So even though I am on a serious cut back regarding beauty purchases for 2026 I still have managed to accumulate, both purchases and gifts for the first three months of the year 2026
Beauty Recycle by EllaThess
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
January - March Haul 2026
Sunday, February 8, 2026
A birthday treat contemplation
My birthday month has arrived and I will for sure go and collect my birthday gift from Sephora for the year, also I am contemplating what and if I should purchase some cosmetics for myself for my birthday.
So what am I thinking if I should purchase? Well I have a few items I have been contemplating. First of all I am very curious about the Rhode pocket blushes, in particular shades Sleepy girl or Toasted teddy - but then again I already have 11 cream, liquid or stick blushes in my collection, and all of them I have accumulated since or after 2020 - so the question remains do I really need to add one more? Yes some of the ones I own are not full size but still they will take a long time to finish, and over half of them are in a very similar shade, which I think is similar to the blush from Rhode in the color "tan lines" so that shade in particular would be ridiculous for me to purchase.
Or do I rather want to wait for the Rhode bronzers that Hailey Bieber has been teasing online?
On the bronzer note, should I get the RMS ReDimension hydra bronzer, perhaps in the color beachwalk betty?
Or the Jones Road bronzer in the color Dusty rose? Or the cult classic Mac Give me sun?
Or should I consider purchasing is a Nilens Jord Cheeks & lips - which I would consider to be a blush stick. It is highly unlikely though I would purchase this one though as I would like to swatch them in person, and they are not sold in Icleand or USA. But the next time I am in Copenhagen this purchase might happen. The colors I think I would lean towards are: berry and chestnut - and some say guava looks nice.
Another possible blush stick I have heard raved about online for the longest time is the Jane Iredale glow time blush stick in the color balmy.
Or Merit beauty flush balm which is kind of a blush stick? Some time back I was thinking about getting the color "Stockholm" now I am leaning towards are: Aprés, Archival, Bespoke or Postmodern.
I also found the Saie Super suede baked powder blush in the shade Ciao to be an intriguing color or should I look towards Hourglass ambient lighting blush in the shade mood exposure.
Another route to go would be getting a bigger eyeshadow palette: Makeup by Mario master mattes - the neutrals eyeshadow palette, which I have had my eye on since it launched.
Another eyeshadow palette I have also considered in the past are Idun minerals mineral eyeshadow palette in the shade lavendel, but they seem to have discontinued that color and launched four new shades.
Yet another eyeshadow palettes I have considered purchasing recently are the Jane Iredale pure pressed eyeshadow palette either in naturally matte or pure basics, also I have contemplated the Hung Vanngo color story eyeshadow palette in new neutral. Or even the Sensai eye color palette, which is a quad, which has three very nice colors; shiny foliage, night sparkle and petal dance. Another eyeshadow brand I have coveted is Viseart Paris, but they regularly launch new color nuances, but I think I would rather lean towards a cool palette with that brand vs. the cult favorite neutral mattes palette. I have also thought about the Mac palettes in the line Connect in color, but the big one is quite warm, and the smaller ones which have six shades - there are always a few colors in each one I would not use.
Should I do a big splurge and buy the Tom Ford eye color quad in Nude dip, or Prada dimensions holo nude eyeshadow palette in 07 peony? At 95 and 85 USD a pop is a bit expensive though.
Another item I have contemplated to purchase for some time now is another shade in the Merit Solo shadows, a cream shadow in the shade "studio" which is more pinky toned (or cool mauve) compared to the color I have "vachetta" (warm beige).
Or should I get another Makeup by Mario master mattes long wear cream eyeshadow in mauve, a color I should perhaps have gotten instead of the color I got in this formula - but the downside is that this is a very quick drying formula. The color of this eyeshadow I think though might be similar to the Merit sudio.
Another eyeshadow I have contemplated and thought about purchasing is Just a sec eyeshadow from Jones Road Beauty - a beautiful potted creamy shimmery eyeshadow - I swatched it once in store and omg it is gorgeous!! I am not sure what color I would choose though, maybe golden peach, bronze, topaz or cool taupe - I would just aim to choose in store in New York.
