Clickbait much? But seriously. One of the skincare questions a few people have asked me in the last months couple is, “Don’t you have to constantly replace all these products you’re using?!” And, it’s true, I do burn through the products I currently use at a more rapid clip than before. But isn’t that really a good thing? Why spend the money on products you’re not going to use? The key is to not waste products you’re spending money on.

In the past I think I’ve generally used more product per application than is probably necessary. Now, I’m more conservative: most of the products I use that have a pump dispenser need only one pump per application. Start there and build if you need more. For products in a tube like lotions and creams, start with a dime size amount.

Toners and essences that have a watery consistency are where it gets tricky. I’ve read many bloggers who say that they don’t use cotton pads/balls because they feel it wastes too much product. I get where they’re coming from: it takes a lot more product to keep a cotton pad/ball damp enough to adequately cover the skin. But applying with my fingertips has always felt clumsy and equally wasteful.

That’s where these Selena Multi-layer Cotton Puffs come in. They are ultra thin cotton sheets that comes in “booklets” of 5 sheets (see below). I fold one sheet in half to use with my Missha Time Revolution First Treatment Essence and MUN Anarose Toner. These are definitely not as sturdy as an old-school pad/ball, but they work well with much less product on them. And this is your face we’re talking about, so you should be gentle anyway, right?

Each box comes with 80 booklets and 400 individual sheets per box. I use two in the morning and two at night, so each box lasts about 3 months. They are $7.44 per box on Amazon, which is about half as much as it costs for the same number of cotton pads. And another bonus worth noting: they take up SO much less space than 6 sleeves of cotton pads!

One last reason to love these: you can use them to make your own at-home sheet mask with your favorite essence, serum, or treatment! As you can see below, you can soak a booklet of these sheets with your favorite treatment and apply sheets across your skin to create a leave-on mask. These are Japanese puffs and are commonly used in combo with Rohto Hadalabo Gokujun Hyaluronic Lotion (a hydrating toner and cult favorite in the Asian beauty world – I’ve tried it but jury’s still out on if I love it or not). So fun, right?

So! Save product, save money, and save space in your beauty drawer.

What are your tricks to save product or save money on your beauty routine?