April - June haul 2024

It´s time for a shopping update for the last three months, at the beginning I was feeling like I was doing very well, and buying less than usually, well that took a turn... 

Sensai, Clarins, Lancome and L:A BRUKET

Brush, tools and assortment of products

Sensai - Kabuki brush with satin pouch: This came with the Sensai foundation promotion. And works amazing with the foundation. 

Clarins - Lip oil balm in 01 pale pink (2.9 g): As this is the second lip product I purchase this year I have finished my quota for 2024 I set in my project pan for 2024.

Lancome - Le 8 hypnose (8 ml): I got tempted by this product on a stock sale, even though I am officially on a mascara no purchase - but as it was only 1.500 ISK or 11 USD, and thus cheaper than many drugstore mascaras I got tempted and decided to buy it.

L:A BRUKET - No013 Foot scrub soap (240 g): This I grabbed on a sale for over 50% off, I thought it might be genius for my sometimes tired cabin crew feet, as it includes pumice and oils.

Sensai - Total finish foundation in TF103 warm beige (11 g): I fell for the re-packaging launch of this product as it is claimed to be a cult favorite amongst Icelandic women. And it came on a discount and with a kabuki brush in a pouch. I was a bit baffled by it at first though, as I felt it did exaggerate fine lines on my face, but I found the solution to that to put less powder on. The rule of less is more is proven once again.  

Sephora - Pro foundation 56: I bought this during the Sephora sale where all Sephora products were on 30% discount. I decided to grab this as I feel like the BK brush 101 foundation brush being a bit to big at times. The Sephora 56 is much smaller, and gives a lighter coverage, which I prefer most of the time. 

Every drop - The original beauty + lip spatula (2 pack): I ordered this from Amazon (see here) to be able to get hard to reach remnants of products, glass jars with a pump in particular. The problem is though that the longer and bigger spatula, is too wide, a whopping 1,6 cm wide, and the pink part is not very flexible, and thus it does not fit into the average cream and foundation glass bottle, and I might have to cut a part of it off! 

Real Techniques - miracle concealer sponge: This I got tempted to buy to use with my Miild concealer, as it has a tendency to cake a bit and separate under the eyes - I had the idea that this might blend it out 

Sally Hansen - Cuticle massage cream (11 ml): This I stumbled upon in CVS, and as I had a coupon for purchase, which basically meant that this was for free - I snatched it as it comes highly recommended by a friend of mine. 

W7 - Brow grip - instant brow grip (13.5 g): My friend was decluttering a few beauty products and offered me to take what I wanted, and this looked interesting, so I decided to give it a try.

Lume - Whole body deodorant - invisible cream in soft powder (14 g): What a perfect idea, to be able to buy such a mini deodorant to give a new brand a try. And perfect for travel!

Covergirl - Clean fresh clean color eyeshadow in 222 dreamy pink (4 g): This was presented in a few Youtube videos as a potential dupe for Charlotte Tilbury pillow talk quad. I do not own the Charlotte quad, but it has been on my wish-list for quite some time. The Covergirl quad surprisingly though, especially the pinky shade, nr. 2 from left - pulls very warm on me, borderline orange. I am not sure if the Charlotte Tilbury quad would do the same. 

Kiehl's - Ultra facial overnight hydrating maque (3 ml): This I believe came with the Sensai foundation - and will be used for sure.

Initially I started to think I was not doing so badly for the last three months, but when everything comes together I was not doing so well at all, and I who had my eyes set out for a infra red face mask, and going on a mini weekend holiday next weekend, I am not sure at all how the year is going to go.

Project pan 2024

I just finished giving you an update on my project pan for 2023, now it's onwards and upwards to choose the items I plan to focus on for 2024!! Usually I pick 10 products, but this year, I chose 16 items in total. So why 16 you might ask? Well four items are sample size, and some of the products I do not plan to finish per se, but more get some use out of, so I decided to add a few more items onto the project this year.

A few of the products I plan to focus on in 2024

The blusher, bronzers, concealers and eyeshadow for 2024

Lipstick, cream eyeshadow and cream blusher for 2024

So here come the products I chose for 2024:

Clinique - Take the day off cleansing balm (125 ml):

Weight at the start of 2024: 140 g

Goal: Finish it 

Why: About 1/4th of the product remains, and as I bought it in 2018, and the fact it takes up a lot of space in my small bathroom cabinet it is time to push to finish it. I would purchase again though, but I just have too many makeup removers at the moment, and need to finish a few of them before purchasing any more

The body shop - Cool cucumber softening body butter (200 ml): 

Weight at the start of 2024: 207 g

Goal: Finish it

Why: It is one of the oldest body creams in my arsenal, and it has started to separate, the cream from the oils. So it's now or never, and I hope to finish it early on in the year.

Mario Badescu - Facial spray with aloe, herbs and rosewater (236 ml):

Amount remaining at the start of 2024: The remaining product in the bottle reaches just above the upper part of the label. Even though I had decanted some of this product into another bottle I take to work, so in reality I have more product remaining of this facial spray than this bottle by itself suggests. 

Goal: Use 1/3 of this bottle by the end of 2024

Why: This is the "oldest" facial spray in my stash so it makes sense to hone in on it as my main facial spray for 2024

Smashbox - Photo finish foundation primer (7.1 ml): 

At the start of 2024: Unused

Goal: Finish it

Why: I have too many samples laying around and it would be perfect to finish some of them in 2024

Caudalie - Vinoperfect radiance serum complexion correcting (10 ml):

Goal: Finish it

Why: I had intended to take this to work with me, but as the product leaked during one of my flights, I decided it would be better off staying at home to be used up in 2024.

Ecooking - Primer (30 ml):

Remaining amount at the start of 2024: Almost full, the product just does not "touch" the top of the bottle.

Goal: Use about half of the bottle.

Why: This is not my oldest primer in my stash, but as it is an organic primer, I assume it will not have as long of a shelf life as the other ones I have - so I thought it would be a good idea to get some use out of it before it goes off. 

Sensai - Total lip gloss (4.5 ml):

Weight at the start of 2024: 26 grams

Goal: Use it up

Why: It is getting up there in age and as it is a clear gloss it is perfect for everyday use.

