A Makeup Retrospective: What Worked, What Didn’t, and What I Used Up

I’ve been meaning to document my experiences with the makeup I’ve owned for a while now. Some products have become staples in my everyday routine, some were exciting purchases that turned out to be completely wrong for me, and others required a little creative experiment to use them up.

Over time, I’ve learned that finding makeup that works for me isn’t just about finding pretty colours or products with good reviews. Shade matching, undertones, formulas, and perhaps most importantly, my actual makeup habits all play a part. I’ve also learned that just because a product is popular doesn’t mean it’ll work for me, and just because something doesn’t work as intended doesn’t necessarily mean it’s entirely useless.

In the previous post
(https://chroniclesofcarefree.wordpress.com/2026/10/16/decluttering-my-makeup-collection-choosing-less-choosing-calm/), I’ve already shared a deep reflection about decluttering my makeup collection and the process of choosing what to keep and what to let go of. This post is a little different. I wanted to look back at the products themselves: the ones I still reach for, the ones that didn’t work out, the ones I passed on, and the ones that I managed to use up, sometimes in ways that I hadn’t originally intended.

This isn’t a review of everything I’ve ever tried, nor is it an attempt to recommend every product mentioned here. These are simply my experiences with the makeup I’ve owned, what I liked or disliked about it, and what each product taught me about my preferences.

Current Makeup Collection

These are the products that have remained in my makeup collection that genuinely earned their place because I genuinely enjoy using them. Some are everyday essentials, while others are products I appreciate for a very specific reason. They aren’t necessarily the most exciting products I own, but they’re the ones that make sense for my routine.

Face Products

Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder in Translucent

This is my holy grail, loose, translucent setting powder. It keeps my concealer in place and helps my sunscreen from melting off, even on the most humid days. Given how easily heat and humidity can make makeup feel uncomfortable, having a powder I can rely on makes a real difference to my routine.

NYX Pro Fix Stick Concealer in 11 Cinnamon

I originally picked this up as a replacement for NARS Soft Matte Concealer in Caramel, which looked a little ashy on the perimeter of my face. I wasn’t expecting the NYX concealer to work quite as well as it did, especially given its stick formulation, but it turned out to be a surprisingly good match for my medium-deep, warm-leaning olive complexion.

Despite being a stick concealer, it is not drying, and blends like a dream. It also stays in place without needing powder, which is a bonus. Sometimes a product you buy as a practical replacement ends up being a better fit than you expected, and this was one of those purchases for me.

Cheek Products

House of Hur Moist Ampoule Blusher in Rose Brown

This is a relatively new favourite of mine. I enjoy the serum-like blush formula and the soft colour it gives my cheeks. I might still prefer Glossier Cloud Paint for its stronger pigmentation, but House of Hur’s Rose Brown has its own appeal. I simply apply a few layers when I want a little more colour, and it works beautifully that way.

Eye Products

MAC Eyeshadow in Wedge

This is a matte beige eyeshadow that has become one of those products that I don’t feel the need to replace with anything else. I love using it as a single wash of colour all over my eyelids for a simple, natural look. It adds just enough definition without requiring much effort, which is exactly what I want from an everyday eyeshadow.

Make Over Trivia Eyeshadow in Emperor Brown

This trio of brown eyeshadows offers versatile, neutral shades that work well for different occasions. The pigmentation is just right for me, and I find the colours particularly flattering against my skin tone. Its one of those uncomplicated palettes that make sense in my collection because I can use the shades without having to think too hard about how to make them work.

Lip Products

Laneige Lip Glowy Balm in Berry Fruits Rouge

I love this balm for its comforting feel and the scent, which I find particularly enjoyable. It gives my lips just the right amount of moisture without pilling, making it an easy product to reach for throughout the day. Sometimes, a lip product doesn’t need to do anything particularly complicated. It just needs to feel good and be pleasant to use.

NYX Suede Matte Lip Liner in Cold Brew

Cold Brew is a holy grail lip liner shade for me. The reddish brown shade strikes that sweet spot between being too light for my complexion and standing out too much. It adds definition without looking out of place, which is precisely what I want from a natural lip liner shade. It’s one of those shades that simply makes sense on me.

