The Used Up 2024:2

In this post I will go through all of the makeup and skincare items that I managed to empty sometime during the second half of 2024, July through December. 10 items in total and out of those five were makeup products.

As per usual I’m not including all beauty consumables in this bi-annual post. Categories not included are body care, nail care, haircare or any type of SPF (unless it is a skincare/makeup item that just happens to have SPF in it). I still prefer not to track those categories. I also want to highlight some things about my skin that can be useful to know before reading my thoughts on these products. I’ve always had combination skin that is prone to dehydration. But I am noticing my skin changing a lot because of ageing (I’m 43) so I am slowly adjusting my routine to its evolving needs. I still get the occasional breakout and can get quite shiny during the day, but my skin is less oily and a bit more sensitive now. I only react badly to products on occasion and I still have not discovered any ingredient related allergies.

Let’s dive in!

Toners & mists

My current routine: I usually have a hydrating spray on hand that I use after cleansing, before serums. Sometimes I use a toner as a complement, either a hydrating one or an exfoliator. In the evenings I might finish with a more nourishing mist (with oils) as a last comforting step after hydration, but I do that very infrequently.

The Hydrating Milky Mist by Pixi (80 ml, 279 SEK) used to be a recurring favourite but was ultimately dismissed in 2019 due to having consecutive issues with the packaging (the mist). But last year I decided to give it another go and it seems like Pixi has solved the mister issue. The mist is very fine and I could use up the entire bottle without issues. I am very pleased. I will definitely purchase this product again.

Essence & serums

My current routine: I like to use a hydrating serum 1-2 times a day and it is a core item. I also dabble with more treatment focused serums but I’m more irregular with those.

The Rich Moist Soothing Serum by Klairs (80 ml, 429 SEK) is a great hydrating serum. The consistency was on the thicker side, but not in a negative way by any means. No scent and it did the job. This large bottle lasted me quite a while and I can see myself buying this product again.

Moisturisers & oils

My current routine: I use a variety of creams depending on what my skin needs. In the morning after serums I like to put on a basic moisturiser before adding SPF and/or a primer. I have lighter and heavier creams (I’m using the term heavy lightly here – I have combination skin after all) and adjust the combination according to seasonal variations like the climate outdoors/indoors. For daytime the goal is to have a face base that does not pill or look patchy when I apply makeup on top. In the evening I like to use a more robust and comforting cream since I do not need to worry about the makeup bit. I use an eye cream both morning and evening and the main goal is to hydrate the skin without stinging my eyes or melting my mascara. I use oils sparingly but I like to have one on hand for facial massages or as an extra comforting layer when my skin needs it.

The Rose Quartz Supreme Rich Cream (50 ml, 749 SEK) by M Picaut is still a firm favourite. Right now I do not have it in use but I do miss it. I will most likely buy it again soon. It is nourishing and smells delicious. My skin loves it.

Masks

My current routine: I do not have one. I use masks very infrequently but usually I like to have a lineup of a hydrating one, an exfoliating one and a deep cleansing one. I like to use an overnight mask when I have one.

These two masks by M Picaut was kindly given to me by my family as a birthday gift. I was intrigued by them when they first launched and put them on my wish list. But since I am such an infrequent mask user it has taken me a while to use them up. The Rock Crystal Clear Treatment Mask (50 ml, 499 SEK) was the one I reached for the most often, not because I particularly enjoyed it but because I craved the promise of a deep purifying effect. Unfortunately this mask has a smell that I cannot enjoy. I suspect it is the sulphur, but I do not know. If the smell was only prevalent when using the mask it would have been fine, but it lingers on the skin after removal. And that fact is one of the reasons why I am hesitant to buy this again. The other factor was that my skin reacted badly a few times when using this mask, on my neck and cheeks, so I think I’m a bit sensitive to this particular formulation. It says to leave it on for 5-10 minutes and my skin probably couldn’t handle the full 10 and I most likely used it that way. So a little user error on my part. But I’m rarely sensitive to anything skincare-wise so it did not occur to me to be especially careful. When using it up I was more mindful and used it primarily on my t-zone in the end. This jar lasted me for about 10 uses.