Charlotte Tilbury - Lip cheat re-shape and re-size lip liner in pillow talk (1.2 g):

Length at the start of 2024: 11.7 cm

Goal: Use 1 cm of it

Why: I did not focus on a lip liner last year and I think it would pair perfectly with the clear lip gloss.

Benefit - Hervana blush (8 g):

Weight at the start of 2024 (without the included brush): 41 g 

Goal: The goal with this item is not so much to use it up, but more focus on it and get some use out of it.

Why: At the moment these light pink blushes are very trendy, so it is a perfect time to incorporate this blush into my project pan 2024

The body shop - Bronzing powder shade 03 medium matte (11 g): 

Weight at the start of 2024: 48 g

Goal: Use it up

Why: It is my only bronzer that has any pan at the moment, and is a perfect shade to focus on over the winter. I will miss it from my collection though (as it is a discontinued product). It never looks muddy on the face and compliments my skin tone very well. 

Miild - Natural mineral concealer duo in 01 light ample (2.4 g):

Weight at the start of 2024: 46 g

Goal: Form dents into the two pans - and use it on the day to day on a no makeup-makeup days, when I keep my makeup to a bare minimum with mascara and concealer. 

Why: Again I focus on this product as it is a more organic/clean product and I assume it has a shorter lifespan than the average non-clean product. 

Bourjois - Smokey eyes 09 vert de gris eyeshadow trio (4.5 g):

Weight at the start of 2024: 22 g

Goal: Finish it

Why: Because I would love to finish a smaller eyeshadow palette in my collection and get a feeling that I am gaining some process on my collection, and this trio already has two pans in it. On the plus side cool shades seem to be in fashion for 2024 so even better to be focusing on this in particular.

Clinique - True bronze pressed powder bronzer in Sunblushed (1.3 g):

Weight at the start of 2024: 13 g

Goal: Use it up

Why: It is amongst the oldest products in my collection, as I do not even remember how I got it in the first place. It must have been some kind of a gift with purchase years ago. And it would make the perfect summer bronzer with a tad bit shimmer. Plus it would be great to be able to use two bronzers up in 2024 and make room for new bronzers in my collection.

Nars - Audacious lipstick in Anna (4.2 g):

Length at the start of 2024: 2.2 cm from the plastic base

Goal: Use 1 cm of it

Why: I tend to focus on one lipstick for the year. As I tend to wear one at work, and this is a perfect color that works for most of the year! I have tried to finish a few lipsticks in the last few years, but I never seem to manage to completely finish one up, so I decided to put a moderate 1 cm goal for the year 2024.

Clinique - Chubby stick shadow tint for eyes 04 ample amber (3 g): 

Length at the start of 2024: 2.5 cm fully screwed up

Goal: Use 0.5 cm of product

Why: I tend to focus on one cream eyeshadow for each year, and now this one is getting older in my collection and has gone unused in my collection so it was ideal to get some use out of it.

NudeStix - Nudies all over face dewy color in Bohemian rose (1.8 g): 

Length at the start of 2024: 1.6 cm

Goal: Use it up

Why: It is a mini, and has gone unused until the end of 2023, when I gave it a try to see if it would be possible to use in my project pan for 2024. And OMG this product is SO pigmented, so pigmented in fact it is borderline difficult to work with. Perhaps it is because it is getting older and dried out, but omg how can people then use the full size of similar products from this brand?

Other goals for 2024:

1. No face mist purchase in 2024

2. No mascara purchase in 2024

3. No primer purchase in 2024

4. No cream or serum purchase in 2024 (unless I am out of that particular type of product)

5. Maximum purchase one makeup brush in 2024

6. Maximum purchase of two colored lip products in 2024

7. Use a face mask once a week

8. Use a face mist at work

August - October Haul 2023

 There is really a general theme for my purchases in 2023 - and the theme is called makeup brushes!! 

The main haul of Augsut - October 2023

Sephora makeup brushes

Testers from Sephora

Elf - Halo glow liquid filter - 1 fair (31.5 ml): This is supposed to be a dupe for the famous Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood flawless filter. I have never tried the CT one, but this one looks promising. I will for sure have to work on a primer in 2024 for my project pan as I seem to have accumulated quite a few throughout the last few years. 

Glow recipe x Barbie - Watermelon glow pink juice moisturizer (25 ml) and Watermelon glow niacinamide dew drops serum (15 ml): My friend asked me to grab one of these sets when I was in the US - and when I saw the packaging, a pink metal box I knew I had to grab one for myself as well. 

Generic Value Products - Color protecting shampoo, compare to Matrix biolage color last shampoo (473 ml): My friend recommended this brand in Sally's Beauty, so I decided to grab a bottle, as I knew Matrix was a good brand, as my mom used to use that brand in her hair salon. 

First aid beauty - KP smoothing body lotion with 10% AHA (170 g): I have the suspicion I suffer from keratosis pilaris (KP) on my legs, as they tend to be red and spotty. It could also just be eczema as in later years I have skin inflammation issues on my face, so it would be no surprise I have developed KP - so when at Ulta in Target I grabbed a tube with me to give a try. 

Neutrogena -  Rapid wrinkle repair regenerating cream, accelerated retinol SA (48 g): I seriously had a shock after one of my flights to the US in October - the lighting in the restroom in my hotel room was too good, so I was able to spot some fine lines I had never spotted before, I went straight to Youtube to find a good retinol for sensitive skin, and this one was one of the ones that came highly recommended. 

Glossier - Monochrome essential eyeshadow trio in almond (3.9 g): I am always drawn into small eyeshadow palettes (over bigger ones), and this came recommended by a few of the youtubers I tend to watch. I usually draw in a dark brown to complete the look, but I have one dark brown single laying around that pairs perfectly with this one, so I am not very disappointed by the fact that this is just a trio instead of a quad. Though quad for the packaging would have been nice. 

Goden Rose - Mega volume city style mascara (9 ml): this purchase broke one my rules for 2023 - not to buy any mascara, but as I was traveling around in Turkey, I just had to grab one of my favorite mascara on that trip. 