Rom&nd Glasting Melting Balm in 06 Kaya Fig

Kaya Fig gives my lips a soft, rosy fig colour that works beautifully for everyday wear and for midday touchups. On most days, I can apply this with sunscreen and call that my makeup done. The only drawback I’ve noticed is that it can pill when my lips are extremely dry, so it isn’t always the most forgiving option. Even so, I reach for it regularly because I love the colour and the overall effect.

3CE Blur Water Lip Tint in Laydown

This is a beautiful muted nude-peach lip tint. It applies like a watery serum and settles into a matte, non-transferable tint without leaving my lips dry. What I particularly love about this lip tint is how well it works with lip balm. I can apply the lip tint first, let it settle, then top up with lip balm over the tint throughout the rest of the day. That way, I can get the colour I want without having to sacrifice comfort.

Decluttered Products

Not every product that I’ve bought earned a permanent place in my collection. Some were the wrong shade, some had formulas I couldn’t get along with, and others simply didn’t suit the way I like to wear makeup. I’ve written about the decluttering process in more detail in my earlier post. Here, I want to focus on the products themselves and what my experiences with them taught me.

Base Products and the Never-Ending Search for the Right Shade

If there is one category where I’ve made the most mis-purchases, it would be base makeup. I have tried different foundations, skin tints, BB creams, CC creams etc. and I have learned that finding the right depth for my skin tone is only half the battle. Undertones matter just as much, and is also more complicated.

Fenty Eaze Drop Skin Tint in Shades 12 and 13

I liked the formula of these skin tints. They were thin and light enough, and gave me a radiant complexion and I could make the shades work by applying thin layers. Unfortunately however, they were both a little too light for me, and would show up ashy when I got a slight tan. I eventually mixed them with other products and used them up rather than letting them sit unused.

AOA Primer

This was bought solely for use on my wedding day as I don’t wear enough makeup in my everyday life to need a primer regularly. It was an okay product, but nothing particularly memorable. I used it until it expired, which was about as much as I could reasonably expect from something I rarely needed.

AOA Studio A+ Flaw Eraser Foundation Sticks in Nude and Soft Tan

Both of these shades were too light for me. I tried to use them as a concealer but that didn’t work either. Instead of giving up on them immediately, I mixed them with other base products to repurpose them.

IT Cosmetics CC Cream in Tan

The consistency of this was much thicker than I expected, almost like a foundation I learned much later that this was not necessarily a flaw, since CC creams can offer substantial coverage, but it wasn’t what I wanted from the product. The shade was also slightly too pink for my skin tone.

Garnier BB Cream

This was another base product that didn’t work because of its undertone. It was too cool-toned for me, and I couldn’t get the shade to look right.

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in No. 31

This was also too cool-toned and ashy on me. Unlike some of my other mismatched base products, I couldn’t find a workable way to correct the colour. It was one of those purchases that taught me how difficult it can be to make a fundamentally wrong undertone work.

AOA Vita Glow & Perfect BB Cream in Rich

This shade was sent to me by the seller by mistake, and it was too orange for my complexion. I genuinely looked like an Oompa Loompa. I tried to make it work by using the Garnier BB Cream and Missha BB Cream for the middle of my face and this on the perimeter, much like a concealer bronzer kind of combination. It still didn’t work. There wasn’t much left to be done about the shade mismatch after that, so it became another lesson in the importance of getting the right product in the first place.

Maybelline Fit Me Fresh Tint in Shade 09

The shade was reasonably close, but the formula felt too thick for something marketed as a skin tint. It also looked a little ashy on me. I wanted something lighter and more natural, so this wasn’t quite the right fit.

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC50 and NC 45

Online shade matching, just like with the Fenty skin tints, can be a gamble. The shade-matching tool suggested NC50 as my perfect match, but it turned out to be too dark. This was a useful reminder that online recommendations can only take you so far. As for NC45, it was a little too orange for me, but it worked beautifully for my sister-in-law, so I gifted it to her. At least this shade found someone who could use it.

e.l.f Halo Glow Liquid Filter in Tan Deep 6

I thought this would be my perfect shade, but turned out to be too dark and orange. I eventually mixed it with skin tints to make more workable shades and used it up that way. It wasn’t a match on its own, but it still had a purpose in my collection.

