What are some products that have been mainstays in your routine for years upon years?
Tough as someone who naturally cycles through products at warp speed and significantly more often than most, LOL! There are products I’ve been using for a couple of years, but I really wanted to share ones that I’ve been wearing for as long as I can recall, really. Here are some that come to mind: Guerlain Rouge Gs (since first swipe, really), Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners, Urban Decay Eyeshadow, Tom Ford Cream Color for Eyes, Tom Ford Nude Dip Eyeshadow Quad, Marc Jacobs Highliners, Sephora Contour Eye Pencils, shu uemura Cleansing Oil, Cle de Peau Concealer, Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder, Wet ‘n’ Wild Reserve Your Cabana, Surratt Artistique Blush, Clinique Cheek Pops.
— Christine
NARS Orgasm Blush
Stila Kitten Eyeshadow
MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
ABH Brow Wiz in Soft Brown
MAC eyeshadows. MAC lipsticks. MAC blush. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Highlighters
Clinique Cheek Pop Blush
Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer
Wet n Wild Coloricon Eyeshadow in Creme Brulee
Cera Ve foaming face wash for normal to oily skin
Revlon Superlustrous Lipsticks
ABH Modern Renaissance Palette
Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette
Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black Perfume
I love Nirvana Black, and the bottle is so gorgeous!
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks were some of my favorites in the 1990s. I remember wearing Fleshtone, Blackberry, and one with the word Raisin in it. I think they’re all discontinued shades. Nowadays, I find that the Super Lustrous lipsticks tend to oxidize on me. I have a few shades that I bought not too long ago, but they turn a little orangey when I wear them, so I just don’t anymore.
Once I find something that works for me, I keep it around for ages and ages, especially when it comes to base and brow products (i.e. non-color stuff).
MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation, Wet N Wild Photo Focus Matte primer (used to be called just the Photo Focus primer), Anastasia Beverly Hills brow powder, ABH tinted brow gel, Maybelline Age Rewind and Fit Me concealers, Kevyn Aucoin Contour Book Vol. 2.
There’s probably a lot of others as well but those are the ones that jump out!
It’s hard to think of them all (and there are many, I’m sure, though some fade in and out of use and then back in again) but here are the ones that come to mind: Urban Decay Primer Potion (3 different versions), Rapture and Manic lipsticks (the old formula), and Aura Highlighter; MAC Painterly Paint Pot, Craving and Plumful lipsticks, MSF Natural and some of the MSF highlighters, Illusionary/Burning Ambition mineralized eyeshadow, Prep+Prime setting powders (loose and pressed) and Sweet Sentiment blush; Stila Starlight, Puppy and Wheat eyeshadows and Inglot 419, 422 and 349 (hope I go the numbers right) eyeshadows and last but certainly not least, Sephora Contour pencil liners.
BECCA Blushed Copper and Opal highlighters;
Maybelline Creamy Matte lipsticks;
NYX Butter Gloss;
IT Cosmetics CC+ (original formula);
Paula’s Choice antioxidant vitamin serum;
BITE Beauty lipsticks, especially Merengue & Glace;
MAC lipsticks;
Clinique Cheek Pop blushes;
ELF and Real Techniques brushes.
Oh, you have reminded me — I should have included Becca Backlight Priming Filter.
My oldest mainstay and biggest HG product is Clinique Brow Shaper in Charcoaled. I’ve been using it on a daily basis for more than 10 years. And I’ve only bought it a few times because it takes sooooo long to use up! (I use it in tandem with a pencil…right now my favorite is Dior Brow Styler, but I’ve only been using it for a month so far.)
Another mainstay is NARS Orgasm blush, which I’ve been using for many years. I used to use it every day, but now I switch it up with several others. I think I’m on my fourth one, and I just bought the giant size version, since I know this blush will always be a mainstay for me.
Estée Lauder Double Wear Makeup and NYX Proof It Waterproof Eyeshadow Primer are two products that I’ve only been using for a couple years, but I know they will become long-term mainstays.
MAC lipsticks in general are extremely long-term mainstays, going back further than any other product I use, but there is no one particular shade that I have stuck with. The only shades I remember running out of and replacing a couple times were Taupe and Jubilee, but I don’t have either of them anymore.
My biggest skincare mainstays are Clinique Mild Liquid Facial Soap and Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, which I’ve used for many, many years. But as I get older, my skin is getting more dry, so the other day I asked the Clinique SA about switching to the lotion version of their Dramatically Different Moisturizer, but she recommended Moisture Surge, since I’m prone to breakouts. I’m really liking it a lot so far. Could definitely become a future mainstay.
Christine, I’m not sure I remember how you like to use Reserve Your Cabana—as a natural highlight or sheer all-over luminizer?
Face: NYC Smooth Skin loose powder
Cheeks: Tarte Exposed blush, TheBalm Hot Mama blush, Essence Be My Highlight highlighter
Eyes: Wet n Wild Night Elf palette, TheBalm Mischievous Marissa eyeshadow, Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners, CoverGirl LashBlast Volume waterproof mascara
Lips: Revlon Lip Butter lipstick, MAC Cult of Cherry lipgloss
All over powder or underneath the eyes – usually under the eyes 🙂
My staples are surprisingly MAC products. I’ve noticed that the products I tend to repurchase are my Painterly Paint Pot, Blacktrack Fluidline, and Viva Glam IV lipstick. Other products that are becoming staples are Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder and Nars Laguna bronzer.
