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 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.

I managed to hit my goal on three products

Of these items I hit my goal on no item

Guinot - Lounge vie mains (15 ml):

Weight at the start of 2025: 20 g

Goal: Finish it

Weight at the end of 2025: 12 g - so I used about 8 grams of product, and the lotion is not finished

Dr. Organic - Organic manuka honey skin lotion (200 ml):

Weight at the start of 2025: 224 g

Goal: Finish it

Weight at the end of 2025: 22 g (empty packaging)

Bioeffect - EGF Body serum (120 ml):

Weight at the start of 2025: 159 g

Goal: Finish it

Weight at the end of 2025: 143 g - so I only used about 16 grams of this product.

Bioeffect - Osa water mist (60 ml):

Weight at the start of 2025: 83 g

Goal: Finish it

Weight at the end of 2025: 26 g (empty packaging) 

The body shop - Himalayan charcoal purifying glow mask (75 ml):

Weight at the start of 2025: 229 g

Goal: Finish it

Weight 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.

Fenty Beauty - Gloss bomb in Fenty glow (9 ml):

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 Fenty

Goal: Use it up

Remaining 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

Ecooking - primer (30 ml):

Remaining product at the start of 2025: Half

Goal: Use it up

Remaining product at the end of 2025: None, it is finished.

The ordinary - 100% Cold-pressed virgin marula oil (30 ml):

Amount remaining in the bottle at the start of 2025: The oil sat just above the sticker on the glass. 

Goal: Finish it

Amount remaining in the bottle at the end of 2025: The oil sits just below the sticker on the glass. 

The body shop - Brow and lash gel (10 ml):

Amount remaining at the start of 2025: When standing upright the gel sat in the tube between the O and D in BODY 

Goal: Finish it

Amount 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.  

Gosh - Kohl eyeliner in 005 nude (1.1 g):

Length of pencil at the start of 2025: 11.5 cm

Goal: Use 0.5 cm of it

Length of pencil at the end of 2025: 11.5 cm

Charlotte Tilbury - Nude matte lipstick in Very Victoria (3.5 g):

Length at the start of 2025: 2.5 cm from plastic base. 

Goal: Use 0.5 cm of it

Length at the end of 2025: 2.1 - so I did almost reach my goal and did manage to use 0.4 cm of it

Becca - Under eye brightening corrector (2.3 g):

Weight at the start of 2025: 22 g

Goal: Use it up

Weight at the end of 2025: Without the cap 19 g

Inglot - YSM cream foundation in shade 45 (1.5 ml):

Goal: Use it up

Results: The color was way to dark and I ended up throwing it away.

Inglot -  Beautifier tinted cream in shade 102 (1.5 ml): 

Goal: Use it up

Results: 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. 

So all in all, I just reached my goals on three of my items I had plans to use up, or use a specific amount of. As for my other goals, to be on a makeup and skincare no buy until Black Friday 2025 (with a few exemptions), use a face mask once a week and a hair mask two times per month. Truth be told, I did not stick with any of them. 

It is a similar results as in my 2023 project pan - where I also managed to only finish three items. This will help me focus for 2026 - and boil things a bit down for the upcoming year. To only have about ten items in my goals, and select them more carefully so I will be able to get better results for the year to come. 

For other goals I set myself for 2025: 

A no-buy until Black Friday in makeup and skincare for 2025: Well I failed that 100% 

Use a face mask once a week: Failed

Use a hair mask two times a month: Failed

Exemptions from the rules in the case of an emergency and products that do not count: I could buy two products in case of an emergency, as a matter of fact I did not have any emergency, and the birthday gifts from Sephora and Ulta would not count. So with that taken into account I did buy myself 11 color cosmetics (plus I got one more as a gift from Sephora) and bought whopping 13 items that could be considered as "skincare".

October - December Haul 2025

 So how is my low buy for 2025 going, well it is going this well:

Setting spray, toner, creams and more

Bleaching cream, balm and African black soap

Samples, cream eyeshadow, lip gloss and lip liners

Tower 28 - Daily rescue facial spray (30 ml): I had bought this facial spray for one of my friends, who absolutely loved it, and during the Sephora sale, I grabbed me the smallest bottle of it. 