Concealers and Colour Correctors

Concealers have been another category of trial and error. It began as an attempt to avoid spending so much money on base products that ended up being the wrong shade. My logic was that a concealer has less product and costs relatively less, so if my purchase ended up being the wrong shade, I wasted less money, and would feel less guilty to throw them away. I did have some excellent shade matches, but I also have bought shades that looked completely different on my skin than I expected.

L.A. Girl Pro Conceal in Toffee

This shade somehow looked too cool-toned on me. I had expected it to work, but the undertone wasn’t right, which made it difficult to use as intended.

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer in 142 Golden

This shade was a tad bit too yellow for me, as the name Golden implies. The applicator was also quite messy, and eventually I couldn’t justify keeping it in my collection when there were other products I preferred.

e.l.f Camo Concealer in Medium Beige

This was supposed to be suitable for oily skin, but it creased terribly on me. I was so disappointed that I discarded it almost immediately after opening it.

L.A. Girl Correctors in Yellow and Orange

The orange corrector was barely used ever since my wedding day. The yellow corrector wasn’t much more successful as it failed to correct the mismatched shades I was trying to fix using it, and its tone seemed off. Neither became a staple in my collection.

Sheglam MultiFix Corrector in Macaron

This corrector was actually useful for adjusting the shades of some of my base products. Unfortunately, I noticed stinging around my eyes when I used it, so I had to stop using it. It was a shade because it had been helpful, but discomfort around the eyes wasn’t something I was willing to ignore.

AOA Top Secret Concealer in Green

This shade of green was so ashy, that I couldn’t apply enough concealer to cover it properly. I eventually realised that I was better off using plain concealer over fresh, red acne rather than trying to correct it with this shade of green corrector.

Blushes, Highlighters and Bronzers

I’ve come to realise that I prefer a simpler approach to complexion makeup. I like blush, but contouring and highlighting have never been particularly important parts of my routine.

Blue Heaven Contour/Highlight Duo in Magnificent Deep

This was a good product in itself. My problem was that I didn’t use a contour or highlighter enough to justify keeping it around. It was a case of owning a product for a routine I didn’t actually have.

Too Cool For School Contour in Classic

This was more like a setting powder for me than a contour. This shade was too light for me to use as a contour. I considered using it as an eyeshadow, but ultimately repurposed it with another product instead.

Nudestix Bondi Bae, and Bohemian Rose, and Hey, Honey

I had high hope for these products, particularly Hey, Honey. I was convinced that it would change my entire makeup game, but I rarely used highlighter enough to make it worthwhile.I was convinced that it would change my entire makeup game, but I rarely used highlighter enough to make it worthwhile. Bondi Bae and Bohemian Rose also weren't products I reached for on their own. Rather than letting all three sit unused, I mixed them with the Blue Heaven Contour/Highlight Duo to create a slightly shimmery blush and an under-eye corrector. I continued using the mixtures until they were empty.

This was one of the few repurposing experiments that genuinely worked out for me. It also taught me that sometimes a product's problem isn't necessarily its quality, but whether it fits into your everyday routine.

e.l.f Bite Size Duo in Coconut

The highlighter and blush duo on this were too shimmery for my liking. I prefer a more understated finish, so this wasn’t something I wanted to keep using.

Sheglam Glow Stick in Vanilla Frost

This had such a patchy shimmer, and I disliked the effect enough that I discarded this as soon as I received it.

Eyes and Brows: Learning My Actual Preferences

I have dark, thick brows, and I eventually realised that I didn't need to do much to them. I also discovered that eyeliner wasn't something I particularly enjoyed wearing, despite trying to make it work several times.

AOA Cherry Blossom Palette in Kaori

The shades in this palette were beautiful, but they were too shimmery for everyday use, especially at work. I couldn't see myself reaching for the palette often enough to justify keeping it for makeup purposes, so I crushed the pigments and used them as paint for my brush holder instead.

AOA Brow Pencil in Ebony

I already had dark, thick eyebrows, so I don't know what possessed me to think that drawing them on would improve things. The result was far too much for my face. I looked like a clown, and that was the end of my brow-pencil experiment.

