Make up I have used up in 2021

Make up I have used up in 2021

Hi everyone!

What a year! I will skip those clichés about the end of the year and time flying by, so I will jump right  to the point. We have a lot to talk about. I have not been using as much makeup as I have been in the previous years. I do love getting ready and playing with makeup, sometimes just for around the house, but it still takes a while to use something up. With that said, I still used up a decent amount of products, so let’s see it. Pictures were taken as the year went by, so it will mostly not be grouped in categories, but some might. No expectations, just a random selection of products and my thoughts along the way.

I have not had the best luck with mascaras this year. Both of these Marc Jacobs mascaras smudged like crazy on me. Even if I was just around the house, after a couple of hours I would look like a panda and a raccoon had a baby. Smudgefest! The lash primer didn’t seem to make any difference in helping to prevent the smudging. The only good thing about these was that one was bought at half price and the other was free, so at least I didn’t waste a lot on these. Just my time. Which is actually priceless, so hm….I will be more careful with my new picks. I liked the Bareminerals foundation stick. Having it used up also made me realize that I don’t need such high coverage product. Also, the color is now a little bit too light for me. I had it in the shade cashew.  Overall nice, but in general not for me anymore. It cosmetics brow pencil was a bit too dark for me. Not sure what I expected since it is an universal shade, which just means it will suit a small number of people. The spooly was excellent and didn’t break like most of them do with use. Glad to have had it but not a repurchase.

I loved the Glossier stretch concealer. Didn’t use it up all the way, as it expired and I am not taking it to 2022 with me. It is perfect for a everyday quick getting ready. I love the creaminess of it and the light coverage that makes you look fresh and done in 3 seconds. I would repurchase it some day once I go through my current stash. Tarte maracuja concealer on the other hand…sometimes it would look good and sometimes it would look dry in my under eyes. Maybe it also got older, but I at least I am not curious about it anymore, so I will not repurchase this one.

Becca hydra mist powder was a mini but it still took me a hot minute to finish it. I never experienced that cooling effect it is known for, but it was a decent powder. Anyway, they have closed their business in September so it is not available any more. Oh Tarte lipstick in the shade tulip. I really like this one. Took it to Disneyland Paris with me on a trip in 2017. It was a nice fresh shade that would double up as a nice blush. This line of lipstick is not available any more, but I am glad I have had it. Bareminerals Lashtopia mascara was also smudging on me and it was very flaky. Maybe it was old? It had a nice brush, not too big with soft bristles, but I was sad it was not staying in place. I tortured myself as much as I could to use it for a while and then just gave up. Life is too short to have bad mascara days. LA girl brow pencil was nice but a bit of an off shade for me. Soft brown was a bit too warm for me. Also, I used it up quite fast as it was a creamier type of formula. Overall nice if you get the right shade. Tarte lip glaze in strawberry was a nice little sample I got somewhere and made the lips juicy, but a bit too sticky for my liking.

I used up my first bronzer ever. Capri coast from Becca was a really nice formula. It was a tad too warm in the winter months, but worked really well in the warmer part of the year. It had a red undertone so it looked really natural on my skin, like sun got me on the beach, and not orange looking. That was my big accomplishment makeup wise this year.

Anastasia Brow wiz is a classic and I do like it. Especially good if you get it half price as they have their sales. The only thing is that spooly will not last as long as the pencil, so prepare to have something else on hand for brushing through the eyebrows. Glossier boy brow is a great and I am already using a new one. I really like the color of it and the fibers look so natural brushed though the brows.

Oh Colourpop eyeliners. I was about to say that it dried out too fast on me just to realize that I have bought it in 2016. Oops. The last chunk of it Mr Bing fell out of the pencil so I was not able to use it all up, but given the time frame, maybe it’s for the best. I did not like Just a tint lip crayon. It had a weird smell from the get go. The shade was OKish, but nothing impressive. I was glad that I used it up and it was gone from my collection.

When I got Colourpop pretty fresh tinted moisturizer in mail (mind you I have paid international shipping for it, that’s how much I wanted it) I was super happy. It looked nice on the skin and the shade was an OK match. I don’t know if the formula changed so quickly (it was not even that old-bought it in 2020), but last few times I was wearing it, it looked terrible. It sat on the skin, and not meshing with it. It was emphasizing all of my pores, it exaggerated all the lines and looked dry and bad. It looked terrible. Weird, as other people swear by it as their holly grail. Not mine for sure.