The body shop - Aloe soothing toner (250 ml): A constant repurchase for me, a mild and soothing toner that does not agitate perioral dermatitis for me. 

Boots - Ingredients - Deep moisture spray (150 ml): When I was on holiday in Scotland, Edinburgh to be precise, I went to Boots of course, one of my favorite stores in the UK. And I had a few recommendations from Andrew Donaldson-Wheatcroft on Instagram, this was amongst them and in a category I do not have "too many" backups of already, so I could justify the purchase. 

Byoma - Moiturizing rich cream (50 ml): My friend recommended this cream as her daughter had discovered the brand on TikTok - and during one of my work trips to the US 

Lancome - Eau Miceallaire confort (50 ml): When me and my mom went to a promo event in Smáralind shopping center a few years ago, we each got a gift bag full of Lancome products. This was one of the products in my moms bags which she has not used so she gifted this to me to use. I loved my bottle, so this will come in handy for work and travel. 

The Edinburgh natural skincare co. - The very, very best lip balm in the entire world! (15 ml): This I purchased in the Edinburgh christmas market. It felt great, but it has a very big name claim. 

Vieve - Super skin nova - Moisture rich primer (12 ml): I spent one last night in Scotland in Glasgow, and visited the Vieve store. For how long I had wanted to visit this store, I spent only about 15 minutes in store. Well I had spotted a few items from Vieve in H beauty or John Lewis in Edinburgh and swatched a few items there. Plus I really do not need any more eyeshadows, nor foundations, so I stayed clear of temptation.

Jolen - Creme bleach lightens dark hair mild formula (30ml + 7g): This I purchased as a pure backup as I have this item, but as I was in the UK I decided to grab another, as I have never come across a bleaching cream in Iceland, and as my facial hair is darkening a bit with changes in medication recently, I see this as something I will use on the regular in the coming future. 

Balmonds - Skin salvation (50 ml): This was another recommendation from Andrew, as this is supposed to be excellent for eczema skin. So that I also grabbed in Boots.

Shea moisture - African black soap - Calm & Clearing bar soap (227 g): My favorite facial soap that manages to keep by perioral dermatitis in check, without stripping my skin. 

The body shop - Plum shower gel (sample): This came as a gift with purchase when I bought the toner.

The body shop - Plum body yogurt (sample): This came also as a gift with purchase.

Wycon - Mono shot eyeshadow - 21 brick ( ): I had a work trip to Rome, Italy in November, where I had a free afternoon in the city. So I took a stroll to the Spanish steps and Fontana di Trevi - and strolled perhaps along two of the main shopping streets between those two places. There I came across a Wycon store, which I had never heard of before. They were having a some sort of a black Friday sale, so after swatching a few items in store, and contemplating what I could justify to buy - I opted for a single eyeshadow in a brown color with a warm red undertone.

Makeup by Mario - Master mattes long-wear cream eyeshadow - Sandstone (2 ml): These cream eyeshadows were so hyped online, and this brand in general. And as I do not own anything from this brand I decided to grab one of these cream eyeshadows during the Sephora sale, where I got a 10% discount. This one is very similar in tone to my skin color though, so it is more of a no makeup, makeup look. It dries down super fast, I am not sure I would want to pick another up in a darker color, as I am not sure I would be able to blend it well enough before it would dry down on me. 

Lancome - Fix it forget it - Makeup setting mist (1.5 ml): Another item from the Lancome gift bag from my mom. I can put this in my travel makeup bag and use it up in a matter of days. 

Vieve - Super skin nova - Moisture rich primer (1 ml sample): This came as a sample with my Vieve order I placed after my holiday in Scotland.

Vieve - Lip dew glossy lip oil - Socialite (6 ml): This I did purchase in the Glasgow store, initially I had thought to buy the color supermodel, but I did chicken out as it was quite brown. This is more beige, lighter brown, but I am still not quite sold if a brown lip color suits my rosy colored lips. 

Vieve - Modern lip definer - Velvet sands (1.2 g): This lip liner I grabbed in Glasgow - after I came home it was a bit warm though, and started to have second thoughts if I should have purchased a different color.

