Today, I’m reviewing my beauty expenses for 2022. I know we’re more than half way through 2023, but I realized that I forgot to do last year’s beauty expenses.
As you can see from the graphs, I started spending money on beauty products again. There was a significant decrease in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID. The majority of the skincare purchases were the Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve and First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser. I’ve been lucky enough to receive skincare products to review. So I haven’t bought many skincare products for my face, but somehow I spent $550 on things like hand cream, body scrubs and pimple patches.
My 6 most expensive beauty purchases of 2022:
Sephora Collection PRO 8-piece Brush Set – $92.80
Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize Cream Eyeshadow Trio – $70.20
Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm (Value size) – $52
Uoma Beauty Say What?! Foundation – $50
Youth to the People Dream Eye Cream with Vitamin C and Ceramides – $49.60
After seeing how much I spent last year on makeup and skincare, I’m actually quite surprised. It didn’t feel like I spent that much on beauty products. Since we’re in August 2023, I can say that I’ve actually tried my 6 most expensive purchases and I like all of them. I think I’m starting to prefer powder or cream foundations though, so I probably wouldn’t repurchase the Uoma foundation. I like all of the other products though. I haven’t opened the Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm, but I’ve used it in the past. I really like the Sephora Collection PRO brushes. They’re so soft and fluffy. The ABH eyeshadow palette is a classic, I still need to use it more. I haven’t used the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize shadows as much as I’d like. I chose more smokey shades and I’ve mostly been going out during the day and prefer to do a natural eye look in the morning.
I’m interested to see my beauty expenses for this year. I think I’ve bought more clothes than beauty products, but we’ll see what happens in the next few months when the Sephora sale and Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales come around lol.
Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Medium to Full Coverage Radiant Concealer with Hyaluronic Acid in 4.5 – I ended up returning this because it was too light
bareMinerals BAREPRO 16-HR Skin-Perfecting Powder Foundation in Light 25 Neutral – I returned this one as well because it was too dark lol
Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil: Eye, Lip & Brow Pencil in 612 Dimension Dark Brown
Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Soft Pinch Liquid Blush in Joy
Urban Decay Mini Original Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Waterproof Eyebrow Definer in Shade 6
Shu Uemura Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil in Stone Gray 05
Did you pick anything up from the friends and family sale
This month I went through a lot of products! So, let’s get started!
Bioré Blemish Fighting Astringent – This would sometimes sting my skin (even if I didn’t have a pimple. The alcohol content was very high and would make my eyes water.
Repurchase? No.
belif bergamot Toner – This was a very nice, gentle toner.
Repurchase? Maybe.
Spectro AcneCare Wash – This was a great acne wash that wasn’t too strong.
Repurchase? Yes.
COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patches (read my review) – Cannot get enough of these patches, they’re amazing!
Repurchase? Yes.
Clinique Pep-Start Quick Cleansing Swipes – These were gentle and removed makeup okay.
Repurchase? No longer available, I believe.
The Face Shop Clean Face Clear Away Spot Treatment (read my review) – This wasn’t very strong, I would rather buy the Kate Somerville eradiKate or Mario Badescu Drying Lotion.
Repurchase? Probably not.
The Face Shop Jeju Volcanic Lava Self-Heating Clay Mask (read my review) – This was interesting. The self-heating factor might be good for body aches (although it would be a bit messy).
Repurchase? Probably not.
Live Clean Baby Colloidal Oatmeal Eczema Cream – This cream definitely smelled like oatmeal. I don’t know if it did anything to help. I was using it when I didn’t have any eczema flare ups.
Repurchase? Probably not, I would rather get a Cetaphil cream bottle.
got2be Guardian Angel Gloss Finish Flat Iron Balm – I have only ever tried 2 heat protectant sprays, but this did the job and made my hair look glossy.
Repurchase? I have.
Remay Shave Gel Bar – I received this for free and while it smelled nice and was very nice to shave with, I probably wouldn’t purchase it.
Repurchase? Probably not.
Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo – I got this in a Topbox and I knew it was expensive so I kept not using this little bottle. I love the smell of this dry shampoo and I got compliments twice when using it that I smelled nice.
Repurchase? I finally splurged and bought a new one. I got a mini because the big size was out of stock.
