Today, I’m reviewing my beauty expenses for 2023 and 2024. It’s already mid-November, I didn’t buy anything from the recent Sephora sale. I don’t think I plan to buy anything beauty-related for the rest of the year. If I do, I’ll update the graphs and table.
The Laura Mercier concealer was a repurchase. It’s great for covering up blemishes. I didn’t care for the Peace Out Acne Healing Dots. I prefer the Rael patches (see my pimple patch comparison post). The Kiehl’s cleanser is a nice cleanser, but I don’t know if it does anything special. I just got it to top up my order for free shipping.
2024 Top 3 Most Expensive Purchases
Dear, Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream – $37
Takuminowaza Japan High Class Stainless Steel Nail Clippers G-1114 – $27
Isntree Onion Newpair Sunscreen – $23
I haven’t tried the Dear, Klairs cream or the Isntree sunscreen. I know I really like the Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel, so I thought I’d try the Onion Newpair sunscreen. I’m still using the Hyaluronic Acid one. The Takuminowaza nail clippers are nice. I heard about them from my sister who mentioned that they’re in a reddit thread called BuyItForLife (For practical, durable and quality made products that are made to last). I decided to try them and they’re so much quieter than the other ones I have because they’re sharper. They’re big and you barely need any pressure to squeeze the clippers to trim your nails.
Today, I’m sharing what I got from Black Friday and Holiday sales! In the past two years, it seems like I do the most damage in October and November because I just can’t resist a Black Friday sale!
I’m not going to put the prices up because I’d rather not see the grand total of what I spent during the sales, but I will include the discount.
Sephora – 20% off
First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub with 10% AHA
bareMinerals Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF15 in Light
Shiseido – 30% off when you spend $200
Eyelash Curler (comes with replacement pad)
2 x Eyelash Curler Pads (2 replacement pads per pack, so I got 4 in total lol)
Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer in 202 Light
Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer in 203 Light
Overnight Wrinkle Resisting Cream (for my mom)
Kiehl’s – 25% off
Centella Sensitive Facial Cleanser
2 x Ultimate Strength Hand Salve
Bottom left is Blondo, middle is Skechers
Mejuri – 20% off when you spend $150 (I believe this is the only sale they have throughout the year)
Twist Ring in 14k White Gold
2x Single Mini Hoop in 14k White Gold
Last year, I bought the Single Mini Hoops and I’ve been wearing them ever since. I decided to get 2 more for my second piercings. To bump it up to $150, I also got the Twist ring. Last year, I got the Braided ring. I haven’t worn it much though, because it looked a bit plain on its own. So now I have the twist one to stack. Their diamond huggies are super cute too.
Old Navy – 50% off code for being a Navyist Rewards Member
Dynamic Fleece Pullover Hoodie in Icelandic Mineral
Vintage Long-Sleeve Sweatshirt in Inkwell
Printed Flannel Pajama Pants in Red Fair Isle
La Vie En Rose – 2 for 1
Soft plush Robe in Lilac Cloud
Soft Plush Robe in Black Buffalo Plaid
Naturalizer – 30% off
Blondo Skylar Waterproof Combat Boot in Black Suede (wide)
I have wide feet unfortunately and I’ve realized it’s ridiculous to put bandaids on my pinky toes when I wear my winter boots. I was on the hunt for a nice pair. I got these Blondo boots in wide. I read a few reviews, but it’s hard to decide based on a few website reviews, so I just decided to try them. They were definitely not wide. I know Blondo is known for having a narrow fit, but I thought maybe these would be okay. These were probably what would be considered a regular fit for other brands. I was wearing regular, thin socks and while my foot fit into them, they would be super uncomfortable. You could also see the shape of my foot in the boot and it just didn’t look nice. Unfortunately, they only accept returns online which means they charge $8 to ship it back to them (taking it off your refund).
The Shoe Company – 30% off?
Skechers On-The-Go Glacial Ultra-Woodlands Wide Winter Boot in Black Suede
Skechers is a brand that I own quite a few running shoes from. Even with their regular fit, they’re very comfortable. I recently purchased a wide fit sneaker and they are super comfy for me. So I got these knowing that Skechers is a brand that I like.