Vieve - Modern lip definer - Aphrodyte (1.2 g): After I came home from Glasgow, oh did I hit the Vieve website, used my points for the in store purchase towards more Vieve lip liners. The aphrodyte color is right up my ally, rosy brown. 

Vieve - Modern lip definer - Bark (1.2 g): This I also ordered online, a perfect shading color to go with either the velvet sands color or the aphrodyte. 

So that concludes my shopping for 2025. 

January - May haul 2025

So much for sticking to my no buy 2025 - where I gave myself the exception to purchase two items until Black Friday sales in 2025! I caved in three times, as I purchased three items, and that in effect when only just over three months have passed of the year! 

The first purchase was made on my birthday whilst on a work-trip abroad. In came the "birthday" blues - so a trip to Target was just the medicine where I ended up buying myself a elf blush. The other purchases were two different lip balms - one from Refy and the other from Violette Fr. Then some other stuff came into my possession in the form of gifts and purchases, mainly hair-products, a category which I have so far not been wild about. 

Hair towel, mini Guinot products and a hair serum

Sephora gift, samples, and a gifted facemask

Kerastase conditioner and shampoo

Cosrx - The 6 peptide skin booster (30 ml): This was the Utla birthday gift in 2025 - and I was fortunate enough to be close to a Ulta store in my birthday month to pick one up.

Aquis flip - hair drying tool - wove with copper sure: This hair towel I ran into at a Marshalls store in Baltimore. This one is woven with copper which is supposed to be good for the hair. It was on a really nice discount, well turns out the elastic was not very well sown into the base. So I had to sow it up again. But as I have been dealing with hair-loss it is worth giving a go.

Elf - Camo liquid blush - Peach perfect (4 ml): This I got tempted to buy on my birthday in February, wandering around the isles in Target being hit with a wave of the birthday blues. Since I have perhaps used it two or three times, it is a very soft color.

Guinot - Micellaire cleansing water (30 ml): My sister had already gifted me a x-mas calendar containing these Guinot products. But my mom was also gifted this calendar, and she figured she would not use any of them, so she ended up giving me a few of them. 

Kerastase Genesis - Fortifying serum (90 ml): I have been dealing with considerable hair-loss in the last six months or so, and after seeing this being recommended all over social media I decided to grab a bottle during the Sephora sale. It turned out to be hard to find it in store, as I had to visit three different stores in Washington DC to find it in stock. You are supposed to use it every day, in combo with the shampoo and conditioner from the same line. I have not used it like that, but when it is getting closer to a hair-wash day, I put it in the day in before a wash. The smell of this product is nice, but it tends to linger for at least 24 hours. I have also started taking hair-vitamin on a regular basis, and hope I will able to turn this hair-loss around. 

Guinot - Express eye makeup remover (30 ml): This was also re-homed to me from my mom. 

Guinot - Hydra toning lotion (30 ml): The last item I got from my mom. I better start using some of these items, as I have duplicates by now. But they are the perfect size to take to work or on holiday. 

L'occitane - Hand cream - dry skin (30 ml): One of my co-worker who was flying with us on standby, gifted all of the crew small hand-creams. A perfect size for the handbag.

Refy - Tinted lip gloss - Taupe (13 ml): This was a 100% weakness purchase. I had seen this color featured on some social media. And during a layover in Washington I forgot my lip-balm at my hotel room, and instead of me going back to fetch it - I popped into the next Sephora store and bought this one. The color is super soft though - and does hardly show up on my lips at all, I might as well have purchased the clear gloss. But then my lips are quite rosy pigmented. 

Summer Fridays - Lip butter balm - Pink sugar (7 g): This was a part of the Sephora birthday gift for 2025 - so of course I decided to grab the free gift this year.

Summer Fridays - Jet lag mask (15 g): Also a part of the Sephora birthday gift, and have I heard nice things about this mask.

Violette Fr - Bisou Jelly - Bonbon Caramel (2.5 g): This is a brand I have had my eye on for some time, and now it just launched in Sephora. So I got tempted to buy one item in New York. Not sure the color suits me very well, it is described as a warm caramel color, maybe I will just put it aside for a few months as it might be more suitable in the autumn. 

