too_many_small_containers epitome of incomprehensibility I used to like them, being a fan of miniaturized objects (Polly Pocket, Lego, a dimly-recalled park with tiny houses in Prince Edward Island). Only a few years back, in the grocery store, I amused and/or weirded out my father by spotting a 1-litre jug of vinegar and exclaiming, "Oh, it's so CUTE!" (I'd usually see it in a 2-litre jug.) But on Wednesday, I didn't even take home the hotel's little bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. I didn't even open them. Who knows if the hotel will use them again or just throw them out for misguided safety reasons? (They were in someone's bathroom! the person could have taken them to the toilet and surreptitiously PEED on them!) So maybe it would have been better to use them...but I had my own soap with me, enough shampoo left, and I didn't have much room to take extra things in my bag. Yesterday I was cleaning out a bin in which were piled random containers from the bathroom circa 2020, and these never got sorted. I'm throwing out all the mascara since Mom says she never uses it anymore and "they say not to use it past 3 months anyway." I think that's a *little* over-the-top. Not to out myself as a slob or a flouter of rules in general, but I don't wear makeup much, so I treat lipstick as if it lasts until it gets too hard or soft or otherwise looks weird (I've never had any smell weird). I'm probably not a danger to the world this way - it's not like I put on lipstick before kissing people (rather the opposite). I use it more as a professionalization/fanciness tool. Oh yes, and I just read an article on how "best before" is different than "expires" for food, and smelling/tasting things will usually tell you what's bad as far as fruit, vegetables, and milk are concerned. Meat may be more likely to harbour harmful germs, but probably you can smell it's rotten too? One hopes. Anyway, for makeup, it makes sense some people would have allergic reactions to rotten components, so I'd say use your own judgment based on your history with such things. ...ANYWAY anyway, the funny part is when I said to Mom, on the phone, "I'm not a supermodel, but I have visible eyelashes!" (My rationale for not using mascara. Though I like the look of eyeliner if I manage to do it OK.) OK, back to small containers - it's not only their smallness but also their disposability that's the issue. Now, it makes sense to have "travel-sized" things when packing. What I've done recently is take a small shampoo bottle and fill it with liquid from a bigger one (going to England, I worried that someone would notice the brands weren't the same and that there would be an obscure law against falsifying the contents of a container...but that's just my paranoia). Anyway, I used a different bottle in June than in August, because they're hard to clean out fully, so it's not completely eco-whatever, but it's a start? 220826 ... e_o_i Dear "Refreshing Shower Gel," What the hell are you? Are you soap? I'll treat you like soap. If you're not, you'll have to cope. There's no need to whine or mope, Refreshing Shower Gel. 220902 what's it to you? who go blather from