Foil Challenge

[ather]

I know we all talked about this but I need it in writing to hold myself more accountable! I have picked out around 28 foils that I am hoping to get through by the end of Feb. that’s 1 foil a day unless I decide to stack more than one! Here’s what I’ve picked randomly! 

 

[itsfi]

Thank you @ather! This year, I've been taking photos of my foil usage, and empties for that matter, on a weekly basis, instead of keeping everything in a bin or bag and then documenting it at the end of the month. I've done it more out of practicality - month end / beginning of the month have a general tendency of being busier times for me, especially when they fall on a weekday. Having a lot of product to cull through and lay out can be a "to do" item that can be tedious and time consuming depending on how many products I have and, at that point, I'm more inclined to group products together based on how well I liked them - that's how I previously went about my foils and empties and it really is a great way to catalog it and visually it's nice to have all the loves, likes, mehs, and no's in their own photo, but it just got too much for me to do it all at once.

Doing it weekly is simpler for me; most of the time, I just grab what's in my empties and foils bin/bag the night before trash pick up day, lay them out on the table, take a photo, then place those items in the appropriate recycle, compost or trash bins. Or place them all in a bag to drop off at one of the bins in a Sephora store. It makes for a less cohesive photo thematically when posting, but it's more convenient for me based on my schedule. It also helps when I'm traveling - I take a quick shot of my empties and foils the morning I leave and I don't bring back empties with me. Yes, there was a time when I would bring back my empties with me so I could keep the products I loved in one shot, the likes in another frame and so on. 

I'm taking a slightly different approach to foils next year, but I'm looking forward to seeing what comes of it. 

[itsfi]

Oh about the shampoo and conditioner foils @ather, I do think travel played a role in more of them being used this month. I also spent more time outdoors and there were a host of factors associated with that that meant more instances when I wanted / needed to wash my hair - if I spent the day, or most of it, walking and my head became sweaty or sweatier, either because I was wearing a hat or I was just sweating more, I'd feel better if I washed my hair. Also, there were several times I was walking along a beach where the salty ocean air and sand would get in my hair and well, I needed to wash my hair afterwards. The Barbara Sturm shampoo and conditioner didn't work well for my hair and I did feel the need to wash it again the next day, so that's a contributing factor. 

[CorgiMommy]

An average of 15 foils per month is really incredible @itsfi .  Any loves at first use?

[itsfi]

@CorgiMommy, my knee-jerk reaction when I did the calculation was that average seemed high for me (I feel like my regular cadence would be 6-10 foils per month), so I went over my foils for the year and it seems the higher-than-expected average is probably due to a few factors -

(1) being overly eager & enthusiastic about going through my foils the first month of the challenge;

(2) having a couple of opportunities this year to go through multiple packets of the same product (the 14-day trial of the Eadem serum as a gwp promo, for example); and

(3)  uptick in travel this fall and winter where I packed more foils than I might otherwise. 

I didn't have a ton of new-to-me products in terms of foils this year; in years past, definitely, but less so of late. Many of my foils were either of products I loved or liked. Base on this year's foils, loves at first use would be Sol de Janeiro Beija Flor™ Renewing Body Wash 13 oz / 385 mL and Moroccanoil Shower Gel Cleanser Spa du Maroc, both of which I now have in full sizes. 😀 The amika Normcore Sulfate Free Shampoo 9.2 oz / 275 mL and amika Normcore Hydrating Conditioner 9.2 oz / 275 mL were also great but I have far too many full size shampoo and conditioners in varying stages of use to justify purchasing another set at the moment.

There were a few loves the second time around; those include Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter and Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo for Damaged Hair and Pureology Strength Cure Conditioner for Damaged Hair. Full sizes of both will be picked up at some point next year, after I work my way through similar products in my current rotation.

