No Buying Unnecessary Toiletries Jan 2025

VALM

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 @Clutterbug for 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

VALM

OK, I'm starting us off. My PP List is going to be split in half this year. The first 5 products will be non makeup items and each time I finish one I will roll in a replacement.

The second 5 will be makeup items from my Pan 25 in 2025 list with the goal being to use each item 10 times during the month. 

Heres the list

Faith in Nature body lotion

Lacura Jo Malone dupe handcream

Lacura Cerave dupe cleanser

Percy & Reed hair primer

Skinsense facial oil

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus

Bobbi Brown Clementine

MAC Cant Escape This

OPI Rice Rice Baby

Tarte Coral Blossom

I do have 2 UUs alteady:-

Rituals The Ritual of Ayuveda body mist.  This was a mini size from my Glossybox advent calendar.  I got a mini lotion with it which is still in use.

Lacura BHA Toner. I have 2 more in my stash. I like this however have developed enlagedcpores on my nose and am not sure if this has caused these due to over exfoliation. I have ordered The Inkey List Salicylic  Acid cleanser to tackle this.

Clutterbug07

Thanks for the new thread @VALM!  And a Happy New Year to you, and anyone else reading this! 

It's nice to start afresh.  Last year I did not have a particularly successful no/low buy with regards to incoming items and money spent (though I did use up a lot of stuff!).  My money needs to be saved and/or used for mortgage overpayments, or fun activities, rather than buying stuff.  I'm not saying I won't spend or ever buy anything unnecessary, I'm only human and I don't think that's realistic to say I won't buy anything unnecessary all year, but I do need to do better and rein it in a bit more!  Continue to work on being a more conscious consumer.

My low buy plan for my problem areas is as follows:

• Allow myself to buy max two special eyeshadow palettes in 2025 - most likely at Halloween or Black Friday or Christmas as this is when all the good palettes generally come out, and also, sales.
• Allow myself to get any new Beauty Bay or Cosmic Beauty eyeshadow palettes at any time, HOWEVER I will be EXTREMELY selective with colour stories.  Must not have a dupe palette- always thoroughly go through own collection first and swatch it all out.  I can trust myself to do this, as I did it with the CB Undergrowth palette that came out last year- I had similar colour stories already so didn't buy it, even though it was calling to me with its murky green beauty!  Both are UK brands that are great quality, and inexpensive compared to most indie brands (some of which are like £70 a palette!!).  Every Cosmic Brushes palette that has come out has been absolutely stunning, but I didn't get ANY last year until the Christmas one which was just perfect, so I actually do trust myself to be sensible with this.  
• Allow myself to buy 6 indie nail polishes and 4 mainstream polishes this year.  This would be a huge improvement on last year!!!  This excludes top/base coat.    
• Once I use up one Lily Lolo peachy blush in Beach Babe, my only peach blush, I will buy a replacement peach blush.  I'm thinking of getting Milani Luminoso- not tried this blush before but I hear good things, and it's relatively inexpensive.

Gifts don't count- if I get eyeshadow or polish as presents or use Bday/Xmas money/Boots points, that's fine- it doesn't count towards these numbers.                   

The plan may evolve (BB/CB bullet point may need some rejigging as I just did a makeup inventory and I apparently have 29 eyeshadow palettes ), but for now, this is what I'm thinking.  Low buy rather than no buy, and progress over perfection!               
                               
I haven't thought up my 2025 PP list for the year yet, but I do have a few UUs to report already:

• M&S Apothecary fragrance- Warmth:  Got this last Christmas, and the bottle lasted a year. Really enjoyed this fragrance, it was lovely, would definitely buy this again!  I have a belated Christmas get-together with family near the end of Jan and I will wait to see if I get a perfume as one of my Secret Santa pressies before buying another full-size. For now I will use my minis.
• Mad About Skin- Maximum Impact Moisturiser: Like this, it's nice and thick. For me, a PM moisturiser.  I have had a few more spots though recently so I wonder if it is this as I started using this at the start of November.....  Going to revert back to the IUNIK Beta Glucan moisturiser (which I bought last month, knowing this was low) and see what happens.
• Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser primer: Did not like this. Siliconey, which is fine, but it pilled if I tried using it on a larger area than just my nose.  I got it as a GWP so I didn't buy it myself, and I wouldn't buy it.

VALM

Happy New Year to you too @Clutterbug07. Soinds like you have a great plan in place. 

My order from The Inkey List arrived yesterday comprising of Salicylic Acid Cleanser and Niacinamide Serum. The first is a new product to me, the second a HG and im on my last bottle. I was going to use the 20% discount code however I had enough Reward points for a free cleanser and a small discount off the serum.

