January - March Haul 2026

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

Creams, hair oil from Japan and birthday perks

Birthday gifts, gua sha, brush cleanser and a gloss

Gold bond - Healing hand cream aloe (85 g): I came across this in Walmart in Baltimore, and as my hand get super dry at work, this was an easy temptation.

Gold bond - Age renew neck and chest firming cream (56 g): I have for a long time contemplated to purchase a neck and chest cream, and as this was a few bottles away from the hand cream it came along to the register.

& Honey - Deep moist hair oil step 3.0 (100 ml): This my sister gave me for my birthday, along with a few other items to be mentioned. She went to Japan last year, so I assume this was purchased on that trip. All the instructions are in Japanese though, but google search gives the result that this is for the scalp and entire hair, so somewhat of a hair mask? I am dealing with a dry scalp at the moment so this will come to good use soon. 

Rhode - Barrier butter - Intensive moisture balm (40 ml): A friend of mine gave this cream her highest recommendation, she also works as cabin crew on the dry air in the cabin, and she said this was an amazing moisturizer that endures the dry air on board so I decided to buy the small tube to give it a try.

Milk - Lip + Cheek cream blush - Werk (3 g): I chose this item from the selection I had from Ulta for my birthday. I was in Raleigh at the time, for work for two nights and there was an Ulta close by, so I jumped in store to take a look at the options I had, and there were a few let me tell you. I had checked online and saw that this blush was amongst the thing offered, and as I am sure the old full size Werk color I have from Milk is expired (which was the smaller size at the time, and I had gotten as a part of a birthday gift from Sephora a few years ago). Have I since bitten the bullet and thrown the old one away (which I suspect to be expired as it smells waxy - in one word: no.

Benamor - Virum verbena - Extraordinary hand cream (75 ml): This was one of the very few purchases I made in Lisbon - this I came across at the airport so decided to pull the trigger and buy yet another hand cream.

Tower 28 - Shine on lip jelly - Pistachio (1.36 ml): This and the following Tower 28 SOS spray I chose as my birthday gift from Sephora. There were a few to choose from, and I ended up going with this one as these items I would be able to finish up fairly easily. 

Tower 28 - SOS daily rescue facial spray (60 ml): This bottle is even bigger than the tiny one I purchased a few months back. I have yet not tried it though. But it does come highly recommended. 

Guinot - Depil logic serum - anti-hair regrowth serum for face and body (2 x 8 ml): I went for a wax in a spa and the beauty esthetician managed to sell me this serum, which I am fairly sure has a very limited results. So either I will have to commit to a wax to use this up, or use it on my legs when I get the annual below the knee wax before my summer holiday. 

Real Techniques - Expert face brush 200: Another item my sister gifted to me for my birthday. I do believe I have this brush already in a different version. 

Luminance Milano - Under eye brightener - Pink peach (5 g): Yet another birthday gift from my sister. This my friend had seen on social media (same with my sister) they were somehow really excited about this product. I imagine it to be quite similar to my Becca under eye corrector. So I am not sure if I will keep it or gift it to a friend.

Neutral - Bar soap (2 x 100 g): I purchased two of these in a two pack, as a friend of mine had highly recommended this to clean makeup brushes. I have already started to use the other bar, and I can confirm it works like a charm.

Mario Badescu Skin care - Stainless steel Gua sha: I came across this item in a TJ Maxx in the states, and for 10 usd it was an instant purchase. I already have a rose quartz one, but I am very aware it can break if I drop it on the floor, so I purchased a stainless steel one. Do I use either one on a regular base? No. 

Kiko Milano - 3D Hydra lipgloss in shade 35 (6.5 ml): I got a Barcelona afternoon stop this January, I had not intended to purchase anything, but when I saw you could get it engraved, so I decided to get it engraved with my crew letters (hence the engraving is blurred). 

Walgreens - Smoothing shea butter lip mask - Moisturizes and softens lips (1 mask): A passenger gifted this to the crew on one of our flights this year. Very sweet gesture. 

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. 

June - July haul 2022

Well as I have started to fly again, with stops in the US and Canada on a monthly basis, I have had some opportunity to shop a bit, as well as I have picked up a few items in Iceland ofc.

Soap, sunscreen, deodorant and facial cream

Body cream, hair mask and Tangle Teezer

Makeup, facial spf and cream tester

 

Shea Moisture - African black soap (227 g): This has been a tried and true product for me, as facial soap for my skin issues - I was not in a dire need of a refill, but as I spotted it in Target I grabbed it. 

