A worker at an organic beauty retailer here in the city has accumulated a stash of perfectly good products — shampoos, conditioners, eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, body butters, night creams, the works — all in mint condition but with slightly imperfect packaging or lightly swatched. The kind of stuff that's functionally identical to what you'd pay full price for on the shelf.

So they tried to donate it. And the donation centers said no. They only want newly bought products.

It's a rule that shows up in more places than you'd think: food waste policies that force restaurants to toss edible meals, donation criteria that prioritize paperwork over people.

So what did this beauty worker do? They went direct. A simple offer: if you need this stuff, come get it. DM for the location.

The worker also mentioned they're looking for acne-prone clients to practice on and showcase results — a budding esthetician building a portfolio.

If you're interested in snagging some free beauty products or helping out a local esthetician, keep your eyes on local community boards.