You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone

First off, I’m not a beauty junkie, I don’t have a bathroom littered with a myriad of half empty bottles of lotions and potions and I don’t spend hours discussing, deliberating or caring about them either. I’m pretty low maintenance (read ‘lazy’) in that department. I have my tried and tested favourites which I occasionally mix up with the odd speculative purchase or little treat. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the benefits of the right product, I’ll happily pay the price for something that works, but once I’ve found something that does, you basically have to prise it from my cold dead hands.

I do the basics – cleanse, tone and moisturise daily, exfoliate once or twice a week, the odd facemask and sometimes a professional facial. I must be doing something right because I’m knocking on the door of 30 and I still get ID’d with alarming regularity. More than likely it’s actually because I still dress (and act?) like a gawky teenager but I’d prefer to think it’s my, relatively, youthful looks.

One product I’ve been using for a couple of years is Biore’s Shine Control Moisturiser . I was so pleased to have discovered this as it works great for me. I apply it once in a morning, bung on the slap and I’m done for the rest of the day – whereas other moisturisers have left me with an oilslick face, eyeliner sliding down my cheek and a nose so shiny, even Rudolph would be jealous.

I’ve noticed that the product has been showing as ‘out-of-stock’ on Boots.com for some months. Having stocked up a while back (that’s the Zompocalypse training) I wasn’t too worried, hoping it’d come back into stock before I ran out. But last week I realised it was situation critical so I emailed Biore themselves who responded thusly –

“For your information the Bioré Shine Control product line has been discontinued due to sales decisions, and we can only apologise for taking away your favourite products. However, we offer a wide range of Biore products that are suitable for different skin types.”

“Discontinued”?!?!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The word that strikes fear and panic into product-loyal women’s (and, no doubt, some men’s) hearts. I’m sure you’ve all been there, be it a lipstick shade or a favourite foundation. When the news reaches us that a faithful old friend will no longer be there for us, it’s a shock to the system. And it doesn’t just happen with beauty products. I was fair gutted when they stopped making ‘Secret’ chocolate bars too. And don’t even get me started on the special packs of Quavers shaped like ghosts that would come out around Halloween a few years back but have since disappeared for good (They did exist, honest!). I’d mount a campaign to bring back my favourite Biore product if I could be bothered or thought it would do any good, but I can’t and it won’t, so I’m not. Pick your battles people, pick your battles.

It is then, with a heavy heart and a pocketful of regret for not buying more bottles of Biore than I could feasibly fit into my bathroom cupboard (and under the bed and in the loft) that I begin the, frankly chuffin’ annoying, search for another suitable moisturiser – suggestions are very welcome (please no-one say a paper bag or a mask!).