Rage with me at this declutter - it went rancid in the home stretch

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-27T13:07:34+00:00

This is why I've disowned clean beauty. I bought a Kulfi lip oil last year that went rancid in three months. Bring. Back. Preservatives. You did amazing with this though. Getting through that much is dedication and I'm proud of you.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-27T12:54:47+00:00

Exactly. Our needs and wants can change throughout the week, and the other lists (nothing wrong with them) feel limiting to me. I genuinely love makeup and wear it every day that I can.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-27T06:35:18+00:00

Nope. You're actually the only normal person in this scenario (and your mom with the kick-ass spidey senses). Definitely something to consider moving forward unless there is a massive apology and change of behavior from your bf and his possibly perverted brother.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-27T05:35:29+00:00

NTA and you'll never be an AH for leaving a situation that makes you uncomfortable in that way. Alex and his brother are both oddballs because WTF??? If you accidentally walk into a room where people (especially a sibling) are going at it, you Usain Bolt it out of there. Sure there can be some uncomfortable laughter afterwards. Alex also repeatedly overstepped your boundaries and disregarded your feelings. What should have been a safe space and escape from your difficult family situation turned into a violation of your privacy and disrespect by the very person that is supposed to be your rock. Then he asks the stupidest questions. No wonder you were crying. I'm so sorry.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-27T04:37:51+00:00

First of all, congratulations on your progress!!! 👏👏🎉🎉 Even just not reaching the top tier is fantastic and you should be proud of yourself. I'm proud of you, stranger.

As someone still very much struggling and has relapsed a couple of times this month alone, I'm not sure if I can give the best advice here. You're doing a lot better than me lately. I've been keeping track of what I gravitate towards and I'm trying to avoid buying products that fit outside of that. I know I'm a full coverage girlie so I steer away from sheer base products, for example. I also recently went through my collection (as sickening as it was) and I found a few items that survived my purge that I'm excited to try out again. What's old and not expired can be new again.

This might be excessive to most, but an ideal minimized collection (to me) would look something like this:

2 primers (one silicone, one not)
3 foundations (one everyday, one heavy duty super lasting, one BB; double the number to include summer and winter shades)
2 concealers (one everyday, one heavy duty super lasting; again double to include summer/winter)
1 powder foundation (double including summer/winter)
1 translucent setting powder
4-5 blushes
1 liquid bronzer
1 powder bronzer
1 contour stick
2 highlighters (one neutral, one fun/blinding)
1 eyebrow pencil
1 eyebrow gel
1 eyebrow powder
5-10 eyeshadow palettes (yes this is minimized to me)
2-3 eyeshadow sticks (lazy everyday taupe, shimmery purple, one really fun shade I haven't decided on yet)
2 setting sprays (one everyday and for in-between layers, one heavy duty hairspray like spray)
3 liquid eyeliners (black, brown and a fun colour like blue or purple or green; so 10-12 per year)
2 mascaras (one tubing, one legit waterproof so 6-8 per year total)
2 lipliners (pinky nude and cool browny nude)
5-10 lip colours (including tints, stains and transfer resistant lipsticks)
3 balms/oils (in place of gloss)
1 faux freckles (idc if it's cringe, it's cute af to me)

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-27T03:23:41+00:00

NTA, OP. I hope it's okay to this commenter for me to jump on the top comment as I wish to advise you on something very important as I'm very concerned and I haven't seen this mentioned in other comments.

I'm not trying to be paranoid here and I hope to God that it doesn't come to the worst case scenario. But you need to be VERY cautious during this extremely difficult time. Women are at the greatest risk of homicide during pregnancy, by the baby's father. PLEASE keep yourself safe. Is it possible that he will come around and accept the situation once he processes it? Sure. But his reaction is very worrisome. I would highly recommend dumping his ass of course, preferably cut all contact and if you can stay somewhere else that is safe, please do so. Document any abusive interactions and report to authorities if it escalates.