Sephora - Pro foundation 47: I got tempted to buy this brush and the following during the latest Sephora sale, on 30% discount.

Sephora - Pro shadow 14: I also got this one on a Sephora 30% sale - in retrospect maybe I should have gotten the smaller eyeshadow brush number 15.

Sephora beauty insider - Glow recipe - Watermelon glow niacinamide dew drops (15 ml) and Watermelon glow PHA + BHA pore tight toner (25 ml): I was gifted these products and the following while browsing in Sephora, Georgetown Washington.

JVN - Complete air dry cream (20 ml): I was also gifted this item in Sephora. I am not entirely sure what is the purpose of this product, do we need a cream in the hair to let it air dry now?

Did you buy something of late?

According to my calculations I have purchased 9 colored items of the 12 I set my self out as a maximum purchase of 2023 of colored cosmetics products - then to that number I can add 3 sample sizes:

Ilia - The necessary eyeshadow palette in cool nude

Maybelline - eyeshadow in nude glow

Inglot - matte eyeshadow in 356

RMS Beauty - Buriti bronzer

Kjær Weis - brown eyeliner

Nars - gloss in Turkish delight

Elf - Halo glow liquid filter

Golden Rose - City style mascara

Glossier - eyeshadow trio in Almond

Ilia - Multi stick in at last (mini)

Ilia - Limitless mascara (mini)

Rose inc - tinted serum (tester)

Total of 12 colored cosmetics, three of the items are testers/gift with purchase sizes, so I wonder if they should could towards the total 12 count? Still there is quite some product in those samples.

What of the items I purchased I could have skipped? Or which of these I did not like so much in retrospect? Number one that comes to mind, and most likely the only item on this list; the Inglot eyeshadow, it is superdry and almost no pigment comes off from it.

Best purchase? The eyeliner from Kjær Weis and the Turkish delight gloss from Nars - those two are amazing. 

Nota bene I have not started to use the following: Ilia multi stick, Ilia mascara, Rose inc tinted serum, Elf halo glow and the Golden rose mascara..

January - March Haul 2023

 So here is what I hauled in January to March, plus a few birthday treats....

Cosmetics and a hair oil

Skin care

Ilia - Multi stick - At last (2.5 g): This was a part of the Sephora birthday gift I chose for myself this year

Ilia - Limitless mascara - After midnight (3 g): This mascara sample also came with the Sephora birthday gift.

JVN - Complete pre-wash scalp oil (50 ml): I decided to pick this up, as I have been dealing with an itchy scalp in the last few weeks. Hope it will work some magic for me.

Ilia - The necessary eyeshadow palette - Cool Nude (6x1.5 g): I had been quite interested in a talc-free eyeshadow formula as my eyelids have started to feel quite dry, and borderline peeling at times. So this being talc free and with vitamine E sounded like a great idea. It was some bit of a learning curve how to use the shades, they are quite powder and at first they seemed hard to blend, but the formula requires me to put down the light color all over my eyelid as base, before working on the other colors.

Maybelline - Expert wear eyeshadow - 40S Nude glow (2.3 g): I got this one by a recommendation from Jessica Braun - and supposedly it is a close dupe to Mac All that glitters. 

Inglot - Eyeshadow matte - 356 (3 g): I grabbed this single shadow during an online discount with Inglot. But I had been eyeing the Dior Backstage Cool neutrals palette, as it had similar colors to the Ilia Cool Nude one, but the Ilia was missing a matte light pink shade. So I decided to order it online from Inglot to be able to get a similar look to the Dior palette. 

RMS Beauty - Buriti bronzer (5.67 g): My friend gave me a credit in Elira, a relatively new beauty store in Iceland. They sell amongst other brands RMS and Roen. So it was a hard choice between this bronzer, an RMS blush or a Roen quad. And I decided with the Buriti bronzer as I would get the most use out of it. 

Kjær Weis - Eye pencil - Brown (1.1 g): I picked this up in Blue Mercury in NYC for a ridiculous price for an eye-liner, due to it not being a "refill" but as it came with the silver cap. The brown color is beautiful, and I will for sure buy a refill going forward. It is supposedly organic and I assume better for your eyes. 

Neutrogena - Cica-repair hand mask (1 pair): My friends gave this to me as a part of a care pack - when we went to Copenhagen for my birthday trip. 

Up & Up - Advanced scar gel skin protectant (20 g): I was on the hunt for a Mederma in Target, but I spotted this one next to Mederma, and it has exactly the same ingredients in it, and was considerably cheaper than Mederma. So I picked this up for my chapped knee, hoping it will diminish the likelihood of a permanent scar.

Biotherm - Aquasource gel (1 ml): This sample also came with my birthday care pack.

Biotherm - Aquasource Aura concentrate - Intense regenerating serum moisture and glow (2 ml): Also a part of the birthday care pack.

Biotherm - Aqua glow super concentrate (1 ml): Part of the birthday care pack.

Biotherm - Aqua pure super concentrate (1 ml): And lastly, also a part of the birthday care pack. 

So with these purchases, I have managed to use up my color cosmetics shopping quota for January - May - and it's only March!!

November - December Haul 2022

It's time for the last haul of the year - I will really have to put more effort into scaling back my purchases next year - as I have backups upon backups of skin creams, serums, mascaras etc. in my stash. Anyway here comes the haul for the last two months of the year.

Serum, color makeup, testers and a makeup brush

Eyeshadow palette, hair products and eye serum

Five Caudalie testers (one missing in pic)

Milk Makeup - Pore eclipse mattifying primer (4 ml): This item came in a pack from Sephora; Sephora favorites sparkly clean set. 

Taramar - Night treatment (10 ml): We were gifted this item at work, as we met one of the Taramar representative on his way to launch the brand in Dubai!! Super cool, I have been on their email list for over a year, but still had not tried anything out yet - now I have the perfect opportunity to test this brand out and he also gave us a few other samples: Day treatment, Purifying treatment and The serum.

