Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink – This was a beautiful blush that had the perfect amount of pink and shimmer.
Repurchase? Absolutely! I would also try other shades.
Sephora The Cleanse: Daily Brush Cleaner – I bought my first bottle of this years ago and it took me a while to finish it. It was probably expired by the time I finished it, to be honest. It had a pleasant smell when I first bought it, but they’ve since changed the scent of it. It smells more like chemicals which I don’t like. Although it does clean brushes well (for a quick clean).
Repurchase? No.
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Self-Setting Concealer in 21 Cinnamon – I really enjoyed this concealer. I bought it last year during the Sephora sale, so as you can see, I used it up pretty quickly. It looked really nice on the skin.
Repurchase? Yes.
Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Long Wear Foundation Stick SPF21 in 260 Bisque N – I decided to declutter this because I’ve had it for a while. I peeled off the sticker on it and it said it expired in 2018 which was when I bought it! I liked it, but I think I actually prefer the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick. I liked this one better than the Hourglass Vanish Stick though. The Hourglass was just too full coverage for me (even using it sparingly).
Repurchase? Maybe.
1 newbie, 1 empty
Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème – I just featured this in my monthly favourites post. I really liked this eye cream. I don’t have dark circles, so I don’t know if it helps with that, but my under eyes felt moisturized and smooth. No reactions to it at all! I have heard that people have used it for a few months and all of a sudden, they had a terrible allergic reaction to it. Their eyes would get puffy and red 🙁
Repurchase? Sadly, no. If it causes reactions after using it for a while, I don’t want to repurchase.
Rael Miracle Patches (read my review) – Love these hydrocolloid patches!
Good Molecules Pure Cold-Pressed Rosehip Seed Oil* – I love a good facial oil! This one and their Ultra Hydrating Facial Oil are great. I love that they aren’t fragranced.
Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème – I really liked this eye cream. While I didn’t love the scent of it in the beginning, I got used to it. It wasn’t greasy and didn’t feel too heavy. It was perfect for my under eyes.
I was just informed that this eye cream has caused some bad reactions for people who have been using it for a long period of time. I only had a mini that lasted about 2 months. Check out this post on Instagram.
Good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer* – I’m currently loving this moisturizer. It’s silicone-free, fragrance free and alcohol free! After having to declutter (give to my mom) the Touch in Sol No Poreblem Primer, I needed a new smoothing primer to replace it. The No Poreblem Primer blurred my skin and made my makeup look good, but whenever I used it, I would breakout. I have been using the priming moisturizer for a few weeks now and my makeup layers beautifully on top of it. Will definitely purchase once I finish this bottle that they gifted me.
Today, I’m sharing my 20 most expensive beauty purchases. I wore makeup in high school, but I just wore eyeliner and a dab of concealer if needed. I thought foundation was unnecessary for some reason. My face was relatively clear, I would get breakouts every now and then, but nothing unmanageable. I started wearing foundation in university. Also, I would just use the same moisturizer my mom used…Complex Moisturizer from the drugstore. It wasn’t until a few years ago that we both decided to upgrade from that. Since I started blogging, I’ve tried a lot more makeup and skincare, but I’ve still only scratched the surface. I’ve tried a few higher end products which are on the list. Keep reading to find out if all 20 were worth it!
Sigma Essential Brush Kit (12 brushes) – $99 from Winners
Tula Illuminating Face Serum – $88.30 (15% off)
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation Kit – $83 from Sephora (included full-sized foundation, primer and a foundation brush)
Tory Burch Eau de Parfum kit – $80 from Mac Warehouse Sale (included a full-sized perfume, a mini perfume and a full-sized hand lotion)
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel – $73.95 (15% off)
Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia Eau de Parfum – $69
Tarte Maracuja Oil (supersize) – $66 (25% off)
Sephora Flatter Yourself Contour Brush Set – $60 (includes 3 brushes – angled blush, duo fiber, buffing)
Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer (Redness Correcting) – $45
Lancôme Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation SPF23 – $45
Sephora PRO Featherweight Powder Brush #91 – $45.05 (15% off)
I don’t know why I was so dumb before, but several items on this list were purchased at full price when I could’ve waited until the Sephora sale. Now I know better!
Sigma Essential Brush Kit – This is a great brush kit. I’m glad I was able to find it at Winners for $99.
Worth it? Yes!
Tula Illuminating Face Serum (read my review) – This was one of my favourite serums, but Tula no longer sells to Canada.
Worth it? Yes!
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation Kit – This was a beautiful foundation, but I still haven’t found my shade even though there are 40+. This is where I first tried the smoothing primer which I love and there brush is nice and soft.
Worth it? Yes.
Tory Burch Eau de Parfum kit – I love this perfume. I would’ve paid $80 or more just for the perfume.
