Yes, yes. Not to mention the free samples, which I keep thinking ”this will be good for travel” but never get used. I did recently do a purge, but I still have, like, 12 lipsticks (not including the ones in my purse and my car and PS I don’t wear any of them on a daily basis) and 3 or 4 different tinted moisturizers/BB creams. Then there are the hand lotions…

Common problem, I think. I purged a bunch when I moved, but I still have a container full of items that I don't seem to throw away. I try not to buy anything new, but sometimes I get seduced by advertising like when the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lipstick was all the rage. I do like that color, though, so it wasn't a wasted purchase, but I didn't really need it.

Got this!

I took care of all of this a while back. I foisted some off on beholden children, some to friends, some to passersby, and the rest to this cause:

Project Beauty Share

If you tested out a new shampoo or moisturizer and decided it just wasn't for you, send it to Project Beauty Share. The organization "collects personal hygiene, cosmetics, and beauty products and distributes them through nonprofit organizations that serve women and families overcoming abuse, addiction, homelessness, and poverty."

They accept lightly used products, but only from the following categories: powder eye shadows, powder blush, bronzers and highlighters, eye and lip liner pencils (but only the kind you can sharpen), liquid foundations in airless pump containers, and squeeze tube foundations.

Anything else must be new.

As far as skin-care and hair products go, anything that comes in a tub or jar must be new, but used products that come in pumps, tubes, and bottles are welcome.

You can ship donations to:
Project Beauty Share
2718 E. Sprague Avenue Spokane, WA 99202

I purged my make up drawer(s) around last October. And I can't even tell. LOL

I have a bunch of skin care products, cleanser, creams.... that I have to rotate through. If I use one kind for several days straight, I'll have a small break out, but if I rotate them every 2 days, it doesn't seem to happen. So it looks like I have an over abundance of this stuff... well, I do but it's for a good reason.

I have one tube of makeup from ???? and one lipstick. No blush, eyeshadow, or anything else. I do have a lot of lip moisture tubes, but those I use.

Thank you Mtn I had no idea there was any use for these products once they’d been opened! I will go through everything again. I have many, many lipstick liners (the kind you can sharpen) and will start with them to donate.

The small lotion tubes and bottles from hotels I keep and distribute them among my purses so I always have something for my hands. Ditto chapstick and tissues. I do not keep the little foil packets of foundation and concealer samples any longer but will now be glad to save and send them to share.

Full disclosure, I am not sure if it actually made any economic sense (shipping coast to coast) but I felt better.

Therein lies the benefit of rosacea. Most products are terrible for my skin. If I want to try something new that is a maybe, I go to Nordstrom and ask for a sample to try for a few days.

As for colors, I have a set four colors of eyeshadows that can all blend or be worn alone. One blush and a few lip glosses.

On the rare occasion I do buy something outside of that routine, it rarely gets used. So the lesson was learned the hard way.

Things are kept until they are finished or are several years old.

I tame my love for powder bronzers, foundations, blushes, and eyeshadows by storing them in a magnetic case. Originally I began using one because I travel a lot and don't have room for all of my eyeshadow compacts. Instead of carrying 50 different compacts everywhere I go, I only have space for however much my case holds. This really opened my eyes to the insanity of it all. My case is sorted by color and I can now clearly reason that if my 18 different shades of green are not enough to make me stunning then a 19th shade probably won't do the trick either. I am a sucker for green eyeshadow 💕. I still have a ton of products but there is now a limit and more thought is given to each purchase. If it can't fit then it is not purchased.

I use one page for foundation, blush, and bronzer. All other pages are for eyeshadows.

Friday your post has perhaps unintentionally made me feel much better, lol— that is an impressive collection of shades!

Your point about wanting that next shade of the same color is a very good one.… and probably my weakness in clothing.

KSWL I too donate my products to Project Beauty Share . I get a medium or large flate rate shipping box from post office . I include all the free samples as well as the hotel soaps and shampoos etc.