Biossance - Squalane + omega repair cream (15 ml): This came in the Sephora favorites set, and is perfect for work to take abroad or to put into my gym-bag :)

JVN - Complete conditioning mist (60 ml): I was super curious about this hair leave in treatment, but given my laziness to use hair products, I decided to go for the smaller size

Caudalie - Vinoperfect - radiance serum complexion correction (10 ml): this serum came with the Sephora favorites set, and is perfect for the work or gym bag! 

Saie - Mascara 101, black (5 g): Perhaps the only thing I do not need is a mascara, given the fact that I have at least 3 backups, but I think all of the un-opened ones are some version of a sample size.

Ilia beauty - Balmy gloss, only you (4.3 ml): I have been super curious about this brand, as it is apparently a clean one, and this as many products in this haul came in the Sephora favorites set. 

Rose Inc - Lip and cheek color, Heliotrope (4.5 g): This also came with the Sephora favorites set, and with the lip gloss from Ilia, were the two products I was most curious about. And after swatching the blush in store - I just had to buy this set. 

Hourglass - Vanish seamless concealer brush: A lot of my purchases these days are due to recommendations, usually someone from Youtube, this being no exception, this time it was Maree, who recommended this brush, but it was exactly what the dr. ordered as I had been having some issues blending my concealer under my eyes of late. And it works perfectly!

Jason Wu - Flora 9 - 01 Matte Agave (5.85 g): I had planned to purchase a different palette in Ulta on a black Friday offer in store, but when I swatched "Too faced Born this way the natural nudes" I found some of the shimmer colors to be too chunky for my taste, and just picked one up for my friend. So when I found myself in Ulta one hour later, feeling sad I did not fall in love with the Too faced palette, I decided to buy this on a whim and as a somewhat of a compensation for not buying the other one. It performs over average for a drugstore matt colors, and has a selection of matte colors perfect in the crease. 

Big Sexy Hair - Volumizing conditioner (1000 ml): This I picked up in Ulta during black Friday week - as it was on generous discount, and I was running out of conditioner and needed to pick one up.

Mac - Fix+ stay over alcohol free long-lasting setting spay (30 ml): I have for a long time wanted to try the MacFix+ and when I knew they had this one, an alcohol free version it sounded perfect. So I decided to buy this one in it's smaller version as well. 

Perricone MD - Essential Fx Acyl-Glutathione Eylid lift serum (15 ml): This I got tempted to buy after seeing it featured in a video from Tiffany D on Youtube. And as it came highly recommended by her, and I am starting to feel my age is catching up with my hooded eyelids I decided to grab it as it was on a 40% discount on the Perricone webpage.. but it was still expensive, even with the discount.

Eva Nyc - Mane magic 10 in 1 primer (160 ml): Yet another recommendation from Youtube, this time it was Jessica Braun, and with my hair being unusually long these days, the ends are super dry and brittle, so this is amazing to spray into my hair before I brush it through - and it does indeed prevent further hair breakage. 

Caudalie - Vinoperfect - radiance serum complexion correction (5 x 1.5 ml): I got these testers with my purchase of the sparkly clean set at Sephora - perfect for travel! 

That sums up the makeup, skincare and body care purchases for 2022. 

August - October Haul 2022

 So I lost it a little bit in the eye-shadow department in these last few months

Cream eyeshadow and brushes

Liquid eyeshadow, makeup removers and eye cream

Sheet mask and facial concentrates

Body care, hair care, creams and lotions

Facial masks and testers

Maybelline - Color tattoo eyeshadow - Socialite (4 g): I have one eyeshadow from the original launch of the color tattoo, and I absolutely love it. It is one of those products that I am actually close to finishing, as I believe it used to be a part of a project pan in 2019.  

RMS beauty - Eye polish - Solar (4,25 g): RMS launched a new series of cream eyeshadows, this type being the old one, and thus on a good discount on the RMS website, so I decided to snatch one up before they go off the market forever.

Revlon - Colorstay cream eyeshadow - 730 praline (5,2 g): I bought this one at the same occasion as the Maybelline one would you believe? The color is beautiful, but the packaging is awful, yes the base is clear class, but the lid is extremely difficult to screw off if it has remained closed for a few days -  so difficult as a matter of a fact, ones hand hurts trying to unscrew it, which makes it not worth it to keep it as it is such a hustle to get into.

BK beauty - 107 flat brush: I had been curious about the BK beauty brand from the moment they launched, as I had watched Lisa J on Youtube for some time before they launched. So I took the advantage of a discount they had running on their web-page. 

BK beauty - 101 contoured foundation brush: this brush I was the most curious about out of the entire BK beauty collection. So far I have only used it a handful of times, but it does an immaculate job of blending out foundation. 

Armani beauty - Eye tint liquid eyeshadow - 11 rose ashes (3,9 ml): ttsandra raved about this product, and especially this color in one of her youtube videos. And me being on the light pink eyeshadow train, and the Armani website having a sale, it somehow ended up in my posession. 

Bioderma - Micellar water makeup remover (250 ml): I have wanted to give this one a try for several years now, so it was about time I picked it up.

Skinfix - Barrier + triple lipid boost 360 brightening eye cream (15 ml): after experiencing dry flaking eye-lids, I decided to grab this eye cream in Sephora, to have in my beauty bag for work. So this one now comes with me when I stay abroad for work, as well as I grab it when at home, and it feels super calming and moisturizing. 

Sephora - Waterproof eye makeup remover (200 ml): a tried and true staple in my arsenal of makeup removers.

Garnier - Moisture bomb sheet mask (32 g): my friend bought me the sweetest "take care" package when I was at home with a bad flu at the end of August - tea, honey, candy, cinnamon buns and a facial mask! What a friend!! I was close to tears I tell you!

La Roche-Posay - Hyalu B5 serum, anti-wrinkle concentrate repairing replumping (30 ml): well you will spot a theme here, three anti wrinkle serums/concentrates? Well I guess it is safe to assume the fact the big 4-0 is approaching soon is getting to me. 

La Roche-Posay - Retinol B3 serum, anti-wrinkle concentrate renewing resurfacing (30 ml): did I need another concentrate from La Roche-Posay, I guess not, but apparently could not stop myself. Where I am going to find the time to slather all these products on my face, and with the amount of products that await to be used, god knows when I will come around to it.

Ecooking - Night cream (50 ml): This came as a free gift with purchase in Magasin Copenhagen when I bought a few hand soaps from the same brand. And this brand is actually something I am quite interested in, vegan, clean and free from unnecessary ingredients (assumedly).

Joico - K-pak Color therapy - Color protecting shampoo (1 L): I picked this up in Marshalls in Toronto, as I love to buy big jugs of shampoo and conditioner, then you do not have to think about buying it again for months at a time.

Dove - 0% aluminum sensitive deodorant (74 g): like with the eyeshadows I am also on a deodorant shopping spree? I mean how many armpits do I have? Well one good thing is that my previous deodorant is about to be finished 

Lumene - Nordic bloom anti-wrinkle & firm moisturizing v-shape serum (30 ml): as Lumene is a brand I really love, I decided to pick up this serum while in Copenhagen. Now I just have to finish a few of the ones waiting in line among my backup products. 

Mario Badescu - Drying lotion (29 ml): in the last few months, I have started to develop pimples on my face, this being an issue I have not had to deal with for several years, I decided to pick this drying lotion up which is supposed to work miracles against blemishes. 

CeraVe - Therapeutic hand cream (85 g): I was flying with a co-worker who really recommended this hand cream, as with flying, frequent washing of your hands and hand sanitizer they tend to be very dry.

Nature Republic - Real nature mask sheet - olive, bamboo, acai berry, tomato and green tea (23 ml each): My friend who went to S-Korea came bearing gifts after her holiday, five facial masks and a few samples from this brand I have once come across in Toronto before. 

Nature Republic - Vitapair C - dark spot serum: I might have to google how to use these samples.

Nature Republic - Snail solution, emulsion: some version of a snail cream - I am exited to try

Nature Republic - Snail solution, skin booster: same for this one. I seriously have to get working on my samples though! 

I seriously need to stop shopping....

Beauty goals for 2021 - final results

So did I hit my beauty goals for 2021..?

Final results of beauty goals 2021

Lumene - Instant glow beauty serum (30 ml): 

Weight at the start of 2021 (with packaging - as for all of the products): 78 g 

Weight at the end of 2021: 70 g

Goal: was to finish it up - I ended up using only 8 g

Kiko - Stick eyeshadow - 05 (1,64 g): 

Weight at the start of 2021: 11 g

Weight at the end of 2021: 10 g 

Goal: was to use 0,6 g of it - according to the weight I did reach the goal - but I am not so sure, as the scale I use is just a standard kitchen scale 

Garnier - 5 sec perfect blur, soothing perfecting primer (30 ml): 

Weight at the start of 2021: 34 g

Weight at the end of 2021: 32 g.Goal: use 10 g - I used 2 g 

Goal: was to use 10 - I used 2 g - as I used this product probably around 4 times this year I should just stop buying primers

Jergens BB Body perfecting skin cream -all medium to deep skin tones (221 ml): 

Weight at the start of 2021: 95 g

Weight at the end of 2021: 41 g 

Goal: was to finish it up, well I did not reach it

One direction - Our moment eau de parfum (100 ml): 

Weight at the start of 2021: 324 g

Weight at the end of 2021: 304 g 

Goal: was to finish it up, but I did use 20 g in the course of 2021

Lumene - Vitamin C+ anti-puffiness roll-on eye serum (10 ml) - (missing on photo):

Weight at the start of 2021: 10 g

Weight at the end of 2021: 8 g (empty packaging) 

Goal: was to finish it up, which I did

Clarins - Radiance-Plus golden glow booster (15 ml): 

Weight at the start of 2021: 27 g

Weight at the end of 2021: 26 g 

Goal was to use half of the remaining product, or get the product line down to the area where "radiance-plus" is written on the packaging. I did use this in the year of 2021, but I did not reach my goal

Essence - Stay all day concealer - 10 natural beige (7 ml): 

Weight at the start of 2021: 9 g

Weight at the end of 2021: 7 g (empty packaging without stopper)

Goal: was to use it up, I did reach that goal

Victoria's Secret - lip gloss (13 g): 

Weight at the start of 2021: 11 g

Wight at the end of 2021: 9 g

Goal: was to finish it up, ended up using only 2 g

Gina Tricot Beauty - eye-shadow - 42 caramel (1,8 g): 

Weight at the start of 2021: 13 g

Weight at the end of 2021: 11 g (I am sure a lot of the product went down the drain though as the shadow kept crumbling).

Goal: was to hit pan, and that goal I did reach.

So all over I only hit 2 of my goals, finished the Lumene C+ vitamine eye cream and hit pan on the Gina Tricot eye-shadow

Other goals:

1. No impulse buys just because there is a discount - 90% successful - as I was only tempted to buy one gift box in Copenhagen on discount, but still I had had my eye on that gloss for some time. So the other items came as a bonus with the purchase, and at a cheaper price than if I had bought that lip gloss in Iceland by itself
2. Only one eye-palette purchase in 2021 - Yes I did reach this goal as I did not even buy a single eye shadow palette in 2021
3. No body lotion purchase in 2021- Yes did not buy a body lotion in 2021
4. No bronzer purchase in 2021 - Yes did not buy a bronzer in 2021
5. Keep an ongoing wish-list - Yes I did keep an ongoing wish list
6. Use nail-polish at least once a month - Did not reach that goal - maybe used nail polish 3 times during 2021! 

May - December Haul 2021

For the second half of the year 2021 Covid-19 continued to rise and fall, in regards to makeup purchased I made a small order from Colourpop and later in the year I managed to go on a weekend trip to Copenhagen, and as my sister went to Florida for a week, I made a small order on Sephora and used up some points I had with them. 

Haul from USA and Denmark

Haul from Denmark and an order from Colourpop

Becca, Bio Effect and Meraki products

Rare Beauty - Selena's faves 4 pice mini set: Dewy liquid blush - Joy (3,2 ml), Liquid luminizer - Mesmerize (2,5 ml), Matte lip cream - Inspire (3 ml) and Universal volumizing mascara - Black (8 ml). I had this sent to my sister's hotel in Florida, as this was a brand that was not sold in Sephora stores in Denmark. But this was a brand I had been super curious about since it launched. The blush is super pigmented, you only need one dot on each cheek and then blend it out, the same for the hightligter. And the matt lip cream has a very unique formula, it feels somewhat plushy and super comfortable on the lips!! The mascara will have to go in my backup drawer as I am working on finishing older mascaras from my collection. But a small size containing a whopping 8 ml (that is the same amount as a full size Lancome Idole).

Ecooking - Primer (30 ml): I was very curious about this brand, which is a clean Danish brand. I had had by eye on a few different products from them. The poweder-foundations colors were weird in some way, so I did choose to pick up this primer, as it swatched amazing. I just have to up my primer game in 2021.

Nudestix - All over face dewy color - Bohemian Rose (1,8 g): As I was ordering from Sephora and had outstanding points, and this item was available for 100 points I decided to grab it, as the point perks in store are rarely this good.

Kiehl's - Creamy eye treatment with Avocado (14 ml): As my eye-cream is about to be finished I thought it would be a great idea to grab this in Magasin in Copenhagen, as this was a brand that was not sold in Iceland (it launched about one week after I came home from Copenhagen). But Magasin was having some good discounts on Black Friday weekend.

Pure & Care - Konjac sponge: Since I saw this in store in Denmark 2016, I have been curious about this kind of a product, so when I was browsing in Normal in Copenhagen, I grabbed one and I am super curious to try it! 

Colourpop - Cosmic charge (2,1 g): When I saw Amanda Z on Youtube recommend this shadow I just knew I had to get it. And I jumped on board when Colourpop was offering some discounts on their website I decided to grab it.

Colourpop - Ritz (2,1 g): as I was already putting in a Colourpop order, I decided to grab Ritz also, which has been compared to Urban Decay space cowboy single shadow, which of course is not sold in Iceland. Ritz is in a way a kind of a shimmer topper, the shade is fairly sheer, but has nice shimmer in the formula. Something I might have to slab on my eyes over new years! 

Miild - Skin and lip care (15 ml): This was the other Danish brand I was interested in, and they are also a clean brand like Ecooking. Very Danish!! This product I thought was genius, as it is a lip balm, and you can also use it anywhere on your skin, perfect if you have a dry patch on your face, so this is perfect to have on the go if you tend to get dry patches that irritate you during the day.

Miild - Natural Mineral Concealer duo - 01 Light Ample (2,4 g): And as this product swatched so well, and would be perfect for every day, when you are not in the mood to put on a full face. Plus it was on an amazing offer in Magasin. 

Clarins - Beauty must have -01 instant light natural lip perfector (12 ml), hand and nail treatment cream (30 ml), instant eye makeup remover (50 ml) and supra volume mascara (3,5 ml). As I saw this set in Matas, on a 25% discount, making the set cheaper than just the lip gloss in Iceland, and the color of the gloss in the set was a color I had have my eye on already I decided to snatch it up.

Becca - Under eye brightening corrector - Ligt to medium (4,5 g): This I grabbed last minute at the end of summer or September, as Becca closed, and as I recently started to love the little jar I have of this item, so I decided to grab one as a backup before I would not be able to get them. Little did I now that Smashbox picked up a few of Becca's favorite items under Smashbox x Becca - this product being one of them.

Bio Effect - Volcanic exfoliator (280 ml): This I got as a gift with purchase when I bought the Bio Effect EGF eye serum. And omg what a gift with purchase - I just need to start using it!!

Bio Effect - EGF eye serum (6 ml): I was looking for a super light eye cream that I could put onto my skin just above the crease of my eyes - as I felt recently my skin is not looking it's best there, I guess my age is catching up with my, in combination with puffy eyes due to allergies and it needs some tlc.

Meraki [lime] lip balm (4.8 g): My friend gifted me this for Christmas, and what a perfect timing, as I was about to buy a lip balm to put in my handbag.

Well with all these purchases over the year 2021 I will have my work cut out for me in my beauty goals for 2022. But a good development is for sure that there was no eye shadow purchase in the entire year of 2021!!

Current wishlist - makeup contemplations - January 2021

 I last made a wishlist in March 2020, before the true Covid-19 strike, and the entire list consisted of only eyeshadow palettes. Of that list, there are two items from that list still on my wishlist: Charlotte Tilbury - eyes to mezmerize - Oyster pearl (previously called Marie Antonette) and the Tom Ford quad in nude dip. Then there are also a few other items that have trickled onto my wishlist.

Westman Atelier - Vital skin foundation stick - 68 USD @WestmanAtelier

Photo credit: www.cultbeauty.com

I have really wanted to try this foundation for some time, as this is a clean brand, and in theory would not irritate my skin. But with the fact I do not see a possibility to travel abroad in the near future, I highly doubt I will be able to get this in the near future. Plus I have quite the accumulation of face products that need to be finished before purchasing more. 

Jo Malone - Wood sage and sea salt cologne - 142 USD @Sephora

Photo credit: www.jomalone.com

This perfume has been on my wishlist for years, but as I have a backload of fragrances in my stash, it really does not make sense for me to buy any more until I at least finish a bottle or two of the seven perfumes, of various siszes from 15 ml to 100 ml.

Nars Cosmetics - Lip gloss - Turkish delight - 24 USD @Sephora 

Photo credit: www.narscosmetics.com 

This gloss which was made famous by Kim Kardashian, I am super curious to try out at one point. Still I have way too much lip products, and this color might be too light for me to pull of with my dark hair.

Natasha Denona - Mini retro palette - 25 USD @Sephora

Photo credit: www.beautylish.com

The Charlotte Tilbury, pillow talk quad used to be on my wishlist last year, but now I am not so sure any more. With all my palettes, and the price of the Charlotte Tilbury one, and considering how many seem to love the Natasha Denona formula, I am a bit curious about the brand. And of the smaller palettes she has the mini retro appeals the most to me. 

Bare Minerals - Gen Nude eyeshadow palette - Neutral / Rose - 29 USD @Sephora

Photo credit: www.bareminerals.com

These palettes have been hyped so much for quality on Youtube, by several of content creators I follow. The colors that appeal the most to me are neutral and rose. The funny thing is though, when I swatched this palette in store, the neutral one looks more pink than the rose one, but then again the rose one is a tad cooler than the neutral one. The neutral palette resembles the Charlotte Tilbury pillowtalk quad more, but the rose one reminds me more of the Natasha Denona mini retro palette. What these palettes lack though is a beautiful high shine topper kind of shadow, like both the Charlotte Tilbury and Natasha Denona palettes have.

Nars Cosmetics - Voyageur eyeshadow palette - Suede - 29 GBP @LookFantastic

Photo credit: www.lookfantastic.com

This palette and the brand Nazar has also been on my radar for some time. But this now has been discontinued, and is not available on the company's website. And even though I love the color story, after a palette becomes discontinued, it somehow becomes less relevant, and not as appealing. But I am still curious about eyehsadows and other products from Nars. 

Anything on your list?

Beauty goals for 2021

 As per usual, I have chosen ten items to focus on in the year of 2021.

My 10 chosen items for 2021

Lumene - Instant glow beauty serum (30 ml): 

Current weight (with packaging - as for all of the products): 78 g. 

Goal: finish up. 

Why: this is one of my oldest complexion products

Kiko - Stick eyeshadow - 05 (1,64 g): 

Current weight: 11 g

Goal: use 0,6 g of it (about a third of the entire eyeshadow)

Why: For the last 2 years I have focused on one cream eyeshadow each year, and I have hardly used this one at all, so I would like to give it some love before it dries out.

Garnier - 5 sec perfect blur, soothing perfecting primer (30 ml): 

Current weight: 34 g

Goal: use 10 g

Why: this is my oldest primer and I want to start to wear primers more.

Jergens BB Body perfecting skin cream -all medium to deep skin tones (221 ml): 

Current weight: 95 g. 

Goal: to finish up. 

Why: roll over from Beauty goals of 2020.

One direction - Our moment eau de parfum (100 ml): 

Current weight: 324 g

Goal: finish up

Why: roll over from Beauty goals of 2020.

Lumene - Vitamin C+ anti-puffiness roll-on eye serum (10 ml): 

Current weight: 10 g

Goal: finish it.

Why: this is getting older and is almost finished.

Clarins - Radiance-Plus golden glow booster (15 ml): 

Current weight: 27 g

Goal: to use half of the remaining product, or to get the product line down to the area where "radiance-plus" is written on the packaging.

Why: I never remember to use tanning product like this one, and it is getting older and would like to use more of it.

Essence - Stay all day concealer - 10 natural beige (7 ml): 

Current weight: 9 g

Goal: to use up

Why: I bought this product in Crete in 2016. So it is amongst my oldest concealers and needs to go.

Victoria's Secret - lip gloss (13 g): 

Current weight: 11 g. 

Goal: to finish up. 

Why: roll over from Beauty goals of 2020

Gina Tricot Beauty - eyeshadow - 42 caramel (1,8 g): 

Current weight: 13 g

Goal: to hit pan

Why: this is a repressed shadow, and the texture was amazing before I repressed it, now it is not so amazing, so I want to hit pan again. 

Other goals:

1. No impulse buys just because there is a discount
2. Only one eye-palette purchase in 2021
3. No body lotion purchase in 2021
4. No bronzer purchase in 2021
5. Keep an ongoing wish-list
6. Use nail-polish at least once a month

January - October haul 2020

With a year consumed by Covid-19, and only having had one layover in March, working as cabin crew, there indeed have been less shopping for makeup (and only one visit to Sephora). And with government recommendations for people to stay at home as much as possible, fewer flights, and hence less workdays - and fewer occasions to wear makeup. 

Sunscreen, body oil, lash growth serum, facial roller and Sephora's birthday gift for 2020

Handmasks, body butter and bronzer

KKW Beauty Classic eyeshadow palette

Biotherm - Water lover sun mist SPF 30 (200 ml): I needed a sunscreen for the Icelandic summer days, and got tempted to buy this one as there was a tax free, and an extra discount on Biotherm products. The bad thing? I seem to be allergic to something in it, well I can use it without problems if I put it on before I go to the swimming pool. But if I put it on in sunlight, and stay in the sun, I get little bumps on my skin that take up to 2 weeks to disappear. 

Evy - Sunscreen mousse SPF 30 (150 ml): I should have just stuck with tried and true Evy sunscreen. It works, and is hypoallergenic

Moroccanoil Body - Night body serum (100 ml): This I got sucked into buying, after not buying anything for months. The price was $$$ even though I grabbed it on 20% discount. But the smell is divine, have my eye out for a Moroccanoil candle, if it has this scent. 

GrandeLash-MD - Lash enhancing serum (2 ml): Grabbed this in Sephora in March, had the most difficulty to choose between the old packaging and the new, and big or small. After I started using it, I find my eyes to be a bit sensitve, and after hearing Jessica Braun saying the new type makes her eyes sensitive, and the old one does not. Which makes me wish I had bought a smaller one in the old packaging. 

Supergoop - Zinc Screen 100% mineral lotion SPF 40 (50 ml): Glad I was able to snag this one in Sephora in March, as a mineral facial sunscreen had been on my "to buy" list. Love it as it does not flare up my skin. Should use it more often though. 

The body shop - Aloe calming toner (250 ml): As my toner of the same kind is running low I took an advantage of the fact that The body shop was running a 20% discount on all products in their online store. 

The body shop - Oils of life revitalizing facial roller: This product I had been curious about since I saw RachhLoves had praised it in one of her videos. Just purchased it so I have no idea if it works or not.

Sephora Beauty insider birthday gift 2020: This was an easy choice over hair-masks and bad smelling body butters.

• Milk Makeup - Lip+Cheek in Werk (6 g): Super excited for this product, as I was tempted to buy this and give the formula a try.
• Milk Makeup - Kush mascara (3 ml): This will go into my mascara stash, as I think I have 4 unopened mascaras in my drawers. 
• Milk Makeup - Hydro grip primer (1,5 ml): When I finish the primer I have in my beauty goals for 2020 I will use this one, as I am also on a mission in 2020 to use up samples and testers I have stashed.