Worth it? Yes!
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel – I haven’t used this as an everyday cleanser, but it’s nothing SPECIAL.
Worth it? No.
Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia Eau de Parfum – Loved this perfume! It’s so much more expensive now though and the bottle is different. I don’t know if that means the formula has also changed.
Worth it? Yes.
Tarte Maracuja Oil (supersize) – I bought this during a Black Friday sale so instead of $88, it was $66 for the supersize bottle which is twice the size of the regular one.
Worth it? Yes!
Sephora Flatter Yourself Contour Brush Set – Sephora Collection brushes are okay, I’ve since bought a Sephora PRO brush which isn’t the same as any of the three brushes in this set, but it’s so much softer.
Worth it? I would pass on this one.
Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in #7 – I was buying my mom the Luminous Silk Powder Foundation and wanted to try the fluid sheer. It’s beautiful and looks great under foundation, mixed with foundation or on top of foundation. I have a shade that’s kind of pinky and it wasn’t the one I wanted originally, but it was all they had in stock. It’s beautiful though.
Worth it? Yes! Would definitely try other shades.
Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact – This is a face powder, but I use it as more of a highlight. Although it would be beautiful as a face powder for that glowy/dewy luminous look.
Worth it? Yes.
Clé de Peau Stick Concealer – This stick concealer isn’t as emollient as other sticks I’ve tried. I don’t know if it’s dried out because I bought it from the Warehouse sale, but it definitely wouldn’t be worth the full price at $93.
Worth it? No.
Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado – My under eyes had a reaction to this eye cream. I had to give it to my sister.
Worth it? No.
Dior BACKSTAGE Face & Body Foundation (read my review) – While this was a beautiful finish and looked very natural, it didn’t last very long on my skin. Dior foundations are also very fragranced. I gave this to my friend.
Worth it? Not for me.
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder – This powder is a very finely milled pressed powder. It’s beautiful on the skin, but can look cakey if you apply too much. It also pans really quickly and there’s only 3 shades available. The medium one is the shade that I bought and it’s too orange for me.
Worth it? Not for me.
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer – Beautiful tinted moisturizer!
Worth it? Yes.
Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Longwear Foundation Stick SPF21 – I really like this foundation stick.
Worth it? Yes.
Laneige Water Bank Serum – I originally loved this, but after using it for a month or so, my skin started having a reaction. This is also very scented. Ended up giving this to my sister as well.
Worth it? Not for me.
Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer (Redness Correcting) – I love the Smoothing primer from Make Up For Ever, but this redness correcting one didn’t do a lot. If you want to colour correct, use a colour correcting concealer.
Worth it? No.
Lancôme Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation SPF23 (read my review) – The shade range of this foundation is crap, but it’s a beautiful foundation/tinted moisturizer. I would definitely repurchase if they came out with more shades because the one I had wasn’t quite right and the shades above are too dark.
Worth it? Yes.
Sephora PRO Featherweight Powder Brush – According to the reviews on Sephora, this is called the ‘bunny punch’ because it’s so soft and fluffy. I really like this brush. Although it’s a little top heavy, it’s nice for setting.
Worth it? Yes.
As you can see, most of the purchases WERE worth it. Unfortunately some of them didn’t work out for me.
What expensive makeup and skincare products have you purchased?
I think I started wearing perfume in high school. I never really wore perfume on an everyday basis until university. Whenever I leave the house, I spray on perfume unless I’m going to be somewhere like the movie theatre where I’m in close proximity to other people for long periods of time. I usually only do one spray and it’s enough for me.
This is a longer post with three parts so you can scroll down to the parts you want to read:
List of Fragrances and their fragrance families
My opinions on the perfumes
Descriptions of the main accords and notes of each perfume
These are all of the perfumes I’ve had over the years (in order):
The Body Shop White Musk
Floral, Sensual
Banana Republic Classic Eau de Toilette (unisex)
Citrus, Floral
Victoria’s Secret Forever PINK Sparkling Apple and Water Lily Body Mist
Fruity
Ralph Lauren RALPH Eau de Toilette
Floral, Fruity
Lady Gaga Fame Rollerball
Floral, Sensual
Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia Eau de Parfum
Fresh, Floral, Aquatic
Tory Burch Original Eau de Parfum
Fresh, Floral, Citrus
Dolce & Gabbana 3 L’Imperatrice
Fruity, Aquatic
Please excuse this super grainy photo. It was taken with an old camera phone.
For the Banana Republic Classic Eau de Toilette, I really liked the scent of this in-store, but then it smelled different when I brought it home and I ended up decluttering it after using it a couple of times.
RALPH by Ralph Lauren was a really nice scent, but I got tired of it after a while and that’s why I picked up the VS Body Mist. The body mist was a favourite of mine even though it was a cheap body mist that I bought 2 for $25. I had this other body mist that was okay, but I don’t consider it a favourite of my collection.
