Beauty Purchases Jan-Apr 2020
Looking back over the past four months of 2020, I’ve bought a lot of beauty products. I felt like it would be nice to break down what I’ve purchased, how much I’ve used the products, and my opinions on all of the products. So without further ado, here are my beauty buys from the first third of 2020.
January
I made two purchases in the month of January. One was from Sephora and the other was from Chanel. I didn’t run out of anything I needed to replace and wasn’t wowed by any new launches that month.
The first item I picked up from Sephora in January was the Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer in Baked. It’s one of the best purchases I’ve made this year so far. I wear the bronzer almost every time I put on makeup. I find it’s easy to blend out and matches my skin tone well. I also use it on my eyes. It does crease, but that’s to be expected when you use a cream product on the eyes. For $28 and an ounce of product, it’s definitely worthwhile.
The next two items are the Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil. I got two different colors, 508 Total Taupe and 608 Limitless Brown. The pencils are VERY creamy and blend well, which makes sense as they’re supposed to be an all over pencil. The two colors are very similar but with slightly different tones. I like using them together to create shadows and looks that are more dimensional. They also aren’t as expensive as some of the other pencils I use, such as the Marc Jacobs gel eyeliner. At $18 a piece, I could see myself picking another one up in a more interesting color. The color range is huge and a bright blue might be fun to try.
I also picked up a set of Tatcha minis with my Sephora points. It came with a small pot of The Water Cream and a bottle of The Deep Cleanse Exfoliating Cleanser. After a few tries of the cleanser, I knew it wasn’t for my skin and gave the rest to my sister. It was too harsh for my dry skin, but my oily-skinned sister loves it! She’s planning on picking up a bottle next time it’s in stock. The Water Cream was fine. It has a very strong scent, but it doesn’t bother me surprisingly. It didn’t do anything special for my skin, so I doubt I’ll try picking up a full size.
At Chanel, I picked up the Baume Essentiel in Transparent. I had had my eye on this product for months, but whenever I actually went to a Chanel counter to look at the product, the transparent shade was sold out. I was in Boston, just said screw it and went to the actual Chanel store. They finally had it. The Baume Essentiel is described on the Chanel website as “a moisturizing, glow-enhancing balm for face, eyes and lips” and it is just that. I love wearing this on a bare-face. I sweep it over the tops of my cheekbones then onto my eyes in one connected motion and pat it out. Add mascara on the lashes then you’re done. I LOVE the product and would purchase it again in a heartbeat. It’s expensive at $45 for 0.28 ounces, but that’s to be expected with Chanel.
February
February was my biggest spending month so far. I was traveling in early march, before quarantine, and picked up a few things that I wanted to bring with me. I also purchased things not explicitly for travel. In total, I picked up five products from Sephora, two from Chanel, and four from Glossier.
The first products I purchased from Sephora were specifically for traveling. I was going London and knew that my current makeup remover and face cleanser were not travel friendly. I picked up a miniature of the Clinique Take The Day Off Makeup Remover. It was okay. I’d use my normal makeup remover, Pond’s Cold Cream, over this one any day. It didn’t do as good of a job as I want my first step of cleansing to do. I doubt I would actively seek out this product again, but if it’s there I’ll use it. The next product I bought for travel was the First Aid Beauty Pure Skin Face Cleanser mini size. I don’t really have a good opinion about it because I didn’t use it for that long, as my trip was cut short due to CoVid-19. I also feel like I can’t give it a fair chance without using my Pond’s Cold Cream. So maybe in the future I’ll have a more solid opinion on the product. I’ll probably bring it the next time I travel, but who knows when that will be.
The Clinique Pep-Start Daily UV Protector was a product I picked up with the two travel minis I bought. I wanted a new sunscreen and this is what I settled on. I don’t really have any complaints about this. It is oily, but that’s what I expect with sunscreen. Plus I enjoy a more dewy faced look. It isn’t pure white but instead is beige which was nice. I didn’t experience any white cast or weird flashback in photos while wearing it. It layered under make-up well too. Overall, it did what I needed it to do which is what I want from a sunblock.
On my next trip to Sephora, I bought two products. One for myself and one for my little sister. We don’t live near a Sephora or any type of makeup/beauty store, so there’s no easy way to get something without getting it shipped. I purchased the Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium rollerball for my sister. She loves this fragrance and has bought multiple rollerballs of it. For myself, I bought the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist. I had been wanted a face mist for a while, but not a setting spray. I liked the scent and the packaging. It’s a nice size and feels fresh on the face. I often use it during the day when I feel like my skin is getting a bit dry. It’s nice over, under, and without makeup. It has also lasted me quite a while. I’m not even a third of the way through it while writing this in May.
I had originally gone into Chanel looking for the Les Beiges Water-Fresh Tint. Sadly, they didn’t have the color I needed otherwise that would be on this list too. I was also on the hunt for a cute spring/summer lip color. I ended up going with the Rouge Allure Ink in shade 216 Légèreté. I like to wear it sheered out over the lips, but it wears well when applied normally. It’s not too opaque and complements my skin tone well.
The second product I picked up from Chanel was a spur of the moment purchase. I was waiting for the sales lady to ring up my lipstick when I tried on the Le Lift La Crème Main. I was immediately surprised by the unique scent and decided to get a bottle for myself. It has a unique fragrance that is different from anything I’ve ever really smelt before. It’s zesty, but not in an overpowering way. I love how it makes my hands feel after applying it. I also love the iconic egg-shaped packaging that the La Crème Main is known for.
My order from Glossier was mainly to try the Skywash sheer matte lid tint. I ordered two colors in the formula. The first one was Valley. It’s described as “a warm peach” on the website and is just that. It’s nice when I want a bit of warm definition but don’t plan on wearing a lot of makeup on the rest of the face. The second color was Pool, a “cornflower blue”. It definitely was outside of my comfort zone and still is. I haven’t used it much, mostly because I’ve been staying at home due to the pandemic. I’ll hopefully get more use out of it as we move into summer and I have more of a reason to dawn a pastel blue eyeshadow. The Skywash formula definitely has a bit of a learning curve. It’s not the easiest formula to work with, but it’s usable.
The third product I ordered from Glossier was the Balm Dotcom in Mango. There’s not a lot to say about this product that hasn’t been said before. It’s a basic lip balm. It doesn’t do much to moisturize the lips, but it doesn’t dry them it. It smells nice and adds a touch of color.
Finally, I bought the Cloud Paint in Puff. I wanted a baby pink to go with my other Cloud Paints. The shade works well on my skin, but I feel like it would be a bit finicky on others. Of course, the formula was the great one we know a love, so no complaints.
March
I actually didn’t buy anything in the month of March!
April
In April, I took advantage of the Sephora Beauty Insider Sale to grab three items. I repurchased the Glow Recipe Watermelon Pink Juice Oil-Free Moisturizer. I find that it’s a great product for the summer. It has a nice consistency and a lovely smell. The second item in my order was the Dior Lip Glow in the color 012 Rosewood. I love Dior lip products. I even wore one of their lipsticks to my high school prom. I wanted something that was a bit more neutral compared to their original lip glow color. Rosewood fills that desire. It comes off as just slightly darker than my actual lip color when I apply it. The formula is also comfortable and easy to wear without worrying about it constantly. The final item I got was the Herbivore Rose Quarts Gua Sha tool. I had been looking for a Gua Sha tool for a while and finally decided to go with this one. I enjoy the look of it and it functions as I would expect it to function. I can’t give a full review yet because I haven’t used it enough.