The foil challege this time around has been different for me. All instances where I've participated in the foil challenge have been good ones - the pre-covid challenges, around the time I was participating more in the threads was really about trying to get a better handle on my foils stash, and I did. I also learned some new and valuable approaches and habits to having a more manageable supply of foils through those past challenges. 💗 This year's challenge was a nice way of seeing those lessons learned of years past put into practice, in a very visual way with actually documenting my foil use (thank you for creating a space for that @ather) and causing me to be more methodical, in some ways, with both how, when and why I pick up foil samples as well as how and when I use them. There were some good takeaways for me from taking part in the challenge this year, ones that I'll put into practice next year. 👍 

[ather]

@itsfi  You have definitely taught me tons of tricks this year too! It’s always nice to see a different perspective from others! I learned that I don’t need to take foils if there’s none being offered that I am interested in. Although it does happen when you don’t get the foils you selected!! But an overwhelming amount of foils is also not great! So lots learned this year!! 

[itsfi]

@ather, I love that we can all learn from each other's experiences. lol, passing up on samples at checkout took me some getting used to. I was so used to picking out samples. For the longest time, I would give foils that I didn't have time to use or that were just sitting to a coworker of mine at the time. She and her husband moved and I visited them once when I was in their area and in her guest bathroom was a drawer full of the samples I had given her over the years - she said I gave her so many that they couldn't use them all so they kept the extra in the drawer to pick from and for their guests. That was a ton of "extra" ather! 😲 A very sobering experience.

[ather]

@itsfi  It’s a smart idea for her! My mom didn’t pack much skincare in hopes I had some. So I had a DS of Estée Lauder day/night and eye cream for her to use! I said she can pull from my foils if there’s anything else she needs!  I love the idea of using the guest room and having extra. I think your friend might have had too much extra tho!!

[itsfi]

omg @ather, way too much extra. When I saw the drawer I thought 'oh, those look familiar'; I was a little (read: A LOT) embarassed that it was all the ones I had given her. 😱 That was years ago and it was one of the things that moved me to reassess my sample stash. 

How did your mom like the EL cream and eye cream? I've heard good things about that EL day/night. 

I'm looking forward to doing up the guest bedroom when I can move back in. It's actually my-niece's-room-slash-my-home-office-slash-the-guest-bedroom. In that order. It's really more like my niece's play/hiding room that she'll loan out to me to use as a home office, or if needed, a guest bedroom. 😂 

[Loretta55]

I can’t remember what sparked me to purchase the Josie Maran body butters @itsfi . My husband became scent sensitive about 8 years ago so I had to give away most of my colognes to my coworkers. That was the only scented product that he could tolerate me wearing and they offer some amazing scents. I really wish that she would offer the strawberries and whipped cream scent again because that was one of my all time favorites and I am unable to find it.

[itsfi]

@Loretta55, I’m sorry about your husband’s sensitivity to scent. That can be a lot, for both of you. A silver lining to it is seems to be that these Josie Maran body butters have become a staple in your body care and fragrance collection. I feel like I’ve tried these when they first came out but they didn’t stick for me then. Now, though, I get it. Late to the show it seems. 😆 A strawberries & whipped cream scented body butter? That sounds wonderful. Hope they bring it back, even if seasonally. So you can stock up! 

[sophie55555]

Ooh, I need to do this and see how many I get through before New Years! I think one a day is a good goal for me too,  even if I'm not doing my makeup that day,  I can still use a skincare packet or two.  

[CorgiMommy]

@sophie55555 I did this a few years ago.  It was fun and you find a lot of products you love as well as some that don't work for you 

[itsfi]

Hey there @sophie55555! It'll be fun to see how many foils you get through by the end of the year! Using one foil a day is a fantastic goal! 👍 That's impressive actually. There are some months where it seems like a lot of effort for me to even get to one foil per week. Good luck and looking forward to seeing your progress (and your thoughts on the products you used)!

[ather]

November foils!

 Pretty big letdown! I enjoyed them all! I wish Ouai would bring back the repair shampoo! I thought I used more but apparently not. That’s ok I know December will be better! I will likely bring lots on my trip! 

