I have to say, my makeup and beauty buying habits have completely changed over the years and since starting my blog which originally started out as a beauty blog. I originally started my blog when I was at school and only earning a small amount of money at my weekend job so had to find the best buys and use my money wisely. It really helped me find good dupes for higher end products or save up and invest in more quality products that would last a long time. This really helped me appreciate what I spend my money on and how to budget properly.
That being said, because I was always looking for content to write about I was always buying beauty products that were new and exciting to write about and not that I neccessarily liked them or would use them in the future after purchasing. When I did my makeup collection clear out and bascially got rid of anything I didn’t love, never used or was out of date, it was really easy to see the products I bought completely on a whim. One of them being a lot of eyeshadow palettes that looked pretty but the majority were filled with eyeshadow shades I would never ever wear. I was buying because they were pretty, not because they were functional for me.
All of that, has completely changed. Since the pandemic and also since changing my beauty products over to be cruelty free and more sustainable, I have been taking a long hard look at the products I buy and use. I am more concious on the ones I pick up and use and what they say about me. No more pretty packaging (although sometimes it does happen) and only ones who I love their ethos and what they do for the planet and animals. The pretty packaging can sometimes be a great bonus especially if they do everything I am looking for.
HOW MY VIEW ON MAKEUP HAS CHANGED // WHAT I DON’T BUY OR USE ANYMORE
It has been really interesting seeing how much my makeup habits have changed over the years and I hope you find it interesting too. Have you gone through anything like this before? Or will you plan to after reading this post. Let me know in the comments.
I DON’T WEAR EYELINER
I know some people must think, what the hell? But it’s true. I have 3 eyeliners in my makeup stash, one brown pencil, one black pencil and one black liquid and I just never use them. I don’t know why but I can never do it well and it always looks stupid on me. Maybe I need more practice but in my mornings getting ready for work, I don’t have time to try and make it look perfect and nice. I just keep them in my collection just in case but I never touch them.
I CAN’T WEAR STICK OR POWDER FOUNDATION
I can but I prefer not to because liquid foundation can give me the coverage I need. I have tried several stick and powder foundations and pretty much didn’t get on with any of them. I have one from bareMinerals which I am keeping for light makeup days or if I want to use it as a tinted powder but that’s about it. I always remember to stay clear of them and have been loving my new go to from Il Makiage (sadly not refillable yet but you can recycle the packaging). My other favourite liquid foundation is All Nighter from Urban Decay.
READ MORE: Decluttering My Makeup For A Minimal & Zero Waste Life
USE ONLY A HANDFUL OF SKINCARE PRODUCTS
Now, I don’t use the sea buckthorn cream now but I have some for ‘just in case’ and I use the Sudocrem for any breakouts (I swear by it) but they are included in my skincare routine. Apart from that, my go to skincare routine is all with Liz Earle. It has really helped clear up my acne and also get my rosacea under control without having any flare ups for several years now. I use their Skin Repair Gel Cream Moisturiser (to moisturise and is pefect for those with oily skin), Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion (for brightening and refreshing my eyes, ideal if I’m still sleepy and need waking up).
I also use their Instant Tonic Boost (the best toner and helps freshen up my skin and I use it as a morning cleanser), Enviromental Defense Cream with SPF25 (daily SPF protection and protects my skin from pollutants) and the Balancing Botanical Drops (reduces blemishes, pores and oilyness). These are the pieces in my daily skincare routine.
This one has taken a lot of time and tryings lots of different products. My skin has always been a fragile thing for as long as I can remember. Rosacea, acne, large pores, oily skin, uneven skin tone, discolouration – I mean the list can go on. I used to have so many Rosacea flare ups, it got really unbareable at times when my skin was so reactive and sometimes even wearing makeup wouldn’t hide it. It took a few holy grail products and a caring skincare routine to really get it under wraps. My holy grail was Sudocrem and a sea buckthorn anti-redness cream.
I use their Hot Cloth Cleanse & Polish (to remove makeup and I always double cleanse), Gentle Face Exfoliator (ideal for weekly exfoliating and removing dead skin for a smoother complexion) and the Balancing Gel Mask (to help even out skintone and refresh the skin).
