January "Project Pan" update - YouLookFab Forum

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January "Project Pan" update

LaPed

Veteran

I'm going to try to post one of these each month this year. Inspired by Suntiger and others, one of my goals for 2021 is not to buy any new HABA items (health and beauty aids) unless I run out of what I already have. This means I'm working through lots of almost-empty containers and using up products that turned out not to be my favorites. As I use things up, I'm also keeping tabs on which ones I would buy again and which I can forget about. By the end of the year, I should have a streamlined list of core products and I'm hoping to stick to that list and minimize my habit of shopping and sampling and ending up with rejects that lie around unused. Dregs I've polished off so far:

Soaps and cleansers:

Avene XeraCalm body wash Buy again? No (no noticeable effect)
Avene Antirougeurs cleansing lotion Buy again? No (indistinguishable from cheaper products)
Yellow Bird Lemongrass Neem bar soap Buy again? Maybe (nice smell; does seem to offer some of neem's anti-inflammatory benefits)

Moisturizers:

Chemistry Brand Hyaluronic Concentrate Buy again? Maybe (nice addition but I prefer a standalone moisturizer)

Hair:

Hi-Bar Moisturize shampoo Buy again? No (prefer Hi-Bar's Maintain formula)
The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Hair Serum Buy again? Maybe (results in noticeably fuller/stronger hair, but it leaves a greasy residue if I don’t wash my hair the day after applying it so using it requires some planning)

Teeth:

Schmidt's Jasmine toothpaste Buy again? No (awful flavor)
Primal Life Gum Serum Buy again? Maybe (pricey; I like it but could probably make a DIY version)

Other:

Herban Cowboy Forest deodorant Buy again? No (works fine, good smell, but don’t like the texture)

Takeaways? Five no's, four maybe's -- no must-haves!

1) I should probably avoid anything that adds steps to my routine. I won't reach for it if it's complicated.

2) Don't believe the price tag. I have yet to find a product from Avene or La Roche Posay that outperforms my preferred cheaper brands (Aveeno lotion, Acure and Cetaphil cleansers).

3) When I know what I like, I should just buy it rather than taking the "whatever's on sale" approach and ending up with awful things like that jasmine toothpaste.

General

15 replies

Latest reply was from Runcarla

Runcarla

Veteran

This is going to be interesting! Though I addressed a huge stash several years ago, I’ve got a few ‘mistakes’ I picked up in 2020 to work through before I replenish. Dumb generic grocery brand body lotion I’m looking at you!

cat2

Veteran

I will join you! I just used up the last teeny bottle of body lotion! I tried samples of Origins and Dr. Jart BB creams; neither was a winner. I also used up two more foundation samples. The only BuyAgain is the Fresh liquid foundation, which has the right consistency for my light hand and low skill level with makeup. My color is called Milk, which goes to show how truly pale I am. I will be using up two eyeshadow bases soon, and then can make the weighty decision whether to rebuy Ivory or Cream!

Jenni NZ

Veteran

I seem to use stuff up so incredibly slowly! I am *still* using a blusher one of my daughters didn’t want, and have been doing so for well over a year, maybe 2 years, and I use it every day! I also have annoying little bottles of body lotion etc which I keep forgetting to use. They are mainly gifts or freebies, never buy the stuff!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Mmmmm, lemongrass is such a light, lovely scent.

That’s a lot of stuff! I looked up the Chemistry Brand Hyaluronic Concentrate because i didn’t even understand what it was. There is a mushroom ingredient that sounds good to me, but looking at the price tag for the lotion with all the other ingredients, I’ll pass. I predict that you will save a lot of money by working through these things and sticking to that list.

I'm with you on the hair serum. I don’t wash my long hair very often, and don’t use any heat tools on it. The wash schedule means I really can’t use products other than rinses, because the residue has to be washed out after a day or two. I like my funk, but not that kind.

What will you do when a sales pitch that sounds really, really good comes along? Maybe you can allow yourself an experiment every quarter or something, with strict rules to move out anything that didn’t work/get rid of what the new stuff replaces.

Helena

Veteran

Fab insights!