Sheglam Eyeliner in Black

The eyeliner itself was good. The problem was that I didn't use eyeliner, whether on my waterline or across my eyelids. It was another perfectly usable product that didn't fit into my habits.

AOA Pencil Eyeliner in Dark Brown

I thought a dark brown eyeliner would give me a more natural look than black. Unfortunately, it barely showed up at all. It wasn't useful enough to keep.

MAC Eyeliner Pencil in Black

Apparently, the lesson from my experience with the Sheglam eyeliner hadn't quite sunk in, because I bought another black eyeliner. I thought I might be able to make a small wing at the outer corners of my eyes work, but I still didn't like how it looked on me.

Eventually, I accepted that eyeliner simply wasn't for me. There's something to be said for learning when to stop trying to make a particular makeup trend work.

AOA Mascara in Black

This mascara was clumpy, and it caused a stinging reaction in my eyes. I had to stop using it. It wasn't a product I could justify keeping, particularly given the discomfort it caused.

Lip Products: When the Colour is Almost Right

Lip products are probably the category where I've experimented the most with shades. I've learned that a colour can look beautiful in the tube or on someone else and still look completely different on my lips.

AOA Paw Paw Gel Lip Liner in Lasso

When I first opened this liner, it applied patchily. I tried pressing a little harder to get more colour, and the tip broke. When I attempted to sharpen it, I discovered that the entire stick had broken internally and came out of the casing. It was unusable after that.

Rom&nd Glasting Water Tint in Rose Splash

This tint left a strong stain, which would have been great if I'd chosen a shade that suited me. Unfortunately, the pinkish tone stood out in the wrong way on my lips. I liked the idea of the product, but I had simply picked the wrong colour.

Sephora Lip Liner in Deep Brown

Initially, this was a lovely colour. Somewhere around the halfway point, though, I started noticing that it looked pinkish-purple on me. I'm not sure whether my skin tone had shifted or whether I was simply noticing the colour differently, but the change threw me off.

Max Factor Velvet Matte in 40 Dusk

I enjoyed this lipstick until it approached its expiry date. Since there was still plenty of product left, I repurposed it as a blush and continued using it that way until it expired.

Blue Heaven Lip Tint in Brick Beauty

This tint initially looked brick-like, but as it dried, it turned pink. I enjoyed the shade for a while, but eventually grew tired of the colour. It was one of those products that was fun at first but didn't have lasting appeal for me.

Etude House Fixing Tint Bar in Lively Red

I used this until it expired and then decluttered it. Sometimes, a product's story is simply that it served its purpose for as long as it reasonably could.

e.l.f Lip Liners in Red Receipt, Baddest Beige, and Spill The Tea

Red Receipt was far too pigmented and red for what I wanted. Baddest Beige and Spill the Tea, on the other hand, were chalky. None of the three ended up being shades or formulas I wanted to use regularly.

L.A. Girl Lip Liner in Natural Creme

This liner was a little too light for me, although I could initially make it work for the Korean gradient lip look. As my preferences changed and I moved away from that application style, I couldn't find another way to use it that I liked.

Labello Lip & Cheek in Red

I bought this because it was supposed to be a tinted lip-and-cheek product with SPF. Unfortunately, I couldn't stand the chemical smell. Whatever its other merits might have been, I couldn't bring myself to keep using it.

Merit Lipstick in Tiger

Tiger was such a pretty shade that I was genuinely disappointed by this one. The lipstick tasted and smelled like crayons, and I couldn't get past that. I didn't want to keep applying something that I found so unpleasant to use, no matter how beautiful the colour was.

Gifted Products

These are the products that found better homes.

L.A. Girl Pro Conceal in Medium Beige

This shade was a closer match for my friend, so I passed it onto her.

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC45

This was just s hint too orange on my, but it was a perfect match for my sister-in-law, so I gifted it to her.

NYX Buttermilk Blush in Back and Butta

These were extremely pigmented! I found them difficult to work with, so I ended up gifting them to my friend who would enjoy it more.

e.l.f Bite Sized Eyeshadows in Orange Dreamsicle and I Love You A Latte)

These pulled too ashy on my, so I gifted them to my friend.