I'm likely to look for a replacement cleanser from ALDI (Cerave dupe) this weekend as my current one is nearly done 

Clutterbug07

Sounds like you got quite a good deal there, @VALM!  I know we try to not spend, but sometimes when it is a good sale on something you use all the time, it is worth spending the coin to save overall!  

I guess I have done a little spring cleaning whilst trying to figure out my PP list, so I have a few throw aways to report:

• Facetheory-  Green Tea Face Mask MK2 with Kaolin Clay, Chamomile, Vitamin C and Avocado: Was going to add this to my PP list when I realised it's very old. It's unopened, but bought in Dec 2022 and the Facetheory website says unopened "most of the time the products will be fine even a year" so I don't really wanna risk that, as I know they don't put a lot of preservatives etc
• Facetheory:  Cera-C Pore Reducing Toner T1 with Niacinamide, Ceramides and Vitamin C: Was a GWP so I didn't choose/buy this. It's over 2 years old- I tried to give it away at work at one point last year but noone took it   
• Benefit Gogo Tint: From my PP list last year and I just don't ever use it.  The colour is too pink/red and it is very old now so I'm binning.  It's a lip/cheek tint but I only ever used it on my lips.
• Hello Sunday - SPF50 The One for your Lips Lipbalm: Expired.  I did like it though, a good spf lipbalm in a squeezy tube, WBA.
• Maybelline FitMe concealer in shade 05: Supposed to be brightening, I never use it tbh as I find it too thin to conceal anything. I was going to add it to my PP list, but then I tried it this morning and it kinda stung my undereyes, so that's a NO!

One UU:

• Baylis & Harding Amber & Tonka Bean Shower gel: LOVE this shower gel, it smells delicious and warm. Got some others to use first, and also have some actual soap bars might use too- if I can get my soap holders to ever stay stuck to the shower wall

ruby_eskimo

Morning all, and happy new year!  

I kind of fell off the wagon when it came to updating last year and it was my best year of UU's ever: 446 items were used up for the equivalent cost of £3568.92!! 🤯🥳🤯

It was a complete fluke I think but I'm going to go for it again and keep using stuff up and trying to curb things coming in.  And already in January I have 3 UU's:

Byoma Brightening Serum: WBA, have used this for years but have replaced with the Beauty of Joseon version because it was cheaper and my skin likes it equally.

Neutrogena Hydroboost SPF 50+: WBA, it was nice for the cooler weather and layered well under and over my other usual products.  Have replaced with the Garnier Invisible Serum one which is another favourite of mine.

TBS Pumpkin Vanilla Body Butter: WBA, love the scent of this and it moisturises really well.  Have replaced with a Soap and Glory one.

Also have lots of things that are almost finished so think January might be a bumper month for UU's 🤞

Clutterbug07

446 UUs??  Wow @ruby_eskimo, that's amazing, well done!  I had 199 items out of my collection last year (166 UU, 27 TA, 6 gave away), but I apparently brought in 196 items according to my spreadsheet, so last year I pretty much held even which is not the best 

I've come up with my 25 for 2025 PP list now:

1. DERMATORY - Hypoallergenic Cica Gel Cream 50ml: carried over from last years PP.
2. NEOGEN - Dermalogy White Truffle Serum In Oil Drop: carried over from last years PP list. Not loads left.
3. MAC Black Cherry Glow Play Lipbalm:  carried over from last years PP list.  Bought in 2021.... need to finish it!
4. Vaseline Intensive Care Cocoa Radiant Body Oil 200 ml: had this a while. I’ve figured out the best way to use it now- mixed in with some moisturiser makes it less greasy.
5. Klairs Supple Preparation Toner: accidentally bought the fragranced one last year, want to get this used up on my body.
6. Redken 11 Thermal Spray: heat and hold spray. Don’t like it, too thick/heavy for my hair- want it gone so I can get a lighter heat protectant spray.
7. Tigi Bedhead Motor Mouth- mega volumizer with gloss: like this, had it forever though so probs time to finish it up
8. Lilylolo mineral blush in Beach Babe
9. iUNIK Vitamin Hyaluronic Acid Vitalizing Toner: don’t love this, too thick for a toner, would like it gone so I can go back to one I love.
10. 17. Gorgeous Gloss- yellow: like this, but the soft brown is my fave. Not heaps left, I could finish it this year!
11. Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner- mini 30ml size: like this from pre-skin issue days, so want to try the sample to see how I like it now.
12. Skin1004 Centella Toning Toner – mini 30ml: has very mild form of AHA exfoliants. Want to see how my skin does with this as I’d like an AHA in my routine but am very wary of going OTT and destroying my skin.  If I put it on this list, I will have to try it- currently a bit scared still about introducing new products.
13. One loose eyeshadow: unspecified: but I want to finish one this year.
14. One nail polish: ditto.
15. The Body Shop British Rose Fresh Plumping Mask
16. Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter liner in Distortion: iridescent glitter liner, bought in 2021…. Still using it but really shouldn’t.  Sadly they don’t seem to make these colours anymore so I’ll be sad once they’re gone.
17. Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter liner in Grind: the pinky one.
18. The Body Shop Festive Berry hand cream
19. Vaseline Lip Therapy- Gold Dust:  not sure when I bought this… has teeny tiny shimmer in so give lips a nice sheen. It’s kinda old though and I have a big pan so would like to finish it this year.
20. Mad About Skincare Gentle Jelly Cleanser: putting this on the list cos I am being FAR too lazy and using micellar too frequently instead of actually washing my face. I have one back up of this in my stash so I don’t mind finishing my current one either as I won’t need to replace it.
21. Aveeno Dermexa Daily Emollient Cream – 500ml: want to be better at moisturising!
22. Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce Body Booster Mousse – 50ml travel size: don’t really use this, would like it gone. Or at least used frequently enough that I can see whether I like it.
23. Collection Glam Crystals  Lip Rocker lipgloss: bit too frosty rather than sparkly, so don’t love this.
24. Revolution Colour Correct & Fix Primer- Green: I don’t think this does ANYTHING, so I would like it gone.
25. Essie Apricot nail and cuticle oil: would like to try different oil for nails, so got to get this one used up! 

