWP - Gift With Purchase - a sample or mini sized item

HG - Holy Grail - this is the product you would go back for time and time again, it does the job brilliantly, and is either economical, or so fantastic price becomes no object!

NPI - Near Purchasing Incident (OMG we all have those!)

LHJ- Long Haul Job - for those products - love 'em or hate 'em - that never seem to end no matter how often you use them

PRCP - Pink Rose Candle Philosophy inspired by Erma Bombeck who said: 'If I had my life to live over again I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose that melted in storage'. Don't keep things 'for best' or 'for a special occasion'. That day never arrives. Give the best to yourself now and enjoy it. (Thanks to McCulloch29 for introducing this thought provoking sentiment to us)

GA - for an out that was given away to charity, as a present, or "just because" rather than binned or UU

TA - for an out that was thrown away due to going off (generally as it has been lurking at the back of a stash since time immemorial) or for any other reason such as a broken container or spillage

PP - Project Pan: a list of specific items targeted to be used up

If anyone can think of any more we can add to the list so newbies won't be intimidated by our jargon!

dolly84

Makeup etc I want to finish in 2023

1. The Balm Down Boy Blush - lots of pan and product thin in other areas

2. Model Co Cream Blush

3. Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in rsvp

4. Wet n Wild Foundation

5. Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

6. Matte brown eyeshadow single (any of the ones I have taken from a palette and put into my magnetic palette.

7.. Bobbi Brown concealer

8. Too Faced Shadow Insurance - use this regularly but still loads left, or it could be air

9. Avon Supershock Mascara

10. Clinique High Impact Mascara mini

11. Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation

12. Garnier Eye Roll On

13. L'oreal Lumi Magique

14. Soap & Glory Gloss Stick in Ramplumzel

15. Nivea Raspberry Rose Lip Balm

16. Colourtrend Nude Lipstick

17. HD Brows Quad - aim to hit pan on the one shade I use for my brows

18. Elf Brow Gel

19. Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot - this has a good amount of pan showing

20. Urban Decay Primer Potion

21. Clinique Black Honey Lipstick mini

22.  Prada Candy Kiss 50ml

23.  Bloom Driftwood & Seasalt EDT

24.  Ralph Lauren Romance EDP 50ml

Will not need to buy in 2023

Nail polish
Hair serum/oil
Makeup  (except possibly foundation and mascara) - concealer purchased in January
Perfume (was gifted one in March)

Deodorant

Solid Shower Gel Bar (purchased one in Feb)

May need to buy in 2023

Shampoo bar

Cleanser

Facial Oil /Moisturiser
Curl cream - mousse bought February

Hand cream - 2 purchased February

Foot Cream

Hair Conditioner bar/refillable bottle of conditioner

Body Lotion/Bars

pinkfluffybabe

Back in for April, thanks for the new thread Dolly.

April PP List (more everyday stuff):

Medik8 Calmwise Serum
The Ordinary Niacinimide and Zinc
Ren Rose Shower Gel
Ren Rose Body Lotion
Aveda Nutriplenish Shampoo
Aveda Nutriplenish Conditioner
Aveda Nutriplenish leave-in Conditioner
Laura Mercier Handcream
Cerave Hydrating Cleanser
Odylique Conditioner

Summer List (more long-haul stuff):

The Inkey List PHA Toner
Espa Lip Balm
Chanel Coco Noir Perfume
Burts Bees Cherry Lipbalm
Phillip Kingsley Elasticiser
Living Proof Healthy Dry Shampoo
Drunk Elephant Juju Cleanser
Drunk Elephant Pekee Cleanser
Jo Malone English Pear and Freesia
Laura Mercier Handcream

VALM

Thanks for the new thread dolly84.

My PP list for April

Carried forward 

Ultrasun SPF

Superdrug shampoo 

The Inkey list Caffeine eye cream 

MAC primer

The Inkey list Niacinamide

For April 

Yorkshire Soap Company Sandalwood soap

ABC Body lotion 

Princess jasmine eyeshadow 

Seche vite top coat
Orly base coat 

VALM

Surprisingly, I finished the MAC Princess Jasmine eyeshadow today. Decided to wear it foiled for a change. Still not a winner but it's gone. Will swap Colourpop Garden Date into my PP List as it's another depotted one.

Hodgepodge

PP list for April

Bergamot and Basil Nourishing Skin Lotion

Rosehip Oil

Papaya Enzyme Peel 

Multi-Peptide Lash & Brow Serum

Beauty Elixir

Soothing Facial Mist

Absinthe Purifying Hand Cream

Decleor Hand Cream

Midas Touch Revitalising Cream 

Mayfair No.9 Bath & Shower Milk

dolly84

I used my Body Shop birthday reward today:

Body Shop Cammomile Cleansing Butter - have one in use and 3 in the stash now so no need to buy for a while.

I have some TA's

Maybelline Baby Lips - this is a bright frosted pink one, I've used about a third but it is so drying I can't face persevering with it so the cap is going in my recycling bag and the product has gone in the bin.

Maybelline Baby Lips - Mint - this is brand new in the packaging so I will pop this in my next charity bag or freecycle offering.

Bobbi Brown Rich Chocolate Palette - this is not a good palette and it should be; I think it was about £50.  Have depotted two colours to try a few more times but the rest is a TA.

Stila in the Light Palette - not a good palette for me anymore, wasn't a favourite ever really,  I have depotted one shade and the rest is a TA.

DD was offered both palettes but she declined.

VALM

2 UUs 

Superdrug shampoo.  WNBA. Used the dregs to clean my makeup brushes.  Have replaced this in my PP List with Percy & Reed Shine Serum.

Original Source Mint & Tea Tree shower gel. I buy this only for cleaning my makeup brushes. Have replacement bottle ready.

pinkfluffybabe

First UU of April:

Living Proof Healthy Hair Dry Shampoo. WBA. Really liked this, not dusty, actually smelled nice. 

asajj

Hello all. Hope you managed to catch some nice weather over the weekend.

TA an Ecotool Make up sponge. Thing it has been 6m+ so time to replace. 

ruby_eskimo

Morning all.  Thanks for the new thread @dolly84

March was a good month and don't think April is going to be anywhere near as good 😆  Have managed to pull together a PP list for the month:

PP List

Cath Kidston Lavender Hand Cream
Glossier Rose Balm Dot Com
Nars Rikugien lip pencil
Laura Mercier Primer
Neals Yard Bee Lovely body lotion
Bayliss and Harding Body Lotion 1
Bayliss and Harding Body Lotion 2
 4 3 Sheet masks
LRP Anthelios SPF 50
UD Last Call eyeshadow

And I already have a couple of UU's  to report from the weekend:

Etude House Dr Ampules Sheet Mask - this was the last of the sheet masks that I got in Korea in 2019 🥳 and these were probably my favourite of all of them.  Still have a few more random sheet masks to use up so will be trying to get through these in the next couple of months

Neal's Yard Remedies Bee Lovely Shower Gel mini - this was from a birthday gift and I love the scent.  Used it as a bubble bath and it made a lot of relaxing bubbles.  Have the matching body lotion to use up in the next few days too.

Faith in Nature Grapefruit and Orange Shower Gel - love this, the scent is amazing and lasts for ages.  It's always available in Savers so will be heading back there to pick one up when I need more shower gel (which shouldn't be for a few months...Have replaced with a Bath and Body Works one (Vanilla Bean Noel - very seasonal 😆)