Summer Fridays - Rich cushion cream ultra plumping moisturizer (2 ml): The third and last item in the Sephora birthday gift.

Elemis - Pro-collagen marine cream (2 x 2 ml): This most likely came into my possession at Sephora, as some free samples they give you with purchase. 

Sephora - Green tea eyes mask (6 g): A friend gifted this to me for my birthday.

PS - Two blender sponges: I came across these at the register at Primark, and I decided to give them a try.

Kerastase Genesis - Fortifying anti hair-fall conditioner (200 ml): After I bought the hair serum from the same line, I saw a summer giftbox on a 20% discount in one of the hair salons of Reykjavik, so I decided to splurge and buy the shampoo and conditioner.

Kerastase Genesis - Anti hair-fall fortifying shampoo (200 ml): This was a part of previously mentioned gift set. I have only used it once, so it's too soon to say if it works. I am also taking hair vitamins on the regular, so any improvement will probably be two sided.  

So all in all - quite the fail from a no-buy until Black Friday 2025. I did give myself the exception to purchase two items until that time, well in the period of January - May I have indeed purchased three items, two of them being a lip product. The third; a liquid blush. Ironically when this spring powder blushes are making a serious comeback. And what on earth do I have to do with more lip glosses when I had 14 lip-glosses before and 7 lip balms? Totaling now in 15 lip glosses and 8 lip balms! It usually takes me years to finish one lip-balm or gloss.... 

Something really needs to change! And the only person who has the power to do it, well it's me!

Project pan 2025

For the year 2025 I will be focusing on a few items, both makeup and skincare for the year to come, as I usually do. Along this project pan I will be doing a makeup + skincare no buy for 2025! My ultimate goal will be to get better results on reached goals for 2025 vs. to my project pan 2024, which reached 37.5 % success rate. So my goal for 2025 will be to reach my goal on over 37.5% of the items in the project pan 2025.

10 of the 14 products in my project pan 2025

Lipstick, color corrector and testers

Guinot - Lounge vie mains hand cream (15 ml):

Weight at the start of 2025: 20 g

Goal: Finish it

Why: I got this amongst many other items from Guinot in a Christmas calendar in 2022 - I have not used so many items from this calendar so it makes sense to use some of the items, including this hand cream.

Dr. Organic - Organic manuka honey skin lotion (200 ml):

Weight at the start of 2025: 224 g

Goal: Finish it

Why: This was gifted to me in 2019 and thus one of the oldest body lotions I have so it makes sense to use it up and move it out of my stash, and work on other things.

Bioeffect - EGF body serum (120 ml):

Weight at the start of 2025: 159 g

Goal: Finish it

Why: It has already expired with a label marked June 2023 - so it is past it's due date and it would be good to finish it.

Bioeffect - Osa water mist (60 ml):

Weight at the start of 2025: 83 g

Goal: Finish it 

Why: I bought it in 2021, and it has a best before date 05/2025 so this is the year to finish it. 

The body shop - Himalayan charcoal purifying glow mask (75 ml):

Weight at the start of 2025: 229 g

Goal: Use it up

Why: It is getting old, and I have not much use for it anymore - as my skin tends to be more dry than oily- but it might be nice to use once a month or so.

Fenty Beauty - Gloss bomb in Fenty glow (9 ml):

Remaining amount at the start of 2025: 2/3 of the gloss remains in the tube, product sits at T in Fenty.

Goal: Use it up.

Why: It is far from being my favorite gloss, but it might pair nicely with the Charlotte lipstick for work.

Ecooking - Primer (30 ml):

Remaining amount at the start of 2025: Half.

Goal: Use it up.

Why: I did manage to use half of the primer in 2024, and it is a cleaner product, and I do really like the formula, I decided to continue working on this primer vs. the 3 or 4 others I have in my stash. Plus the packaging gets super messy. So it is ideal to use it up and in 2026 I could move onto a different primer. I still like this one that much I could well consider to buy it again in a few years.  

The Ordinary - 100% Cold-pressed virgin marula oil (30 ml):

Amount remaining in bottle at the start of 2025: The oil sits just above the sticker on to glass.

Goal: Finish it, by using it in my hair and mix in with my moisturizers.