I try to keep it to that handful of products, that way it is a lot easier to remember to do the steps and I don’t miss any out. I tried to use The Ordinary skincare products but it got so SO confusing for me to remember which products you can use with which and it was far too sciencey for me.
READ MORE: Refillable Lipsticks From Charlotte Tilbury
SOME HYPED BRANDS I JUST DIDN’T GET ON WITH
And on this one I’m talking about The Ordinary. Yes, they didn’t work out for me. I bought a few products from them and they were quite pricey but I didn’t like them and they didn’t get on with my skin. It got too complicated for me trying to remember which products you shouldn’t pair with others and I just couldn’t deal with it. I had to write it all down in a note book and it was too much for me. I’d like to stick with my reliable Liz Earle thanks and there is no complication with their products.
COLOUR CORRECTING PRODUCTS DIDN’T WORK
There was a time when my makeup collection was filled with colour correcting concealers, especially when I had rosacea but I’ve just grown to learn they didn’t work (for me anyway) and were just another useless product to have.
I had so many different types of concealers from palettes to individual tubes of all the colour correcting shades from peach to green and they didn’t do anything. I still have a tube of green concealer from Urban Decay which I am reluctant to throw away in case I’ll ever need it and also it’s quite a bit of money to just throw in the bin.
READ MORE: 10 Ethical Beauty Brands With Refills & Recycling Schemes
SOME PRODUCTS WILL NEVER BE REFILLABLE
I have also come to accept and know no matter how much I want it, some products that are my holy grail will never become refillable – just like my favourite Sudocrem. Sudocrem has been around for centuries (since the 30s actually) and I don’t think it will ever go that way in the near future. It might though, who knows?
I NEED TO STOP BUYING RANDOM LIPSTICK SHADES
I went through a phase of buying lots of different lipsticks shades, even if they didn’t suit my skintone or colouring. I have no idea why! I guess I just thought they were pretty. I have about 5 lipsticks in my collection at the moment which don’t ‘suit’ me entirely. They are either too dark or not the right shade but I’ve still kept them. I can’t bring myself to chuck them and want to try and use them when I can if I ever do.
I NEED TO STOP BUYING EYESHADOW PALETTES
I always used to buy an eyeshadow palette that was newly released and looked so pretty, but I didn’t use any of the eyeshadows in them. I remember I was in London shopping around Christmas time and I just randomly picked up the Too Faced Holiday Scented eyeshadow palette set because they looked so cute and pretty, but most of the shades in there I never touched.
There was a brightish pink, a dark emerald green and a deep blue. I should have known these are the shades that don’t suit me. I always stick to the nude browns, taupes and bronzey golds because they always suit my skintone and hair/eye colour. You will never catch me wearing a bright pink eyeshadow.
I also collected near enough all of the Urban Decay Naked palettes that came out, up until the Cherry one and that’s when I stopped. It all started with the Basics and Basics 2 paletes and from there I grew obsessed. I loved having a little collection, but I just never wore any shades from those palettes if a small few I did use. I last bought the Honey palette because I thought as it was more goldey based, I would wear quite a lot from that palette but I hardly touched it.
Now I pick up eyeshadow palettes very cautiously and only if there are shades in them that I will wear. For now, I have quite a lot to get through but I think once they are finished I will either buy individual pans in a magnetic palette or a palette made up of shades I will wear. I have a palette built up of individual pans from Makeup Geek and Phase Zero which are all the shades I will wear and like wearing.
READ MORE: Build Your Own Eyeshadow Palette With Love Me Beauty x Phase Zero ft Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Pans
I NEVER WEAR BLUSHER OR HIGHLIGHTER
If you are a makeup guru, this one will probably surprise you. But I never wear blusher or highlighter. You ask why? Well, my skin has always been red/pinky toned anyway with my rosacea, wearing blusher made me look like a clown and never looked right on my face. My face was pink enough as it is without adding more colour. I’ve also never worn highlighter either because my skin is so naturally oily, I never wanted it to look more shiny that it already does and I always found the oil in my skin would wash it away anyway, so there wasn’t much point.
The only time I wear anything like a highlighter, is in the corner of my eye to brighten my eyes up more with the eyeshadow look I’ve done.
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Have your makeup habits changed? Let me know in the comments below.
Stay beautiful,
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