The Lady Gaga Fame Rollerball was gifted to me for my birthday. I thought it was really cool that the liquid was black (which wasn’t black once you sprayed/rolled it on). I liked the spiciness of it and only wore it when I went clubbing.
The Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia is still a favourite of mine, but I had it for 4 years and it was time for a change. It has an aquatic scent, so I only wore it in the spring and summer. It felt weird to use in the winter time which is why I bought the Tory Burch one.
Tory Burch is sophisticated, but still youthful. It’s not like Chanel No. 5 where it smells like a rich, older lady (no offense if you’re younger and you like it). I bought the Tory Burch perfume at the Mac Warehouse Sale in a set that came with a mini and a body lotion which I gave to my grandma. Before the sale, I researched which perfume brands were owned by Estee Lauder. I went to Hudson’s Bay to smell the different perfumes from Tory Burch, Estee Lauder, DKNY, Clinique, etc. and chose the original Tory Burch scent. Luckily for me, they had it at the sale and I bought it.
While I was looking for perfumes (before buying Acqua di Gioia), I got different samples at Sephora. I liked the Dolce & Gabbana 3 L’Imperatrice one, but it was an Eau de Toilette and I didn’t want to spend over $100 on it. Last year, when I was at the Shiseido Warehouse Sale, I saw a smaller bottle on sale and I decided to get it.
Surprisingly, I’ve never finished a bottle of perfume. From university to present day, I’ve always had more than 1 perfume. I’ve had a few perfumes for more than a few years and I stop using them once they smell different. I still have Fame and Acqua di Gioia, but I only use them for display now.
On me, all of the perfumes are long-wearing. Sometimes I even smell the perfumes AFTER I’ve showered.
I found descriptions of most of the perfumes’ notes on fragrantica. I am not associated with fragrantica in any way, it was just a website that had all of the perfumes and I wanted to keep the structure of the descriptions the same. People vote on what they smell in the Perfume Pyramid (top notes, middle notes and base notes). I am terrible at identifying scents unless it’s something really obvious like rose. So all of the descriptions are from the website.
I bought my bottle a long time ago. The new one looks different and I don’t know if the scent has changed at all. I would describe the one I have as aquatic and fresh.
Main Accords: green, citrus, aromatic, fresh, white floral, fresh spicy
Top Notes: Amalfi lemon, mint
Middle Notes: jasmine, pink pepper, peony
Base Notes: French labdanum, Virginia cedar, brown sugar
Main Accords : ozonic, aquatic, fruity, sweet, sour
Top Notes: pink pepper, kiwi, rhubarb
Middle Notes: jasmine, cyclamen, watermelon
Base Notes: musk, sandalwood, lemon tree
If you’re still here, thanks for reading!!
Based on a roundup of all of the signature scents, I seem to gravitate toward fragrances with citrus, musk, pink pepper, jasmine, sandalwood and vetiver.
This best-selling body gel contains Rosemary, Black Pepper, Lavender and Ginger essential oils. After a long day at work, or an intense workout, give your aching muscles the love they need. De-Stress Body Gel instantly cools aches and pains, then warms muscles over time leaving them feeling soothed.
Apply generously and massage directly over muscles and joints before and after physical activity. Use up to twice daily. Can be used in flight to maintain circulation in ankles and legs. For optimum results follow with De-Stress Body Oil to give your body some extra TLC. TOP TIP: If you suffer with tension headaches, apply muscle gel to the back of your neck whilst at work, or on the go.
I’ve used it a few times now and it’s really good. Usually I use something like Voltaren on my sore muscles. My arm was sore and throbbing one day, so I applied it and it has this cool feeling. At some point in the next couple hours the throbbing stopped. It still stinks like any muscle gel (I smell the rosemary and black pepper the most I think), but it works!! Luckily, the scent doesn’t linger. You can still smell it if you sniff your arm or wherever you applied it, but you can’t smell it from a distance. I probably wouldn’t use it on a flight. I wouldn’t want to be THAT person on the airplane.
RATING: 4/5
It’s great, but it is on the more expensive side.
If you would like to make a purchase on Calissa.com, use code 10FRIENDSOFCALISSA to get 10% off! (This is not an affiliate code, just a code for you to get a discount!)
Today, I’m writing about backups. Do you buy backups of your makeup and skincare products or do you buy them as you need them?
Before I get started, I’m only talking about makeup and skincare (doesn’t include makeup tools). Only things that have an expiration date.
I consider a ‘backup’ as buying multiples of the same exact item in the same shade at once – 1 to use now, others to keep in your drawer for when you run out.