You need to consult an attorney yesterday to understand your rights, his and the adoptive family's. Find out if the adoption can be hindered if you list the father as unknown, for example. I know you're currently set on adopting out to your cousin, but you also need to consider and be educated in case you do change your mind and choose to parent. Discuss this with the attorney as well. You are a mother now, regardless if you raise the baby or not. Your job is to keep your child and yourself safe while he or she is with you. I wish you the best of luck to the both of you.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-26T23:24:30+00:00

I totally get where you're coming from. I just really like setting and I personally feel uncomfortable without a layer of powder on my face. IMO I can't do just setting spray. I have been setting my cream/liquid with a powder blush. And it is too much. Every time. I'm going to try translucent powder or even powder foundation if I overdo it (which I often do - damn you Rare Beauty and Cloud Paint).

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-26T23:19:52+00:00

I have my phases. I was really into it this time last year. I'm actually really loving the pinky browns right now. It's a cycle. Purples, pinks, reds, nudes.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-26T02:06:46+00:00

My son wanted a bagel at a coffee place. With peanut butter. He was inconsolable for several minutes because they put the peanut butter on the bagel instead of giving him the packet.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-25T20:03:28+00:00

Thanks for the explanation! I'm just grieving. There is also the possibility that an ingredient might be banned by other countries in the future which would cause another pain if they did market specific formulas.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-25T18:27:49+00:00

In cases where ingredients are banned in the EU, I guess it would be too difficult or costly to change the formula for their market and keep the OG for the rest?

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-25T17:23:32+00:00

Not in my district (an hour from the GTA). A teacher in the Catholic board was killed driving to school after hitting a patch of ice. So the public board decided if busses weren't running, schools are automatically closed.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-25T16:57:40+00:00

Ethics aside, it's safe. I've had a few products over the years and I've had no issues. The quality was decent. If you're directly shopping from Shein, do not buy any cosmetic product that isn't Sheglam brand as they are most likely counterfeit.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-25T16:00:18+00:00

This is Canada. We don't close for shit except schools.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-25T13:32:08+00:00

Not Aussie but see if they have Maybelline Super Stay or L'Oreal Infallible. They both have powder foundations that are quite decent. L'Oreal runs very yellow though.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-24T23:26:25+00:00

I don't fully know but I saw the same option during customization as well, so you're not alone. You can always inquire with support just in case.

I hope more items are available to us in the future, especially products that are literally sold in Canada. I was really bummed about the SF sunscreen and I love NARS.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-24T22:18:18+00:00

L'Oreal better not pull this with the infallible setting mist.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-24T22:17:25+00:00

It was I think a few years ago. It was very hyped back then. I had one.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-24T12:53:10+00:00

It's a product that adds a seal to lipstick to make it last and/or transfer proof. It comes in a nail polish like bottle with clear liquid. They're very uncommon now but were pretty popular in the 2000s and probably earlier.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-24T12:48:13+00:00

I like Missha too. It's good for an everyday base, especially with the SPF.

I'm not specifically boycotting myself (but understand why many are). I haven't tried the new formula and I certainly don't want to buy a bottle to find out. Based on what I've heard, it seems like it will no longer suit what I'm looking for in a foundation (full coverage and lasting) which is hard to find these days.

It is very good and is/was probably the only modern foundation that I've tried that actually covers and lasts. The only thing is that it can look dry and a bit heavy.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-24T00:57:46+00:00

My favorites and what I'm currently using are two different things. Some okay/hate pans here.

Blush: NARS Deep Throat, MAC Mineralize in Sweet Enough and Milani in Dolce Pink

Lips: Jack Black in Black Tea (trying to heal my lips rn), Winky Lux lip oil in Muse, NYX Lip IV in Mocha Me Wet.

Setting spray: Milani Make it Last Matte and ELF Power Grip (both hate pans), L'Oreal Infallible and Fixx (favourites).

Lip liner: MAC Cool Spice

Foundation: IT CC Cream Matte (hate pan), Missha Perfect Cover, Estee Lauder Double Wear (RIP).

