Am I the only one who feels like all of their beauty products all seem to run out at the same time?
Luckily I stocked up on quite a bit during holiday/Black Friday sales so I already had a backup ready when things ran out (which is not only convenient but a good way to get some of my more expensive items on sale so I don’t have to pay full price for them), which was a bonus the other day when I ran out of foundation after I’d put it on like half of my face.
Since I have so many empties of products that I really love and enjoy, I thought I’d share some of them with you in no particular order. Some of the products here I’ve used for years and others are some newer favorites that I think some of you may enjoy as well!
Fenty Beauty Pro Flit’r Foundation Shade 170
For the most part I’m a hardcore Tarte fan when it comes to foundations and have been for a long time. But back during a Sephora sale this past fall where they had a bunch of foundations on sale for like 20% off, I saw this Fenty foundation as part of the sale and decided to go ahead and grab it again just to see if it was as good as I remembered.
And of course it was.
Honestly, I’ve pretty much used this exclusively since I got the bottle back in September, so I was impressed that the bottle lasted until the beginning of February (but thanks to a Sephora gift card at Christmas I went ahead and bought a backup bottle so I could finish my face the morning that I ran out with only half my face covered).
It is a longwear, full-coverage foundation, but it doesn’t feel like either of those things. I don’t feel it on my face once I put it on and it literally does not budge all day. Considering I take a mask on and off all day at school, I appreciate that my makeup isn’t completely gone by 3pm. It’s still there – some of my blush may have worn off, but my foundation is still going strong.
It’s lightweight coverage is why I’ve reached for it every morning when I go to work for so long and why I will continue. I still love my other OG foundations, but for mask life – this has been my go-to, absolute favorite foundation for quite awhile now.
Kenra Perfect Medium 13 Hair Spray
This is one of my 2 go-to hairsprays (which of course both managed to run out at the same time).
Yes, my hair is high maintenance and needs 2 sprays…or maybe it’s just me…who knows.
Those that have been here for years remember my love of Kenra Volume 25 Firm Hold Hairspray and while I love it for when I put my hair all the way up/do some sort of updo – it really is just too heavy for my fine hair on a daily basis. But, this medium hold is perfect.
I typically curl my hair or do some sort of soft wave to my hair in the morning and need to put some sort of hairspray in it in order for the curls to maintain throughout the day. This medium hold is perfect. It keeps the curl in my hair without weighing it down and I can still run my fingers through it without the crunchy, sticky feeling. I also feel like it doesn’t leave as much residue as some other sprays can, which is great if you are like me and you don’t wash your hair daily – it’s just as easy to style the second day as it is the first.
I actually have this set up on auto-delivery from Amazon (don’t come for me for shopping on Amazon – I know some of you have very passionate opinions on that) every 6 months because that’s about how long a can lasts for me. This way I don’t run out and you get that little subscription discount also.
Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Bronzer – Park Ave Princess
I am pretty pale, so I’ve always shied away from bronzers because I thought they would make me look like a clown.
For some reason, about a year ago, I felt compelled to try a bronzer to see if it would make my face look a little less pale. I tried a couple that failed miserably. One was so orange it looked like I rubbed Cheetos on my cheeks, but the other couple…even the lightest shade was so dark on me that it just made my whole face look muddy.
Bronzer is just supposed to add a little bit of warmth and color to the places of your face that would naturally tan if you were to sit in the sun – not make you look like you bathed in cocoa powder.
A couple of years ago I saw someone on Instagram – I can’t remember who – use the Park Ave Princess bronzer and thought it looked so light and pretty on them. But back then it came in a trio of bronzers – with that being the lightest shade – and I knew I’d never wear the other two shades, so I never purchased it.
During a Tarte sale at some point last summer/early fall I saw they actually made Park Ave Princess into it’s own compact so I decided to try it. (Then I loved it so much I bought 2 more when they were $15 on a cyber Monday sale this past holiday season.)
And it is absolutely perfect.
It’s very neutral (read: not orange) and light enough that even this pale person can wear it without looking like an oompah-loompah. It just looks natural. It gives my face some dimension and warmth that it horrendously lacks otherwise. I am still quite light-handed with it despite it being light just because I like the subtle glow it gives, but you can build it up to however much bronzing you want/need.
This is waterproof and also a pretty longwear product with mask life – it’s still on when I go to take my makeup off at night, which is a huge win for me.
Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel
I think this is the OG’est OG product I have.
I can’t remember if it was high school or college, but at some point, Clinique was the “cool” “expensive” makeup brand for us no-money-having-teenagers to have to make us feel grown up. And, I thought I was cool because I used an “adult” face moisturizer.
Now, I just use it because it’s truly the moisturizer that makes my face the happiest. I have tried a myriad of things over the years and my face has gone through periods of tolerating certain things, revolting against others, etc, but this Clinique moisturizer is what I have always come back to because it actually hydrates and balances my combination skin all day. I don’t get an oily T-zone by noon when I wear this, my face doesn’t feel itchy or tight in other areas – it just feels soft and supple and…I mean…if it ain’t broke…..
I bought this enormous bottle (it’s about twice the size of the typical bottle you’d find in department stores or Sephora) during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale in July 2020 and it lasted me a year and a half with daily use.
If you’re someone who is going to tell me it expired months ago – don’t come for me. My skin never broke out or revolted, so whatever.
I bought the “normal” size at some point during the holiday season when it was on sale because I figured this size would be enough to last until the next Nordstrom Anniversary sale in July when I can get the gigantic one again for the price of the “normal sized” one.
If you have dry skin – the lotion variety would be better, but if you are like me and have combo or oily skin, the gel is definitely better. I’ve also in the really hot points of summer used the clear gel version because thats when I get super oily and love that version, too.
Elnett Extra Firm Hold Hairspray
I told you…my hair (me) is high maintenance, okay?
This is the hairspray I use specifically on my bangs.
They are THAT special.
But for those that have bangs, you know once you do them, you really want them to stay where they belong because once they’ve been moved, it’s hard to fix them.
This hairspray does…not…budge. Even in wind, my bangs stay where they are supposed to.
But it doesn’t look sticky or crunchy or like I have this really heavy spray in my hair. At the end of the day, I can brush through my bangs without any resistance or issues and I can re-style them the next day. I actually typically don’t have to do a ton the next day because there’s just enough product left over that it helped them hold their shape overnight.
Which is awesome.
This is also probably one of the most affordable products I have here and the most easily accessible. I typically grab a can at Target and often find a coupon or cash back offer attached to it to save more.
IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara
I had heard so many amazing things about this mascara for, what seems like, years, so when I saw a deal on QVC…maybe HSN…for 3 tubes for like $30 I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet.
This is tube 1 that I just used the life out of (onto tube 2 now) and I get the hype. It is marketed as volumizing/lengthening and boy does it ever. I am not someone who has very thick/long lashes, so when I don’t have mascara on, you kind of have to search for my eyelashes on my face. Because of that I have been on a quest to try and find a way to fake the look of long and thick lashes without false eyelashes…
Because….no.
This definitely works on the length…it doesn’t really do much for thickening, but it’s also not really supposed to. So, what I do is use a thickening mascara first (currently enjoying Tarte’s Big Ego Mascara for that), let it dry for a few minutes, then do a nice coating of this overtop to volumize and lengthen and it definitely adds a lot of drama to my lashes and makes them look long and luscious.
TULA Glow and Get It Cooling & Brightening Eye Balm
I will be the first to say that I don’t fully get all of the hype around TULA products, but this eye balm is bomb.
I use it every morning and I definitely see the brightening effects and I also love the cooling aspect to it. It just kind of helps to wake up my undereyes and also kind of wake me up with the cooling sensation it provides. It Is not a product I use instead of eye cream or moisturizer because it’s not meant to be a moisturizer. But it’s a great addition for mornings, especially those of us who have a tendency to get dark circles or bags under our eyes that we want to camouflage a bit.
I think my last tube lasted…close to a year, so while the tube looks small, you really only need a little bit of it. I tried another TULA eye balm when I was getting low in this tube and it did nothing compared to this one, IMO. This balm is, without question, a staple for me in my morning makeup routine.
I will be honest, it’s been quite awhile since I’ve really experimented with the products I’ve used, partially because of being pregnant; I know my skin/hormones are different and I’m staying with the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality throughout pregnancy. And partially just because I’ve been really happy with what I’ve used. So, all of these products here are things that I love and would/have already repurchased because they’re just that good.
Maybe once baby boy is here I’ll start experimenting a bit more again, because I do enjoy it, but it’s also nice to have a nice list of things I know work when I need it to.
Have you used anything here? Are any of these favories in your collection already?