Live Clean Mineral Clay Rebalancing Shampoo + Conditioner – I liked this shampoo and conditioner.
Repurchase? Maybe.
Coastal Scents Eclipse Palette (read my review) – This is a good concealer palette if you’re just starting out and don’t want to splurge. You can use it to colour correct, conceal and contour.
Repurchase? No, because Coastal Scents charges shipping to Canada.
Colourpop No Filter Concealer in Light 20 – This concealer was bought before they added more shades, so there’s no longer a shade called Light 20. This concealer was okay for me. It oxidized really quickly. I would rather get Maybelline Fit Me Concealer since that’s easier for me to pick up.
Repurchase? No.
Milani Retouch + Erase Light-Lifting Concealer in 02 Light – This is a thick concealer that blends out nicely. I wasn’t sure if I would like it because I thought it might cause creasing under my eyes, but I wore it for over 8 hours and it didn’t crease
Repurchase? Maybe.
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer (Colour Correcting- Adjust) (read my review) – This did nothing to cover redness.
Repurchase? No.
Nude by Nature Perfecting Primer (read my review) – This was an okay primer, I didn’t love it and didn’t hate it.
Repurchase? No.
Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer (Smoothing) – This is one of my fave smoothing primers.
Repurchase? Yes.
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation in Y245 – This was a great foundation, but the shade was too yellow. I think I’d need to mix two shades with different undertones to get the right match.
Repurchase? Maybe.
Burt’s Bees Goodness Glows Liquid Foundation in 1025 Natural Beige (read my review) – Because this foundation is very natural, it washed away easily with water. I didn’t like the smell of it either and it lingered after applying it.
Repurchase? No.
Fenty Pro’Filtr Soft Matte Longwear Foundation in 150 – This was too matte for me. While it was beautiful, I prefer something more luminous and natural.
Repurchase? No.
Coastal Scents Revealed3 Palette (read my review) – These had some great neutral colours if you’re starting out with eyeshadows.
Repurchase? No.
Urban Decay troublemaker Mascara – This deluxe sample was hard to judge the full-sized because it was such a short stick, I couldn’t apply the mascara very well to my lashes.
Repurchase? No.
Bella Pierre Cheek Stain in Coral – It was pretty, but I feel like I never gave it a fair shot. I think I’d prefer a cheek stain that twists up or in a pan instead of a pot.
Repurchase? No.
Burt’s Bees Nourishing Mascara – While this was easy to wash off, it didn’t do much for my lashes.
Repurchase? No.
bareMinerals Gen Nude Radiant Lipstick in Tutu – It was a pretty pink shade, but a bit too pale pink on me. I might consider buying a different shade.
Repurchase? Probably not.
Dior Addict Lipstick in 983 Insoumise – My mom bought this for my sister’s wedding, but it was way too pink for her and had shimmer in it, so she gave it to me. It’s a beautiful pink shade, but it’s a bit too pink for me too. I would sort of do an ombré lip with this on top of a nude/pink lipstick and it added the perfect amount of shine and pink.
Repurchase? Not this shade, but I loved how hydrating this lipstick was, so I would definitely consider getting the Dior Addict Lip Glow or purchasing a different shade.
I bought the Sephora Bright Future Color Corrector (02 Yellow) because it was on sale for $9 and I thought I’d give it a try. I got the yellow colour correcting one to cover dark circles under my eyes.
Ideal for the under-eye area, blemishes, and areas around the nose and mouth, these gel-serum color correctors are feather light and buildable depending on your concern. Pineapple extract helps to improve the appearance of skin texture and add brightness, while the cotton swab-like applicator provides the perfect amount of product every time. Just dip, dot, and blend to neutralize before you conceal.
It has an applicator that isn’t very spongey. It’s really hard and it doesn’t bend. It barely picks up any concealer (or the concealer is wiped off when it comes through the top).
RATING: 2/5
It was so sheer that it didn’t cover anything. It might be buildable, but you have to keep dipping the wand back into the tube because it doesn’t pick up a lot.
I’d rather get a drugstore brand colour correcting concealer or use the yellow or purple shades from the Coastal Scents Eclipse Palette (read my review).
Have you tried Sephora’s concealers? What were your thoughts on them?
