Beauty addicts thread: share empties, chucks and mindful buying tips

[Experiment627]

Welcome back (or welcome in!) to our little corner of beauty bliss, where shelves are full, wish lists are longer than ever, and there’s always something new to try.
This thread has been around for ages (since at least 2015), and many of us have even tamed our beauty-buying habits thanks to the wisdom and support shared here. We post our empties and chucks, helping each other make smarter, more satisfying choices next time we shop.
All beauty product addicts welcome!

Welcome everyone to this brand new shiny thread! This time, thanks to @Thereislightattheendofthetunnel I managed to start a new thread, before the old one got closed off!

The old thread can be found here: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/5441152-cant-stop-buying-hoarding-beauty-treats-youre-in-good-company-here?page=40&reply=151234145&utm_campaign=reply&utm_medium=share

I do have an empty to report:

• Lidl Cien Gingerlily hand wash: a dead ringer for the Molton Brown one. Long live this dupe!

Morning! Thanks for new thread

Yesterday I tried the Aldi dupe for L’Occitane’s almond shower oil and can confirm it is NOT an acceptable dupe. 😷
Is so synthetic-smelling I might need to ditch it altogether (or get undiscerning DC to use it)

@Experiment627 Thank you so much for the new thread xx

@OrdinaryGirl the shower oil you refer to I had the misfortune to purchase. I agree with you. It was awful.

I’m tempted by L’Oréal 12% Vit C serum - really struggle with Vit C products and irritation but the tester felt smooth on back of my hand and no irritation. It did smell quite strongly of Vit C though. Anyone tried it?
Also thinking about Percy & Reed No oil oil - looking for something to tame my curly hair without weighing it down.
Smelled the Alien Florale flanker yesterday - tooooo nice. Might have to add to my birthday wish list.

@Experiment627 Thank you so much for the new thread. This thread really is inspiring me to work my way through all those samples that I was keeping for holidays and to use the things that for some reason always sat in my stash because newer shiny things came alone. I’ve almost use all of my old stash of eye creams and I’m excited to try the new stuff I’ve acquired since Christmas. I may be a while with my old stash of moisturiser though.

Thanks for the new thread. I have a box of empties I need to get round to posting.

Thank-you for the new thread @Experiment627

I’ve new empties to report

• Bed Head Foxy Curls hair styling cream I love this and would RP. I had a replacement in the cupboard which I’ve brought out but I’m going to try and use up some of my other hair products next
• Cuticura Talc, I like this and would RP. I had a replacement in the cupboard
• Estée Lauder Modern Muse perfume sample I’ve had for ages. I like this scent and the style of the wee bottle but Estée Lauder’s company values aren’t aligned with mine so won’t RP
• Roche-Posay face cream sample, didn’t dislike it but wouldn’t RP
• Bang cream blusher liked the colour, can’t see what it was. Would RP but have a couple of Clinque chubbi stick blushers to use next. Shame Clinque is owned by Estée Lauder, I was a loyal Estée Lauder/Clinque customer so have quite a few products lurking in my cupboard
• Avon true colour brunette brow pencil, I like the propelling pencil style eye brow pencil and colour, would RP but the ‘lead’ was a little thick so trying a different pencil

Getting replacements out of my toiletries cupboard caused a slide and despite there being a couple of products fewer to go back in the cupboard looks as stuffed as before 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thanks for the new thread. Have some bits to report soon.

Thanks for the new thread!!! I have just finished a Melano CC lotion. Not my favourite. Probably great on younger skin, but it didn’t do anything much. I still love the Melano CC spot treatment (used as a Viramin C serum) and it remains my ride or die.
I am going to spam you all in the next month or so. I am moving somewhere with an entirely different climate (yay!) and will need to adjust my skincare for cold, dry weather.

@Francestein sounds exciting!!! Best of luck with the move.

I have another empty:

• Simple hydrating cleansing oil: OMG LOVE this stuff! Will defo RP once I have finished the Super Facialist Vitamin C one which is really not as good as this and way more pricey. Actually really impressed with Simple of late. Anyone used Byoma skincare? Think I might give that a go...

Thanks for the new thread!

I have decided to get rid of the old bottle of foundation I mentioned a while back. I don’t use liquid foundation now and it’s been lurking for at least 3 years. I just can’t bring myself to put it on my face…

I think at some point today or during the week I'll be decluttering some perfumes. I've sprayed a few so far, and some smell quite funky👀

55. Lush Old Song Waking scrub. A really sweet scent, more of a creamy scrub. Have one more in stash.

56. Ole Henriksen Strength Trainer Peptide Boost Moisturiser. This felt quite balmy/Vaseline-like to me. Not a standout product for me.

57. Dr Jart Firming Mask. You keep it on for 60 minutes, until it turns clear. It was comfortable on my face, but it did feel like it had a sticky residue when I took it off. I prefer the Biodance masks, so no RP.

58. Caudalie Purifying Toner 50ml. I really liked this. It was a nice change from the milky toners I usually use. It was really refreshing when using it in the morning, and even though I don't like mattifying products or have oily skin, I liked how my skin felt—not tight or dry. I think I will RP.

59. Got2B Glued brow gel. Cheapo. Not great. Crispy brows, wand is too big. I prefer a smaller wand to get neater brows. Moving on to Refy from SNK AC.

Thanks for the thread!

I’ve got some empties to report:

Some By Mi Propolis Glow Barrier cleanser - 30ml. Left my skin feeling nice but I could only use it in the mornings because it stung my eyes if I tried to take make up off with it.

Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice sunscreen - 50ml. The original, more moisturising version. Love this. Doubles up as a moisturiser for me and has a lovely dewy, but not shiny finish.

Fragrance samples - Maison Margiela Replica Never-Ending Summer and House of Oud Almond Harmony. Both lovely. I’ve used up quite a few perfume samples this year but thanks to the Cult Beauty five samples for a fiver thing, my stash seems to be going up rather than down!

Phlur Vanilla Skin body mist - 90ml. Quite a basic vanilla but nice enough and good for layering.

Lush Super Milk hair primer - 100g. Nowhere near as good as my favourite Pureology leave in, but it’s ok. You do have to be on board with your hair smelling of lemon cake.

Tree Hut Exotic Bloom body scrub - 510g. My favourite body scrub, though this scent was a bit meh.

Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Lavender & Vanilla body lotion - 192ml. Thinner and less moisturising than their normal body lotion in the plastic bottles. The glass bottle looks nice but makes it impossible to get the last of the product out.

Future Primitive Witch Cake body cream - 50g. Used as a hand cream. Future Primitive does the best scents. Currently using a gooseberry scented one that I am a bit obsessed with.

