Makeup Empties – The Good, The Bad and The Tossed

I’ve mentioned before I don’t believe in declutters – I have a more medieval approach towards my makeup products: I keep them to serve as penitence for wasted money and to discourage myself from wasting more. So the only way anything leaves my makeup collection is either by getting used up or unmistakably turning bad.

So let’s see what products have managed to leave my Alcatraz of a vanity.

The Pans

Makeup Empties

All of these powders were part of my project pan. I don’t want to be repetitive so I’ll just write their names from left to right, top to bottom, and whether or not I’ll repurchase.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light Medium MAC – meh. Too powdery. Repurchase? No.

Guerlain Météorites Compact Powder in 3 Medium. Repurchase? No.

Nars Light Reflecting Setting Powder – Pressed in Crystal. Repurchase? Already have.

Chanel Vitalumière Compact Douceur Powder in 22 Beige Rosé. Good riddance. Repurchase? God no.

 Guerlain Les Voilettes Face Powder in 2 Clair. Repurchase? Once again, already have.

Diorskin Forever Extreme Control Compact Foundation in 025. Repurchase? Already have (gosh, I don’t waste time, do I?) but in a different colour, 020, which is lighter and more yellow based.

The Used Up

MAC Brush Cleanser: harsh, drying, very alcoholic. This brush cleanser might be the makeup version of your drunk aunt Maude, but much like auntie there, I really love it at the end of the day. Truly, this is an aggressive brush cleanser but I trust it to kill all the bacteria my brushes could potentially be fostering, so I use it every time I deep clean my brushes. Those hippie, gentle, oil based cleansers don’t scream “antibacterial” to me. Aunt Maude does. Repurchase? Of course, she’s always around.

MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation in shade NC25: this had a demi-matte finish on the skin. Non-transferable, long wearing, full coverage, and a bit cake-y. One can never look perfect without looking somewhat fake at the same time, huh? I never took it for a swim but it did hold up well through humid weather. Repurchase? When I finish my Revlon Colorstay foundations, probably. This one is better.

Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet +: the version you see on the picture was the one before the face lift – they’ve repackaged this and, I suspect, reformulated as well, although that’s not the official statement. I don’t think this was just plastic surgery, I think something went wrong, they got rid of the body and found a passable doppelganger. I used to enjoy this foundation – despite the claims of being matte, it had a very natural finish on the skin, and lasted well throughout the day. The new version is more obvious on the skin, and more matte. Repurchase? I have, and I look at it distrustingly every time I wear it.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in shade Eden: or UDPP, as friends know it as. This is a yellowish cream shade that is fully pigmented and completely covered the eyelid, but since it is an actual primer, it’s 10x better than a concealer at preventing creasing and enhancing eyeshadow colour. Repurchase? Yes, once I go through a few of my other primers.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer: this makes me want to kick myself for waiting so long to try. I have trouble getting access to the most coveted concealers out there: Clé de Peau, Tarte Shape Tape, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye – none of those brands have retailers in Portugal – so I’m not saying this is the best concealer ever, but damn, this is the best concealer ever. Repurchase? I have, and I will.

MAC In Extreme Dimension Lash in shade Hold for 10: A blue mascara from MAC that I bought at a discount at the airport. It was really cool right after I applied it, a very bright royal blue that made me feel artistic and irreverent, but throughout the day it dried down to a dark, almost black colour that reminded me I do work with numbers for a living. Repurchase? Probably not.

Kiko Double Glam Eyeliner – purple and black duo: I can’t see the shade name anymore and this was a limited edition item anyways. I used up the black eyeliner entirely – one of the best I’ve ever used – but the purple side dried up. I’m still counting it as used up. Sue me. Repurchase? I can’t, otherwise I would.

Clinique Pretty Easy Liquid Eyelining Pen: this thing- oh my god. If I was a Louise this would be my Thelma. First of all, this must be the only pen eyeliner in the world that does not dry up. You don’t have to store it upside down to get a fully pigmented, black line either. Thelma don’t need to be doing no handstands. This is so easy to use, and lasts all day, without smearing. She might be easy but she ain’t sloppy. Repurchase? I got two Thelmas on my backup drawer.

The Tossed

Dr Brandt BB Cream with signature Flexitone: this was so, so bad. I don’t think it’s even available anymore. I never actually wore it because the goo that came out was an oily mess. The product was separated and looked expired (and I actually paid 10 euros for this, on sale, a while ago) – and apparently separation is an issue with this thing. I swatched on my hand and the shade did not adapt to my skintone – it was a reddish/orange mess, Donald Trump style. Anyway, it was a forgotten tube in the back of my drawer that needs to be thrown out. Repurchase? Thank God no one can anymore.

Garnier Roll On Anti-Dark Circles: I liked it when I first got it a long time ago, but never ended up using it. Not only is this super old, the second ingredient on the list is denaturated alcohol, something I’m not keen on putting on my already dry undereye area. Repurchase? No.

MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque: this peachy-gold cream eyeshadow had a long career. I’ve used it so much, and only managed to use up about half the product before it dried down. I’ve tried to revive it a few times, but it’s time to retire it. Repurchase? Maybe.

Kiko Full Coverage Concealer in shade 04: too thick, too dry and too dark. And this one in particular too old as well. There are far superior concealers in the market. Repurchase? No.

Too Faced Starry Eyed Liquid eyeliners in (from left to right) Super Freak, Mad Mad Love, Stalkerazzi and Ooh & Aah: these are so old they’re completely dried up. I bought them on sale for 7 euros when I was first starting to get into makeup. I hardly used them back then because I didn’t want to run out. What an idiot. Repurchase? No.

Kiko Super Colour Eyeliner in 103 Dark Brown: this is not a bad product, but the stopper at the top of the tube broke before and it became a mess to use. Plus, it started to separate. Repurchase? Maybe, in some other, more interesting colour.

Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon in shade Blacquer (mini size): Sephora fooled me with this one. They must have had this particular one in stock since MySpace was still a thing because it was nearly dried up when I bought it, otherwise I would have used it all up. The black nub you see in the picture is the dried up remains of this eyeliner. Repurchase? I have: full-size, fresher versions.

You may also like

4 Comments

  1. I remember years and years ago I had an obsession with the Kiko concealer, its all I would wear. At that time it was only available in the rest of Europe and not the UK (where I live) so whenever I went to Italy for a vacation or any family members did I made them buy me some! But I think now if I used it, I’d have a completely different opinion! Its funny how your tastes and preferences change as you get older!

    1. Yes exactly, I think that if I tried it when I was younger (aka less wrinkly) I might have like it more. Plus, it doesn’t help that it’s too dark for me. But I know it’s a popular product, you were not alone in that 😉

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *