If it’s something that rinses off, like a cleanser, then it might just be a handful of uses before I make a decision on whether I like it/it works well enough. For products like serums, moisturizers, etc., I’ll try it for a few weeks. If it’s a scent/texture issue, I might not last that long–depends on how off-putting it is.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
I keep my skincare very simple & basic, so unless I have a severe adverse reaction (which has only happened a couple of times), I’ll continue to use it until it runs out. When I do “commit” to any product, however, there’s still always the possibility of using an alternative product/brand if my favorite is unavailable, and I’ll use that till it’s time to replace. Also, some products that work well in Summer may not be appropriate for Winter weather, so those products may be shelved for a bit until warmer weather reappears I also don’t really bother with serums, elixirs, essences, masks, etc… I just find a good soap-free cleanser, witch hazel, and oil, which I typically buy from a health food store, work well for me…
I also have 4-5 sunscreens in rotation, all of which I really enjoy, but vary based on what base I’m using, and/or how much SPF I want on a given day (sometimes I have to compromise on foundation if I need it to work with a given sunscreen).
For moisturizers, if they don’t sit well under foundation, they don’t last long…..then I’ll try and just use them on days I’m at home with no makeup, just not to waste them..
For foundations, I’ll try them under different moisturizers and primers and with different application methods…but I usually know within a week if they are a dud….eye shadow, I usually can tell right away if the formulation is a yeah or a neigh………………
I end to use products I purchase.
A cleanser? Will use til the container is empty. Unless I have a reaction to it. Won’t repurchase if I don’t like it. If I have issues with the product, will give to someone else. I may also re-purpose an exfoliator that I don’t like.
My Lancôme holiday train case came with some serum and eye cream. I am using both to try them out.
Moisturizers and such? Use gifts with purchase for travel, if I don’t like the face cream or if I have reactions to it, it becomes body cream. I would probably commit to a face product after about 3 months. It may change if it stops working.
If I get GWP stuff that I don’t use and can’t give it to someone, they will go in the bag of goodies that I give to the local women’s shelter each year. Someone can certainly make use of them.
For products that will be left on, ie; eye cream, serums, face moisturizer and the like, I give those at least a month usually. Because the cumulative effects may actually take that long to see if something positive is happening.
Other products that I either use for cleansing or toning will get a week or two. Which may sound silly to give them even that long, but I have sensitive, eczema prone skin, so I really need to see how well my skin gets along with products in the long run.
I’ve been even using the same skin care routine for so long, I barely know how to answer this question. But, I just bought a new version of my daytime moisturizer. I switched from PM CeraVe to AM CeraVe for the sunscreen. One week in and I’m still liking it.
It depends what you mean by “ditch” — I will choose not to rebuy, but I don’t think I’ve every thrown away a skincare product (with the exception of the acid peel I recently threw out without ever having used it because I didn’t realize until after I got it that it had mint oil in it, which is patently ridiculous — seriously … who does that?).
So if we’re not talking about throwing away, I guess the answer is “until I use it up.” To be fair, if I really don’t like using something, it’s usually my face that’s the problem, so sometimes I’ll use up products on other, less sensitive areas of my body. I’ve occasionally found products that I bought for my face, didn’t like in that context, started using on other areas of my skin, and really liked there.
I usually use up all my skincare products, even if they end up not working as good as I want. My approach is having commiting to everything I purchase. If it’s more than just not working, meaning actually damaging my skin, I use it in a other way. If a cleanser or make-up remover irritates my eyes and skin I use it up as a body wash, brush wash or hand wash. If a serum or moisturizer cause immediate issues I used as a hand cream or body lotion. I might try once or twice a, but when I see immediate issues, I simply stop using that product.
I am a fickle b***h and I’ll only give it a couple of goes – if it’s terrible – yucky scent, weird texture, adverse reaction then it goes in the Go Away pile or shoved in a cupboard somewhere. If it’s bearable, but not my fave, I’ll use it up however I can in rotation with other preferred products, eg, I’ll use a moisturizer or night cream on my decolletage and hands.
But I have so much stuff, I’m hardly loyal as it is 😉
In a very general way, I will use a new product for the life of the amount purchased unless there is an adverse reaction, hate how it feels, smells, etc. I figure that if it hasn’t proven itself in the length of time that it takes to use the entire amount then it isn’t going to work for me and I will move on. Most of the time it is roughly a 3 month amount, give or take. I purchased a couple of things last November that I just finished up and I haven’t replaced them because I just didn’t see any efficacy. I was looking at new skin care products the other day but I think I am going to hold off until the November sale.
I think it takes at least a month to know for sure. I usually use the product up, though. If I don’t think they made a difference, I just won’t repurchase. If I have some kind of bad reaction, really hate the texture or scent, etc., I’ll return it to the store pretty much immediately.
Like lots of others here, I don’t ditch products – unless I find out it has an ingredient that’s a health risk.
Otherwise, if I don’t like it on my face I’ll use it as a body product. There’s never been a body product that’s been so bad that it couldn’t either be salvaged by mixing with something else, or given to someone who might like it more.
If I open the container and a strong botanical or otherwise scent hits me, that would be about it!
Generally I use a cleanser to the end, and these days I usually buy what I know that works well on me.
As for day moisturizers, I do prefer ones that have some SPF in it and will give it a few weeks to assess whether I will repurchase or not. I also use the La Roche Posay sunscreen in factor 50 for summer.
Serums I have to be careful with as I don’t use any retinol products at all – they irritate my skin.
My favourite is the Argon oil and that is a continual purchase.
I’ll try a skincare item a few times before giving up on it or committing to keep it. F/face washes, the product needs to make my face feel clean and like it doesn’t have oily/slimy film remaining. I like cleansers that make my face feel matte and dry to the touch after washing. F/primers, if they do nothing to control oil, like there’s oil breakthrough after less than an hour after applying, I’ll put it into the donate pile. Same thing w/moisturizers and face powders. They’ve gotta control the excess oil. Still searching f/my HG primer!
Unless it causes me to breakout or smells awful (like recently a haircare product made of neem or aka Indian lilac), I use it until it’s finished. Skincare products usually cost too much for me to waste.