Sephora - Macadamia hand masks (2 pairs): When I went to Sephora early March, the Covid pandemic had just started, and the constant use of hand sanitizer made it an extra good idea to buy hand-masks, have I used them so far? No, but I think there is plenty of time to use them as Covid does not seem to be decreasing any time soon.

The Body Shop - Cool Cucumber softening body butter (196 g): And I who had promised myself not to buy anything this year just because it was on sale, well I am particularly swag for the smell of cucumber - always have the feeling it is extra moisturizing and juicy. 

Flower - Heatwave luminous bronzer in sunrise L1 (6 g): I ordered this off the Flower website, along with a gift for a friend, had it shipped to Washington, and was going to pick it up at the end of March. Well my flight never went for Washington, but a friend picked it up for me who's flight was on schedule. 

KKW Beauty Classic eyeshadow palette (17 g): I had for a long time been contemplating the Classic and the Classic Blossom palettes from KKW, and swung from one to the other between months. Then they came out with Classic II - but there were too many similar colors in that one, and in the end I decided the Classic Blossom pulled too pink, as there are two other pink pulling eyehsadow palettes on my wishlist. 

What is your favorite beauty purchase of 2020?

Current wishlist - makeup contemplations

As many other makeup lovers, I have an constant ongoing wish-list, which is ironically eyeshadow heavy, as that is my biggest vice in regards to makeup. Especially in the light that I do not use it every day and I already have several eyeshadow palettes in my stash already.

Charlotte Tilbury - Luxury eyeshadow palette - Pillow talk - 53 USD @Sephora

Photo credit: www.charlottetilbury.com

I have had my eye on this palette for quite some time, and in my opinion would be the most flattering eyehsadow palette out of Charlotte Tilbury's collection for my complexion and eyecolor. As pink and mauve eyeshadows suit me very well. And am I super curious to test out CT's formula.

KKW Beauty - Classic blossom eyeshadow palette - 45 USD @kkwbeauty.com

Photo credit: www.kkwbeauty.com

I have been very curious about the KKW Beauty eyeshadow formula, last year I was curious about the KKW Classic palette, but when I got a chance to swatch it in Ulta last year, I realized that the original Classic palette was very warm, and as I already have two warm leaning palettes I opted out from buying that last year. 

Huda Beauty - Nude obsessions eyeshadow palette - Nude light - 29 USD @Sephora

Photo credit: www.shophudabeauty.com

At first I was interested in the Huda Beauty New Nudes eyeshadow palette, but I thought it was a bit too big, and contained too similar colors. So when Huda brought out this 9 shade palette I was smitten, as this smaller palette contains more of the pink hues, without the dark pink colours that the New Nudes palette contained (and I would rarely use from the New Nudes palette). This also like the New Nudes palette contains a bit of similar colors, but it does contain similar colors I do really love, and I could see myself use all the colors (except the lilac colour, in the middle of the first row - that I would use the absolute least of)

Huda Beauty - Desert dusk eyeshadow palette - 65 USD @Sephora

Photo credit: www.shophudabeauty.com

I am genuinely super curious about the Huda Beauty brand, as it is the fastest growing Beauty Brand in the world today. This versus the small palette, the small one is super convenient and handy, but a bit mono-chromatic in a way so it crossed my mind that maybe I should go for one of the bigger palettes, and from Huda's collection the Desert dusk is the most versitile (both warm and cool), and not too extreme in colors, plus I just love the names in the palette, Nefertiti, and Turkish delight. But on the downside, I rarely go for bigger palettes, and prefer smaller ones - ohh the dilemma.

Caia Cosmetics - Biibz signature eyeshadow palette - 52 EUR @Caia Cosmetics

Photo credit: caiacosmetics.com

This was the first product from the relatively young Swedish beauty company Caia. It is not the cheapest of palettes, and has some mixed reviews, but I am super curious about the brand, and it's eyeshadow formula. And would love to support an upcoming Scandinavian brand.

Charlotte Tilbury - Eyes to mesmerize - Marie Antoinette/Jean - 32 USD @Sephora

Photo credit: www.charlottetilbury.com

This is a gorgeous product, but omg the price point is up there, sadly now this is not available in store at Sephora anymore, so I might have to venture to Nordstrom to compare the two colors that are most appealing to me, because god forbid, I will not buy two cream eyeshadow products int 2020, already owning five cream eyeshadows in my stash.

Tom Ford - Eye quad - 03 Nude dip - 88 USD @Sephora

Photo credit: www.tomford.com

I have contemplated about the Tom ford palettes, and from a distance, I prefer the wet dry formula, and the nude dip appeals to me, even though it seems to be a super subtle eye-quad. Though I do like it, I seriously doubt that I will buy this quad this year, but it has been and will continue to be on my radar, and as Tom Ford brings out new quads, I will constantly compare them to this palette, and we will see if another one appeals more to me in the future. Plus I have heard that Tom Ford items are not as expensive in the UK, so I will for sure not buy it untill I go to England, if the rumour is true.

Have you tried any of these? How did you like them?

I for sure have to cut this list down, I think (at this point in time) I am least inclined to purchase the Huda Beuaty Desert Dusk palette, simply due to the fact I love to use smaller palettes. I still am super interested in the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow talk pallette, but at the same time wonder if I could get the same look using the Huda Beauty Nude Obsessions Nude Light palette, plus a few different looks for a considerable better price point than the Charlotte Tilbury.

I think I have also talked myself out of the Caia Cosmetics Bibbz palette, as it is quite expensive for what it is, and having to pay shipping and tax-import fees when it would arrive to Iceland is also influencing my decision.

Given the fact that I had set out to only purchase two eyeshadow palettes in 2020 (as a part of my beauty goals for 2020) it will probably be the KKW Beauty Classic Blossom (unless their new launch Classic II appeals more to me) and then it will be either Charlotte Tilbury pillow talk palette or the Huda Beauty Obsessions Nude light palette.