I couldn't agree more about sticking to what works, even if it's the more 'basic' version. I'm on year 20 of dealing with seasonal eczema and allergies, and I've learned that often the "cheap" drugstore brands are the gentlest and safest for me! This is true of cleansers, moisturizers, makeup, etc. And the so-called natural products are actually almost always the worst for me. Horses for courses AAWS (as Angie would say), especially where our bodies are concerned.

cat2

Veteran

LP, Helena’s comment and yours about your upgrades are struck a chord with me. I find most French products have scent in them, and the scent irritates my skin. It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s L’Oreal or Chanel, unless it expressly states it is for sensitive skin, it won’t work for me, I wonder if your French drugstore brand upgrades have that problem? I buy CeraVe rather than La Roche Posay mineral sunscreen for that reason,

Jenni, I had to make myself use the teeny lotions on my legsn by putting the big ones in hiding!

anchie

Veteran

Well, I was trying to use up some older creams this month and as a consequence suffered terrible allergic reaction - swollen throat and difficulties breathing that lasted for more than 24 hours. It happened 4 times until I finally realized what is causing it. The cream was probably spoiled because I was using it without problems when it was new. I am just putting it out there for others to be careful and don’t use anything that looks even little bit suspicious.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Yeah, if I dislike a product or it seems like it’s been around too long, into the trash it goes (or if it’s new and mostly still unused I’ll see if a local shelter can use it). Life’s too short to use stuff that smells or feels gross. I’ve learned not to experiment much once I find a product that works.

Now, to try to use up the two “natural” deodorants I bought before the weathe turns warm. I have learned that as much as I’d like to use a natural option, I want the actual antiperspirant. I hate hate hate feeling sticky under the arms.

cat2

Veteran

Anchie: How terrifying! I definitely toss anything that has a weird texture or smell. Did yours?

anchie

Veteran

It did not, that is why I kept using it not immediately realizing that it is causing this reaction. But it was definitely older than a year and I haven’t used for long time before that. It was Clinique moisturizer from their 3 step
collection.

cat2

Veteran

Were you in one of the heat waves? I didn’t have AC and a heat wave wiped out a couple of my products that had always been fine stored under my sink, but apparently can’t survive 105.

cat2

Veteran

Runcarla, I sympathize, I have been making what I term Pandemic Panic purchases where I am trying to get through the grocery shop quickly, my usual brands have been wiped out, and I grab something adjacent to what I really want. I ended up with a drugstore brand organic lotion scented Wild Fern and Verbena. Thankfully, it had gender neutral packaging. and for some odd reason my husband took to it and used it up.

LaPed

Veteran

Anchie -- Yikes, that's awful!

Runcarla and cat2 -- Yep, I hear you on pandemic shopping. Grocery/pharmacy out of what I'd usually buy, so I end up with an unfortunate "experiment" instead.

Fashintern -- It seems like a lot, but many of them were sample sized or nearing the end of the container anyway. I bought a batch of products from Deciem (The Ordinary, Chemistry Brand, etc) during a big sale about a year ago, and have been slowly working through everything. The HA concentrate really is good stuff, I'm just super lazy and will do pretty much anything to avoid adding steps to my routine. My skin is nicer when I do the HA followed by my usual Aveeno, but six days out of seven I still choose the one-and-done option.

Janet -- You are more disciplined than I am! TBH, my attitude towards products these days is that there are "better than nothing" products, and then there's everything else. I don't really *love* the stuff that works for me, but at least it works.

Helena -- Yes, I try to stick to my narrow little "eczema approved" list, and then go into a panic when something gets discontinued or reformulated and I have to find a replacement. My skin is actually doing better than usual thanks to pandemic life (probably a combination of more vitamin D/fresh air and better sleep and hydration), which has lead me to experiment more than I used to.

Jenni -- I'm slow too. Quite a few of these were sample-sized and they still seemed to linger around forever! I've been known to use rejects too but the rest of my household is boys, which means men's deodorant and kid's toothpaste, etc.

nemosmom

Veteran

Ewww to Jasmine toothpaste! I did a big purge of half-used HABA last spring, but have been slowly working through my stash of decanted things in my travel bag (since we aren't planning to travel), and forcing myself to not add too many new-to-me things. I also get bouts of eczema, so I have to be super careful about changing face products, and experimenting with products that contain fragrance.

Biggest fail so far has been the Deva Curl hair line. I picked up the travel set for a trip last February, but found the scent awful. The styling creme and gel made no difference in my hair.

Runcarla

Veteran

@ cat2 - that’s exactly what happened! Ran out of body lotion during lockdown when grocery shopping was once every 2 weeks...