Use it Up: Week 3 Results!
Now I’m finally getting somewhere. Last week I listed about 50 items up for swap - perfume samples, lotions, shower gel, and other prettyfying potions. Still basically showerless, I’ve been taking my gym bag with some scrubs and other goodies to try and use up. And I did! This week I finished:
2 Scrubs - MadCitySue’s whipped sugar scrub in Vanille Abricot (probably the best scrub I’ve ever tried and when I finally finish all my other scrubs I’m switching to hers exclusively. In my first assignment I found many products I had tucked away during our move and totally forgotten. Now that we’re settled in I consolidated them into one spot and started using just one of each type of item. This included a scrub from Teravita, which came in a clearance gift set I bought myself (natch) in the post-christmas sales at Target. It was a salt scrub with an interesting, thick, almost gel-like consistency. The salt was from the Dead Sea, and had an interesting marine fragrance (one of my faves!). It was just a sample size, maybe 1oz at most, and after the gym yesterday I finished it off straightaway and had great glowing skin. Yesterday afternoon I was able to toss both of them in the recycling bin and go shop in my stash again.
1 shave product - Skindecent Shaving Cream in Pink Sugar. I really liked the consistency of this product as well, and being able to shave with a fun, candy-like scent sure makes it better than the boring scents of commercial shave gels. Since I finished this product I’m now working on my second shave product, Isle of Eden’s shave and bath creme. I think I let this one go a bit too long, it’s sort of hard and doesn’t dissolve easily, instead remaining in chunks. The “Blood Orange” scent isn’t very true, nor does it last very long. I’m thinking that oncec I finish this up I won’t repurchase anymore shave products commercial OR retail. I can just use conditioner, 3-in1, or my epilator.
Since I can’t focus as much on the in-shower products like scrubs and shower gels, I’m working more on the lotions, perfumes, and home fragrances.
2 Home Fragrances: About two weeks ago I caved during a Bath and Body Works sale and bought two sets of Wallflower refills. I like them because they are fairly strong and good to put in the kitchen outlet right above where my trash bin is. So I had a bit of a backslide there but now one of the bulbs is almost used up. Not sure if I’ll stick with the Clean Linen scent or switch to the new Black Raspberry Vanilla. In the meantime, due to the sewer work we did in the basement last weekend I really went through some home fragrance products. I used up 3 Blueberry Muffin wax melts from Candles from the Keeping Room and finally finished the Old Navy Ruby Red Guava candle I purchased a few months ago. This one burned very well but eventually when there was about an inch of wax left the flame got somewhat erratic. I decided to prevent any danger by extinguishing the flame and transferring it to my electric tart melter. The glass container worked perfectly and I was able to burn the candle for 16 more hours on the melter before the scent pretty much gave out.
I purchased a beautiful ring for myself a few weeks ago, and realized that pretty rings + ugly fingernails was not a good look. So I redoubled my efforts to stop biting them and use up the stash of nail polishes I bought earlier this year. The good news is that if you shop at sites like 8ty8beauty and Transdesign there are great deals to be had on salon-brand nail polish like OPI, essie, and Creative Nail Design. The bad news is I have a lot of nail polish thanks to my monthly beauty column and I wasn’t even polishing my nails on a regular basis. I decided to change all that, doing a manicure every few days using my favorite hand products once more. I’ve all but finished my Manicure in a Minute, and after it’s gone I’ll probably just use whatever body scrub I have open at the time. I own a pair of “gel gloves” and apply a whipped shea butter, which melts into a luxurious moisturizing oil. Slip on the gloves before bed and wake up to perfect cuticles. I mean, absolutely flawless. And with these flawless cuticles, I’ve been going through my nail polish collection and doing a manicure with each shade. If I like the shade, it goes into the ‘keep’ tray on the opposite side of my dresser. If it’s just not me, it goes up for swap. I’ve already swapped away maybe four or five polishes (but already I got three in return, and another as an extra!)
I’ve been taking fish oil supplements regularly for other reasons, but one side effect is that I barely need body lotion anymore (to say nothing of conditioner). So the only times I use lotion now are on my hands (which get dried out from exposure to soaps and cleaning products) and feet. I finished a bottle of one of my favorite products ever, Suds and Light Goat’s Milk and Honey lotion in Un Bois Vanille. Even a 4 oz bottle lasted me months. Now I’m working on another bottle of the same product in a different scent, Red Currant.
So, even though I’ve finished quite a few products, given away, swapped, and tossed more. Due to an impending sewer repair bill, I’m going to soldier on with my no-buy (excepting, of course, products and samples for review purposes). Hopefully soon I’ll be able to shop again and replenish the products I’ve run out of. I’m glad I’ve been able to discover some products I’m just not going to buy again from any brand, and realize that I really need to cut back on lotions since the healthy Fish Oil supplements make them much less necessary.
Tags: Bath-and-Body-Works, Isle-of-Eden, Madcitysue, Suds-and-Light, Use It UpRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Use It Up
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