Eeek that looks big! 

VALM

Happy New Year @ruby_eskimo. You had a great year. So here's my Plan to Pan for this year.

Plan to pan 2025

1 OPI Black To Reality

2 OPI Got The Mean Reds

3. OPI Kronological Order

4 OPI Rice Rice Baby.

5. Orly Shaky Alibi

6 Colourpop Garden Date

7. MAC Cant Escape This

8. MAC Golden Petals Scattering 

9 MAC How You Thrill Me

10 Urban Decay 1987

11 Bobbi Brown Clementine

12 Hourglass Euphoric Fusion

13 Hourglass Luminous Glow

14 Urban Decay Cherry

15 Urban Decay Easy

16 Colourpop Little Snow

17 MAC Dare You

18 Marc Jacobs Goddess

19 Marc Jacobs Infamous

20 Tarte Coral Blossom

21 Bare Minerals Joy

22 Wet n Wild I Got The Juice lip liner

23 Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus

24 Bath & Body Works Mod About You

25 Escada Cherry in Japan

I think the eyeshadows, nail colours and fragrances are doable as they all have good usage on them. The lipsticks, blush and highlighter are ambitious but they're all getting old. The UD and Hourglass ones are the last remaining in their respective blush palettes so I want to pan those completely. 

Clutterbug07

I'm impressed with the 5 specified nail polishes you're planning to pan @VALM!  I couldn't decide which of mine I wanted to finish so I put the generic 'one nail polish'   Ideally I would like to finish more than one, and have a few candidates that are about half-way done, but I was scared to commit to one specifically    I'm thinking I will rotate between them (plus some other ones cos I like variety) and see which finishes first.  I have some halfway done that I love and would repurchase (Essie Go Overboard for instance) so no point focusing on that one as it wouldn't reduce the stash at all!

ruby_eskimo

Those PP lists are very impressive @VALM and @Clutterbug07 - I just can't identify 25 products!

Two more UU's to report:

Wild Deodorant refill: WBA, still liking this as my day to day deodorant.  Have 2 more refills to go before I need to order any more.

KVD Beauty Lock It Loose Setting Powder: WBA, this works for me and one pot lasts really well.  I thought it was discontinued but actually saw it in my local Boots last week which was a little annoying as I'd just ordered the Laura Mercier one in the sale.  So replaced with the LM one which I've used before and hope that the KVD one is still around when that one is finished.

Clutterbug07

Got a few Birthday presents from a friend (very lovely of them!), so I'm reporting them as INs, but no money was spent on my part!

• The Beauty Crop - Dawngazing Palette: Pinky peachy nudey eyeshadow palette- 12 pan.
• Sol de Janeiro - Brazilian Bum Bum Cream- travel size: From the same friend- very fun present, haven't ever tried Sol de Janiero stuff before- it does smell nice!  It was a little travel-size set of three in a gift bag.
• Sol de Janeiro - Moisturising Shower Cream-Gel
• Sol de Janeiro - 62 Pistachio & Salted Caramel Perfume Mist

UU

• Pampers Harmonie Aqua Baby Wipes

No new pans yet on any eyeshadow this year and I REALLY WANT ONE, it's the 12th already- come on pan-gods!