Absolutely one of the nicest lip glosses on the market. Fenty gloss bomb in the shade Fussy was just easy everyday nice looking gloss. I would repurchase it. I do believe they are cruelty free even though some lists tend to put them in the grey area.

Ok, it looks like I used up a lot of lip glosses. Well, before you think I ate them all, not all of them were brand new when I started to use them up. Also. a decent amount of these are mini glosses. I do re-aply them during the day, kind of like a lip balm and just enjoy the color and the feel of them. This said, I would only repurchase, Glossier, Kosas and Tower 28 lip glosses. Marc Jacobs is not available and more, and Colourpop lip products tend to go bad really fast, so they are just not on my wish list anymore. Too faced was a nice little lipstick, but I have no interest in them as a brand any more. Same goes for Hourglass.

More mascaras. I got this mini Tarte surfer curl as a gift with purchase and it was already half dried out, so I got a couple of uses of it before it was all gone. It also transferred on my lower lash line, and it was more of a subdued look that it gave. I do like more of a drama in my lashes which brings me to Urban Decay Lash freak. Again a gift with a purchase, but I was happy to have tried it out. It made my lashes look crazy. Super big and a bit spidery looking if you go over with the brush too much, but it really looked dramatic. I liked the way it looked, but it also transferred under my eyes panda style. I used it for a while, and then moved on to other mascaras. Sometimes in the fall, I have realized I have had it open since February, so I didn’t feel comfortable using it anymore, even though it still looks juicy. That brush is crazy looking but somehow works well.

Same problem was with Charlotte Tilbury mascara. Smudgefest on me. I know some people really love it, but it was not for me. I loved Hourglass mascara, but like I have mentioned before, I am not supporting them anymore. Covergirl has nice primers and I have enjoyed the lash blast primer under some mascaras for that extra full look, but in the long run, I am OK not using the primers. I don’t think I need it if I have a really good mascara. 

Perfect example is Thrive liquid lash extensions mascara. Best one on the market so far for me. No smudging, great length and volume. A bit expensive, but just amazing. Being a tubing mascara makes it easy to remove with warm water. Just perfection.

NYX has really good lip liners overall. This glide on, slide on lip liner was good, although not a perfect shade for me. I realized I prefer their slim lip pencil line as well as suede mat lip liners. I am glad I have used it up though. Couldn’t sharpen this stub any more.

I liked this Tatcha primer. It does what it claims, smooths up the skin and makeup applies nicely over it. I do think there are other smoothing primers on the market just as good with a lower price point. Also, this package broke so it leaked underneath the cap, so that was annoying to use and also leaked in my makeup bag which wasted a product. I did use every last bit of it.

Another great product from Thrive causmetics was this clear lip balm. It is more of a lip treatment and a healing balm and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a gift with purchase but I am glad that I discovered it that way. Also, I just remembered I have used up the Magic balm from Honest beauty (in a square plastic pan) which was a nice all around balm that even my husband used from time to time.

Tower 28 also has a great clear lip gloss that is right up there with Thrive clear gloss. I enjoyed the glassy look it gives. I have realized I have finished a Urban Decay naked skin one and done in the early 2020. It was already on the older side and I almost forgot it, so I am posting it here. This was my number one face base product. They don’t make it anymore, but I am wondering if UD hydramaniac is a substitute for it. This UD naked skin had a beautiful light to medium coverage, it made my skin look perfected without looking heavy and it was meshing with my skin beautifully. I really miss it. And of course Urban Decay all nighter is a cult classic for a reason. I used up this summer solstice version and a little travel mini. So good. And please ignore the L’occitane hand cream. Not cruelty free so we won’t spare words on it nor count it.

After doing a count, this adds up to 51 products that I have used up (or mostly used up to the point I needed to part with them) in the 2021. Not all my project pan items got used up, but I guess the amount of bad mascaras and mini products made up for the difference. Wow. I didn’t think it was that many products that have left my collection, but I am quite happy with the result. When I add up the numbers, it is 691.04$ worth of products. (also not sure what was the price of the discontinued UD naked skin but that pushes it over 700$ for sure). This is what the retail price adds up to. That is not what I have spent on these products, which makes it even more satisfying.

How about you? Did you project pan or kept a count of your used product?

Talk to you soon! XOXO, Iva