Spanx – 20% off for regular priced items, I think. I got something from the sale section, so it was 50% off
Spotlight on Lace Regular Waist Brief in Vintage Rose
Clockwise from top left (gray): ribbed cotton, cotton cable lace, pointelle high cut, cotton eyelash lace, period underwear
Aerie online order – 30% off sale or something
AerieREAL Period Underwear (I will be posting a review on this once I’ve tried it out)
AF Super Cropped Scoop Neck Cami in Black
Wrap One Piece Swimsuit in Black
High Neck Henley Tank Top in White
I bought the swimsuit because I realized I sold all of my swimsuits on Poshmark. Even though I haven’t gone swimming/to the beach in 6 years lol, I thought it’d be good to have one just in case. I was disappointed when I tried it on and ended up returning it. I don’t think I have a particularly long torso, but the body was so short (it was cutting into my butt). I can’t imagine a taller person wearing it. Even though you can adjust the straps to make it a bit longer, it would make the bust lower and the wrap part just wasn’t flattering to begin with…It wasn’t giving any lift to the girls. When I was thinking about buying it, I was a bit worried about whether it would stretch from wrapping it all the time, but I wanted to try it anyway since they have free returns. Back to the drawing board for this one.
Aerie in-store purchase – 10 for $40
Pointelle High Cut Bikini Underwear (high cut, peek of cheek)
Cotton Cable Lace Boybrief Underwear (regular rise, no cheek peek)
Cotton Eyelash Lace Boybrief Underwear (low rise, no cheek peek)
Ribbed Cotton Boybrief Underwear (low rise, no cheek peek)
I have previously purchased Aerie underwear a few years back and the boybrief underwear were really stretchy and too big. I got the same size in all of the underwear I bought and it just didn’t fit right. I’ve had time to try all of the underwear I bought and they all fit nicely. The Cotton Cable Lace ones are my favourite. A lot of my underwear are low rise and I’ve realized how much I like a regular rise.
With all of the online orders, I managed to get about $20 cashback from Rakuten.
(not sponsored or anything, but this is a referral link to sign up. You get $30 if you use the link and I will too).
Did you pick up anything during the Black Friday sales?
I didn’t realize I was so behind on my monthly empties posts! Here’s what I finished during the spring and summer!
Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve* – I wish I had known about this hand salve sooner. After trying it, I bought some for my family to try as well. My mom and sister get cracked hands in the winter. My mom said she had a crack on her thumb and it helped heal it faster than Vaseline. Whenever I forget to apply it, my hands are so dry. When I use this, my hands feel super soft.
Repurchase? I already repurchased it and I’m on my second tube.
How long does it last? I was sent the 200mL tube and it lasted 250 uses (most of the time, I used the same amount, but I used more in the winter). This last 8.5 months of daily use (applied at night only).
Dove Deep Cleansing Cucumber & Green Tea Hand Wash – If you’ve tried Dove Shampoos, the hand wash smells exactly the same. I’m currently using the Deep Moisture one. They are nice hand washes that don’t irritate my skin. They come in bottles with a pump.
Repurchase? Yes.
Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion – This is not moisturizing enough for me in warm weather, so I can’t imagine it being enough in the winter time. I prefer the Cerave Moisturizing Cream or Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion.
Repurchase? No.
Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash – This is an unscented body wash that’s super gentle. It does have a certain scent to it (smell from the natural ingredients). I think it’s the oatmeal, but you can’t really smell it on the body.
Repurchase? Maybe.
The Inkey List Omega Water Cream* – This gel cream was okay. I didn’t think it was anything special. I was hoping it would be similar to the Sonia Roselli Water Balm where it beads up like water, but it was different. I didn’t like the smell of it. It had this wet smell.
Repurchase? No.
How long does it last? 2 months.
