February "Project Pan" accountability post

Here are my HABA cabinet clean-out results for February, with notes. I continued working my way through a bunch of sample-size products this month. I'm trying to take stock of which products are keepers, and which aren't worth my time going forward. My goal, by the end of the year, is to have a list of core products and put some tighter limits on my HABA browsing/shopping. Novelty-seeker that I am, I know I will never completely give up trying new products, but I'd like to figure out a reasonable/sustainable approach to experimentation that does not result in a drawer full of half-empty/expired/dried-out stuff.

Avene Gentle Milk Cleanser (sample). Buy again? No; too similar to lower priced products.

Suntegrity tinted lip balms (Note: Some of these were very dried out and ended up getting tossed instead of used, but they were itty-bitty samples so it's not a huge loss.) Buy again? No; Suntegrity appears to have discontinued this lip balm and replaced it with a lip gloss. But I will keep buying their sunscreen!

Avene Skin Care Oil (sample). Buy again? No; body oils are bothersome to apply and this one was a bit heavily scented for me.

Lume lavender-sage bar soap (full size). Buy again? Yes! I'm not usually a lavender fan, but *love* Lume’s for some reason. Tried their deodorant last year but it’s not for me; will keep buying the soap for the great scent.

Jason Powersmile toothpaste (full size). Buy again? Yes; DH’s favorite, and I like it fine.

Glossier Boy Brow in brown (full size). Buy again? Maybe; less pigmented than other brow pomades so it's very subtle on me, but it’s easy to apply, non-irritating, and a good natural-looking colour. The fact that it looks like I'm hardly wearing product is sometimes a perk, sometimes a negative, depending on the day. But I have a pot of Ecobrow that will take me forever to get through (much higher "payoff" as the cosmetics folks say), so it will be a while before I buy anything in this category again.

3 years ago

Anonymous

Good job!
I panned the too heavy shea hair cream- it made good shaving lotion! Still slogging through the piles of blush and foundation samples. At this rate it'll take all year. Still have a metric c'ton of hand lotion too.
Did buy a new hydraleuronic (sp?) acid gel from Trader Joes. Maybe it makes me look less tired?

Runcarla

Veteran

I’ve targeted a leave in spray/oil? for my hair. Thought it might be easier to apply after swimming. It’s not as good as the curl cream, so won’t buy again once it’s used up. I’m making inroads on the grocery store brand body lotion. Will not repurchase once done.

I had a Glossier Boy Brow, and it was just ok. Nothing I couldn't' replicate from a drugstore line though. I use a Maybelline thing that's exactly the same for about 1/2 the price - plus you can actually go into a store and buy it ! lol. I must try the Jason toothpaste. I examine that line at the grocery store every time I'm there but have only bought a mouth wash.

cat2

I finally got control over the last lip balm. My keepers are Shea Moisture Shea Butter, Banana Boat Aloe SPF 45, and Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. I had to wade through a sea of EOS orbs and random branded things from corporate swag bags. March is the Battle of the Travel Liquid Eyeshadows.

rachylou

I am trying to use up all the shampoos I’ve bought over the... YEARS. It finally occurred to me it was crazy to keep try-buying shampoo. My salon started carrying a no-scent line and that has won top place. I have been, ahem, washing the garbage cans out with the old shampoo. Lol!

Joy

I have finished off lots of soap and hair gel this month but will wait until warmer weather to use up salt spay. I recommend Spry toothpaste as a substitute for regular for anyone sensitive to things that foam. I got good results at the dentist for clean teeth after using it a few months. It is on Amazon, I think. Oils do not work well if you have to attach anything adhesive.

Lisa P: I have been using an Almay liner; it’s better than my Bobbie Brown! So press on with the drugstore tips, they are really helpful!

Stagiaire Fash

These lists are educational—so many things I’ve never heard of.

What are the less expensive skin cleansers to which you refer? I should probably try out something other than Dr Bronner’s, which is all I’ve used for the past couple years.

And for the life of me, I can’t understand eyebrow beauty. Once in a while I’ll see someone with brows that are clearly plucked or drawn on, or both, or somehow shiny. I assume that all of those are overkill, that there is some goal they have overshot. But what is the goal? Beyond occasionally plucking a wiry stray hair that sticks way out beyond the brow line, I don’t understand. If you’d prefer, I’ll start a remedial brow beauty post. Lmk, k?

LaPed

suntiger -- the gifted/freebie hand cremes are endless!

runcarla -- lotions take a long time to use up, so frustrating when you end up with a "meh" one.

lisa p -- I think you're right that the Boy Brow costs too much for what you get. liked that Glossier's brown skews more taupe than many products. Browns with too much red in them don't look great on my browns, nor do those with too much black in them. The other ones I've tried and liked (Anastasia, Ecobrow, 100% Pure) all require a brush to apply, and I'm generally too lazy to incorporate washing/drying/storing brushes into my routine. I'll have to check out the Maybelline and see if they have an appealing colour.

I alternate between Tom's and Jason toothpastes. The Jason is *much* mintier and makes the Tom's seem a bit bland in comparison.

cat2 -- I threw away *a lot* of lip balms a few years ago when dealing with some really bad windburn/chapping. All the flavored/scented ones seemed to do more harm than good.

rachylou -- yes, bad shampoos often make good soaps!

Joy -- I'm a big fan of Spry too, especially their xylitol gum.

Fashintern -- I usually use Cetaphil or Cerave, but have tried a lot of things with the Eczema Foundation seal of approval (this list). Most cleansers do more harm than good with my skin, but if I put on sunscreen or (rarely) make-up, I have to wash it off at night or my skin gets pretty congested...

I got into "doing" my brows years ago. A friend of mine has really nice, bold eyebrows (very Audrey Hepburn) and I asked her what she was doing to them to make them looks so good. She told me she was using Anastasia brow pomade because without something to hold them in place her brows would get a little "mad scientist". I gave it a try and was happy with the results. Just adds a little extra volume/pigment/boldness. My eyebrows are dark/thick to begin with, so I'm mainly filling them in and combing the hairs to add a little polish/intention. It is the make-up thing I do most often, followed by lip colour. I can't really do mascara or eyeliner (too irritating) so brows are a good alternative. As with good lip colours, I'd get on fine without it, but I like it.

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