Guerlain Parure Gold (discontinued), MAC Volcanic Ash (mask, just not my go-to any more), Urban Decay Naked Loose Powder (back to Laura Mercier these days).
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Smashbox Foundation Primer, I go for a more glowy hydrated look, which ironically makes my skin less oily than it was when I tried to suck all the moisture out of it. I have a travel-sized version of the pore minimizing one from my mom that I’m trying to get through then I’ll be free.
Benefit Oxygen Wow foundation, or whatever it’s called. I have found foundations that I like better, when I wear it at all. I recently got a sample at Ulta so I might give it another go, but it probably won’t make a return.
Dolce and Gabbana pressed powder foundation, another item my mom passed down to me. It wasn’t ever her color, and it eventually wasn’t my color anymore either (embraced that full extent of my paleness). Plus it was like 5 years old so I tossed it and bought the Too Faced Cocoa Powder Foundation, which I love ever so much more.
Kevyn Aucoin Medium The Sculpting Powder – I tried contouring but never took to it. I figure I’ll re-purpose it for eye contouring.
MAC Mineralize Moisture Foundation – When I got back into make up about 5 years ago, this was my first foundation I bought, and my first liquid foundation in over 20 years. I still love it, just don’t reach for it much anymore. I like a fuller coverage and a less dewy finish. I don’t think I’ll re-purchase when I run out this summer.
Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment Illuminizer – This was my very first illuminating primer. I loved this when I first bought it and still do. I keep getting deluxe samples of highlighting primers (beauty box subscriptons or gwp) and I’ve been working my way through those.
Used to use Revlon Colorstay Foundation bottle after bottle for almost 2 decades, then switched over to MAC Pro Longwear, now attempting to find something that can cover and wear just as well, but without the dry flat matte finish.
True cream blushes that don’t dry down and set their finish! Not in this climate.
Last of all, I have more of a “branched out” category. I literally used to wear just one of two blushes, now I own quite a few different shades instead of just 1 pinky-coral and 1 plummy-pink!
Estee Lauder Cyberwhite BB Cream (this gave me SUCH a bad pink-white cast! I can’t believe I wore it all throughout the start of uni…), Revlon Photoready Pressed Powder Compact Foundation (it was ok, but I’m too dehydrated nowadays to fuss with pressed powder) and some acne treatment stick concealer that didn’t really hide much or reduce my acne.
Products I have used, but have not repurchased in more than 4 years:
La Mer Cream and Serum (both are great, just not my favorites)
Anything by Bare Escentuals, Benefit, Smashbox, Stila, MAC, Laura Geller, Too Faced or It Cosmetics. (I’ve just moved on, I suppose.)
Peachy pink blushes in general. I am more interested in nude blushes right now!
Face primers not eyeshadow primers. I swear by eyeshadow primers! Face primers just don’t work for me nor do they make my makeup last. Effects are minimal. They don’t combat oil or make my makeup last longer. My skin looks better and my makeup lasts longer without it! I’ve tried tons. Inexpensive and expensive ones. Silcone based ones and non silicone based ones. I just give up on them!
Contour products for the face. Yes I use crease colors for eyeshadow but I’m talking sculpting the nose, cheeks and chin with contour powder. I don’t need it nor do I want to be bothered with it. Just seems like an unnecessary step. Over it!
Years ago I was all about Nars. Foundation, blush, bronzer, concealer. Not so much anymore.
Nars Foundation in Barcelona — pulls too yellow on me, and I could never find a decent match.
Nars Laguna Bronzer — HG for many, looks like mud on my face.
Nars Blush in Lovejoy. Nars makes a good blush no doubt, but there are many other options out there.
NARS blushes. – moved on
MUFE HD foundation – far too drying for me now
Stick foundations – transfer issues, takes more time to apply, skin on my nose and chin eats them up even though I’m not oily. can easily overdo. Definitely not my formulation of choice.
TheBalm Time Balm primer – I don’t really care for super siliconey primers anymore.
Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet foundation – Not sure I liked it all that much even when I used it a lot back in the day!
Shiseido powder foundation – this was all I used on my face in high school but I definitely don’t use it anymore. I feel like it always made my face & neck smell like latex (similar to my experience with Revlon ColorStay liquid foundation).
1. All of my peachy to orange blush color. I’m more to rosy cheeks now. Sometimes I pulled red cheeks, made me looks fresh & younger..
2. Revlon touch n glow loose powder. Goshh I have this powder like more than 10years! I bought it when I was 16 (now I’m 29..) and this powder never run out! Actually I just forgot that I have this. I will try to use again.. 🙂
3. Korean bb creams. I have 3 tubes. 1nearly empty, 2 half full, and 1 bb cushion. They’re ashy toned. Made me look sick. Now I use MUFE pro finish powder over my spf or their ultra hd liquid.
Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer, PUR Minerals powder foundation (I think it was called “4-in-1), MAC Desert Rose blush.
BareMinerals All-Over Face Color in Rose Radiance. I’ve switched to more pigmented blushes and highlighters instead of using this for both. It was the only blush product I used for years and years.
CoverGirl Cheekers blushes. I wore them all the time in high school and college, then switched to BareMinerals Rose Radiance because it was natural looking and quick, and lasted better on my oily skin.