Youth to the People Triple Peptide + Cactus Oasis Serum* – I really liked this serum, but it seems like I finished it fairly quickly. The pump also tends to spurt product out (I don’t know if I had a defective one, but this also happened with the Retinal + Niacinamide one). Comparing this to a Volition Beauty serum with the same amount, I finished the YTTP serum a month faster. With the Volition serum, I was able to control the amount by doing a half drop, but you can’t control the amount with this pump (can’t do a half pump).
Repurchase? Yes.
How long does it last? The 30mL bottle lasted about 3 months of daily use (once a day, I mostly used one pump per use).
Volition Beauty Skin Rhythm Balancing & Clearing Serum* – I was a bit skeptical about this one being able to help deal with hormonal acne, but when I used this, I noticed that my acne during that time of the month wasn’t as bad. I did still get some hormonal breakouts every now and then, but I think this definitely helped.
Repurchase? Yes.
How long does it last? I used the 35mL bottle for 5 months. For the first month or so, I was only using it at night, but then I started using it twice a day. A small drop was more than enough for each use and I would only apply it on my problem areas (nose, chin, jawline). It lasted 210 uses.
Volition Beauty Yaupon Tea Glow Awakening Moisturizer* – I didn’t really notice a huge difference in my skin. It was kind of similar to the celery green cream to me. Both are nice, but I probably wouldn’t buy it. I prefer the volition products that come in bottles: serums and oil.
Repurchase? Probably not.
How long does it last? About 3 months. It’ll last longer depending on how much you use. I feel like I used quite a bit for each use.
The Inkey List Tranexamic Acid Hyperpigmentation Treatment* – I didn’t notice a difference to my dark spots, but this gel wasn’t bad. My skin was pretty clear when I had this in my routine so I can’t say if it helped with new dark spots.
Repurchase? Maybe.
How long does it last? 2 months.
Bolden Skincare Hydrating Cleanser* – It’s a nice cleanser, but I didn’t see anything special about it.
Repurchase? No.
Bolden Skincare Awake Under Eye Patch* – The eye patches were a nice selfcare item, but I didn’t notice my under eyes being brighter or anything. I think I would need to use them regularly for a longer period of time.
Repurchase? No.
How long does it last? It depends how often you use them. You could finish the pack of 10 in a week and a half or it could last a couple of weeks if you only use them every few days.
PanOxyl Creamy Acne Wash – 4% Benzoyl Peroxide* – This was a nice acne wash with benzoyl peroxide. While it wouldn’t clear acne super quickly, it did help bring some painful underground ones to the surface. I would only use this on areas where I needed it. At 4%, it was gentle enough that it didn’t make my skin red and irritated.
Repurchase? Maybe.
How long does it last? About 4-5 months. I didn’t use it daily, but I used it when I needed it.
How long does it last? It lasted about 3 months (I had some bad breakouts this summer).
Nacific Fresh Herb Origin Spot Patch – These were good, but they are on the more expensive side (cost per patch). Again, check out my This or That post on Acne Patches to see a cost per patch breakdown of the pimple patches I’ve tried.
Repurchase? No, there are others that are cheaper.
Herbal Essences Tealightfully Clean Shampoo – I liked the fresh, clean scent from this shampoo.
Repurchase? Yes.
Dove Daily Moisture Shampoo – My go-to shampoos are drugstore ones. I sometimes splurge on higher end ones or hair masks/treatments, but I don’t use those as often. I don’t style my hair that often and I haven’t dyed it in a long time, so I don’t need anything special for my hair.
Repurchase? Yes.
The Inkey List Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Scalp Scrub* – I really enjoyed this one. I don’t really do treatments with my hair since I don’t do much to it (don’t curl or straighten much, haven’t dyed it in a long time). I would do this scalp scrub every so often and I did notice that my scalp felt cleaner after using this scrub. It was gentle and I preferred it much more than a sample of the Drunk Elephant one I tried.
Repurchase? Yes.
How long does it last? It took me 10 months to finish the 150mL bottle, but I honestly don’t know if I used too much or too little each time. I’m pretty sure I used too much lol. I didn’t use this frequently so if you used this every couple weeks or so, it would only last a few months. Over the 10 months, I used it about 15 times. If you use quite a bit, it would last at least 6 months (using it every 2 weeks).