Thanks for the new thread. I've not really been fully following for the last month+ largely because I've been away and my holiday was longer than anticipated due to the flight disruptions caused by the war ( I wasn't in ME, but somewhere that a lot of flights use ME as stopover point ) Also was avoiding the Beauty Bargains thread after an expensive January to avoid temptation - my stash does not need anything at all and is large enough to be making me feel mildly stressed rather than joyous, which defeats the point of having these lovely things IMO. Anyway, I've got a bunch of holiday empties, slightly annoyingly I could have done with taking a bit more but I wasn't anticipating the extra 10 days.
11.
Medik8 Advanced day Ultimate Protect 50+ - Very effective sunscreen but too thick and greasy for my face, and it made my eyes sting really badly if I got sweaty and it rolled off my face. So I used it on my body instead and loved it in that capacity - the greasiness worked so well on my dry limbs! Too expensive to repurchase for that purpose though.
12.
Super Goop Glow Screen SPF 30 - Another sunscreen I used on my body not face - the shimmer was too much for my face but looked gorgeous on body, made skin look so healthy and gave effective protection.
13.
Tacha Dewy Cream 15ml - I like this usually but this mini pot was a bit dry and the texture had changed - it was a new sample I got in a GWP so not sure what happened there.
14.
Tatcha Indigo Cream - Loved this, felt so nournishing and was good for periods of being in air-conned spaces which I find super drying
15.
MZ Skin eye patches - my fellow yoga people were amused by my 'warrior stripes' as these are red. Yes, I did wear them to class 😂No noticeable benefits though.
16.
Vilhelm Parfumerie Mango Skin - Quite liked this for an appropriate holiday scent. Was from a Liberty edit I think. Am not buying anymore perfume edits now though, I enjoyed them at first but now I've had a few I can see how low my repurchase rate would be and it's easy enough for me to research in store next time I need a new perfume ( which won't be soon either )
17.
Tatcha Rice Wash 50ml. Really like this and have a full size in the stash, but others to get through first before I can go back to it. Will repurchase next Fukubaro event no doubt.
18.
Sunday Riley Good Genes 8ml - really lovely, had this years ago, but never got around to repurchasing. This was part of a GWP or Calendar and I have another in the wings but am moving back to Ubeauty resurfacing compound now I'm home and have used this travel size one up.
19.
Manicurist Huile Verte - Cuticle oil. Did the trick, have never used another so nothing to compare it too. Lasts ages as you'd expect.
20.
Garnier Ultimate Blends leave-in conditioner - Didn't do much, wouldn't repurchase.
21.
Davines Oi leave in conditioner 50ml - Liked this, must remember to shake it frequently as the dregs were super thick and so couldn't be sprayed - just undid the lid and tipped it on anyway as my hair was in need of all the moisture by that point. Strong smelling which is a bit annoying as I'd rather smell of my perfume.
22.
Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing day cream SPF 25 - Another face cream I used up on my body as it was stinging like mad if any slid down my face into my eyes. Strongly perfumed.
23.
Augustinus bader the Cream - prefer this to the rich cream, just a wee sachet I took for the plane.
24.
Hair Rituel The Cream 230 by Sisley - another travel mini, from Liberty Beauty Box, smelt really lovely, not sure it did much though.
25.
Christophe Robin Purifying Scrub - Lathers up loads but feels like a faff to use and I then needed a gallon of conditioner to detangle my fine hair, so won't RP.
26.
Pantene conditioner - I had to buy this whilst away as there was a very limited range of products where I was - honestly think it did more for my hair than any of the spendy ones I've used!
And that's all the holiday empties from me - I enjoyed reorganising everything this morning and it made me feel like it's still a manageable amount so no longer feeling stressed, but will continue sit on my hands unless there's a truly 100% perfect edit or something. I've moved on to some new serums so that's exciting too, although most of my unused items are full-sized now so I suspect progress will be slow with regards to empties.

Despite the mammoth post I forgot some things -
28.
Benefit Gimme brow gel - I've tried various brow gels and tend to come back to this as I like the size of the applicator brush. Have started on a new one already! 29.
DS & Durga I don't know what 7.5ml - From a previous SNK Calendar I think, doesn't smell much on me but made a jumper I spritzed it with smell subtly very nice and it lasted a while too.

Glad you made it back @LightandBreezy
I often find drugstore haircare is better or just as good as the high end stuff.

@CorneliaStreet lemon cake 🤣🤣🤣 I really like the Pureology Color Fanatic but have found that the John Frieda Frizz Ease miraculous daily it has a really really long name one is a great alternative and often on sale.

I clearly needed this thread!

I’ve always been a beauty and makeup hoarder: a toxic combo of “saving the nicest things for best / later” (then letting them sit at the back of the cupboard for years because I feel like I don’t deserve to use them) mixed with the fear of running out of things I love. In turn, that means I a) stockpile and b) never quite finish a product that I really love because I get anxious about not being able to replace it, then move onto something else, and then can’t bring myself to finish it or throw it away.

I have drawers and cupboards and shelves all filled with unused, old, opened, sealed, all sorts…

Plus (as the GWP thread shows), I also love shopping and a bargain. So I’m always accruing new stuff.