Nykaa Lipstick in Wakeup Makeup

This looked great in-store, but once I tried it on my lips, it was far too light and looked chalky. It suited my fairer friend much better, so I gifted it to her.

Giving Products a Second Life

One of the more interesting parts of working through my makeup collection was discovering how many products could be repurposed instead of simply discarded. Not every experiment was successful, but some of them helped me use up products that would otherwise have remained untouched.

I don't think every product needs to be saved at all costs, and there are certainly products that should be discarded when they've expired or caused a reaction. But when a product is still usable and the problem is simply the shade or the way it fits into my routine, I like exploring whether there's another way to use it.

Mixing Base Products into Custom Shades

My mismatched base products provided plenty of opportunities for experimentation.

I mixed Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Skin Tints with Purito Cica Clearing BB Creams and used the resulting shades as concealers, storing the mixtures in concealer bottles. The Fenty skin tints were too light on their own, while the Purito BB creams in shades 27 and 31 were too light or too dark for me individually. Mixing them gave me more workable shades, and I continued using the mixtures until they were empty.

I also mixed the AOA Studio A+ Flaw Eraser Foundation Stick in Amber with Fenty Eaze Drop Skin Tint in shade 12. The resulting mixture went into a concealer bottle, and it turned out to be surprisingly versatile.

These experiments taught me patience with undertones. Sometimes, the depth of a product can be adjusted relatively easily, but the undertone can be much more complicated. Mixing products gave me a way to work around some of those mismatches rather than immediately writing them off.

Creating Custom Blushes

Blush was another category where I experimented with mixing products.

I combined AOA Studio Colour Flush Liquid Blush in Redwood with some base products and shades from the PAC eyeshadow palette to create a cream blush. I also mixed the e.l.f. Bite Size Face Duo in Guava into a cream blush, which I used up.

The biggest experiment was with 3CE Face Blush in Soft Salmon. I initially mixed it with PAC eyeshadows to create a powder blush, but that experiment failed. Rather than abandon the idea entirely, I mixed the product into a cream blush consistency instead. That worked much better, and I continued using it until it was finished.

This became my ultimate franken-blush. It wasn't what I'd originally planned, but it ended up being a useful way to get more out of products I already had.

Repurposing Powders, Eyeshadows, and Other Products

I also depotted pressed powders into loose powder containers so that I could use them up more easily before they expired. This was a practical solution for products that were taking too long to finish in their original format.

The Nudestix Bondi Bae, Bohemian Rose, and Hey, Honey products, together with the Blue Heaven Contour/Highlight Duo, were mixed into a slightly shimmery blush and an under-eye corrector. I used the resulting mixtures until they were empty.

The AOA Cherry Blossom Palette in Kaori found a completely different purpose. Since the shades were too shimmery for my everyday makeup, I crushed the pigments and used them as paint for my brush holder.

These experiments weren't all equally successful, but they made me more resourceful about using what I already owned. I also learned that repurposing is most worthwhile when the finished product is something I genuinely want to use. Otherwise, it's just another way of creating something that will sit unused.

Empties

Finishing a product feels different from simply decluttering it. It means I've spent enough time with it to understand how it fits into my routine, whether I enjoyed using it, and whether I'd consider buying it again.

Some products were easy to finish because I loved them. Others required a little creativity. A few lasted long enough to teach me that a product can be perfectly good without being something I'd repurchase.

Base Products

Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blur + Smooth Tint Stick in Shade 14

I mixed this with Purito BB creams and used up the resulting mixture completely. The finish was smooth and matte, which I appreciated, but I wouldn't repurchase it.

Purito Cica Clearing BB Creams in Shades 27 and 31

Both shades were mixed with Fenty base products and used up. On their own, one was too light and the other too dark for me. The experience taught me patience with undertones and how much difference mixing can make when a shade is close enough to work with.

AOA Studio A+ Flaw Eraser Foundation Stick in Amber

I mixed this with Fenty Eaze Drop Skin Tint in shade 12 and transferred the mixture into a concealer bottle. It was surprisingly versatile in this form, and I used it up.

MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in NC43

I depotted this pressed powder into a loose powder container and used it up before it expired. It had a reliable matte finish, and repackaging it made it easier for me to work through the product.