Or should I get a matte shade in the Armani eye tint long-lasting liquid eyeshadow?
Yet another item I have also had my eye on is Violette Fr Bisou balm, possibly in the shades Betise, Bonbon Coquelicot, Guimauve or Amour Fou. This is a formula I am very curious about - but then I have more than enough lip products, so I need another lip stick like I need a hole in the head.
Do you have a suggestion on what of these I should choose?
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Project pan 2026
Happy new year - welcome 2026. As in the few last years, I have a few items I would like to move out of my collection in 2026, or get some use out of. I have plans to finish several of the products, and then get a partial use, or make a dent into others.
Weight at the start of 2026: 185 gramsGoal: Finish itWhy: I should only use this once or two times per week (and layered with another moisturizer), it has already expired, so I want to get some use out of it
Weight at the start of 2026: 130 gramsGoal: Finish itWhy: I bought it a few years ago now, my hair is quite dry at the ends, so this is the perfect time to use it up
Remaining amount at the start of 2026: Maybe 1/3 of the product remains - as it sits on the upper part of the text; "Radiance-plus"Goal: Finish it
Why: This has been in my project pan before - and I want to move it out of my stash this time
Weight at the start of 2026: 233 gramsGoal: Finish itWhy: It is getting older in my stash
Weight at the start of 2026: 55 gramsGoal: Finish it
Why: It is getting older in my stash, and time to use it up
Weight at the start of 2026: 143 gramsGoal: Finish itWhy: It is a roll over product from my project pan 2025
Remaining amount at the start of 2026: About halfGoal: Finish it
Why: It is small and should be easy to use up and I like the color. I also tend to switch my lip products during the season, and this being a small one, there is a higher chance for me to be able to finish a small one over the course of the year.
Remaining amount at the start of 2026: The product sits perhaps 4 millimeters below the Mac logo on the packagingGoal: Use up about half of the remaining primer - so the product will reach (when standing upright) just below the pink label on the front of the packaging.
Why: I have a few primers waiting on the sideline, yet to be opened and I really do not want them to go bad (as I think happened to one primer in 2025). And also I really like this primer so I want to get some use out of it. From the results of my project pans in 2024 and 2025, I seem to be able to use up about half of a 30 ml primer, or about 15 ml in a year. This one has 50 ml of product, but I already have used a bit of it, as well as I finished the primer for my project pan in 2025 a few months before the end of 2025 - and then I started on this one.
Remaining amount at the start of 2026: The shampoo sits just below the text shampoo.Goal: Finish itWhy: It is getting older in my stash and would be nice to just get rid of some items from my bathroom cabinet. I already have a backup, and I don't even like it in perticular.
Remaining amount at the start of 2026: About 60% of the product remains.Goal: Finish itWhy: I was gifted this for Crristmas in 2022, so for an oil product, this is getting up there in age. I want to get my use out of it, and it will (at least for this season live in my work handbag).
Remaining amount at the start of 2026: 216 gramsGoal: Use it upWhy: My nephew bought it in the states for me years ago, and I have only used it a handful of times. It is supposed to be good for perioral dermatitis, and not irritate the skin. I still prefer my African black soap from Shea moisture, but it is about time for me to use this up. The sad part is I do not in particular like it, it does not foam and almost feels like cleaning your face with nothing. So realistically I would only use this for my morning routine, not not after makeup as I feel it would not clean any residue of makeup off.
Weight at the start of 2026: 22 grams
Goal: Finish itWhy: It is small and should be easy to use up
Why use this tester: I have a tendency not to use testers, I just got this one, and I have this primer in a small size (12 ml) and I have not opened it yet - but still curious how it feels and if it is nice, so now I get a chance to use this new sample and test my new primer (still without opening the bigger one).
Remaining amount at the start of 2026: 1.7 cm of product when it is fully screwed upGoal: Use 0.5 cm of the productWhy: This was a part of the Sephora birthday gift from 2022, I have not used it often, and when I was about to use it the other day I felt the stick had become loose from the base, so I took the product in stuck it back into the base. This surely means the product has started to dry, and would be nice to get some use out of it. The color is described by Laura Mercier as a soft nude shimmer - I would also say it has a pink hue to it, so it should be an easy color to use throughout the year
Remaining amount at the start of 2025: About half
Why use it up: It is small and maybe quick to use up
Why use this sample: I got this in Greece on holiday a few years ago, and I could for sure use this on the scar I have on my knee or on my super dry hands.
Why use this sample: I have two sachets of this product, it has been very popular, or viral even, so it would be ideal to use.
Why use this sample : This also is a relatively new sample, as I got it with my Sephora birthday gift in 2025 and would be nice to use some of these samples while they are still new and "fresh"
So all in all, I have plans to use up nine full size items, use 50% of the remaining amount of one full size primer, finish two deluxe size samples, make a dent into one deluxe size eye color, and finish four samples.
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Empties 2025
So what items did I use up during the year of 2025? Here comes the breakdown as well as the items I decluttered over the course of the year.
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
Project pan 2025 - final results
How did my project pan for 2025 go? Here are the results - which I have to admit might be an all time low results since I started doing somewhat of a project pan in 2016.
Weight at the start of 2025: 20 gGoal: Finish itWeight at the end of 2025: 12 g - so I used about 8 grams of product, and the lotion is not finished
Weight at the start of 2025: 224 gGoal: Finish itWeight at the end of 2025: 22 g (empty packaging)
Weight at the start of 2025: 159 gGoal: Finish itWeight at the end of 2025: 143 g - so I only used about 16 grams of this product.
Weight at the start of 2025: 83 gGoal: Finish itWeight at the end of 2025: 26 g (empty packaging)
Weight at the start of 2025: 229 gGoal: Finish itWeight at the end of 2025: 223 g - I was nowhere near to finish this one, but I did have to add some water into it, as it had dried out quite a bit. My skin has changed quite a bit in 2025 from 2024 and has become more oily - so I might add this into my 2026 project pan.
Remaining product at the start of 2025: 2/3 of the gloss remained in the tube, and standing upright the gloss reached the T in FentyGoal: Use it upRemaining product at the end of 2025: 1/2 of the gloss remains in the tube, and standing upright the gloss sits between Y and B
Remaining product at the start of 2025: HalfGoal: Use it upRemaining product at the end of 2025: None, it is finished.
Amount remaining in the bottle at the start of 2025: The oil sat just above the sticker on the glass.Goal: Finish itAmount remaining in the bottle at the end of 2025: The oil sits just below the sticker on the glass.
Amount remaining at the start of 2025: When standing upright the gel sat in the tube between the O and D in BODYGoal: Finish itAmount remaining at the end of 2025: The gel sits between the H and E in THE - and I did stop using it over the course of the year, as it left clear flakes in my eyebrows and did not leave a desirable look. Now after being stored with the empties for 2025 and declutters, which is what will happen to this product now; it will be decluttered as the product has gone bad and is separating.
Length of pencil at the start of 2025: 11.5 cmGoal: Use 0.5 cm of itLength of pencil at the end of 2025: 11.5 cm
Length at the start of 2025: 2.5 cm from plastic base.Goal: Use 0.5 cm of itLength at the end of 2025: 2.1 - so I did almost reach my goal and did manage to use 0.4 cm of it
Weight at the start of 2025: 22 gGoal: Use it upWeight at the end of 2025: Without the cap 19 g
Goal: Use it upResults: The color was way to dark and I ended up throwing it away.
Goal: Use it upResults: I ended up depotting this into a small cream bottle, and used it a few times to mix in with my foundation as it also was a tad too dark to use on it's own.
Monday, December 29, 2025
October - December Haul 2025
So how is my low buy for 2025 going, well it is going this well:















