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?

Project pan 2024 - final results

So here are my result for my project pan of 2024. I managed to reach my goal on some of the products and others not so much. But you live and you learn - and perhaps I will be able to set more realistic goals for my project pan 2025.

Picture from the start of 2024 - red x signaling goal reached

End of 2024 comparison

Powders and concealer duo progress

Bullet progress of 2024

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

Weight at the start of 2024: 140 g

Goal: Finish it 

Weight at the end of 2024: finished - empty packaging 110 g - which tells me I used up 30 g of cleansing balm. 

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

Weight at the start of 2024: 207 g

Goal: Finish it

Weight at the end of 2024: I finished this on holiday in Greece, and did end up throwing the tub away - but I have another empty tub from the body shop of the same type - that tub empty weighs 38 g - so I assume I used up 169 g of body butter. 

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

Amount remaining at the end of 2024: The remaining product in the bottle reaches just below the text "established 1967" - with some product remaining in the small bottle - So maybe I did reach the 1/3rd goal?

Smashbox - Photo finish foundation primer (7.1 ml): 

At the start of 2024: Unused

Goal: Finish it

At the end of 2024: Used 1/3rd of the primer

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

Goal: Finish it

At the end of 2024: Finished

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.

At the end of 2024: Used half of the bottle as I set out to do, so this was a sparkling success.  

Sensai - Total lip gloss (4.5 ml):

Weight at the start of 2024: 26 grams

Goal: Use it up

Weight at the end of 2024: 24 grams. The grams might only say 2 gr, but there is considerably less left of the product, you actually have to swirl the wand around to get some product on the wand.

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

Length at the end of 2024: 11.2 cm - 50% success?

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.

Weight at the end of 2024: 41 g - I in fact have hardly used this at all - and I have the most average (not super accurate) baking scale. So if there was any process it would not show it anyway.

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

Weight at the start of 2024: 48 g

Goal: Use it up

Weight at the end of 2024: 46 g - I have in fact used 2 g of this bronzer, and increased the pan quite considerably, but did not reach my goal to use it up.

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. 

Weight at the end of 2024: 46 g - so I did use 1 g of these concealers, and there is a little bit of a dent in them.

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

Weight at the start of 2024: 22 g

Goal: Finish it

Weight at the end of 2024: 22 g - used this eyeshadow trio hardly at all in 2024.

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

Weight at the start of 2024: 13 g

Goal: Use it up

Weight at the end of 2024: 13 g - I still have not hit pan on this bronzer, but it became a staple during the summer months and ended up in my travel makeup bag I use for work and I think I will continue to stash it there as it might actually end up being used up getting semi regular usage. 

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

Length at the end of 2024: 1.7 cm form the plastic base - so I used 0.5 cm or 50% of the amount I set out to use. 

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

Length at the end of 2024: 2.3 cm fully screwed up - so I used 0.2 cm which is another goal not reached.

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

Length at the end of 2024: 1.2 cm - so I just used 0.4 cm of it - another goal not reached, but did manage to get some good use out of it.

So of the items I set a goal for myself in 2025 I reached my goal on 6 out of the 16 items - or 37.5% of the items.

Other goals for 2024:

I succeeded in the following goals: not to buy a face mist, no primer purchase, use a face mist at work

I failed on the following goals: not to buy any mascara (as I bought 2), not to buy a cream or a serum (I bought two full size creams, and a sampler set), just to buy one makeup brush (I bought 2), only purchasing two colored lip products (I brought in 4 of them - some of them gifted by Sephora other bought) and did not manage to use a face mas once a week. So on the "other goals" section for 2024 I succeeded on 3 of the 8 goals - or again 37.5% - the exact same percentage as on the items I set a goal for in 2024.

So going forward into 2025, maybe I might reconsider my goals. For example for lipsticks, based on the usage of the Nars lipstick, I might set a goal of half a cm for the usage for the year to come, as that would actually be a goal I might reach! For body products, I have a tendency to reach my goal for the usage on them, so they should not be a problem. Small or sample items I did also manage to finish in 2024. It does not matter what items I will focus on in 2024 - I will at least aim to reach more than a 37.5% success rate in the year to come. 

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

Project pan 2023 - final results

So how did I do on my project pan for 2023. Well first of all I did remove one item from the lot quite early on, that was the French lavender and honey fragrance mist from Bath and Body works. As the bottle was huge, and I did really not fancy the scent after all, and decided to sell it in a second hand shop booth I had booked in October. That fragrance mist unofficially got replaced with the perfume I attempted to finish in 2021: Our moment by One direction which is a whopping 100 ml bottle.

The 10 products I focused on in 2023

Update on usage

Supergoop - Zink Screen SPF 40 (50 ml):

Weight at the start of 2023 (with packaging and cap): 85 gr

Goal: Finish it

Weight at the end of 2023: 56 gr - which means I used about 18 g of sunscreen.

Estée Lauder - Pure color creme lipstick in Rose tea (0.12 oz/3.4 g):

Length at the start of 2023: measured from plastic base: 2.4 cm

Goal: Finish it

Length at the end of 2023: 1.9 cm

Becca - First light priming filter (15 ml):

Weight at the start of 2023 (with packaging and cap): 16 g

Goal: Finish it

End of 2023: finished (empty packaging weighs 5 g)

Elizabeth Arden - Green tea honey drops body cream (500 ml):

Weight at the start of 2023 (with packaging and cap): 245 g

Goal: Finish it

End of 2023: finished, empty packaging weighs 67 g, which means I used up about 178 g of product.

Caudalie - Beauty elexir (30 ml):

Estimated product at the start of 2023: 1/3 

Goal: Finish it

End of 2023: finished

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

I replaced the body spray from Bath and body works for this parfum I had tried to finish in 2021, at the end of 2021 it weighed 304 g - I did not weigh it at the start of this project but now at the end of 2023 it weighs 278 g. So I assume over two years I managed to finish 26 g of parfum.

Kiehls - Midnight recovery concentrate (4 ml):

Amount left at the start of 2023: Just below half

Goal: Finish it

End of 2023: Finished.

Sensai - Bronzing gel in BG 62 Amber bronze (50 ml):

Weight at the start of 2023 (with packaging and cap): 64 g

Goal: Use 10 g of it

Weight at the end of 2023: 64 g - so instead of 10 g, I ended up using less than 1 g

Fenty Beauty - Match stick, matte skinstick in Amber (7.10 g):

Start of 2023: When fully screwed down, the product sticks out 6 mm from the packaging.

Goal: To use enough product that when it is fully screwed down, the product will not stick out at all.

End of 2023: it still sticks out about 3 mm - and that even I did use it considerably to contour.

Becca - Under eye brightening corrector (2.3 g): 

Weight at the start of 2023 (with packaging and cap): 23 g

Goal: Use it up

Weight at the end of 2023: 23 g - and this is even when I really tried to focus on this product

Other goals for 2023:

1. No colored lipstick nor lip-gloss purchase in 2023 - well that was a fail as I bought 3 lip products over the course of the year. 

2. No mascara purchase in 2023, second year in a row - I brought 2 of them into the year - one mini came with the birthday present from Sephora, the other I bought in Tukey. 

3. Use a face mask once a week - that I did perhaps manage 12 times vs. 52 times.

4. Only buy one colored cosmetics per month - or 12 items in the year 2023 - This I did in the end actually stick to, even counting an unexpected product I bought in Copenhagen, but I can add to this number three testers or deluxe sample size products, two from Ilia and one from Rose inc.

So what is the total number of colored cosmetics I brought into my stash in 2023?

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)

Mac - all that glitters eyeshadow

Bare minerals - multitasking concealer

Nilens Jord - Second skin concealer

Then of course all the products I consider not to be of a color, for example 2 lip balms/oils, nail strengthener, 8 makeup brushes, creams, cleansers, body lotions, facial sprays, a scented body spray, mascara primer and hair products. For 2024 I really need to take firm course of action to stop this serious hoarding. 

Project pan 2023

So it's the time of year to choose my items for my project pan, set a few goals, and try my best to reach them.

As so many years before I have chosen 10 items, to finish - or reach a certain goal with:

The 10 products in my project pan 2023

Status of the Fenty match stix and Becca under eye corrector

Supergoop - Zink Screen SPF 40 (50 ml):

Weight at the start of 2023 (with packaging and cap): 85 gr

Goal: Finish it

Why: It technically has expired, and I want to use it up, plus I should make a habit to use spf on the daily

Estée Lauder - Pure color creme lipstick in Rose tea (0.12 oz/3.4 g):

Length at the start of 2023 (measured from plastic base: 2.4 cm

Goal: Finish it

Why: It is getting old and I want to get more use out of it

Becca - First light priming filter (15 ml):

Weight at the start of 2023 (with packaging and cap): 16 g

Goal: Finish it

Why: I bought it around Christmas time in 2019 - and I have several primers, so I need to start to use them up, and this is quite small and should be manageable. 

Elizabeth Arden - Green tea honey drops body cream (500 ml):

Weight at the start of 2023 (with packaging and cap): 245 g

Goal: Finish it

Why: The remaining product was left outstanding after Project pan 2022, so this year I want to use it up

Caudalie - Beauty elexir (30 ml):

Estimated product at the start of 2023: 1/3 

Goal: Finish it

Why: It has a heavy scent to it and it would be good to have one less setting spray in my collection

Bath and Body works - Fine fragrance mist in French lavender and honey (236 ml):

Goal: Use about 1/3 of the remaining product - or down to the lower purple line on the bottle

Why: It is getting older and I want to get some use out of it.