The Aventurine Radiance Treatment Mask (50 ml, 499 SEK) agreed better with my skin and also lasted 10 uses. However my verdict is tainted by my very infrequent use of the mask. I think I enjoyed it just fine, but I never used it frequently enough to notice anything special about my skin. It was a very mid experience and I think it was mainly my fault. I kept it way past its expiry and it was a bit dry in the end. I might try this again in the future and give it more love. But right now I am in the mood to try something else. I must say I tend to use masks in tubes more frequently than masks in jars. Something to think about.

Base makeup

The Rose Inc Softlight Luminous Hydrating Concealer in the shade LX 010 (10,8 g, 365 SEK) was a nice product for me. A fair neutral and a bit dirty toned shade, as you can see in the swatch above. A rare shade on the market. A bit light, but I prefer too light over too dark. The product is very pigmented and I used it in a few different ways. Dabbed on top of foundation to add more coverage. Mixed into foundation either to lighten, add more coverage or to neutralise the colour. I have bought replacement and it is currently in use.

Then we have the usual – the HD Studio Photogenic Concealer (3 g, 109 SEK) by NYX in the shade Green (CW12). Only one tube this time, but it is due to me having multiple correctors in use at the same time. This product has been discontinues sadly, but I have some backups that my daughter found in the sale. Hopefully they will be good to use when I get to them but I do realise they run a risk of being old by then.

The Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Treatment by Dr. Jart (15 ml, 215 SEK) is a product that change colour a bit when you rub it onto the skin. For me this small jar was a try on to see if I liked the product, and I did. It was light enough for me to use and the green evened out the redness on my face in a very effective way. It did such a good job that it could stand alone as my base on some days. When this jar was finished I naturally bought a replacement and was not pleased to find out that they had changed the formulation. The cream now became a much darker and more beige shade when rubbed onto my skin. I am sure this change was great for a lot of people who are darker than me, but for me it made the product unusable. I am trying to use the jar I have by mixing it with other things, but this is sadly a product I will not purchase again.

Mascara & brows

Next is a tubing mascara that was new to me – Dailism Smudge Stop Mascara Curling in black by Heimish (9 g, 159 SEK). It did leave some particles under my eyes during the day but it was minimal. I could see myself picking this one up again.

Miscellaneous makeup

Then we have one final makeup product, one lone eye shadow primer. The primer is an old favourite – the Eyeshadow Primer Potion, Anti-aging version, by Urban Decay (10 ml, 325 SEK). I have used this a lot over the years and it is my go-to eye primer at this point. I enjoy trying other brands once in a while byt I tend to revert back to this one. I does the job without interfering with my blending and the tube lasts for ages.

2024 empties wrap-up

A note on this type of summary: All of these specific items were not purchased in one year, some were gifts from friends/family and some were bought with a discount. Obviously I have loads of items, mainly makeup, that I will never use up and that will never end up in a post like this. I’m not doing these wrap-ups to track how much I spend but rather to highlight to myself the “worth” of the products I actually use up in one year. It shows how I spend my money on certain consumables and it gives food for thought.

To summarise 2024 I managed to use up: 4 cleansers, 2 face mists, 1 essence/serum, 1 eye cream, 3 face creams, 2 masks, 1 concealer, 3 colour correctors, 2 mascara, 1 brow tamer and 1 eye primer. That is a total of 21 skincare and makeup products worth around 8 300 SEK if purchased at full price.

Those numbers are an all time low. Lowest number of products used and lowest amount by far. One reason for the number of products I can think of is that started buying and experimenting with more skin care and makeup products last year and have multiple items in the same category in rotation at the same time. So each item takes longer to use up. So I think the number of empty items will be higher in 2025. But please do note that the numbers are lower but the average cost per item is higher than ever, so I still buy and use up products that are more expensive than previous years. Another reason for low numbers of items might be the fact that I have had more makeup free days in 2024 than usually. Otherwise I think more makeup products would have been emptied. I’m still good at using up the skincare items that I buy before they go bad and I hope I can keep this up despite have so many options in rotation. I am currently doing my best to use up some liquid lip products (lip gloss, lip balm and lip mask) before they go off. Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading!