Product Junky

So ladies, I’d like to talk about my product addiction. My what? You know, the “stuff”we use. I’m wondering if this is a typical “female” addiction. I certainly hope I’m not alone in this arena that’s why I desperately need to talk about it! I’m not sure exactly when it surfaced but I’m guessing it got full blown when I accumulated enough discretionary income to facilitate the product junky that I currently am. I don’t know about you, but I just want to try every beauty product out there that will either make me look better, smell better or feel better. I love stores like Ulta, Bath and Body Works, Sephora, and laugh if you will but I love CVS too! I bet you secretly do too!

So my first “product” that I became obsessed with was at the young age of 16. I know you can’t wait to find out what this great product was but don’t get too excited, it was Oil of Olay. Oil of Olay?? I know, I know that’s old lady cream… But even at my age now, this product still exists, so it must be working, even though I have long since abandoned it. Both my beautiful mom and next door neighbor both used it. I remember thinking my next door neighbor had the most beautiful skin. Not to mention she looked like Sophia Loren. For those of you who do not know who Sophia Loren was, check out my Quotes by Queens page and I’ll fill you in. Attention young ladies! If I am lucky enough to have you reading my blog, start taking care of your skin very, very early.

My neighbor was, and still is stunning. Maybe since both of these beautiful women were using the product I should take notice and get on the bandwagon. It seemed to be a no brainer, so off to buy my own bottle of Oil of Olay with my hard earned babysitting moola. I also remember my own next door “Sophia Loren” telling me how important it was to start to moisturize at a very early age, and to remember to always use your ring finger to apply it around your eyes. This finger has the least amount of strength and wouldn’t pull at your skin during application as she so expertly explained and demonstrated. To this day I always apply with that finger. The voice of experience has served me well over the years. I also remember seeing this tip later on in a beauty magazine.

But this was just the beginning of my experimentation with beauty products. I couldn’t try enough different facial moisturizers, trying to be sure I prolonged my youth for as long as possible. Do you find something you like and stick with it? I almost never do. There must be something better than what I am currently using or why would there be so many to choose from? In the endeavor to maintain youthful skin, I have over the years tried extremely expensive products and then have abandoned them. I felt I was paying for products that were not any better than the cheaper products I could get at CVS or even at JOB LOT! Who would by skin cream at Job Lot? Uh… me. I needed to see if the price really made a difference. I don’t mind paying a lot for a product but Ido want to see results. Don’t you? And just how do we measure those results? You got me, I guess that’s just the excuse I use to try something new. It couldn’t possibly be that my face is naturally aging..🤦‍♀️

As women, we have so many products that we use. Sometimes I wish I were a guy for the mere reason they don’t spend anywhere near the time or money on products that are going to make them look better. Are we that much more vain than men? We must be based upon the marketing world. We must spend thousands of dollars a year on our “stuff”! According to the global cosmetic market it is projected to reach approximately 863 billion by the year 2024. I think that number in itself tells us how vain we really are.

Think about the products men use in comparison to us females? The only personal hygiene products we share as human beings are deodorant, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, cologne and shaving cream. I’m sure there are a couple of others that I am overlooking but you get my point. Maybe some men even use a hair product or two, like gel or clay. but comparatively speaking they use way less product than us divas. We on the other hand, have quite a list. Let’s add to the above list: shower gel,body scrub, body moisturizer, body oil, face moisturizer, (day and night), eye cream, lipstick, lip liner, eye brow pencil, primer, eye liner, eye shadow, mascara, lip gloss, zit cream, cover up, foundation, blush, astringent, make up remover, toner, hand cream, self tanner, nail polish, hair spray, mousse, deep conditioner, face masks, bleaching agents, waxes,and not to mention our feminine hygiene products. What did I miss? I’m sure I only scratched the surface. Bottom line, we use a LOT of stuff. Even those of us who are minimalists use way more product than the opposite sex. (Of course this is a generalization- there are always outliers,like those natural beauties who go “oh natural”)

So what is it with this obsession? I just love trying new versions of all of these products. I have drawers and cabinets full of hand creams, body and face moisturizers, hair products, and make up. When I go to these stores I feel like I am a little girl in a candy store. I cannot leave without buying SOMETHING. Half the time I go in there it is not for anything specific but I do have to leave with SOMETHING. I don’t know if I have ever gone into one of these stores and come out empty handed. Now I have even more of an issue because if I can’t get to a store I can feed my habit by going on line. I can waste hours scrolling and shopping on line for these products. Amazon, here I come….next day shipping!

So many unused products accumulating and taking up space. I cannot possibly use them all. Some I have had so long they have lost their scent or have completely dried up. And I’m keeping them why? I couldn’t have liked them that much if I’m not using them. Why didn’t I just toss them when I decided to upgrade? I only end up discarding them when I’m looking for more space to add new products. Why don’t I just finish a product and then by something new? Like most of you right? I really do have a major issue. It really scares me because I’m afraid to be viewed as a “hoarder”.

I really did think this was all just MY problem. Luckily, I discovered I was NOT alone. I was at my 27 year old daughter’s apartment the other day and she showed me how she had reorganized her “stuff”. It was quite astonishing as I think she might have more “stuff” than me and I have 27 years on her. Does it run in the family or is this a disease? I’m making it a point to check with my other daughter. I actually think this daughter has more of an addiction than I have. Did I teach her this? Or is this a biological trait, lol…😂.

She gets not only one, but TWO of those deliver to your door subscription boxes, ie Fabfitfun and Ipsy. Have you heard of these boxes? They freakin have subscription boxes for everything and I mean everything. I still can’t believe it. Wellness boxes, craft boxes, beauty boxes, baby boxes, and the list goes on and on; even a box for your time of the month. What a way to turn something you aren’t looking forward to into something you can’t wait for…ok.. so I’m exaggerating a little. But I am guessing it could make it a little more tolerable dependent upon what is in the mystery box. Ladies, what a racket, and how much fun! I’m so tempted to try one of these but I am going to have to start throwing some of my crap out or take over one of my now empty bedrooms. Those boxes could get very dangerous only to add to my insurmountable accumulation. And how would I decide which kind of box to get? I might need multiples like my daughter. This cannot be a good strategy to get me into recovery. I can’t even look at the website more than a few minutes because I know I will get sucked in. I am actually worried about my daughter; therapy might be called for as I think she gets a box delivered for her dog….I don’t even do that for MY dog.

Whatever the reason, I really do wish I could become better at my purchases. Not be so wasteful. Use what I have and replace it when it’s gone. Isn’t that what most women do? Find something that I love and be brand loyal. I guess if the product was so wonderful I would be more apt to do that. So see, it’s really not my problem. They need to do a better job at fulfilling their promises. Denial is a wonderful thing.

There are so very few items that I have bought over the years that I have loved so much that I have had a repeat purchase. I’m thinking the longest period that I have ever been brand loyal is on average maybe a few years. And that was probably with my first moisturizer Oil of Olay which was only because I didn’t have a lot of money to try more expensive products. And being so young, it seemed to be working just fine..only time would tell.🕖 I guess one could say I’m just fickle. Or is it that these marketers are so good at making their products so appealing I just can’t resist. I am compelled to say I think it is a bit of both.

With that said, I do believe I have finally found a skin moisturizer that I think is fabulous. And I will share it with you, because I have tried an enormous amount of skin moisturizers over my lifetime and I myself am surprised at my change in attitude. I like it so much I am a repeat customer in advance. I bought three jars on my second purchase. The product is from City Beauty (www.citybeauty.com) and it’s called Multi-Action Sculpting Cream. Not super expensive but not super cheap. There is a lot of science behind the product and it is by far one of the best I have ever used on my skin. And being the age I am now, I CAN see results. So if you are like me and have been on that continuous quest to find the best skin product without going under the knife, I think I have finally found it. They of course have additional products which is how I stumbled on the cream in the first place. I tried their lip gloss and plumper as I am a constant lip biter and my lips are always chapped. I was searching for yet another lip product because none of the hundreds I tried ever made a bit of difference. I have to say this product did improve my constantly dehydrated lips which is why I decided to take a chance on their moisturizer. So, two for two. I think they may have made me brand loyal for at least these two products. With this progress I’m guessing I’m bound to try more of their line. And btw, I’m not getting paid for promoting their products. I’m just sharing my experience with women I love. Now off to make room for some new “stuff” and feed my addiction!!👋