Kiehls - Midnight recovery concentrate (4 ml):

Amount left at the start of 2023: Just below half

Goal: Finish it

Why: I got it some time back, and have several serums and similar products in my stash, so I thought this one could be finished quite fast, so I could focus on other items.

Sensai - Bronzing gel in BG 62 Amber bronze (50 ml):

Weight at the start of 2023 (with packaging and cap): 64 g

Goal: Use 10 g of it

Why: I have never gotten into the habit of using this bronzing gel, as it remains quite a hyped product within Iceland. So I want to try to figure out a way if I can use this product.

Fenty Beauty - Match stick, matte skinstick in Amber (7.10 g):

Start of 2023: When fully screwed down, the product sticks out 6 mm from the packaging.

Goal: To use enough product that when it is fully screwed down, the product will not stick out at all.

Why: This is the original formula, and I must have bought it in 2019, so it is about time I get some use out of it.

Becca - Under eye brightening corrector (2.3 g): 

Weight at the start of 2023 (with packaging and cap): 23 g

Goal: Use it up

Why: I have owned this since the end of 2019, even though I did not start to use it until late 2020 - it is time to finish it up, plus I have a full size backup.

Other goals for 2023:

1. No colored lipstick nor lip-gloss purchase in 2023

2. No mascara purchase in 2023, second year in a row

3. Use a face mask once a week

4. Only buy one colored cosmetics per month - or 12 items in the year 2023

Empties May - December 2019

So there has been some time since I did an empties tally..

Empties May - December

 More empties

Sóley - Græðir hand cream (50 ml): An excellent moisturizing hand cream, rich enough to make your hands feel soft, but not so thick and rich your hands feel greasy.

Garnier - Micellar cleansing water (125 ml): One of my absolute favorite micellar water in a perfect travel size.

Sephora - Triple action cleansing water face & eyes (400 ml): An average cleansing water, still I prefer the Garnier one, but I love the packaging on this one.

La Roche-Posay - Anthelios lotion SPF 30 (250 ml): I picked this one up in Greece 2017, and managed to finish it this summer on the sundeck at my Boston hotel.

L'occitane - Verveine - cooling hand cream (30 ml): A super light hand cream, not very moisturizing at all.

Bio Effect - EGF serum (5 ml): A small sample size I was gifted. Not my favorite, as it is super sticky after you apply it to your face, but will still use up samples I am given.

Bio Effect - Micellar cleansing water (30 ml): A perfect size to take travelling, a good micellar water, not sure it is worth the regular price tag, which does not apply to me as this was gifted to me.

Avon - Moroccan argan oil (30 ml): An excellent hair oil I used in the ends of my hair, which was a part of my "beauty goals for 2019".

Dr. Hauschka - Facial toner (10 ml): This tester has totally changed my ideas about toners, it is amazing to have it in a sprey bottle, so you can forget messing around with cotton pads. You simply sprey it on and you are done. Good on the environment as well.

Lumene - Arctic spring water enriched - facial mist (100 ml): The product itself is amazing, but I do not like the mister on the bottle, as it spreys such a super fine mist, it kind of sits on top of your peach fuzz above your skin. I just put it in another sprey bottle and it worked perfectly.

Vichy - Aqualia thermal serum (30 ml): LOVE this serum, perfect for sensitive skin. The only grievance is the fact the pump straw, does not reach to the bottom of the bottle. So you have to tip the bottle over to get all the product out.

Lumene - Bright now vitamin C eye cream (15 ml): The time stamp on this product states it is good for 12 months after opening. But how on earth can anyone finish a 15 ml bottle of eye cream in one year? Certainly not me! This I have had for two or three years. Finally I manage to finish it, the only thing though is the fact the eye cream I am using now is 30 ml. Please cosmetics companies can you just make eye creams that come in 10 ml bottles?

Supergoop - Daily correct CC cream - Broad spectrum sunscreen SPF 35 (tester): I got a tester of this product, as it is a 100% mineral sunscreen. And I do in deed love it. It is a bit stiff, as mineral sunscreens tend to be, but perfect under makeup!

Sensai - Concealer brush type - SPF 15 - CB02 Medium (2,6 ml): This concealer lasted for ages, even though it only contains 2,6 ml of product, same again is supposed to be used 12 months after opening. I am pretty sure I had it for two years though. It now has been discontinued, and now comes in a different packaging, with different shade names.

Weleda - Everon lip balm (4,8 g): I completely used this lip balm up to the bone, as I scraped all of the product out from the base. An excellent lip product.

Yves Saint Laurent - Mascara volume Babydoll (2 ml): I have had a tester of this mascara before, and omg even in the tester form it is AMAZING.