I purged my make up drawer(s) around last October. And I can't even tell. LOL

I have purged at least a couple other times, including last week and gave some things to DGD when she was here for Christmas. I have sworn off buying anything else new but then those sales come along for things i do need and the samples, OMG! I don’t buy any new lipsticks because I don’t wear them often enough anymore. Blush and eye shadow lasts forever for the same reason. I seem to always be looking for the best new eye cream. because i have so many of those samples around.

I appreciate the link to Project Beauty Share. I’ll be sending things there in the future.

I recently sorted and purged my lotions, potions, etc. Many, many of them were old. iI was amazed at how many had gone off, which made them super easy to toss.

My problem is that I am on a neverending search for the foundation that won’t settle in my wrinkles and won’t kick-up my roseacea. I think every new gimmick is going to be The One.

Bb, I wonder if Dr Jart BB Cream might work for you? It is not full coverage but it doesn’t enhance lines like foundation does. I keep trying to go back to foundation but whenever I do, I look older, so I have decided minmal coverage is better than adding 5 years to my face. But I don’t know about its effects on rosacea.

Irish, great idea! I can fill up one of those flat rate boxes next week.

I gave all those clinique samples to a home for women escaping domestic violence. My neighbor worked there.

Last fall I tossed a bunch of half used and rejected makeup. Ive also been trying to use up some that were perfectly fine.

Ive also been using up hair products. I at least give them a second try before tossing. Ever since Redken 06 was discontinued, Ive been floundering!

[Googling Dr Jart BB cream]

It's not a problem for me as I (mostly) stick with my tried and true products. I have a small drawer in my vanity that holds some of these items and a make-up bag that I keep my daily items in. Items are used and replaced. I do have several colors of lipsticks/lipstains, etc. but they are used. I don't shop in stores for my make-up, so no samples, etc. to get rid of. Project Beauty Share is a great idea though!

I purge fairly frequently, but also don't accumulate much (except for free samples) since my makeup routine is pretty minimal. I also like the face products that I have been using for a long time (mostly Cosmedix), so I don't waiver from those. My skin is very sensitive also which makes me leery of trying new products. The same goes for my hair products. I am boring, apparently.

After years of no makeup I finally bought a tube of lipstick and now wear some every time I go out - even to just the post office or the dump! I've never in my life worn foundation, powder, etc., so no issues getting rid of product. But getting rid of even some of my excess of indoor holiday decorations, well that's another story...

I am finishing this process now -- deep dive on bath and closet. Anything in essentially new condition, including samples, is going into a donation bag that I will take to the thrift shop run by the women's center. They will cull for usable items or women in the shelter get an allowance to shop for things, so if they feel it fits their needs those items will get a second chance. The loose mineral powder eye shadows of pre-pandemic years -- all tossed. Maybe I should have emptied the containers, rinsed and recycled, but that felt like a mess I am not willing to deal with.

Nicole

My mom was a Mary Kay consultant when I was a teen. I loved making myself up with her sample case. I like watching Jeffree Star, he reviews cosmetics & has his own line. I've got a no-new-cosmetic-purchases ban right now...until stock runs low. I like using dark red blush as eye shadow "tint" above the lid. I don't use any colored eye shadows other than "blush". That's cut waaaaaaaaaaaay down on purchases. :0)

Besides the pre-paid Priority boxes, you can also use USPS Ground Advantage, which is the cheapest way to send anything. It doesn’t mean it will go strictly by ground, just that it will take a few days longer to get to the destination. So if it doesn’t matter, I’ve used it, and it usually only takes 2-5 days as advertised.

Sueb20…. The internet’s newest influencer!!

“It's not a problem for me as I (mostly) stick with my tried and true products. I have a small drawer in my vanity that holds some of these items and a make-up bag that I keep my daily items in. Items are used and replaced.”

This is exactly me, too — I could’ve written this word for word!