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Powder Foundation in Shade 345

This powder foundation lasted well, although I found it transfer-prone. Despite that drawback, I finished it.

Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint in G5

This was a lightweight, natural-looking skin tint that I loved using. I finished it down to the last drop, which says quite a bit about how much I enjoyed it.

Concealers and Correctors

Kay Beauty HD Liquid Concealer in 175Y Tan

This was a hydrating, blendable concealer and a perfect shade match for me. It earned holy grail status in my collection.

Glossier Stretch Balm Concealer in Medium Tan 3

My first pot of this concealer had a relatively short lifespan, and at the time I had too many products to use up before they expired. To make better use of it, I depotted it into a cushion foundation container and used it that way until it was finished.

It was another holy grail product, and repurposing it helped me get more use out of something I already knew I loved.

I repurchased this product and used this up completely because it was that good. It's one of those products that proves itself through use rather than hype.

Glowish Hydrating Concealer in 09 Extra Tan

This concealer gave me a dewy, fresh-looking finish, and I managed to finish it before it expired. It was a good example of a product that could be used up as intended without needing any creative adjustments.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Caramel 40 and Tan 45

Caramel 40 was a little light on me, but still workable. Tan 45 was a tad too dark. I eventually repurposed them both by mixing into my franked blush, and I used it until it expired.

e.l.f. Camo Colour Corrector in Blue

This was a lifesaver when I was correcting orange foundation mixtures. As someone who leans olive, I found the blue corrector particularly useful for adjusting shades that were too orange. I used it up while working through those mixtures.

L’Oreal Infallible Full Wear Waterproof Concealer in Almond 410 and Honey 415

One shade was too yellow, while the other was too orange. Unfortunately, even mixing them didn’t give a good match. They were also too full coverage for my preference, so these weren’t the right fit for me.

NARS Soft Matte Concealer in Caramel

This was a great spot concealer, but it looked ashy around the perimeter of my face. It would have worked better if I were still using a skin tint over it, but by then I wasn’t.

I tried adjusting it with a green corrector, but that ruined the consistency. Eventually, I had to throw it away. It was disappointing because the concealer worked well for spot concealing, but I couldn't make it work for the way I used base makeup.

Blushes

Makeup Revolution Superdewy Liquid Blush in Flushing For You

This blush was already dried up when I received it. Rather than use it in its original form, I mixed it into a custom cream blush and continued using the mixture until I finished it.

AOA Studio Colour Flush Liquid Blush in Redwood

I mixed this with some base products and shades from the PAC eyeshadow palette to create a cream blush. It was one of the products that helped make my blush experiments possible, and I eventually used it up.

e.l.f. Bite Size Face Duo in Guava

I mixed this into a cream blush and managed to use it up. It was a practical way to get more use out of a product that I otherwise might not have finished in its original form.

3CE Face Blush in Soft Salmon

This was my ultimate franken-blush. My first attempt at mixing it with PAC eyeshadows to create a powder blush didn't work, but changing the mixture to a cream blush consistency made all the difference. I continued using the resulting blush until it was finished.

Glossier Cloud Paint in Storm

This was a product I used up happily. It gave my cheeks a beautiful, natural, glowy finish, and I loved the effect. Of all the blushes I've used, this is one I'd happily repurchase.

Eyes and Brows

Etude House Play Color Eyes Palette in Warm Top of Charisma

I mixed all the non-shimmery shades together and used them up. The matte shades were more useful to me, while the shimmers weren't something I reached for regularly.

PAC Matte Eyeshadow x16 in Last Wish

As someone who doesn't wear a lot of eyeshadow, I found this palette too pigmented for my everyday needs. Rather than trying to force myself to use it as intended, I depotted the shades for alternative uses, including custom blushes and colour correctors, and worked through the product that way.

e.l.f. Bite Size Eyeshadow in Pumpkin Pie

This was a small but reliable eyeshadow palette, and I used it up. Sometimes, simple products in compact formats are easier to incorporate into everyday routines than larger palettes with more options.

AOA Studio Easy Brow Gel in Clear

This brow gel dried up while I was using it and began leaving residue. I eventually threw it away rather than continue using a product that was no longer performing properly.