Spot any favourites in my empties list?
Love,
Products marked with * were sent to me for review.
This is basically a repost of the blog post I wrote in May 2019, but I’ve added added new eye creams I’ve tried since then and also organized them into Hits, Likes and Misses. I’ve written a mini review of each eye cream I’ve tried and also said if I had a reaction to it or not.
Before you read this post, please remember that we all have difference preferences and skin types. These are MY hits, misses and likes. You might love something I don’t like or dislike something I love.
HITS
DearKlairs Fundamental Nourishing Eye Butter – I like this eye cream. Based on the name, I thought it would be a bit creamier/heavier, but it’s a bit like a gel cream. At first, I was on the fence about repurchasing it since the Cerave Eye Repair Cream is a bit similar (and Cerave is a bit easier for me to purchase). After checking the cost per mL though, this one is actually cheaper because there’s more in the tube. So I think I would get this one instead. I’ve already been using it for about 8 months (once daily) and there’s still quite a bit left in the tube. I was using this one as my PM eye cream, but I think I would prefer using it as an AM and using one of the thicker ones at night. At the time, I was using the Pixi Botanical Collagen Eye Serum which is a bit tacky, so I preferred using that one during the day, so naturally, this one became a part of my night routine.
Reaction? No reaction.
Cerave Eye Repair Cream with Hyaluronic Acid & 3 Ceramides – When I first started using this, I was a bit underwhelmed. I thought it would moisturize my under eyes more. I’ve finished the tube now and I changed my opinion about it. I liked this eye cream.
Reaction? No reaction.
Youth to the People Dream Eye Cream with Vitamin C and Ceramides – I’ve been enjoying using this eye cream. I have been using it at night, while I used the Cerave Eye Repair Cream during my morning routine.
Reaction? No reaction.
Pixi Retinol Eye Cream* – I enjoyed this one and my under eyes didn’t feel dry after using it. The tube also lasted a long time (8 months of using it twice daily).
Reaction? No reaction.
Pixi Botanical Collagen Eye Serum* – If you like a more gel-like eye cream, this one is quite nice. If you prefer a cream, the retinol one is good. It is a little bit tacky, so I liked to use this one for AM.
Reaction? No reaction.
LIKES
Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye Treatment – If I remember correctly, this one was similar to the Youth to the People one in terms of how thickness. It was a good one for my night routine.
Reaction? No reaction.
Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector – In my 2019 blog post, I said this was my favourite eye cream I’ve tried so far. I’ve tried several sine then and this one has been bumped from its top spot. Although it made my under eyes feel smooth, it didn’t really hydrate as well as other eye creams. When I initially purchased this, I had bought it from a warehouse sale for about $20-25 (15mL tube). I purchased it during the Sephora sale more recently and not only have they raised the price, they’ve also made the tube smaller (8.5mL). While I used the new tube, I found that I didn’t have the same love for it as I did four years ago. Also, I can no longer justify the price, especially when I don’t love it as much as I once did.
Reaction? No reaction.
Volition Beauty Helix AM/PM Eye Gel (read my review) – I think I would’ve liked this more if I had tried it in the summer time. It’s more of a smoothing eye gel than a hydrating or moisturizing one. They’ve also changed the packaging. I tried it in a pot, but now they have it in a bottle with a pump.
Reaction? No reaction.
belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb – I had a sample of this one and I enjoyed it. Although I’m not crazy about the slight scent to it (natural fragrance, it’s not scented).
Reaction? No reaction.
Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel* (read my review) – Even though I gave this a pretty high rating in my review, I found that my eye would twitch occasionally when I would use this so I had to stop using it. I also didn’t love the tackiness of it.
Reaction? Occasional eye twitching from caffeine.
Goldfaden MD Bright Eyes Dark Circle Radiance Concentrate* – I received this from Calissa.com when I was receiving boxes from them. While I did like this eye cream, it’s not really as accessible to me as the other eye creams I’ve tried. I don’t know if it would cost an arm and a leg to pay for shipping or duties. It was a nice eye cream, but it wouldn’t be worth it for me.