Urban Decay eyeshadow singles; Viseart eyeshadows; Chanel lipsticks in general (when looking for a new shade, I start there) and I’ve repurchased Desinvolte Coco Rouge Shine in particular; MJ highliners; Lancome Definicils mascara; Cle de Peau concealer; Laura Mercier foundation primers; NARS lipglosses.
Urban Decay shadows have been my go-to since before I wore makeup with any regularity.
This is a difficult one, as so many HG products have been discontinued, and/or reformulated… However, a few that come to mind, and are still around, are:
City Airspun Powder
L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara
Ben Nye Translucent Powder
Lancome Definicils Mascara
Revlon ColorStay Foundation
Lancome BiFacil Eye Makeup Remover
NARS Douceur Blush (I have 5 pans…)
L’Oreal eyeliner & lipstick, in general.
With the exception of NARS Douceur, these are all products I’ve been using for at least 20 years, and although I’ve “strayed” on occasion, I always go back…
Less than I thought orginally! Giorgio Armani Luminuous Silk, Mac Lipsticks (satin and matte) and BareMinerals Eyeshadows are my oldest mainstays.
Hourglass Diffused Light powder
Hourglass Diffused Heat blush
Hourglass Incandescent Strobe Light
Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Tulip
Milani eyeshadow base
Marc Jacobs Highliners
NARS Larger Than Life eyeliners
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner
YSL Parisienne
Interesting question!!
Benefit It’s real mascara
MAC MSFN and some eyeshadows
MAC lipsticks
Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation
BECCA OPAL
still looking for a holy grail peach blush :)))
Due to skin skin/eye sensitivities and allergies, once I find something I love that doesn’t overturn the apple cart, I tend to stick with it!
Some that I have kept restocking and will for as long as I possibly can, include:
Dr. Dennis Gross Ferulic Acid & Retinol eye serum, Origins Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream, Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel Cream, FAB Ultra Repair Pure Mineral Sunscreen Moisturizer spf 40, Ole Henrikson TRUTH Serum, Maybelline Full & Soft Waterproof Mascara and Fit Me Concealer, Sephora Contour Eye Pencils, MAC lipsticks, plus their permanent Pro pan eyeshadows and blushes, UD EVERYTHING (almost?), Pat McGrath LuxeTrance lipsticks, Lorac eyeshadow palettes (Pro and Unzipped formulas), Nyx Slim Lip Pencils and Proof It! WP Eyeshadow Primer, I’m on my 2nd bottle of Lancome Teint Idole 24H Foundation, so I’ll include that, too! Same for Fenty Universal Gloss Bomb! I will continue to buy Essence Satin Love should I ever run out. I’m absolutely miffed that ColourPop just DC’d Might Be highlighter, and it was OOS before I realized that it was DC’d!
Urban Decay Anti Aging Eyeshadow Primer
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners
Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Palette
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
MAC Velvet Teddy
I don’t have any. When I decided to go cruelty free, I found that all my mainstays were tested on animals. I haven’t been using anything long enough to decide I always will use it.
Mac Studio Fix foundation, Mac blushes, Clinique Cheek Pops, Mac lipstick in Mocha and Freckletone (d/c).
Stila Kitten
L’Oreal Voluminous
Armani setting powder
NARS Orgasm
Fresh Black Tea Age Delay Line
Sunday Riley products
Fresh’s lip balms
Olay Regenerist eye cream
Trilogy rosehip moisturiser
Wet N Wild Volume Max Waterproof mascara
Milani eye primer
Colourpop Lumiere lippie Stix (first thing I bought when they launched and I still use it and love it)
Wet N Wild Walking on Eggshells (OG)
She Nymph shimmer dust
Jack Black Pure Clean Daily Facial cleanser (great at removing makeup!)
Rosebud minted lip salve
MAC Studio fix fluid SPF15
Pampered Puss mineral foundation by Meow Cosmetics
Dior Diorific 013 (“Ange Bleu”)
Mac Cherry lip pencil
Black eyeliner from a dollar store (I’m rather bougie about my makeup, but I never found an eyeliner as good as this King of Cheapo)
These are my babies ♥ repurchased multiple times regardless of how sky-high my stash can get 😛
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua & blush, Burts Bees ultra conditioning balm, Urban Decay 27/7 eyeliner in perversion, Lancôme Drama mascara.
I’ve changed a lot of my makeup regulars over the last 5 years. This is due to changes in my skin, product improvements and more options being available, increased income, trying to stay mostly CF after brands started selling in China, or favorite products being discontinued. Of course, I’ve worn makeup for almost 38 years, so I’ve had many changes in routine and products regularly used.
*Physician’s Formula and Almay mascaras have been my main mascaras for ages. For a long time, they were the only two brands I wasn’t allergic to.