Why: Oils tend to go bad, and I have had this in my stash for quite some time. I originally bought it to use it in at the ends of my hair, but I found it a bit of a too dry texture compared to the hair oils I had used in the past. So it would be ideal to get some use out of it, before it goes off. 

The body shop - Brow and lash gel, clear (10 ml):

Amount remaining at the start of 2025: The gel sits in the tube between the O and D in Body on the side of the product. 

Goal: Finish it.

Why: This is guaranteed the oldest item in my stash.

Gosh - Kohl eyeliner in 005 nude (1.1 g):

Length of pencil at start of 2025: 11.5 cm

Goal: Use 0.5 cm of it

Why: To get some use out of it before it dries out. 

Charlotte Tilbury - Nude matte lipstick in Very Victoria (3.5 g):

Length at the start of 2025: 2.5 cm from plastic base

Goal: Use 0.5 cm of it

Why: I have focused on a few lipsticks in the years past, so now it was time for this one. It is a nice color of pinky brown, just a tad more brown than my lips, so it wears off nicely. 

Becca - Under eye brightening corrector (2.3 g):

Weight at the start of 2025: 22 g

Goal: Use it up

Why: It was a part of my project pan 2023, and I did not finish it then, so it is time to use it up. Plus I have a full size backup I would love to move onto. 

Inglot - YSM cream foundation in shade 45 (1.5 ml):

Goal: Use it up

Why: It is old in my stash of testers, and it would be good to get some use out of a few of them. I have no idea how the shade is, so it might end up just ending in the trash, as 45 sounds like a medium shade. And I have fair skin. 

Inglot - Beautifier tinted cream in shade 102 (1.5 ml):

Goal: Use it up

Why: Same applies to this one as to the previous tester - get some use out of my tester stash, so it is ideal to add two samples, or "give me" products that I should be able to use up with ease and boost the amount of items I will be able to use up, and increase my usage percentage.

Other goals for 2025 include a makeup and skincare no buy until black Friday 2025 - as I started my no buy around that time in 2024. So instead of shopping in 2025 I intend to enjoy the items I have in my stash and play with the items I already have, instead of buying more. Other goals for 2025 include using a face mask once a week and a hair mask two times a month.

Will I allow myself some exception from the rule? Yes, for the months January - November 2025 I will make an exception from the no buy makeup and skincare rule in two cases, where I can buy two products in kind of emergencies if you will. What the emergencies might be, I am not sure - but will give an exception for the no buy rule for two products during this period. Also I will be able to get the Sephora and Ulta birthday gifts in February, and those birthday gifts do not count as the two products I will be able to buy in case of "emergencies".

January - March haul 2024

So here is my haul for the first three months of the year, they are a mixed bunch, some are purchases I made abroad and some are birthday gifts. My project pan for 2024 is not completely going as planned, as I stocked up on an item I had really no plans to stock up on... but I hope it will go better moving forward in the year 2024.

Glow cream, toner, cleanser, creams and a tinted moisturizer

Glow powder, fizz tamers, lip products and eye wands

Face masks

Barbie beauty bag

Bondi Sands - Gloss finishing glow instant luminous bronzed sheen for face and body (100 ml): My friend gave this to me for my birthday, we had seen it used by someone on social media and it looked really nice, she was so sweet to remember, and gifted it to me amongst other things. 

The body shop - Aloe soothing toner (250 ml): I grabbed this during a sales night in Kringlan shopping mall when The body shop was offering 20 or 25% off of everything in store. As I have almost finished my current bottle of this, I thought it was ideal to buy one on a discount as there are just a few weeks 

Clinique - Take the day off cleansing balm (125 ml): I had made it one of my goals in my project pan for 2024, not to purchase it again until I had finished some of my makeup removers, but it was on such a good price I caved in and bought it for later. 

Peach & Lily - Matcha pudding antioxidant cream (25 ml): As a Ulta member, and happened to be close to an Ulta store in February (my birthday month), I did go in store and got to choose amongst pre selected items and was torn between this and a Kopari body cream, and ended on choosing this one. 