Drunk Elephant - Umbra Tinte - Physical daily defense broad spectrum sunscreen SPF 30 (tester): This I also decided to try as it is a purely mineral sunscreen. I prefer this type over the one from Supergoop. Still the one from Supergoop is better if you want to use it without makeup as it is more sheer in color.

Dr. Hauschka - Rose daycream (1,5 ml): A super thick moisturizer, so thick you start to pull and tug on your skin. The cream felt good once on, but too much of a hassle to spread out.

Nature Republic - Real nature hydrogel mask - Aloe vera (22 g): This sheetmask came with whopping 22 g of product. I used the sheetmask itself, once, and poured the rest of the liquid that was remaining in the packaging into a little jar, and was able to use the remains of the product several times, just spreading it out on my skin as a liquid mask and leaving it on for a few minutes.

Skyn Iceland - Hydro cool firming face gels for smile lines (3,1 g): When I was going through my stash of testers in the afternoon on new years eve, I came across this product. And as it felt really hard in the packaging, I decided to open it up, to see if it had dried out. Not at all, what I felt was the plastic tray the mask-pads come in. So there was nothing else to do than to put the mask on for the 10 minutes before doing my makeup for new years eve dinner at my sisters house.

Shea Moissture - African black soap (230 g): This soap has totally saved my perioral dermatitis. I bought it on a recommendation from a perioral dermatitis group on Facebook. Have repurchased already. 

Did you finish anything up recently?

October-December haul 2019

Me on a low buy for 2019....?
Well it did not quite turn out like that!!

Sensai - Bronsing gel -BG 62 amber bronze (50 ml): I had heard so many girls raving about this product, especially at work, so when it was on offer I decided to grab one and give it a try.

Becca - The glow starts here: I grabbed this trio in Ulta, using a 20% discount code, as they were all half size products, and all I have been wanting to try. It contains:

     Becca - Backlight priming filter (15 ml)

     Becca - First light priming filter (15 ml)

     Becca - Under eye brightening corrector (2,3 g)

L'oreal - Magic root cover up - Medium brown (57 g): I grabbed this bottle as my sister can not stop raiving about this product, and how good it is at covering up grey roots.

Charlotte Tilbury - Matte revolution luminous modern-matte long-lasting lipstick - Very Victoria (3,5 g): Seriously is this the longest product name ever? But I have for sure went totally overboard in lipstick purchases in the year of 2019. But I have spent some serious time in Sephora and Nordstrom over the last year, swatching different CT lipsticks, and I figured out a few months back this would be the color I wanted. I had planned to buy it sometime in 2020, but caved in when I spent Christmas in Washington. So I bought it as a gift for myself!

The Ordinary - 100% Cold-pressed virgin marula oil (30 ml): I bought this oil as a replacement for the Avon Maroccoan argan hair oil I am finishing up as a part of my project pan 2019. And this can be both used on skin and in hair. And am I quite curious about marula oil.

Lush - Sugar plum fairy lipscrub (25 g): When I was walking around the streets of Amsterdam, in the cold November weather my lips were peeling out of control. Knowing Lush had a lip scrub in their stores I jumped in and grabbed a scrub, and it managed to heal my lips in the course of a day.

Rudolph Care by Andrea Rudolph - Acai facial mist -Purifying and firming facial toner (30 ml): This I picked up in the CPH duty free, thinking it was a moisturizing facial spray, perfect to carry in my purse for work. But toner comes in just as handy while travelling in a small bottle.

Victoria Beckham Beauty - Lid lustre - Mink (5 g): I was way to curious about the Victoria Beckham beauty brand, so I just had to order one product from her line to give it a try. And I did wear it for the first time to a Tarkan concert in Amsterdam in November. It is a very crumbly eyeshadow - but I have to give it a better try with an eyeshadow primer. Perhaps at new years eve!

Fenty beauty by Rhianna - gloss bomb universal lip luminizer - fenty glow (9 ml): Again the girls at work's recommendations get me in the mood to try out new products. So I picked this item up, as a mater of a fact, two, one for me and one for my friend who I met in Amsterdam for the Tarkan concert. I chose this color, as it seemed to be the most universally flattering one for every day.

Sunday Riley

     Good genes lactic acid treatment (5 ml tester): I got this and the other Sunday Riley sample as a point perk at Sephora. The Sunday Riley products were always so hyped up on Youtube so I jusst had to give it a try, plus I had not seen any interesting point perks in store for ages.

     Sunday Riley - A+ high dose retinoid serum (5 ml tester)

Maybelline - Instant age rewind eraser - multi use concealer (6 ml): I had managed not to pick this up in store as a back up for the entire year of 2019 - so in December I finally gave in and grabbed it as a back up. Do I need a concealer in the near future? No I already have two opened wand concealers, plus the new Becca one.

Did you do any good last minute purchases in 2019?