I posted a thread here a while back, wanting to replace my current makeup storage with a pretty vintage crystal dish or dishes. I still plan to, just haven’t found what I want yet. :)

My inspiration:

I don't vary my makeup so the pieces I have are just extras so I don't run out ( because you know how they will discontinue your favorite color). I had found an eye pencil that I loved, that I could only get at Walgreen's. Then they were discontinuing it. When we drove up to Quebec in 2019 I hit Walgreen's in upstate NY and bought half dozen or so. I think I still have 2 left!!!

Not sure what I'll do after that because they were totally discontinued.

I do have a lot of the creams for feet, body, face, etc. I have been on a goal of using that stuff up before I buy anything more and it's working. I occasionally will use a hotel freebie one if I really liked it, but mostly I do give them away when they are being collected for shelters and stuff.

I did want to say that on my buynothing group, people often will offer an item like a shampoo that they bought and tried and did not like.. There are takers.

I don't have a lot of makeup or face creams, I will use it and when something is close to gone I will replace it.

However, I have put myself on restriction from buying any more body soap. I got sick recently and phylosophy had a sale on their webite with all the Christmas scents at 1/2 price and some of their other scents 30% off. I apparently had no restraint while running a fever. I bought 12 16 oz bottles, all different scents. I usually buy one two or three at a time when I go to Ulta or Bath & Body works or at some market stand and owned quite a few already. I cleaned out the linen closet to find space for the new stock and found that I have over 30 differnt body washes. If each one lasts 6-8 weeks I have a 4 year supply! That doesn't include the spongells that I own and like to use.

I try not to overbuy things, but I have a hard time with things that smell good. Love my scents. Perfumes, body washes, body powders, candles, essential oils, linen sprays . . .

I don't use cosmetics. But any face care, skin care, oral care, shampoo, soap product we have is purchased when whatever product is almost fully depleted. There may be a back-up or multiples because it makes sense to purchase them that way, but nothing like that gets opened until the current one is so empty as to be unusable. This goes to the extent of cutting a hole into the moisturizer pump bottles, which are notorious for leaving behind a lot of lotion that you can't get out, and putting water in liquid soap, detergent, and dishwashing liquid bottles to get the dregs out. There is one of everything in the bathroom at any given time, although that may include more than one type of soap.

Pal, I do most the things you do to get the last little bit out, too, which is inconsistent with my never using up a bottle/tub of hand lotion/cream.

I use La Mer, so I do use every single drop for skin care. Cosmetics-wise, I use my favorite foundation for lunches, meetings, dinners out, church etc. and my not-so-favorites for staying home. So, probably 50/50 and eventually will use it all. The rest, I have nieces that appreciate my high end leftovers of lipsticks mainly.

I have built up quite a stash of makeup and skincare that I decided a while back to work through, and have been successfully doing so while not buying any more. Similar to others, I am using the good stuff when I leave the house, and the stuff I don't like as much for at home. I am constantly trying new curly hair styling products so am using those up, too, even if I don't like them.

I guess I've just never been into trying different products and I cant remember the last time I stopped at a cosmetics counter which leaves me without free samples. My daily care if I'm at home is just Kiehl's body lotion and Revlon face moisturizer. If I'm running errands then I add Aveda tinted moistiurizer. If I have an appointment or lunch with friends then I add eyebrow pencil, mascara and lip liner - all bought at a drug store on online. Eyeliner and eye shadow disappeared during Covid and I don't miss them.

Hair color is my big splurge since I go every month. I buy shampoo and conditioner at my hair salon and it's the same brand as the color my stylist uses - Framesi.

putting water in liquid soap, detergent, and dishwashing liquid bottles to get the dregs out.

100%. I also often dilute it anyway. especially dish soap, which is sooooooo strong it sometimes leaves a taste, and so I water it wayyyyyy down

I cant remember the last time i stopped at a cosmetics counter which leaves me without free samples.

A lot of my oline orders include free samples

Guilty 100% 😣 Happy about this though… my mothet taught me! ”Waste not…”
‘

“putting water in liquid soap, detergent, and dishwashing liquid bottles to get the dregs out.