Confessions of a Cosmetic Junkie

Five and a half years ago, Walker and I moved into this house.  Before that, I lived in a small two bedroom bungalow with one very tiny bathroom.  I had a medicine cabinet behind the mirror, a long, narrow cupboard above the shower that I used for towels and this little seat that kept Diva sitting upright in the tub, and a small vanity cabinet under the sink.  So I was shocked when we started packing up and I had not one, not two, but SIX boxes of cosmetics.  Six good sized boxes, the kind that copy paper comes in.  Everything from shower gel to lotion to hair stuff to makeup.  You name it, I had four of them.

I have a really bad habit of buying something, using it part way, then buying something else that I "have to" try right away.  Most of what I was unpacking was half gone. It filled three shelves of my new, much larger linen closet, and there was more in the bathroom.  At that point, I went on a "no-buy" cosmetic diet of sorts, determined not to purchase anything new until the stash was used up.  It took about two years.  Yep, two years.  And in the end, some of the products went wonky and I had to toss them.  I felt like I was trashing dollar bills.  I promised myself I would never go back to my old habits.

Fast forward a couple years: my aunt passed away, and in cleaning out her house we discovered a treasure trove of brand new, still-in-the-box cosmetics.  Many of the brands were favorites of mine.  It seems I inherited my love of beauty products from her.  Who knew?  My mom, my aunts, and I divided up the stash.  Into the linen closet went my loot, waiting until I ran out of whatever I was currently using.  

When I got cancer, the doctor recommended Bio Oil for my surgical scar.  Then I bought aloe vera gel, Vanicream (regular and sensitive), and a couple prescriptions during radiation.  When those didn't work, I tried a few other things before I found a winner with Dr Jonathan's Hand Cream.  After radiation I got some kind of weird skin thing, and the doctor recommended AmLactin lotion.  I "had" to get two, they were buy one, get one half off!   The only cream I'm still using is Dr Jonathan.  The rest?  Banished to the linen closet, of course.  Then there are the gifts: knowing I love all things girly, friends and family often resort to bath sets, makeup kits, and gift cards to Sephora when the holidays roll around.  And I love it all.

I came home from work tonight and opened the linen closet looking for a Band Aid.   When I reached up I knocked something over on the shelf. Next thing I knew, bottles were falling into each other like bowling pins and I was scrambling to catch them before they crashed to the floor and woke someone up.  It was time to face reality:  I am a cosmetic junkie, and I'm sending myself to rehab.

So now, I have "clean the linen closet" on my weekend chore list.  It's a task that, frankly, intimidates me.  I have a feeling there are things in the back of that closet I don't even know I have.  I'm also fairly certain that it will become an all-day event.   I hope the boys will stay out of my way.   Sephora, I will miss you.  See you in a couple years.