MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation was a go-to along with the MAC 187 brush to apply it (which I never reach for any more). I was also a big user of MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural back in the day!
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Have not touched my Kat Von D tattoo liner in forever! No regrets though
Hi Christine et, AL., along that line, for me it’s MAC Pro Longwear Foundation and a product I just pulled out today for a look and that I’m throwing away (even disinfected), Too Faced Natural Kiss Neutral Lip Color Collection palette. Ah yes, remember those Too Faced “natural” days! Boo hoo, it’s gone!
Oops I forgot a third one: ummm…a lip plumping balm that supposedly ALL the stars used, another one of my first “I’m-getting-into-makeup” products, Hollywood Lips Plumping Balm (remember that one!) 😉
Also MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation and NYX dark circle corrector. Both just kind of faded out of my life. Also, NYX’s CC Cream in Lavender was my FAVORITE thing ever. It was perfect for my super pale but olive skin. Sadly, it’s discontinued. I can’t seem to find a replacement.
Drugstore stick concealers! They were so terrible and the lightest shade was guaranteed to be substantially darker and too orange for my skin… I have no idea why I used to purchase them.
I used to use Bare Minerals mineral foundation nearly daily, but now I can’t remember the last time I used it. Certainly not all over my face! I think that’s largely due to my skin getting dryer over the years, though.
Those are the big two, I guess. In general also… I used to have to buy foundations that were too dark for me — I’d find a way to make it work (with pure white stage foundation mixed in), but shade ranges are finally edging out toward the lighter and darker ends of the spectrum.
Here are three face products I used exclusively for years, but I never use them at all anymore:
1) Revlon Colorstay Foundation—This was my one-and-only foundation from the mid-1990s until several years ago, and then I discovered the miracle of EL Double Wear. What a difference!
2) Colorstay Pressed Powder— This was my staple powder for years before I started using loose powder (LM Translucent and RCMA are my favorites), which I find is better in so many ways. But I also need a compact for my purse, so I use MAC Blot Powder, which is fantastic, though I wish it had a prettier name. And because I only use it for little touch-ups, one compact lasts a super long time.
3) Clinique Dramatically Different Gel Moisturizer—I used this both for day and night, but switched to Clinique Moisture Surge for night and Estée Lauder DayWear or CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion for day, which I’ve been using for a long time now. They work a lot better for my skin now.
Cover Girl pressed powder in high school. I went through so many of those!
Revlon Color Stay and Color Stay Lite foundations in my 20’s. I only wore foundation when I went out and these were the only ones that would stay put on my other oilier-than-humanly-possible skin.
I believe it was called Cover Girl Clean Foundation and pressed powder. It came with green packaging and was for oily skin (supposedly). Maybelline Age Rewind Neutralizer Concealer though I need to get back to using it!
I vividly recall the perfume in those. It was terrible.
The funny thing I kinda of love it though I know it’s not good for skin. Reminds me of my youth lol
Only one thing for me: Foundation. I was only into MAC Face and Body or Bare Minerals powder foundation. I still use the Bare Minerals once in a while but only if I apply concealer beforehand. Nowadays I prefer something that is medium to full coverage, like my beloved Lancome Teint Idole, which can be applied various ways for different degrees of coverage.
I was a faithful user of MAC pro longwear, Mac concealers and Clinique skincare. I ditched all of them and opted for Fenty complexion products & the Ordinary skincare. MAC recently, had a 25% off and I didn’t take advantage of it. I’m getting over MAC and the entire Estée Lauder brands. I still like their lipsticks and have a ton but I’ve finally acknowledge there just so many other fabulous brands.
I took advantage of the sale, but got products I’ve never used – like the lip mixes. Also got some eyeliners (Costa Riche and Smolder).
But I haven’t used MAC face products in a long time. Their blotting powder is pretty nice and the face powder I have I largely use for the mirror….
The face products are still some of the best. No offense but they blow Fenty and most brands out of the water. But I rather have tried and true over hyped up trendy these days. I didn’t take advantage of the MAC 25% only bc I have so much makeup and I’m only taking part in any sale if there is something I truly need. Even skipped on the ABH Brow Wiz for Ulta 21 Days bc I’m working through my MAC Veluxe Brow Pencil and have a ABH Brow Wiz still to open!
Lol…no offense taken. I’ve tried a lot of foundations because that’s my thing but always went back to MAC. I personally, like Fenty and at 42 I’m over trends and just happen to really enjoy that makeup line. Personally, Laura Mercier & Nars have better foundations then MAC which is why I wrote; I finally, admitted there are a lot of fabulous makeup brands.
Their blotting powder is good and I still have one that I use once in a while; however, I found a nice drugstore one that really performed well!
Inglot silicon clear face primer. I was told to use it to ensure a seamless foundation application and prevent oxidation. I stopped using it as I felt it was not making a huge difference in the look and my skin.
My skin still oxidizes when I use my foundation with/without primer and moisturizers.
There are alot of more “specific” products I’ve stopped using, but mainly because they’ve been DCd, or formulas/shades have been altered, so I’m going to with a more “general” list…
Concealer; I just don’t have any real need for it, so it ends up being an extra step, that I often forget about. I have several concealers, though, and have been trying to make an effort to use them.
Stick foundation; I’ve only liked 2 brands/formulas after trying several, but MAC DCd the Studio Stick, and Max Factor PanStik is too difficult to get in the US. I used panstik for years, and it was my HG; perfect shade match, plus I could customize coverage, and it stayed in place.
Full-coverage foundation; as with concealer, I don’t have a real need. That said, I still have a few, for the rare occasion I do want it, but I routinely sheer them out with oil, or mix in a sheer foundation.