Reaction? No reaction.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream for Eyes (read my review) – Unlike the Hydro Boost Cream for the face, this didn’t have a smell and it wasn’t tacky at all, but it just didn’t ‘wow’ me.
Reaction? No reaction.
Lkins Skincare Vitamin C Eye Gel* (read my review) – This was a nice gel texture, but it just wasn’t hydrating enough. I have really dry under eyes.
Reaction? No reaction.
Saturday Skin Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream (read my review) – This one didn’t do much for me. It didn’t hydrate my under eyes as much as I needed it to and I didn’t get any reaction from it.
Reaction? No reaction.
OLE HENRIKSEN Banana Bright Eye Crème – I liked this eye cream, but after hearing about the lawsuit for allergic reactions for this eye cream, I decided not to risk re-purchasing it.
Reaction? No reaction after using the travel-sized pot.
MISSES
Tula Multi-Spectrum Eye Renewal Serum (read my review) – It seems like they’ve renamed a lot of their products. I believe this was renamed: Instant De-Puff Eye Renewal Serum. Both my mom and I tried this eye renewal serum. We both felt itchy using it and it wasn’t allergies or anything because we were using this in the winter time.
Reaction? No physical reaction (appearance-wise), but eyes felt itchy.
Origins Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream to Depuff and Brighten (read my review)
I’m not a huge fan of the smell of this. I accidentally bought this instead of another product – I meant to get the Ginzing moisturizer. A little goes a long way and while this does brighten the under eyes, you have to be careful not to use too much or it looks too white. I was using this off and on because I got one spot and I wasn’t sure if it was the eye cream or something else. I stopped using it until it got better and then I used it again and I’ve had a bit of texture under the eyes since. So, I won’t be using this anymore.
Reaction? Got a milium (singular of milia) and also got red bumpy spots
Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado (read my review) – I’ve been using this for about a while now and I’ve been using it on and off because whenever I use it, I get 1-2 red spots under both eyes. Also, it has a weird texture that’s almost glue-y. If you use too much, it doesn’t blend in very well, but if you use a very small amount, it absorbs into the skin and almost feels like water.
Reaction? Red spots under eyes whenever I used it.
Kiehl’s Eye Fuel* – After my reaction to the Creamy Eye Treatment, Kiehl’s messaged me asking if I would like to try a different product and I chose the Eye Fuel. THIS MADE ONE OF MY EYES TWITCH SO MUCH.
Reaction? Eye was twitching like crazy.
Price (CAD)
Size (mL)
Cost per mL
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream for Eyes
26.99
14mL
1.93
Lkins Skincare Vitamin C Eye Gel
22.99 USD ~ 30 CAD
15mL
2
Saturday Skin Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream
25 USD ~ 32 CAD
15mL
2.13
Saturday Skin Wide Awake Brightening Eye Cream
46 USD ~ 60 CAD
30mL
2
Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
70
28g ~ 28mL
2.5
mini Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado
44
14g ~ 14mL
3.14
Origins Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream to Depuff and Brighten
44
15mL
2.93
mini Origins Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream to Depuff and Brighten
36
10mL
3.6
belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb
60
25mL
2.4
Cerave Eye Repair Cream
27.99
14.2 g ~ 14.2mL
1.97
Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector
59
8.5mL
6.94
Goldfaden MD Bright Eyes Dark Circle Radiance Concentrate
55 USD ~ 71 CAD
15mL
4.73
Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wakeup Eye Gel
8
15mL
0.53
Volition Helix AM/PM Eye Gel
70
15mL
4.67
Tarte Maracuja C-Brighter Eye treatment
51
10mL
5.1
Youth to the People Dream Eye Cream
62
15mL
4.13
Tula Instant De-Puff Eye Renewal Serum
76
15mL
5.07
Pixi Botanical Collagen Eye Serum
34
25mL
1.36
Dear, Klairs Fundamental Nourishing Eye Butter
31
20g ~ 20mL
1.55
Here are some eye creams that I want to try:
Cetaphil Optimal Hydration Eye Serum
COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream
I’m From Ginseng Eye Cream
PURITO Centella Green Level Eye Cream
I’ve been looking for eye creams that don’t have caffeine because my right eye keeps twitching whenever I use eye creams with caffeine.