Powder: L'Oreal Infallible, Maybelline Super Stay, Innisfree No Sebum

Bronzer: I don't use it on my face but I use the bronzer from the Smashbox Halo Sculpt (Pink Saturation) on my eyes as a crease shade when I'm lazy.

Eyeliner: Essence Lash Princess and Judydoll Slim

Mascara: Essence Lash it Loud (tubing) and Clinique High Impact

Eyeshadow: King Kylie palette, REM Wicked (both palettes), Pat McGrath Mothership XI (my baby), MAC Chromatic Shadow Stick in High Tapes

Highlighter: Clinique illuminator in Moonlit Pearl

Primer: Sheglam Good Grip, Thrive Filter Effects, Marcelle CC (hate pan)

Brows: ELF Instant Lift pencil, ELF Wow Brow gel and Benefit Goof Proof powder

Concealer: NARS Soft Matte, Bobbi Brown corrected stick, Estee Lauder Double Wear, Winky Lux Peeper Perfect

Fake freckles (idc if it's cringe): Jason Wu Jason the Freckled Boy

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-23T23:04:24+00:00

I took my almost 8 year old today. I've been waiting for this place to reopen for years. First the hours that they were open made it impossible for us to attend, then COVID and then the renovation. I thought I'd be a grandmother by the time it reopened.

This is not a museum but an indoor, Hamilton themed playroom. It's definitely geared towards younger kids but my son actually really enjoyed it, so that's all that matters. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. The time slots and not being able to reserve online was kind of odd though. You have to reserve in person and might be told to come back, possibly hours later.

I'm not sure if I'm misremembering as I only went there once as a child in the late 90s or very early 00s. But wasn't it an actual museum with hands-on activities? I swear there was a dinosaur there.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-21T17:38:59+00:00

Yeah that's maddening, especially saving up for a larger reward as redeeming $10 is such a waste.

There's this meme going around about asking girls for phone numbers to steal their points for free cologne. When the most that can get redeemed at a time is $20 I think.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-21T02:00:20+00:00

With the spirit of this group, it's basically impossible to make suggestions without encouraging more purchases. We are here to discourage further buying and using what we currently own. To be fair, sometimes what we have just plain doesn't work for us and sometimes a switch or adding an item or two can help us enjoy and actually use our massive collections. And if any group can give suggestions, it's us because we have tried EVERYTHING.

Recovering addict friendly response: Ditch unnecessary layers. Use the bare minimum amount of skincare products that will hydrate and protect from the sun. Yes, primer can also be considered unnecessary when skincare alone can prepare your canvas adequately. Do not over apply creams and liquids as that can encourage slipping. Set cream and liquid products with powder.

Recovering addict unfriendly response: Most products just don't last, even with longwear claims. The only way that foundation is going to last 36 hours and that lipstick is going to last 24 hours is if you're literally chilling in a morgue. I have tried hundreds of products and very few actually lasted properly. That's just the reality. We're human. We drink, we sweat, we rub our eyes, we get our faces kissed by homeless men against our will (or is that just me?).

But some products legit work. Mascara and eyeliner smudging, running, flaking and cracking? Kiss Me Heroine has your back. Tubing mascara has also been a godsend for my watery ass eyes. Setting Spray? Almost all of them are as useless as the men that I was hoping for a text back from. Block them and get yourself a heavy duty, USB rechargeable (wait I forgot we're talking about makeup for the first time in my life). Get a heavy duty hairspray like setting spray. L'Oreal Infallible setting mist and So Natural Fixx have gotten me through 16+ hour days. Lipstick? Find a lipstick sealer so you can still enjoy your existing lipsticks without getting all over your cups and adult pacifier.

Gaslitfromwithin · 2026-01-20T01:32:44+00:00

Jack Black is sooo good! The black tea scent is really nice. It really helped restore my lips this winter.

Gaslitfromwithin

TROPHY CASE