Spring Clean #2.*

(*I have called these posts 'disappointing products' in the past but that's a bit too negative, mostly these are products that I won't or can't use for various reasons so while they may be disappointing to me they may be a source of joy to others. Gathering them together under the title of spring clean seems much more apt!)                                             

   

Every so often I have a root through my beauty cupboards and weed out the things that I am simply never going to use or finish up. There's never a lot of things for me to discard as while I do purchase a lot of product most of what I buy is well researched and a considered purchase - I hate to waste money.

If I have a product that I don't like I generally try to re purpose it if at all possible (a foamy face wash can be used as a hand wash, a moisturiser that feels wrong for my face can be used on my chest  - you get the idea). If it's truly unlovable it goes on my giveaway/donation pile as long as it is usable condition. 

Let's take a look at things that didn't take my fancy for one reason or another... Starting with the assortment pictured above...

Blister packs etc.

Teeth whitening strips aren't a product that I use ever (I mean c'mon I'm English!). Nose strips scare the hell out of me (they hurt!)  and nothing disappoints me more than a blister pack of make up which I just don't have the time for. Finally the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation samples have a matte finish, I tried one of these and not only did it feel heavy and uncomfortable it also wasn't a good look for me.

Lip Products. 

Even though there are some great brands and formulas here (Clinique! Nars!) all of the above shades (mauves and brights) were unflattering on me. Some such as the Too Faced Melted were not only an unsuitable shade, they were also formulas that I found hard to work with.

Eye Products. 

It seems that there was recently an era when every gift bag contained one of those mini Kevin Aucoin Eye Pencils in navy blue as I managed to unearth three! Blue eye pencils don't suit me at all so they have to go. There are two Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Shadows (remember these?) a Sue Devitt  Powder Eye Shadow and a Pixi Eye Shadow Duo all of which are fairly old and all of which I don't see myself ever using. Mineral Fusion Mascara came in a Wholefood's gift bag and it has the oddest most extreme dog leg shaped brush, it's very unwieldy and I feel that I'm going to stab it in my eye. 

Face and Nails.

I used to enjoy using this Dream Wonder Powder by Maybelline but it's surface has become a little gross and icky and I don't tend to use this sort of (skin toned) powder anymore. The two Maybelline Concealers are both a little too apricot/orange for me and I also found that they didn't have too much staying power. The So Susan Concealer Quad is unopened from a GlossyBox,  I'm not even curious to try it so will give it away. CoTZ Tinted Sunscreen made my face look dirty when I tried it and the nail wraps are going because they are not my style or the type of thing I would use at all!

Hair, Body and Skincare.

 I'm not big on physical facial exfoliators and scrubby, scratchy St Ives Apricot Scrub is a beauty no- no in my book as it can tear your skin. Acure Facial Scrub did feel gentle but it was very messy and smelt terrible. L'Oreal Pure Clay Mask was something that I was eager to try when it came out but I found it to be very, very messy (like throw away your wash cloth messy) as well as feeling quite drying and uncomfortable. 

People seem to really like Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs and while I do have pale legs that could do with some colour at the beginning of the summer, I also have a pale grey couch so I'm just not going there!

Batiste Dry Shampoo is another people pleasing classic and while I don't use dry shampoo for cleaning my hair I do like to use it to add volume. I have a lot of different dry shampoos but I'm passing on this one as I can't abide the scent of it.

Finally a sachet of Oribe Curl Glaze is going to be rehoused with a curly headed person because my poker straight hair simply doesn't need it!

This may look like quite a lot of stuff but there are a lot of minis and samples here, the majority of which came in beauty boxes or as parts of GWP's so I don't feel too bad about parting with them. 

A little decluttering is always so satisfying...