Eau Thermale Avéne - Mineral lotion spf  (100 ml): This I bought in Canada, as I was planning to travel abroad in July, only with hand luggage, and in need of some sunscreen that I could take on carry on (which has a max of 100 ml bottles). 

Hawaiian Tropic - Silk hydration protective sun lotion (180 ml): This I picked up in the supermarket in Iceland, I had not bought an Hawaiian Tropic in years - as I theoretically had enough spf bottles. But it came in very handy, as I squirted some of this bottle into a small travel bottle to bring with me to Croatia. The other spf bottles I have, come in foam and spray form - and would not be rebottled so easily!

Native Deodorant - Aloe and Green tea, sensitive (75 g): I have been very curious about aluminum free deodorant, and as I am finally seeing to an end of one of my 3 previous bottles, it was time to pick this one up.

La Roche-Posay - Kerium DS creme (39 g): I had picked up a tube of this for my nephew a few years back, as he was struggling with flakey eyebrows. And recently I had started to get flakey spots between my eyebrows and eyelids, I went on a mission to find a tube for me to use. And I really think it works!! 

Sol de Janeiro - Brazilian bum bum cream (75 ml): I smelled this exact product a few years back, and did absolutely not understand the hype around this scent as I really did not like it at first sniff. But now - omg I loved it!! Given the fact I have more than enough of body lotions, I just grabbed the small jar of it. But I might actually be tempted to buy other types, or even the scent spray.

Macadamia oil extract - Hair mask (250 ml): My hair after about 5 days of sun and sea in Croatia went totally haywire, and I managed to find this in one of the little shops on the island I was staying - and it managed to turn my haywire hair around after one treatment. But you do need to be consistent with it. 

Tangle Teezer hairbrush: My friend was so kind to grab this for me while she was on a holiday in UK. This has since moved into my gym bag - so I will never forget to take a hairbrush with me to the gym again

Kosas - Revealer concealer in 01N (6 ml): Did I need a concealer? 100% not, I already have about 4 concealers in different formats. Two in liquid format as a matter of a fact. Have I started to use it yet? No not yet... 

Kosas - Revealer skin improving foundation in Very cool light 120 (30 ml): Who am I? Purchasing two foundations in the same year? And I already have several in my stash (again in a few formats; liquid, mineral powder and pressed powder). I guess I just have to put real effort to in 2022 to doll myself up on an everyday basis.

Urban Decay - All nighter long lasting makeup setting spray (30 ml): This was purchased with the intent to take it with me to Croatia for the wedding to double insure the makeup. Then in the end there was no space in my hand luggage for more liquids. I just got one sprits from my friend who managed to take some with her to the wedding. 

It Cosmetics - Your skin but better CC+ color correcting full coverage cream spf 50 in fair (32 ml): I had gotten one or two testers of this particular product in Sephora a while back. And given my previous experience, this product performed exceptionally well, with good staying power, without creasing or looking cakey. And given the fact I was going to a wedding in Croatia, where the temperature would be around 35 degrees Celsius, I would need something long lasting. So I grabbed this during some online discount in Hagkaup Iceland

Revlon - Colorstay brow fiber filler in 303 medium brown (6.8 ml): I am about to run our of my Rimmel colored eyebrow gel, and on a recommendation from Lisa J on Youtube. 

La Roche-Posay - Anthelios mineral fluid 50 spf (50 ml): I got sucked in in a Canadian drugstore to pick this up (even though I have a bottle of Supergoop zink screen). Now I just have to be more active in using these facial sunscreens.

Laura Mercier - Translucent loose setting powder (5 g): This was a part of my Sephora birthday gift for 2022. And boy am I excited to give this a whirl, as this is a product that has been hyped up for years.

Laura Mercier - Caviar stick eye color in strapless (1 g): The other part of the Sephora birthday gift I selected for 2022. Another product from LM that I have heard about for years but never tried. 

Tower 28 - Beach please cheek and lip color in Magic hour (4.5 g): I had been curious about this product and this brand since 2019 or 2020. So I could not resist when I spotted it in Sephora.

It Cosmetics - Confidence in a cream, tester (? g): This came as a bonus with the It Cosmetics CC+ cream. Another leaflet for me to use up for sure... I might even have to go on a "tester use up" mission.

So will I perhaps calm down in my purchases in the months to come? Well I have two orders being shipped as we speak... and several items on my "research list"