[CorgiMommy]

@ather better than nothing

[ather]

@CorgiMommy  I agree. I need to be more positive! I am away currently and I have a few I packed with me. But I also checked my stash and it’s dwindling which is also a good thing! 

[itsfi]

I’m sorry you feel like your November foils was a letdown @ather! I don’t see it that way but I know that it’s not about me when it comes to your foil usage. It’s great that you enjoyed all your foils last night. That’s definitely not always the case. Also, I’m surprised you were able to even get to any foils given everything you had going on in November. 

You know, the thing with having fewer foils in a particular month usually means you are using your full size or deluxe size items - that’s awesome. 👍🏼 I am looking forward to seeing what your December foils look like - with you being out of town, I imagine it’ll be an ideal time to bring a few extra foils. 😍

[itsfi]

November 2023 Foils  

Posting early as I don't expect to use any foils for the rest of the month. November has been a whirlwind with work travel, deadlines and the holiday; there were days I’m not sure I fully remember happening. 😝 Including how I used up all these foils?!! My goal for this month was to use up 12 - 15 foils; I ended up using 18 foils this month. Woohoo! 🙌

Travel foils (mostly foils) - I would happily purchase full sizes of everything here (in fact, some may be en route after the holiday weekend), except I would choose a different scent for the Moroccanoil hand cream.

At home foils - A full size of the Sol de Janeiro and Moroccanoil hand cream will happen, though with a different scent on the latter. The Unove and La Mer are maybe. I like them but have other similar products to make my way through first. The Shiseido eye cream and Ten over Ten nail remover pads are items I’d use again but wouldn’t repurchase.

Sheet masksThe under-eye mask are a must for me, and the holiday foot mask is something I look forward to every year. The foot mask really does work.

November Foils Dashboard

Spoiler

MTD = 43 (not including sheet masks)

YTD = 140 (not including sheet masks)

December Foils Goals

Spoiler

I wasn't expecting to have any business trips next month, but two have found their way onto my schedule. Although they were initially thought to be day trips, it's looking like they may involve overnight stays. No air travel so I'm less inclined to take very many foils with me so most of my foil usage, if any, will be at home. That said, I'll aim to use up 8 - 12 foils next month @ather . 

[QueenMarceline]

@itsfi Wow some awesome foils there! Great job going through all of those, the Tatcha, K18, Dr. Jart are definitely standing out to me. I usually don't get as lucky with actually receiving samples/foils of things I want to use or try, so most of mine unfortunately get tossed. The ones I do keep I tend to forget about, but you've definitely inspired me with your goals. How did you like that Tatcha Indigo sample? I actually picked that up during their Cyber Monday sale as a blind buy, but I am hoping for the best. 🤞

[itsfi]

@QueenMarceline, I’ve been fortunate with foil samples. I don’t always select samples with my orders, only when there’s something I really want, either to try or for future travel. If I get a sample I’m not interested in, I’ll drop it in a Ziploc bag and when it gets full, I’ll include it in the next batch of donations to a women’s shelter. 

 Tatcha The Rice Polish Foaming Enzyme Powder is lovely; there’s a lot of product in that foil. My favorite enzyme powder cleanser is from Amore Pacific; Tatcha is second. ♥️

[QueenMarceline]

@itsfi That's a great idea, from my recent hauls I've actually been saving all my samples/foils that I would usually toss because I'll be in my hometown for the holidays and it's become kind of a tradition for me to bring some makeup I was going to toss for every one to go through and select. The women's shelter where I live will only accept unused and unopened makeup so I assumed foils would also not be accepted, could be wrong. However, I'm sure there's many others in my hometown (Chicago) that would accept them. Would be a great place to send what is left over (which is usually a good amount). I'll have to look into locations, thanks for reminding me 🙂 ❤️

Ahhh, I misread your foil and thought it was either the Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair Serum in Cream Treatment 1.7 / 50  or the Tatcha The Indigo Cream Soothing Skin Protectant 1.7 oz/ 50 mL I actually have not had the chance to try any enzyme powders yet but I'm taking note of your recommendations for future science purposes. 🤣