*BareMinerals Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF1 5 and Mineral Veil in Original. I used them everyday for 15+ years, and I still use them when it’s really hot out or my skin is having a super-oily day.
*BareMinerals Eye Colors. In the days before primers, they lasted the best. I still wear them pretty frequently.
*E.l.f. as a brand … I’ve been using their lipsticks and other products since they first debuted online in the early 2000s.
* Wet n Wild as a brand. I’ve also been using them since they first debuted in the 1980s.
*Blistex Medicated Lip Balm.
*Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
*Sonia Kashuk brushes.
Ah wet n wild in the 80s. I remember being 12 and 13 and going into our local dime store with my cousin to buy wet n wild. I think I first discovered it on vacation. I had everything they sold. It started with the glitter nail polish, then all the eyeshadow crayons and powder duos. The lipsticks, which were dry and generally darker than a tween should be using. How I loved it. It’s come a loooong way. Good memories!
For base, Paula long name tm; I put various foundation drops in it, more often than I use true foundation, and FAB triple duty eye remedy. For color, at 20-40, I had HGs, but there was not the explosion of products we have now. So, there are fave products that I get in suitable colors: Nars VLGs, Audacious, blush, and to a lesser extent lip color pencils and powermattes. Don’t particularly like any other Nars products. Other lip: Bite, Besame. Liners: UD, Sephora, and to a lesser extent, Stila. No fave shadow brand, just ho around, but I do have lots of Lorac and UD. To really answer the question, Nars blush is probably my oldest HG; addicted since the he began his line.
Cover Girl mascara, It cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Powder, Mac Fix Plus, Nuxe Lip Balm, Chanel Eyeshadow and Dior Eyeshadow .
Definitely Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (~8 years), Mac Pro Longwear Concealer (~6 years), Mac Teddy Eye Khol (~6 years) and Rimmel Stay Matte Powder (~5 years). I‘ve repurchased those products countless times and I don’t see myself giving them up any time soon!
Clinique quick liners
Laura Geller Balance n Brighten
Two Faced shadow insurance
Laura Geller french vanilla highlighter
Here are the mainstays in my beauty product list that I have faithfully used for the past 5-6 years:
Urban Decay Nakeds 1, 2 & Vice 2
Dior 3 Couleurs Khaki – which is olive brown, olive green and an antique gold
bareMinerals eyeshadows – I have several versions: a duo, a few quads and a couple of the 8 palettes – all great.
Milani Colour Statement lipsticks
EA lipsticks
Clarins Joli Rouge lipsticks
Natio blush/highlighter in Sunkissed
Physicians Formula Argan Oil
La Roche Posay’s Sunscreen 50+
Nude by Nature Primer and BB creame in porcelain
Rimmel mascara
I don’t use to same product for too long, esp. bases because my skin type changes depending on weather and whatever skin care routine I’m using currently. There was a point in time where I bought Maybelline’s dream smooth mousse nearly every month for over a year until it stopped applying and looking as great.
Products that I consistently repurchase currently include:
Wet n’ Wild’s creme brulee eyeshadow
Wet n’ Wild lipsticks
Bare Minerals Original Foundation
NYX butter glosses
I’ve used these for 4+ years and really like them! I might include Dior’s Airflash but it’s expensive and I probably won’t repurchase in the future.
I’ve tried and tried to get into makeup repeatedly over the last 20 years, and this time it’s finally stuck. There are only two products that I keep returning to (and I emigrated in that time. Neither are available in the UK, sob).
Maybelline Full and Soft mascara. I have fairly full lashes naturally, and a swipe or two of this (plus cleaning it up with a spoolie, it does clump) is “my lashes but better”. I very rarely want my lashes to be sky high, like falsies, etc.
Maybelline Unstoppable liner in Espresso and Onyx. When I first got them, thick black liner was in in a big way, and I built it up to that. Now, the fact that it doesn’t have immediate payoff is great: one layer gives a bit of shadow and definition to the waterline when something is needed but off white won’t do.
MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork is the only makeup item that qualifies; everything else has been forgotten, remembered, rotated, and replaced. Some of my makeup I can say I’ve used consistently for “years,” but “years upon years?” No.
Skincare-wise, Paula’s Choice AHA and BHA body lotions. I don’t know how long PC’s RESIST Super-Light Daily Wrinkle Defense has been out, but if it hasn’t reached the “years upon years” stage yet, it *will* — I’m going to put in my will that I want to buried with it. 🙂
Maybelline Fit Me foundation. This will always be in my collection until it’s discontinued. I use the Dewy one.
Wet n Wild Contour palette. They call it a palette but it has 2 shades, a nice brown contour and a yellow powder.
Milani Pink Frost lipstick. I know frost isn’t really a thing anymore, but it just looks so pretty, no matter how tan or pale I am. It just looks like it belongs there and feels so me when I wear it.
Nars Orgasm blush, although I have bought and used many dupes due to the price, and more importantly, the reversal in CF status. I’m not completely CF, as you can tell by the Maybelline, but a reversal in status at this late date leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Same story with Laguna bronzer. It’s amazing, but I dupe it whenever possible.