What’s your fave eye cream?
Love,
Last updated Aug 2023
Products marked with * were sent to me for review.
I don’t have too many empties this month. I think most of my products are fairly new so my product empties posts will only have a few items every month.
Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer – I started using this as a moisturizer since I have quite a few primers and I know it keeps me moisturized. My skin was having a reaction and this was the only product I had that wasn’t new.
Repurchase? Absolutely! (Note: the travel size is more cost effective than the glass bottle)
Kiehls Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash – This cleanser is meant for normal to oily skin. I have dry skin so it’s not really geared towards my skin type. I really wanted to try it though. It didn’t make my skin feel overly dry either. I purchased the 500mL bottle which was expensive for a cleanser, but it lasted a year. I used one pump every day during my nighttime skincare routine and it lasted more than a year.
Repurchase? No, but I would try something for dry skin from Kiehls.
Nanacoco Cleansing Oil* – This was a good cleansing oil. It had a floral fragrance to it which I didn’t mind. However, I would prefer a cleansing oil without a fragrance since I have sensitive skin.
Repurchase? No.
Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel – This acne gel works great as a spot treatment. It will help dry up a pimple that has a whitehead. It won’t be immediate, but if you use it for a couple days, you should see your blemish go down. This little bottle lasted a long time since I only used it as a spot treatment.
Repurchase? Probably not.
What did you finish this month?
Love,
Products marked with (*) were sent to me for review.
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?
Today, I’m going to be talking about eye creams I’ve tried. I never realized that I’ve tried quite a few and there’s actually only one that I love that made my under eyes feel smooth and didn’t give me milia. Several of the eye creams were just okay for me. I need one that hydrates because I have dry under eyes, but I also want one that helps with dark circles. Usually eye creams are hydrating OR for dark circles. So, maybe I have to find one to use for the day and one for night. I’m still on the hunt for one. While I do have a fave on this list, it’s the most expensive eye cream out of all of them, but you don’t get a lot for the cost.
I’ve written a mini review of each eye cream I’ve tried and also said if I had a reaction to it or not. Keep reading to find out which one is my fave!
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream for Eyes (read my review)
Unlike the Hydro Boost Cream for the face, this didn’t have a smell and it wasn’t tacky at all, but it just didn’t ‘wow’ me.
Both my mom and I tried this eye renewal serum. We both felt itchy using it and it wasn’t allergies or anything because we were using this in the winter time.
Reaction? No physical reaction, but eyes felt itchy.
Origins Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream to Depuff and Brighten(read my review)
I’m not a huge fan of the smell of this. I accidentally bought this instead of another product – I meant to get the Ginzing moisturizer. A little goes a long way and while this does brighten the under eyes, you have to be careful not to use too much or it looks too white. I was using this off and on because I got one spot and I wasn’t sure if it was the eye cream or something else. I stopped using it until it got better and then I used it again and I’ve had a bit of texture under the eyes since. So, I won’t be using this anymore.
Reaction? Got a milium (singular of milia) and also got red bumpy spots
Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado (read my review)
I’ve been using this for about a while now and I’ve been using it on and off because whenever I use it, I get 1-2 red spots under both eyes. Also, it has a weird texture that’s almost glue-y. If you use too much, it doesn’t blend in very well, but if you use a very small amount, it absorbs into the skin and almost feels like water.
Reaction? Red spots under eyes whenever I used it.
Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector
I love the metal applicator on this and this is my favourite eye cream I’ve tried so far! It kept my under eyes smooth and hydrated. It also helped with darkness around my eyes for a while, but I stopped seeing results after a while. Maybe it did everything it could or my skin got used to it and stopped working for my dark circles. It still kept my under eyes nice and hydrated though. This is the most expensive eye cream I’ve tried (if you work out cost per mL). I like that it comes in a tube and not a pot which keeps it hygienic.