BareMinerals Prime Timer face primer. Primers are more common now than when it first came out, and there are less expensive options such as Nyx and e.l.f.
1. Revlon Color Stay foundation. It gave me cake face but everyone kept saying how good it was so I kept wearing it!!
2. Nars Sheer Glow foundation. I started using this after I gave up on the Revlon and the color match was okay but it was very matte and not sheer at all. I used it for several years, again because it always looked amazing on YT gurus. I have pretty much accepted that I have to mix foundations in order to get exactly what I want and have found several combinations that I really like. Here is hoping they don’t stop making one of the components, LOL.
3. It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination. See all of the above for why I stopped.
Seems I have a trend here. Difficulty finding the right foundation and without a good base everything else looks terrible.
I used the bare minerals powder foundation for 11 years straight then just took a break and I’ve been using various liquid foundations for 4-5 yrs now.
Concealer-shows too many lines now, powder foundation – sets in lines and creamy blush – doesn’t stay on, even with setting spray as well as powder for me.
Bare Minerals foundation, mineral veil, clear radiance. I’ve moved on to better brands.
I stopped using powder blush and switched to cream. It doesn’t last as long but it looks so much better on my aged skin that it is worth reapplying. I also switched to bright colors, like red and coral, from more subdued ones. The subdued colors always seemed to make the circles under my eyes more prominent.
NARS Orgasm blush – there are so many dupes for less $ nowadays.
Scott Barnes Diamond Dust loose face powder – discontinued but holy cripes, this was good. I am still hoarding a jar for special occasions though 😉
Anything from Physicians Formula – they’re just not that great. Cute imprints, but bulky packaging and nothing super special inside.
The Bare Minerals Original powder foundation and their Bareskin. Had a ton of their eyeshadows, blushes and radiances. My favorite blush was Fruit Cocktail. Gradually, after trying other products, started to see how short period of time they lasted on the skin.
bareMinerals original loose foundation (it doesn’t provide enough coverage for my current acne scars), elf hydrating primer (it took me weeks to realize it breaks me out lol), and some too-orange Ulta brand bronzer (the only bronzer I owned for several months).
Revlon foundations – they had yellow undertones and it never really worked on me
Drugstore blushes – dry as dust and would fade very quickly
Contouring products – the fad didn’t really suit me at all.
NARS Deep Throat blush, – I hit pan on it and it used to be my only blush. But now I own so many and Iv found ones I like more!
Loreal pro matte foundation – i finished a fully tube of this foundation last summer. But now I think the shade is too peachy, and it makes me greasy, faster than other foundations.
Mac studio finish concealer – too thick and heavy for what I need now. I used to use it when I had bad acne, but now that my skin is clear and even I need a different kind of concealer!
MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation
MAC powder blush in Dame
PX Magic Loose Powder for subtle highlight (I may go back to that one since
it’s now available again)
Bare minerals loose foundation, powders & mineral veil. My skin has changed dramatically & I think their products have changed over the years too. I need fuller coverage & more moisture so I’ve moved on. The blushes never lasted more than a couple hours anyway.
Mac Studio Fix powder
Benefit Coralista blush
Benefit Sun Bean
DHC Velvet Skin primer. It was the first face primer I ever tried and remember being amazed at how much better and smoother my skin looked. Back then I even wore it without any kind of base product. There wasn’t anything wrong with it but I had just discovered primers and there were so many others I wanted to try.
Clinique blush in plum, I think. Years and years ago I tried one a friend of mine had and then just went and bought the same one. I don’t think I even looked at any other shades and I probably purchased 3 or 4 before I could no longer find it in plum because it had been discontinued. I remember the salesperson talking me into the shade Tawny which I must not have liked as much because it was the last Clinique blush I bought for over a decade, until the Blush Pops came along.
Aveeno tinted moisturizer. I went through bottle after bottle then discovered Sephora and found that lots of other brands made tinted moisturizers, BB and CC creams, and sheer foundations, they are still my favorite types of bases to wear.
I doubt I’ll ever try another facial primer again have tried a few times but get these teeny bumps on lower cheeks and beck. Eye primer yes but ocassionalky on for somexespecial event not daily. Elf powder blushes find them too dry, baked blushes maybe? Maybe not? I love the Milani ones but rather use blush and highliter separate for a more natural look if I don’t want the shine in the daytime but I do like them though.
Mary Kay Luminous Foundation, Mary Kay Loose Powder, Coty Airspun Loose Powder. I’ve moved in to other things. I realize now the foundation was too yellow, and my skin has become too dry for the Airspun powder.
Bareminerals concealer (It was good for my 16-year-old fresh skin but could not combat my rampant eczema)
MUFE translucent pressed powder (I wanted to try out a few different powders to see what I liked best, I’m returning to this soon)
Nyx Gold Liquid Highlighter whose name I’ve forgotten (I just realized it was too dark for me and it was a sad moment)
Foundation of all kinds. I hate how it feels. Being over 40, I now much prefer Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer.
1) Armani Luminous Silk: Too expensive to use all the time and my skin is a little to pale now for the lightest shade.
2) Armani Face Fabric: Too silicone heavy
3) NARS Orgasm: I have it and use it still just not as often as I used to.