Glossier Lash Slick Mascara in Black

This was my holy grail mascara, and I finished it before it expired. It was one of the products that worked well enough for me to use it up without needing to find an alternative purpose for it.

Lips

Nykaa So Creme Lipstick in You're Latte

This was an everyday neutral lipstick that I used down to the stub. It was the sort of shade that fit easily into my routine, and I made good use of it.

Karite Lipstick in #09

The formula became patchy towards the end, but I still managed to finish it. Not every product maintains the same performance throughout its lifespan, but I got plenty of use out of this one.

Zayn&Myza Powder Matte Lipstick in Bare Brown

This lipstick expired, although I used it until the end. It was one of the products I eventually had to let go of because of its age.

Etude House Fixing Tint in Soft Walnut

This was a holy grail lip tint for me. My first one dried up, but I loved it enough to repurchase it, and I eventually used up the second one too. It's one of the clearest examples of a product that genuinely earned a repeat purchase.

Rom&nd Zero Velvet Tint in Deep Soul

I found this tint drying, but I still used it quite a bit despite its bold colour. It wasn't the most comfortable lip product I owned, but I enjoyed it enough to keep reaching for it.

Tirtir Waterism Glow Tint in 05 Scotch Shot

I finished this tint and loved that it left a stain on my lips without being drying. That combination of lasting colour and comfort made it a product I particularly enjoyed using.

AOA Setting Spray

I also used this on my wedding day! I’m not sure how well it compares to the viral setting sprays, but it did the job for me, and I used it until it expired.

What My Makeup Collection Taught Me

Looking back at all these products, the biggest lesson for me has been that having more makeup doesn't necessarily mean having a better makeup collection.

I've bought products because I thought they would change my routine, because a particular shade looked beautiful, or because I wanted to try something new. Sometimes those purchases worked out wonderfully. Other times, they revealed that I didn't actually enjoy wearing that type of makeup, no matter how good the product was.

Highlighters are a good example. I was convinced that Nudestix Hey, Honey would transform my makeup, but I rarely used highlighter. The product wasn't necessarily the problem; I simply didn't have much use for it. The same applied to contour products, brow pencils, and eyeliners. I spent money trying to incorporate products into my routine before accepting that they weren't things I wanted to wear regularly.

Shade matching has been another important lesson. I've learned that getting the depth right isn't enough if the undertone is wrong. Too many of my base products were too light, too dark, too orange, too pink, or too cool-toned. Some could be adjusted through mixing, while others were too difficult to salvage. Online shade matching helped me make decisions, but it wasn't always accurate.

I've also learned that I enjoy a fairly uncomplicated makeup routine. I gravitate towards natural-looking skin, matte neutral eyeshadows, a little blush, and comfortable lip products. I don't need to use every category of makeup to feel that my routine is complete. Sometimes, a good concealer, setting powder, lip liner, and lip product are enough.

Repurposing products taught me something else: I don't always have to use a product exactly as intended to get value from it. Some of my custom blushes and base mixtures turned out to be genuinely useful, and I was able to finish products that might otherwise have gone to waste. At the same time, I've learned that repurposing only makes sense when the result is something I'll actually use. There's no point in creating another product simply to avoid decluttering an existing one.

Of course, not every product can or should be salvaged. Products that have expired, developed an unpleasant smell, or caused irritation aren't worth holding on to just because money was spent on them. I've had to accept that sometimes letting go is the more sensible choice.

Ultimately, this retrospective has made me appreciate the products that genuinely work for me. The ones I finish, repurchase, and reach for without much thought are often more valuable to my routine than the products that initially seemed exciting. I'm learning to pay more attention to what I actually use rather than what I think I should use.I still enjoy experimenting with makeup, and I'm sure I'll continue discovering products that surprise me, both positively and negatively. But I want to be more intentional about what I bring into my collection and more honest about what deserves to stay.

For now, I'm happy to have a better understanding of my preferences, a few products I genuinely love, and a collection that reflects the way I actually wear makeup.

And perhaps that's the most useful thing I've learned. The goal isn't to own the perfect collection. It's to find the products that work for me, use them well, and enjoy them while they last.