I’ve been diligently saving all my makeup empties this year to create this post! Since I receive so many samples, I wanted to see how much I actually use up. Now that I live in an apartment, I have to be extra conscious of how much makeup I keep around. Hope you enjoy this post sharing what I used up this year and some mini reviews (or links to full review).
Face Products
I find face products the hardest to use up. I actually hit pan on a few cheek products this year that I’ll share in a different post. So I didn’t completely finish the Stila Perfectly Poreless Putty Perfector in Medium, but I hit huge pan and it’s gone bad so I decided to include it. It gives such a light weight finish and beautiful coverage! I also finished up the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer in Medium Light Neutral. I have a love hate relationship with this and am still unsure if I’d recommend it. Lastly, I finished this Maybelline MasterPrime Blur and Redness Control Primer which is great on light makeup days when I skip foundation!
Lip Products
I used to finish more lip products I think but I’ve been rotating through a lot more this year and wasn’t able to finish as many.
I finished the pencil side of the Hard Candy Lip Artiste Lip Contouring Wand in Pink to Mauve as the other side is a frosty highlighter meant for the center of the lid. It was a beautiful color that was very comfortable! NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Bound is one of the only NARS products I’ve used and I loved it! Fresh Sugar Berry is perfect if you want color but are looking for more of a lip balm. I finished two lip balms: Saje Tingle Lips Peppermint and Burt’s Bees Original, I like both!
I’ve had the Gosh Forever Lip Shine in Love Story for a long time and I love it as an everyday color. Lastly I finished the Givenchy Interdit Revelateur which is a clear gloss but turns slightly pink upon contact with your lips!
Mascaras
Mascaras are the easiest to finish as technically you should toss it after 3 months. I tend to use mine for about 6 months but I usually have around 5 open at a time. I was still surprised though by how many mascaras I used up! Although it is helped by the fact that this summer, I can across several disappointing mascaras so I didn’t use them for very long.
Part 1
IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara: Highly recommend, great for Asian lashes and provides nice separate and great length.
Maybelline Total Temptation: Was a decent mascara with natural fibers.
Givenchy Noir Interdit Mascara: Very unique bending wand but only gives okay length and volume.
Maybelline X Gigi Hadid Fiber Mascara: I actually didn’t try this because of online reviews saying how much the fiber hurt their eyes.
Almay One Coat Mega Volume: This had an interesting cone shaped wand and it was good.
Two Faced Better than Sex Mascara: This is a cult favorite but I’ve just never gotten into it. It always flakes on me.
Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara: The sample size actually produced long voluminous lashes, would try full size.
Part 2
Urban Decay Trouble Maker: This had rubber bristles and I didn’t really like it, especially with all the hype.
Too Cool for School Escalator Mascara: I found this at a KBeauty Pop Up at Nordstrom and it has amazing holding power.
Pixi Beauty Large Lash: It had a large wand and natural bristles but wasn’t able to achieve a lot of drama.
Lash Fusion Armor Enhancing and Conditioning Lash Primer: I’m not very into primers as I find they still make my lashes feel more chunky.
Dr Hauschka Volume Mascara: I didn’t like this as it produced very natural looking lashes.
Rodial Glamlash Mascara XXL: This had a helix wand but there was too much empty space and caused clumpy lashes.
Juice Beauty Phyto Pigments Ultra Natural Mascara: I didn’t like this either as there was not enough dark pigment to enhance lashes.
Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara: This is one of my all time favorite mascaras! It always achieves huge long lashes.
Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes: Huge drama with this mascara but the downside is that it’s very creamy so when you remove it at night, it takes a long time.
Other Products
I don’t ever finish nail polishes so I was very proud of finishing the Maybelline Colour Show Nail Polish in Pink Embrace. There’s still a bit of product left in the bottle but it’s hard to get out and very goopy. The IPKN Twinkle Longwear eyeliner is really great for thin lines and Asian eyes!
The Esqido Companion Long lasting Bond lash glue is my favorite as it has a skinny wand to precisely apply the glue on lash bands. Next I have the Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz which needs no introduction. I love it, but I definitely think there are some cheaper alternatives out there.
Throw Out
Lastly I wanted to feature some products that I actually really enjoyed but had to throw out because it’s gone bad. These include some NYC Eye Crayons, Mary Kay Glossy Lip Oil, the Joe Fresh lip gloss, THEFACESHOP Milky Moisture Tint, Quo Lip Crayon (the whole stick fell out), Too Cool for School Eyeliner and the NYC Eyeliner.
It feels so good to see that I’ve finished lots of makeup in 2018! I’m planning on finishing up more lip products next year and hitting pan on more eyeshadows and cheek products. Please link me if you have any similar posts!