Ecooking - Night cream (50 ml): I grabbed this item whilst at work, during a flight back and forth to Kastrup airport Copenhagen, but as we had an unusually long stop in at CPH I ran into the duty free and bought this plus the Tromborg item listed below. I had just finished the jar of this I had before, and I LOVE it.

Dr. Jart - Ceramidin cream mist, intensive moisturizing (110 ml): My friend who gave me the Bodi Sands product also gave me this ceramidin cream mist, as I had mentioned to her I was very curious about this product (again I had seen on some instragram feed of an influencer). 

Saie - Slip tint broad spectrum spf 35 sunscreen tinted moisturizer (40 ml): I got tempted to buy this during one of my many Sephora visits, as it contains mineral spf, and could be perfect for work.

Garnier Fructis - Sleek and shine frizz tamer (8 ml): This I came across in one of the US drug store and thought it would be amazing, it is not so great. But it will suffice to use while I stay abroad for work for simple hair fixes, but for the stubborn small hairs, it does not work.

Kosas  - Air brow clear lifting treatment gel (1.77 g): This with the Kosas lip oil was a part of the Sephora birthday gift for 2024. There were a few options, and I was going back and forth between this one and a skincare set from Youth to the people. But for the makeup hoarder I am of course I opted for more makeup. 

Nature Republic - Honey melting lip in 01 Apricot (2.7 g): I saw Stait of Kait featuring this in one of her videos, and it sounded super nice, so I decided to grab in whilst in New York for work. So there went 50% of my colored lip product quota for 2024.

Tromborg - Baked minerals in silk (5.5 g): I had been eyeing this product for years, and finally pulled the trigger during a turnaround in CPH. It is a little bit dark and golden for a traditional highlighter (they also sell a lighter color called Highlight) but as this has been hyped among Danish beauty-bloggers for year I went with Silk.

Vieve - Eye wand in Hazelnut (1.4 g): I came across this brand not too long ago, and I had been very intrigued about it. And as I went on a short holiday with my friends to the UK, I decided to order some products and have them shipped my hotel in England. I chose this color as it is a medium brown shade and probably super versatile.

Vieve - Eye wand in Sand (1.4. g): I decided to grab another item from Vieve, as so many times before, I was torn between another eye wand and a liquid blush. But opted for the eye wand as I am trying to reel it in on the liquid or cream blushes. 

Kosas - Wet lip oil gloss plumping treatment gloss in Unbottoned (2 ml): The other half of the Sephora birthday gift. I swatched the color in store, and from there, there was no going back. The makeup birthday gift it would be. 

Purederm skin solutions - Deep purifying pink 02 bubble mask peach (25 g): Another friend of mine is also a lot into skincare, and gifted me this facemask and the following two packaged skincare products. 

Iroha Nature - Pre-soaked pads hydrating toner cica + blueberry (10 pcs 25 g): At first I mistook this for a facemask, but what a genius product, pre soaked toner pads. Perfect for travel.

Iroha Nature - Aloe vera and hyloronic acid Soothing and hydrating face mask (20 ml): The third skincare product I got gifted from my friend for my birthday.

PS - Moisturizing avocado sheet mask (23 g): Avocado face mask for 1 Pound at Primark, I just had to.

Primark - Barbie beauty bag: When I spotted this in Primark, I just could not resist and had to buy it. 

This was quite a lot for three months, but a few of the items were indeed birthday gifts. But as I got a few facemasks, I really have to put some effort to use these single use sheet face masks. 

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

X-mas haul 2022

I received three gifts this year that can be considered beauty related..