Drug store stick concealers. They sucked as concealers, but I used them on my lips so my lipstick wouldn’t change color. Lipsticks used to turn hot pink or bright orange on me all the time. Now that’s rarely a problem.
BareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer, back when I wore their Original Foundation exclusively. It was the first face primer I’d ever seen or used. I still like it, but I found others I like.
Mary Kay Creme To Powder Foundation, in whatever the fairest shade was. This would have been in the late 90s-early 2000s. I had a friend who sold it. I switched to BareMinerals Original Foundation when it became available in my area.
Drugstore stick concealers are the worst! I think that may be where my aversion to concealer stems from… I did, however, use a white one for eyeshadow base, and a fair one under pale lipstick, as my lips are pretty pigmented.
I don’t really use a Beauty Blender anymore, other than that my holy grails haven’t changed much in the last 5 years. I do skew to lighter bronzers/blushes for a more natural look and less dramatic highlighters, though in the last several months.
1. Nars Sheer Glow Foundation, wasn’t sheer and wasn’t glowy. Shade range pulled way cool and way warm with little in between. I had to buy two shades to mix, Siberia and Mont Blanc and still didn’t get a great match.l
2. My Artis face brush. I am not sure why I stopped using it. It worked beautifully for me. I think it might have been when I started using the Chosungah foundation. It applied well with an air puff so didn’t use the Artis. I took it to Europe with me because I don’t really like travelling with a beauty blender. It just seems difficult with them being damp and then sticking them into something the BB won’t wick into, like a plastic bag, just wasn’t very sanitary. I picked up one of the carrying cases for it but still don’t love the idea. I ended up using my fingers mostly and didn’t wear makeup on travel days so didn’t use the Artis even once.
3. Smashbox Photo Finish primer. I can remember the day I first purchased this primer at an Ulta in Sacramento, CA. I was hooked. That super slick, soft, silicone feel was so satisfying. Also used Biosilk on my hair. Anyway, over time I moved on to other primers that I have liked better and just stopped using it. I eventually tossed it out. The other day my daughter was going through her makeup and getting rid of some things and came to me with a stick Smashbox PFP. I tried using it the other day and it does do a little something for the pores but don’t really want to get so heavily back onto the silicone train when covering such a large area of my face.
NARS has the worst range for base products, LOL! I’m a “mix” of Siberia & Deauville, and like you, it’s still not a great match… Everything is either pink, peach, or yellow…
I used to use the Clinique 3 step before I knew that the toner has denatured alcohol in it and dried out my skin, and the soap also was very stripping. Now the only skincare I use from them is the overnight mask; Stratia Liquid Gold and LRP hydrating gentle cleanser works much better for me.
Mac prolonger concealer, I used to use it all over my face to cover acne, but after a year I realized that both nc15 and nw15 were too dark, so I stoped using it and switched to a foundation.
There was a time when I loved mac Plumful and Syrup lipsticks, now I mainly use matte nude lipsticks, so those are no longer in my daily makeup collection. And finally, I loved the black Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner and I’m still sad that I can’t use it anymore because it makes my eyes puffy and itchy.
I tend to use more face products now than what I did years ago – primer, sunscreen and daily moisturisers, and of course, a better foundation.
I did use Revlon’s Colourstay foundation for a long while, although it wasn’t the right shade for me.
I’ve always used blush – but again, now, I use a better quality blush and one that actually suits my complexion.
And Colour Stay pressed powders – again, not the right shade either.
Makeup Firecer HD foundation. Oh boy-I loved it so much but somewhere down the line they changed the formula and it stopped working for me!
Then there was She-laq by Benefit. I freaking lived for that stuff! Not only did it keep liner and mascara in place, but—-I would apply it to my crows feet and it was like an instant eye lift. And I’ve never forgiven Benefit either!
Lastly—years ago-and I mean years because I’m old AF, Revlon had this blush stick/highlighter in one! It was incredible! I wish the brand would bring it back!!
Some now discontinued Chanel skincare products. They were the bomb back in the day. Sadly the reformulated doesn’t even stand up.
Cle de Peau Silky Cream foundation- Still gorgeous despite reformulation but I switched to IT Cosmetics CC cream due to its higher spf for daily use.
Cle de Peau stick concealer- Switched to IT Bye Bye Undereye concealer as it is fuller coverage and more emollient than the CdP stick concealer.
Artis brushes- why did I buy these overpriced gimmicky things? Yes, they work but the cheapie dupes work just as well.
1) MAC Spice lip Pencil – They changed the color to a more orangey hue. Thanks to KJ Bennett he provided an identical dupe for the original spice color. It’s NARS Lip Liner Pencil in Borneo. It used be sold at Sephora, but now there are only five shades left of this formula it’s just being sold on the NARS site until they are gone.
2) Laura Mercier Primer – I need a pore filler now.
3) MAC Plumful Lipstick – I wore this all the time with dervish liner. I just don’t reach for it anymore.
I was really into Make Up For Ever for their complexion products when I first got into makeup. This was partly because they were one of the only brands carrying my shade (I’m NW10 in MAC, finding foundations light enough used to be hard). I went through I don’t know how many bottles of their former HD foundation and translucent powder, as well as their pink radiance primer. I even found a (probably long expired) full unopened bottle while cleaning up my makeup stash the other day…
I used to pretty much use Mac products exclusively. Now I only really use their lipsticks and blush. I still have a love for these two categories. I may occasionally use an eye shadow but I think I have much better shadow formulas in my stash now and go for those over the few Mac singles I have left.