As you may know from some of my earlier posts, I buy a lot of beauty products. Along with a great many of those purchases come free samples. Just last night it occurred to me how rarely I actually use these samples and how many I’ve amassed over the years (I’m one of those people who doesn’t throw stuff away…but I’m not like, an actual hoarder or anything. Stop it, I’m not in denial.).

This is a little embarrassing, but here it is:

IMG_4410Yeah…

Clearly I was on an an all-Kiehl’s-all-the-time kick for awhile there—their samples make up the bulk of my stash.

Most of the sample packets have been sitting at the bottom of a drawer in the kitchen and have been very much out of sight, out of mind. I do take samples with me when I travel, but I often forget to use them even then.  We don’t really have house guests much, so it’s not like I have guests around to use them either. So in an effort to finally start chipping away at this semi-hoarding sample situation, I organized the packets by type (face, body, hair, etc.) and tucked them inside a cute mug which I placed on the top of the toilet. Now I’ll see them every time I set foot in the bathroom and will presumably be more likely to use them.

IMG_4411I mean…why bother getting samples if they’re just gonna take up space?

I know, I know: most of this stuff is not going to help me detox my skin care routine. I haven’t claimed to be perfect in this goal, and I do want to use up what I already have around. Using up samples will be a mini step forward, and who knows—maybe I’ll find some products that surprise me!

P.S. I will definitely be trying out this tip to help get the most out of my sample packets!