I don’t consider a ‘backup’ as:
a similar item in the same category – having concealers from different brands. I have 5 concealers, but they all have different formulas and/or purposes (under eye, spot conceal)
having another of the same item in a different shade – maybe you need two shades to match your skin tone
having another for your makeup bag/purse – You have a pressed powder for your vanity and an identical one for your purse
buying a new one when you’re almost finished – I consider this a ‘replacement’
Backup vs. Replacement
Backup – I have 1 NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in use and 2 others in the same shade in my makeup drawer for when I run out
Replacement – I’m almost finished my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, I will buy another Radiant Creamy Concealer OR I will buy a different concealer to replace it (i.e. Too Faced Born This Way)
I asked my followers on Instagram if they buy backups and the results were interesting. Last year, I had asked the same question and 60% said they didn’t buy backups, but the other day when I gave my definition, the majority DO buy backups.
52% said they DO buy backups
I am in the 48% minority and I DON’T usually buy backups. There were a few occasions where I did buy a backup of something:
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser from Costco – my mom bought so many of these because she once bought a value-size Garnier Micellar Water from Costco and then never saw it again. Just in case it happened again to the Cetaphil cleanser, she bought multiples. We both use it and sometimes I use it for my body, so we go through them fairly quickly
2-pack of Bioderma Micellar Water – it was cheaper to buy the 2-pack
Last year, there was a 50% off sale on Smashbox.ca for the Primer Water, so I ordered 3 bottles because I got an additional 15% off my first order (a total of 65% off + Rakuten cashback!)
L’Oréal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive Nude Lip Color in 370 J Lo’s Nude
Tula, a skincare brand that I really liked, decided to stop selling to Canada. I didn’t know this until it was too late. I had bought 2 backups of their Acne gel because it was sold out so often. I’m sad I didn’t get a chance to replace my serum.
Some people are tempted to buy multiples of a Limited Edition item. When it first came out, I really loved the L’Oréal lipstick shade. I bought another because I thought it was limited edition. After being on the shelves for a year, I realized it was not. I have since finished both tubes and while I loved the shade, I don’t love the scent of L’Oréal lipsticks. I’ve since found another item that I love more – Lancôme L’Absolu Lacquer Lip Gloss (read my review).
I only buy replacements when 1) I know that I will be finishing the item soon or 2) there is a sale and I know I will finish before the next sale comes around. I rarely buy the exact item again, for example, I was nearly finished my Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil when the Sephora VIB Sale came around last year. So, I bought the Kevyn Aucoin The Precision Brow Pencil to replace it. I loved the Benefit brow pencil, but I want to try different pencils to see if there’s one I love more.
The reason I usually don’t buy backups:
It’s easy to forget what you have when it’s tucked away in a drawer
I’m worried they will expire before I get around to it
I want to try different products
They take up space in your drawers/shelves
I don’t love anything so much that I need to have 2 or more in my collection
I think that buying backups traps you because you might want to try a new product that just launched, but you’ve got 3 backups of that one product.
Do you buy backups?
Love,
Note: The majority of the items pictured are empties. The duplicates and triplicates were purchased as replacements.
I thought I would do an update on my makeup collection. I’ve gotten my inventory down to a reasonable number. I think it’s reasonable enough that I don’t feel the need to participate in a Project Pan or 20 in 2020 challenge. I’ve also decided not to do a Low/No Buy this year because I think I can control myself now. I don’t really get swept up in new makeup releases. I might get samples at Sephora, but I don’t feel the need to buy the newest product until I’ve read or watched reviews.
In 2017 and 2018, I bought a bunch of products from Winners and the Mac Warehouse Sale. I didn’t even do full reviews on most of the items because they were old or discontinued. I did do quick reviews on some makeup items in my mid-year makeup inventory:
My plan is to get my collection down to 50 items by the end of the year. It’s shocking to think that I once had 340 makeup items (this number includes individual eyeshadows). It’s even more alarming to think that I paid for most of those items too. While I have been lucky enough to be sent products over the years, I’m sent more skincare products than makeup. Most of those items were impulse purchases because they were on sale or a good deal.
I thought I would write a GOALS post to start the year off. I’m not going to call them Resolutions because I always fail to keep Resolutions but here are some goals I hope to accomplish in 2020:
Exercise!
Eat healthier/try to eat vegetarian 2-3 times a week
Streamline my makeup collection to 50 products or less
Here are some things I hope to continue doing:
Drinking lots of water throughout the day
Eating/drink less sugar products (I used to drink quite a bit of juice and pop. Now I only drink it every now and then)
No milk or cheese (my face has cleared up a lot since I stopped eating cheese and drinking milk). I still eat products that contain dairy, but cutting down on cheese and milk has improved my skin
Bullet journalling
Keeping a skincare journal to figure out what products work for me