Guinot Advent calendar

Gifts from my nephews

Guinot Advent Calendar: My sister gifted me my Christmas gift from her in advance on December 1st. It contained 24 little bags, each containing a deluxe sample size of different Guinot products. Contents of the Advent calendar: Sculpt expert cream - sculpt and firm cream body (30 ml), Longue vie corps body cream - firming youth cream body (30 ml), Hydra fraicheur milk - cleansing milk face (30 ml), Hydrazone corps lotion - gentle moisturizing lotion body (30 ml), Gommage facile easy scrub - gentle exfoliating gel body (30 ml), Nouvelle vie cream - first signs of ageing cream face (15 ml), Biologic exfoliating gel - gentle exfoliating gel face (15 ml), Dynamisant anti-fatigue mask - instant refreshing mask face (15 ml), Night logic cream - anti-fatigue radiance night cream face (15 ml), Anti-wrinkle mask - instant revitalising anti-wrinkle mask face dull skin (15 ml), Pur confort cream - soothing protective cream spf15 face sensitive skin (15 ml), Longue vie mains hand cream - youth cream anti-dark spots hands (15 ml), Eclat parfait scrub - exfoliating cream with double microbeads face (15 ml), Mirific anti-age oil - anti aging oil body (15 ml), Hydra fraicheur toning lotion - toning lotion face (30 ml), Micellaire cleansing water - cleansing water face and eyes all skin types (30 ml), Longue vie pids foot cream - regenerating youth cream feet (15 ml), Express yeux eye make-up remover - cleansing lotion non-oily eyes (30 ml), Hydra summum serum - perfect moisturising serum face (5 ml), Hydra finish cream - moisturising complexion-enhancing cream spf  face (10 ml), Masters colors Paris - lip definer lip pencil - color 01 (0,28 g), Masters colors Paris - lipstick color 02 (4 g), Masters colors Paris - nail color - color 30 (5 ml) and a Guinot facial brush. 

Shiseido - Colorgel lip balm: - 108 Lotus (2g): one of my nephew and his bf, gifted me 2 Clarins lip balms, one in 02 and the other in 04 - so I swapped the 02 and paid a little difference to change it to this Shiseido lip balm. The formula is a dream, rich color and super soft on one's lips!

The body shop - Aloe calming toner (250ml): I had requested this toner for x-mas when my younger nephew asked me what I wanted for x-mas. I am about half way through my other one I have. And this is something I purchase repeatedly it was ideal to get it for x-mas.

Clarins - Lip comfort oil - 04 Pitaya (7 ml): This was another item I had requested for x-mas, as I had been super curious about this oil from Clarins. This color is apparently PH-responsive, but the 02 color is not. Both of them are pink, but I assume my lips turn more pink with 04 - 02 applies more clear - but according to swatches online 02 is also a super cute color. Maybe I will get that one when I finish 04. 

That sums up my beauty x-mas gifts, did you get any?

January - May haul 2022 + Birthday gifts

So it's way due for an updated haul for the fist part of the year + what I got gifted for my birthday in February

The items I have collected so far in 2022

Testers of body butters and a sheet mask

The body shop - Aloe calming toner (250 ml): I love this product, and this is probably my third or fourth repurchase. So when the body shop was having some discount I grabbed a refill.

The body shop - Hemp hard working hand protector (10 ml): This is absolutely the best hand cream I have EVER tried, my mom used to own this stuff. And now it is really needed as my hands are super dry.

Maybelline - Lifter gloss in 003 Moon (5.4 ml): This gloss got so much hype online so I really got tempted to buy it for myself for my birthday, and it really is amazing! To me it is like a better version of Fenty Beauty gloss bomb. The Maybelline has really similar colors, chunky packaging and you do not feel any grit on your lips from the Maybelline one, whereas from the one color I own from Fenty, I feel some grit from the glitter on my lips (but I have sensitive skin so I might feel something that the average person does not sense).

The body shop - Almond nail and cuticle manicure oil (1.8 ml): My friend gifted me this one along with the face mask. It will come in super handy as I have started to fly again, and with the constant hand washing, hand sanitizing and the dry air on the airplanes my hands tend to feel super dehydrated.

The body shop - Body butter Avocado (8 ml): This I got gifted on a bachelorette party we hosted for one of my friends, and all of the girls who attended got a small gift bag containing several body shop testers.

The body shop -  Aloe Calm sheet mask (18 ml): This item my friend also gifted me for my birthday! Sounds intriguing. Will have to resume the Mask Monday ritual again this summer to use some of the masks I have stashed away.

The body shop - Body butter Almond milk (8 ml): This I was also gifted on the bachelorette party

The body shop - Body butter Shea (8 ml): I also got this one in the goodie bag at the bachelorette party. This especially will come in super handy, as my skin is starting to get really dry.

What have you bought so far into the year?

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!!