Waste Not, Want Not

Is your beauty cupboard overflown with way too many beauty products?  Have you ever bought skincare products that you thought was going to work but found out they didn't?  Are you one of those type of people who are sucked into the hype of products and bought it for the sake of it?  Or you bought something purely because of the free gifts promotion?

All sounds familiar?  (I can see heads nodding!)

I only have one face but often I buy too many skincare products in one go that some of them just sit in my beauty cupboard for ages, waiting for their turn to perform and show their real colours.  Then when I finally put them to the test, sometimes not all products would pass the ultimate challenge.  I would be left feeling gutted and stupid about wasting all the money.  At the same time, being a selfish person myself; it's even more heart-breaking to just give them away to friends and families because I think to myself, 'I need to find a way to use them up'.

Clarins Double Serum was a product that I bought in an emergency situation because lines on my forehead were getting too obvious, too fast.  I bought it and used it immediately for more than 3 months.  I struggled with it (you can see a detailed review here).  I continued and kept telling myself my skin loved it but really I think I was lying to myself.  I finally came to terms with it the fact that anything branded as an anti-ageing product can be a little too overwhelming for my skin at this stage (I am 31, any recommendations?)

I just wouldn't give it away to anyone I know, this was NOT going to happen.  I paid so much money on this bottle and had to admit it didn't work for me was hard.  An eureka moment came one night, 'Ah I could use it as a neck serum to retain elasticity and smoothness.'  I was so pleased about my creativity and thought I was a genius!  

I use this serum as a neck and upper chest treatment as part of my evening routine.  Serum is considered to function at its best if put as the first layer to your skin after cleansing and toning.  An overnight treatment perhaps requires a little something more potent.  I have been using it like how I described for over a month.  Although I can't see a real difference this has made to my neck, it certainly felt that money spent was worth it.  At least I didn't waste the product.

As picky as I am, I needed my neck to be treated during the day as much as in the evening but using this serum seems a little too extravagant for this purpose.  I went through my beauty cupboard and found the Multi-Active Day Early Wrinkle correction  (this came as a free gift when I purchased something else from Clarins in Boots) sitting there waiting to be used.  Since I am a little skeptical about using 'anti-ageing' product on my face, I found this could be the perfect neck day cream for me and it worked perfectly.  It is a thick cream but absorbed extremely effectively.  It is very moisturising and my neck is left feeling hydrated and tightened.  Yet again, I am a genius!

All you beauty lovers out there, how about going through your beauty cupboard today to see what's been ignored?  See if you can discover an alternative use for them on different parts of your body?

Waste not, want not.