Anyway, this thread has been a surprisingly good kick up the backside to sort things out. Or at least make a start.

There’s more to go, but here’s what’s going in the bin today, either finished or out of date or just accepting that I won’t use it / don’t like it and it’s ok to throw things away.

Empties:
Cerave hand cream, would rp.
SNK Japanese bath salts. Almost no contents, super expensive.
Sunday Riley CEO cream. Quite liked but a bit expensive.
Dior mascara : ok not amazing
Nars Dolce Vita lip crayon: so good I bought about 4!
Nars Foundation: ok, but I’ve moved onto BB creams, can’t see myself finishing it now

@TryingToFindMyStyle uuuu I have the same perfume. It’s muse le rouge and its very potent. Just yesterday sprayed some. I like it.

I have a few empties to report.

Another bottle of good old head and shoulders. Considering these are one litre I think my youngest is playing with it in the bath and wasting it. I told her I will measure a tiny for each bath if that nonsense continues and put away the big bottles.

Tesori d’ oriente cherry blossom and rice water shower gel. smells pleasant but it’s too floral. Will not rp.

Nivea soft cream, works fine, pleasant. DD uses it.

Aveeno body wash. One of the older versions, a staple too. Works fine, does the job, nothing fancy.

Sol de Janeiro bum bum mini body scrub. A little freebie, smells yummy sweet. The scrub is potent and coarse and I like it this way. Might purchase if in offer.

Glow body butter. Sol de janeiro dupe . Dd is happy woth it. I think the smell is less intense but works fine

@LightandBreezy
Love your empties list. Can I ask id the ubeauty Resurfacing similar to Sunday riley good genes. Ive used sr gg on and off gir a while and have a ubeauty but a bit scared to try. 🤣

Thanks@Doglover73, it didn't feel like a lot for a month but it's progress and I'm glad I used up all the sunscreens! Comparing the GG/ UBeauty, I thought I'd be ok to switch to UBeauty because I was presuming they'd be fairly similar because they are both exfoliators - the GG we get in the UK has Glycolic acid in it and UBeauty has Glycolic and Mandelic acid and I think is a bit stronger. But I've just realised The UBeauty also has vit C, E and retinol in it, which sounds like a lot of actives tbh, not a worry for me as my skin is pretty hardy and doesn't really ever react, but it may be a good idea to stop using other actives alongside it just in case - I'm currently using Medik8 vit c in the morning and was going to use their retinal on the nights I don't use this, but I'm rethinking that now! I'll report back properly after a few days use as I last used it back in January so can't totally remember, although I know I had no issues with tolerating it and liked it enough to immediately pick up another off Vinted after trying it in a BAC. Other than that, the UB has a gel texture and GG is creamier, both make my face feel tighter but that feeling is more pronounced from the UB. I know @JoRaRaRa is a fan too and can probably help compare too!

Sorry just realised the GG I was using was the lactic acid one not the glycolic one, so it's definitely gentler than UBeauty.

Thanks @LightandBreezy
Also forgot to add glad you made it home safely. 10 days is a long time.
I think im better skipping it really. My skins annoying me but more so im annoyed at myself for trying way too many products and peeing it off 🤣
The sun is a real trigger for my rosacea as well so it will be more sensitive when its hopefully sunny x

Thank you for the shiny new thread @Experiment627

Welcome @exBert80 – you have made a great start. And welcome @Fillybuster

@CorneliaStreet – DD loves Lush Super Milk hair primer and has just given me a bottle as a present, so that my hair can smell lovely!

Gatineau Hydra Aura Sleeping Face Mask 75ml RRP £48. I was fed up with this, so used it as a body lotion instead. Would not RP

ESPA Bergamot & Jasmine Body Wash 30ml RRP £3. Was fine, but I think that there are better out there. Plus still got loads in the stash.

BeautyPro Warming Eye Masks (pack of 5) RRP £14. I really like these. I find them very relaxing of an evening. I will RP.

Forgot the pic!!