Use Up 2015 – Conclusion

Use Up 2015 - CONCLUSION

This past year, I chose ten products I wanted to finish up and get them circulated out of my collection. They weren’t necessarily products I disliked, just that they were old enough that I needed to finish them and move on.

Here’s how I did:

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light (January 2015)
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light (January 2015)

I started out with a relatively brand new Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light. I had used it a bit, but not with any kind of regularity. (And no, I didn’t notice myself look ethereal at all!)

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light (December 2015)
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light (December 2015)

And here’s the usage after a year of dipping into this product.

Things I’ve learned:

  • I don’t need or want powder on my face.
  • It makes my foundation look too cakey when applied overtop.
  • It also takes me forever to get through a powder!

Although I didn’t use this daily, I did apply it frequently enough throughout the year. I expected to be done with this product since I know people finish up powders relatively quickly, but nope! I’ll keep plugging along with this product, but since I noticed no difference in my skin with this ambient lighting powder, I’m unlikely to buy another one. I also don’t think I’ll be picking up ANY face powders at all since I just don’t need it on my face.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige (January 2015)
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige (January 2015)

The Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige was a bit of an unfortunate choice for this project. I’ve grown to really dislike the Color Tattoos because they make my eyelids look kind of crepey. I had expected I could at least get through this tub though since it’s such a neutral colour that it could be used as a base.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige (December 2015)
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige (December 2015)

Alas, no. Although the Color Tattoos have EXCELLENT staying power (seriously, I went swimming in the ocean with them on before and they stayed put) I just don’t enjoy using them. This one got so stiff over the course of the year that I just gave up on it. It’s now gone straight into the garbage. 🙁

MAC eyeshadows in Club, Fade, Cork and Print (January 2015)
MAC eyeshadows in Club, Fade, Cork and Print (January 2015)

I have a few MAC shadows that are quite old, so I figured it was time to move them out of my collection.

MAC eyeshadows in Club, Fade, Cork and Print (December 2015)
MAC eyeshadows in Club, Fade, Cork and Print (December 2015)

I managed to completely finish Club! Woohooo! Fade actually crumbled and fell apart on me, so I just pitched out the remains. Cork and Print however… while I used them a bit, it wasn’t enough to finish then. I’ve recently recommitted to wearing Cork more often through my crease now I’m hoping to kill that one over the next few months! Using Print again reminded me a lot of my early twenties since I wore it a lot back then.

Revlon lipgloss in Papaya (January 2015)
Revlon lipgloss in Papaya (January 2015)

This Revlon Papaya lipgloss is such a beautiful colour – but I’ve had it for a few years now, so it was time to move on. They also don’t make this line of glosses anymore (which is a damn shame!) so it’s not like I can even encourage you to go buy it!

Revlon lipgloss in Papaya (December 2015)
Revlon lipgloss in Papaya (December 2015)

Unfortunately, despite using this guy consistently, he’s still kicking out product! It’s getting a bit sparse through the tube (you can see the cracks of the product separating from itself) so I at least know I got through a bit more of it. But the smell has gone a tiny bit off so I’m just straight out pitching it now.

Boots No7 Instant Radiance foundation in Cool Vanilla, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundations in 52 Vanilla and 51 Light Vanilla (January 2015)
Boots No7 Instant Radiance foundation in Cool Vanilla, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundations in 52 Vanilla and 51 Light Vanilla (January 2015)

This was an ambitious move for me. I decided I wanted to get through three foundations this year (I only chose one last year!)

Boots No7 Instant Radiance foundation in Cool Vanilla, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundations in 52 Vanilla and 51 Light Vanilla (December 2015)
Boots No7 Instant Radiance foundation in Cool Vanilla, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundations in 52 Vanilla and 51 Light Vanilla (December 2015)

And finish all three I did! The Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla was the first to go since it’s more of a summer shade for me. Once that was done, I started in on Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanilla and once that was done I cleaned out the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla.

I was so surprised I got through all of these foundations because I’m not a daily foundation user. I loved these so much and I have actually repurchased them (sooooo what was the point of the Use Up? lol). You can see all three foundations mentioned in my recent Empties video.

So that was it for 2015! All in all, it wasn’t hugely successful. I got through about half of the products I wanted to get through, so that’s not amazing. Although I love watching “Use Up” projects, I don’t think it’s a viable thing for me anymore as a blogger. I try out so many products now (both a blessing and a curse) that it makes it near impossible to stick with even just ten products throughout a year. I hope you enjoyed my Use Up 2015 roundup, and since I do love reading about them, please tell me what products you’re trying to use up!

13 thoughts on “Use Up 2015 – Conclusion

  1. Wow! That’s a hefty goal, especially three foundations in one year (I guess if you do use it regularly it’s not too bad…) I reaaallly want to try out the Bourjouis foundation but I want to make sure I get the colour correct and of course only a limited amount of SDM actually carry that brand 🙁

    I agree with the colour tattoo, it’s fine if you need eye shadow to stay for something like New Years but on the daily it might be a bit much haha!
    Lindsey Elyse recently posted…December Empties 2015My Profile

    1. Yeah – I only did one foundation last year and that was rough going, but I didn’t love the foundation nearly as much as the ones I loved this year. I wonder if SDM would give you samples of the Bourjois foundation – I don’t even know if they do samples as a general rule!

      I’ve ended up throwing out all my Color Tattoos because I just don’t reach for them. Kind of a waste of money, but ah well.

    1. Thanks Shireen! Any idea what products you want to finish up? Foundations is one of the easiest ones I find, probably because I have far less of them compared to say… eyeshadows!

  2. these are such huge success. i’m focusing on a year long purge but maybe adding in a few things to really use up would be good. i’m thinking at least i should make a dent in a blush … and at least finihs up some foundations.
    jenn f recently posted…Deciem Hylalmide SubQ Eyes*My Profile

    1. Half a success! lol

      I was debating doing a “No Buy” for 2016, but I don’t think that’d even be remotely possible. It’s so easy to say, and then the reality sets in a few months into it and it’s like.. uhhhh no.

      Blush is sooooo hard to finish up! I hit pan on a single blush and I was like OMGGGGG!

  3. I definitely want to try something like this in 2016 although whether I do it in seasonal batches or year long I’ll see. Even if it’s a bit ridiculous as a blogger I still enjoy them and putting my efforts focused on a few things. I definitely want to finish some foundations up…
    Zoe recently posted…Demeter Fragrance Mountain AirMy Profile

    1. Seasonal batches seem like a good idea, but I find them so impossible in the long run. (If I can’t finish something in a year, how will I do it in three months?!?) I’ll definitely be working on finishing up more foundation next year. Maybe my “Use Up 2016” could just be focused on foundations.

    1. Just be careful, a lot of people think it takes like no time at all to finish up a product and don’t give themselves enough time to work through it. But yeah, I threw a lot of OLD eyeshadows into my project pans because they reallllly need to be cleared out, you know?

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