No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries - October 2024

ruby_eskimo

If your beauty and toiletries are taking over your life, then this is the thread to help you work through the stash and motivate you to not buy anymore (hopefully!)

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.

Thanks to @Clutterbug07for starting last month's thread.

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!

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without

ruby_eskimo

Already have 2 UU's for October:

Garnier Micellar Water - WBA, this is the one with the oil in it too (the yellow one, not the blue one) and it does a great job of removing all my eye makeup before I go in with my cleansers.  Think I have a backup but if not guess I'll have to go pick another one up as it's a HG.

Lush Power Conditioner - this is a HG conditioner, so WDBA.  I have a few empty pots to return to Lush but not sure I'm going to be near a store before I need to wash my hair again so will use a hair mask for the interim in the hope of actually using it up at some point!

Managed to get through all but 1 of my PP list for September so rolling that one over into October.

October PP

Caliray Lip Glaze in Taco Tuesday
Boots Peppermint and Mallow Foot Cream
Revolution Setting Spray
Max Factor Eye Shadow
TBS Avocado Body Butter
Soap and Glory Body Butter
Shea Moisture Hair Mask
3 perfume samples

VALM

Thamks for the new thread @ruby_eskimo.  Ive recently found the Nip & Fab micellar wipes at TKMaxx again. I use them as a toner to refresh my face and get rid of makeup and cleanser residue. 

My PP List with some items already finished and replaced.  Ive removed the hairspray completely as ive given it to Emma and the nail colour because I want to wear others.

Carried forward 

Lacura hand cream

Bobbi Brown Clementine hit pan

Skinsense facial oil,
Percy & Reed hair primer

Q&A eye cream

The Inkey List Niacimamide Serum

Faith in Nature body lotion

ADDED

Q&A cleanser

The Inkey List Retinol Serum

Faith in Nature shower gel

DONE 

Sunday Riley Serum - this was beautiful. On my Xmas List

ABC Body lotion - bought a replacement

The Inkey List Vitamin C Serum - have replacement already

Clutterbug07

Thanks for the new thread @ruby_eskimo!

PP list- 24 for 24: 17 gone so far!

 1)              Benefit Gogo Tint: bright cherry lip n cheek tint.  Probs will last a hundred years!

2)              Sugarpill loose eyeshadow in Absinthe:  A sparkly green, of which I have many.

3)              DERMATORY - Hypoallergenic Cica Gel Cream 50ml

4)              NEOGEN - Dermalogy White Truffle Serum In Oil Drop

5)              MAC Black Cherry Glow Play Lipbalm:  bought in 2021.... probably should use this up now!

6)              Rimmel Oh My Gloss! Plump in Angel Shimmer: love this, but got it in Dec 2022 so time to get this used up. New addition to PP list.

7)             Umberto Giannini Grow Tonic: do these work? shrug, who knows. But I don't use them frequently enough anyway!

Hmmm, I have a suspicion I'll only finish 3 of these items before the end of the year- some I just am not reaching for at all and don't really want to. Might be time for a few of these to go in Dec/Jan, or at least that Benefit tint as the colour isn't the best on me.

Two UUs so far in Oct

• Maybelline Tattoo Liner in 970 Polished White: Use this in my waterline to bright my eyes up, is good, stays put. Repurchased in July…. It lasted longer than I expected- it just kept going!
• Moroccanoil Texture Spray- Mini: Unfortunately I really liked this!  Unfortunately because it isn't cheap!!  I have something I can make do the rest of Oct, but when that runs out, I will repurchase the full size of this next month.

IN

• Mad About Skin- Protect & Hydrate Sunscreen- SPF 50, 100ml:  A third one- as I bought two last month!  But hear me out- I didn't buy this one- it was a freebie as my parcel got lost in the mail and they had to resend!  Very generous of them, and I use it every day so it'll see me through for a good while!

VALM

I TA an eyeshadow yesterday - Colourpop Moonwalk. It had become dry and I had revived it a few times however I hit pan on it yesterday and decided it should go.

I also depotted a MAC shadow called This Rounds on Me and depotted the other one in the duo. It was a sparkly brown that I never reached for.

I went to TKMAXX yesterday and got a huge bottle of Faith in Nature Grapefruit shower gel as ive nearly finished the current bottle yet still have loads of the body lotion left

ruby_eskimo

I really love that Faith in Nature shower gel but have a whole bunch of other shower gels to use.  

Have a couple UU's from the weekend:

TBS Avocado Body Butter - Like the scent of this but the texture was a little too much for me and made my skin feel like it was always coated in something no matter how little I used.  Have replaced with the Soap and Glory body butter in my PP list.

YSL Opium Perfume Sample - Never tried this before now and it was kind of nice.  Can see why it's popular but didn't love it enough to want to buy a full size.



October PP

Caliray Lip Glaze in Taco Tuesday
Boots Peppermint and Mallow Foot Cream
Revolution Setting Spray
Max Factor Eye Shadow
TBS Avocado Body Butter
Soap and Glory Body Butter
Shea Moisture Hair Mask
3 2 perfume samples

ruby_eskimo

2 more UU's this morning:

Wild Deodorant Refill - really liked the cherry blossom scent, have a few more to work through and then I might try out Arkt or whatever it is as the peri-menopause sweats have started with a vengeance 🤣  

Biossance Rose and Vitamin C Oil - WBA, love this over my moisturiser and under my SPF.  This was a mini size that I got in a GWP and used for traveling over the summer.  Going back to the full size one I already had opened.

Clutterbug07

UU

• Sugarpill Pressed Eyeshadow in Money Maker:  Woohoo, finished an eyeshadow!  The first eye shadow I have used up this year, and tbh can't forsee any others being finished before January!  Kinda sad cos it was a pretty one- a greeny gold/goldy green shimmer- and they don't make it anymore. Oh well, I have other green shimmers, but it was pretty.

Gave Away

• No 7 Face & Eye Palette in Dusty Rose: I was never going to use this (was a free gift with purchase, I didn't pick it myself), so I took it into work to see if anyone wanted it and it was snatched right up!

And one pan in my little Two Faced Light my Fire Palette, in the shade Cheese Louise- a dark orange matt. I have been working on this FOREVER- it had the hugest dip and then just kept going!!  I am excited to have another pan in this little palette.

Clutterbug07

UU

• Mad About Skin- Protect & Hydrate Sunscreen SPF50 PA++++ 100ml: my HG, already got my replacements when I knew it was running low.

• Cuticura Hand gel- with avocado oil pearls - 250ml: Finishing this was an achievement- it was huge!!  I like this one, like the avo beads, it doesn't feel super drying and smells quite nice.  I wanted to repurchase but they didn’t have this big size with the pump at Boots when I did my last order.   

And one pan in my Bella Beaute Bar- Strange and Unusual eyeshadow palette- the shade Afterlife.  I think this is my favourite in the palette, it is absolutely stunning duochrome- its got like blue, green, an orangy-ness, purple, a bit silvery- it's just wow!

ruby_eskimo

Not a lot of UU's at the moment due to no real bathroom while we're having a lot of work going on.  But did manage to work through:

Lancome La Vie et Belle Perfume Sample - Was ok, very similar to Chanel Coco Mademoiselle which I have a lot of already as DH keeps buying it for me 😂

SKIN1004 SPF - This was the viral one from last year which I like so WBA but I think I might prefer the Garnier Serum one that is a) easier to get hold of and b) cheaper.  So have replaced with that instead.

VALM

UU Q&A Grapefruit Cleanser. HG. Picked up new one last week. I buy this on subscription from  Holland & Barrett.